Transferable Skills For Every Career

Transferable skills are abilities and strengths that you can apply to almost every position and industry. You can gain transferable skills from previous jobs, internships, educational courses, or even hobbies and activities.

Transferable skills are greatly beneficial because they aren’t industry-specific, so you can simply take the skills you’ve gained from one industry and apply them to another. Many employers look for candidates with these skills because employees regularly use them to complete work-related tasks and submit quality work. Featuring options from this transferable skills list on your resume will make it stick out to hiring managers, which comes in handy if you have little experience.

Supervisors often look for employees who aren’t afraid to take control of a situation and successfully lead their team. Leadership skills involve task delegation and motivating your team members to work hard. Hiring managers usually look for candidates with these qualities because it proves you have the confidence to lead projects and potentially grow in your career. Most employers like employees with strong leadership skills so they can help develop them. 83% of organization leaders believe it’s important to develop leaders at all levels.

In addition to being a strong solo worker, employers want to know you can thrive in a team environment. Many jobs have projects that involve group collaboration. Employers want to know how well you work with other employees to solve work-related issues and meet project goals. Hiring managers also look for candidates who listen to team members’ suggestions and build on them to provide quality work.

Employees with strong organizational skills are often very impressive to hiring managers because they keep their workspace orderly and their tasks sorted. Organizational skills also mean you’re a reliable worker who creates schedules to complete tasks and can be trusted to handle confidential and priority projects in a timely and responsible manner.

Employees with motivational skills are usually driven to complete projects on time and are dedicated to submitting valuable work. Employers look for candidates with strong motivation, as it shows they’re hard workers and have the self-discipline needed to continuously complete valuable projects. These employees usually show promise in their role, motivate themselves to advance in their career, and constantly learn new skills to help them grow.

These skills involve sorting upcoming assignments correctly and determining which ones to prioritize. People with strong time management skills regularly create schedules for themselves so they can plan their day and distribute tasks accordingly. Managing your tasks well and planning ahead boosts your productivity and ensures you’ll submit them on time. If managers notice your strong time management abilities, they trust you to complete more important, time-sensitive tasks for them.

Most jobs require interacting with people regularly, whether it’s clients, supervisors, or employees. Many employers are impressed with candidates who communicate clearly, concisely, and professionally. Depending on the career you pursue, your everyday tasks may consist of giving presentations regularly in staff meetings or constantly firing off emails to clients. Nonverbal communication is also important to know, like standing up straight, smiling, and nodding along when someone’s talking.

Listening is a crucial skill that’s used throughout many aspects of workplace roles. Employers are looking for candidates who effectively listen, understand, and comprehend their requests. Paying attention and listening closely enough to directions can help you avoid potential mistakes or misunderstandings that can be costly for your organization. Show supervisors and other employees you’re listening by nodding along and providing helpful feedback to their ideas.

Your job may entail creating or making sense of analytical reports containing important company data. You may need to know how to read and understand different charts, graphs, or tables to solve certain organizational challenges. Most supervisors want employees to read important data and metrics to recognize significant patterns and develop a supporting strategy from there. Supervisors may also ask you to input important data into reports and present them to clients or other employees.

Since almost every role involves using computers to do some degree, it’s best to have strong computer skills. There are some roles that require employees to use certain software and platforms to more efficiently complete their tasks. This means many employers may prefer candidates who have a knowledge of different software and computer applications or who can quickly learn how to use these programs.

Almost every organization has challenges they must solve, sometimes every day. Many employers look for candidates who can take a problem and build logical steps to overcome it. You’ll also be expected to use your critical thinking skills to carefully evaluate all the possible solutions and choose the best one based on what you’ve gathered.

Many jobs have set tasks you’ll complete. Other times, unexpected occurrences may lead to new challenges and tasks you must quickly finish. There may also be projects you’re working on that need constant edits or changes. Employers want to know you’re flexible and can easily adapt to a constantly changing work environment and will efficiently tackle it with a positive attitude.

Employers often search for candidates who they can rely on to finish complex tasks in a timely manner. Having qualities that make you dependable like organization, punctuality, and responsibility makes employers trust you to handle difficult tasks and turn them in on time. The more tough tasks you successfully accomplish, the higher the chances are that you receive a promotion or raise for the impressive work you’ve done.