Transferrable Skills

Having recently spoken to a number of people who are being forced into a Career Pivot, I thought it timely to share this information again.

If you have worked in an industry that is now suffering a downturn in work, maybe this is your sign to move into something new. It is a mistake to only view your skills, job experience, and professional value in the context of the job or career you had prior to this change.  

Here are a few simple things you can do to identify your own skills and strengths and see which ones are transferable into a new industry. 

I love this saying - It’s hard to read the label from the inside of the bottle. Author unknown. 

How true is that? A lot of people find it difficult to identify their skills and strengths, connect with what drives them, what their career motivators are. Often, skills and strengths are things you have been doing on an ongoing basis, sometimes for many years and you may not even recognise how transferable they are. 

What is it that you are naturally good at? If you struggle to answer this question, I can assure you that you are not alone. Ninety percent of people I have worked with over the years, particularly those who have just been made redundant, find it a challenge to answer any questions relating to what they are good at.  

CAREER STORY 

I recommend teasing out your career story. Sit down with your CV in front of you and start at the beginning of your career. For each job you have had, ask yourself a few questions. Work from the start of your career through to today in chronological order. 

1. Why did I choose this job?  
2. What attracted me to this job? 
3. What key tasks did I do on a daily, weekly, monthly basis? 
4. What was my greatest achievement? 
5. What was often mentioned in my performance reviews? 
6. What was my biggest learning? 

Write down what a typical day looked like in your most previous role. If you do this in detail, your strengths and skills will jump out at you. If you still struggle, sit down with someone you trust and go through these questions. 

When it comes time to toot your own horn, you need to be specific. Assess your skills to identify your strengths. Make a list of your skills, dividing them into three categories: 

• Knowledge-based skills: Acquired from education and experience (e.g., computer skills, languages, degrees, training and technical ability). 
• Transferable skills: Your portable skills that you take from job to job (e.g., communication and people skills, analytical problem solving and planning skills) 
• Personal traits: Your unique qualities (e.g., dependable, flexible, friendly, hardworking, expressive, formal, punctual and being a team player). 

ARE THEY TRANSFERABLE? 

Once you identify your skills, how can you figure out whether they are transferable? It is simple. If they are not specific to all three of these: 

• The job 
• The company 
• The industry 

Then they will be transferable skills. 

Google transferable skills listings as well as career path options. Let’s say you’ve spent the last 15 years as a recruiter; a simple search for ‘What roles can recruiters transition into?’ or ‘What is a career path for a recruiter?’ can produce career options that perhaps you haven’t considered. 

Understand that just because you have not held a specific title in certain industries, it does not mean you are unqualified to secure employment in those fields. 

Let your imagination go wild. What have you got to lose?  

WHERE TO FROM HERE 

Once you have a list of your strengths and what you will take into your next job, and once you have decided potential industries you’d like to transition into, then share it with friends, family and colleagues; get their feedback. Be bold and ask where they see you fitting in. They may just have an idea that you have not thought of yet. 

You could also specifically seek out people who are in the industries you would like to transition into. LinkedIn is a great tool for such a search. Again, be bold and make an approach. It may be the one thing that makes you memorable and stand out from the rest. 

Then, once you have reached out to your network, tap into the network of your network. 

Just because you can’t come within two feet of mentors, sponsors, advocates, colleagues and others, does not mean you can’t maintain and leverage those relationships virtually. Don’t wait for them to reach out to you; schedule time to regularly engage and share details of your job search with them via Skype, Zoom, traditional phone calls; any virtual means available to you. Also, do not forget to be a resource to others in the same way. 

Above all else, do not place limits on what you have to offer that employers may value. It will be more than you realise. 

Good luck in your search. 

BRENDA JAMES