Identify your Transferable Skills
By Elijah Thomas
In addition to education requirements and professional experience, hiring managers look for candidates with transferable skills.
These skills reflect the knowledge you have picked up throughout your career journey and during your daily life. Some may be directly related to the position you are applying for, while others, like communication and network-building, can be mastered through personal relationships.
Before sending in your resume during a job search, identify the transferable skills that make you an effective partner. Here are a few of the most in-demand abilities employers are searching for in their new employees.
Problem-Solving
Expert problem-solvers are efficient at discovering an issue, realizing the cause, and implementing a strategy to find a solution. Think back to previous positions where you initiated techniques that resolved a problem in an area where your company found itself struggling.
This includes building team morale, overcoming growth deficits or innovating an effective marketing campaign. While there may not be a place to disclose your efforts on an application, you can explain this transferable skill during an interview.
Leadership
Hiring managers look for employees who can work without excessive supervision and who take the lead on managing their team. Those who express strong leadership skills are often resourceful in aspects like communications, relationship-building and trust.
Even if you don’t have experience in a managerial role, reflect on situations where you took control of a company problem and offered support for a team seeking a resolution.
Listening
Another skill that you can showcase in an interview is being an active listener. During your conversation, show confidence by sitting straight, maintaining eye contact and being prepared to answer questions without hesitation.
Someone with good listening skills should also be prepared for constructive criticism during their career. It’s essential to show that you can listen to superiors’ advice and adapt it into your strategy.
Computer Skills
As technology advances in nearly every industry, most occupations will require at least some level of computer knowledge. Whether you have advanced coding or website building skills, or more intermediate abilities like initiating email campaigns, it’s worth discussing it with hiring managers.
The odds are that many positions you fill as you advance in a career will require spreadsheet or document drafting experience, so don’t forget to highlight that in job applications and your resume.
Project Management
While you may not have been in charge of a team of your peers, overseeing an important project is a good transferable skill. The role shows you are responsible for timelines, visualizing the initial plan, ensuring its outcome, and adjusting to changes that arise throughout the project. Try to get referrals from previous employers that highlight your role in innovative management techniques.
Creativity
You can also impress a hiring manager by expressing your creativity and explaining how it impacted previous positions. Those who can effectively think outside the box provide a fresh outlook on approaching tasks and problem-solving.
Creative employees are also good at discussing ideas with an easy-to-understand voice, rather than using industry language others might have trouble comprehending. Showcase your skill to a potential employer during the interview by researching business problems and drafting a novel solution.
