If you’re switching careers, perhaps moving from one industry to another, you might worry that your work experience isn’t relevant. Here’s the good news: while your specific job history might not align perfectly with your new career, your transferable skills absolutely will. These skills can greatly improve your value in a new role, even if it's in a completely different field.
So what exactly are transferable skills, and how can they help you step onto a different career path?
7 Key Transferable Skills
Transferable skills may be soft skills, like problem solving or creativity, or hard skills such as computer programming. They’re skills that have served you in your current and past roles, but are also a great fit for your new career path.
Here are seven key transferable skills that are in demand.
Teamwork
Being able to work well with others is important in almost every job. Collaboration often leads to better results, improved job satisfaction, and a positive work environment.
Leadership
Effective leadership isn’t just about managing a team. It’s also about inspiring employees, guiding others to achieve their best, and playing a key role in building a business reputation.
Openness
Being open to new ideas, feedback, and experiences shows that you’re adaptable and willing to grow. Openness to learning is an especially important aspect as you move into a new role or industry.
Adaptability
The ability to adapt to new situations and challenges is important, especially when moving to a different career. It means you can hit the ground running in a new job and handle change within the business.
Communication
Effective communication is important in almost every job, from presenting ideas to collaborating with colleagues. It might be written communication, such as emails, verbal communication, like phone calls, or in-person communication in meetings.
Tech Literacy
Basic technical skills like being able to send an email or query an AI model are in demand across every sector and industry. As AI and automation change the way employees work, a willingness to adapt and learn new tech is key to your value as a worker.
Creative Thinking
Creativity isn’t restricted to roles in the arts and publishing. Creative thinking allows you to solve problems in innovative ways and bring fresh ideas to the table.
3 Ways to Promote Your Skills
Once you've identified your transferable skills, how do you highlight them to potential employers? Here are the three ways you can use your transferable skills to demonstrate your suitability for a new job.
In your CV and Cover Letter
To prove that you’re a great fit for a job or industry that you don’t have experience in, you’ll need to work harder to show how your transferable skills bridge any gaps. Your job application is probably the first opportunity to do this. Scour the job description to find out which of your transferable skills are suitable for the job vacancy and include them in your CV and cover letter. While quoting the actual skills word for word, for instance, communication skills or teamwork, in your CV and cover letter works well for searchability, expand on this by explaining how you used and developed these skills in past jobs.
At Interview
It’s always wise to think up and practice answers to expected interview questions in advance. Take the time to also consider examples of how you successfully used your transferable skills in past jobs.
An effective way to structure these examples is to use the STAR method:
Describe the situation you found yourself in. What challenges did you face? (S)
Explain the task you were asked to carry out or the goal you were expected to achieve. (T)
What actions did you take to remedy the situation? (A)
What was the result or effect of your actions? (R)
Remember to use transferable skills that are relevant to the job you’re interviewing for.
On LinkedIn
While employers may search for you across several social media platforms, LinkedIn will generally be their first stop. Here are four ways to make sure your transferable skills stand out:
Include transferable skills in your headline. For example, Project Manager / Team Leadership / Creative Thinker or Marketing Specialist / Data-Driven / Creative Strategist.
In the about section, place the focus on your transferable skills. Tell your career story by highlighting examples from past roles that demonstrate your skills in action. Explain how your skills contributed to your and your employer’s success.
Under each job title in your experience section, list accomplishments that promote your transferable skills.
Finally, add your transferable skills to the skills section of your profile.
Wrapping it up
Does your work experience matter if you change careers? The answer is yes. You may have worked in a completely different role or industry, but you’ll still have developed skills that can transfer to your new career.
By identifying and promoting your transferable skills, you can position yourself as a strong candidate to potential employers.