Transferable Skills - Abilities to Take With You

Transferable Skills - Abilities to Take With YouTransferable Skills - Abilities to Take With YouPut to rest your fear that you will have to leave your current skills behind if you quit your joborchangecareers. You will be able to take many of them with you in the form of transferable skills. These are the talents and abilitiesthat can travel with you when you make a transition to a new job or career. Below are 87 common transferable skills divided into six broad categories Basic, People, Management, Clerical, Research and Planning, and Computer and Technical Skills. Also included are some skills that are particular to specific occupations. These are called hard skills. Which of these transferable skills have you acquired through prior employment, school,apprenticeships,internships, formal and informal training,hobbies,and volunteer experiences? Basic Skills Use listening skills to understand oral instructionsLearn new proceduresUnderstand and carry out written instructionsOrally convey information to othersObserve and assess your own and others performancesCommunicate in writingUse mathematical processes to solve problemsSpeak in publicDemonstrate professionalism People Skills Provide constructive criticismReceive feedbackCoordinate actions with other peoples actionsNegotiate, persuade, and influence peopleMotivate othersHandle complaintsTrain or teach new skillsDelegate workOversee others workPerform outreachCounsel peopleBuild strong customer relationshipsCollaborate with othersMentor less experienced colleaguesResolve conflictsDevelop relationships with suppliersDemonstrate comfort when dealing with all peopleGain clients or customers confidence Management Skills Oversee budgetsRecruit personnelReview resumesInterview job candidatesSelect new hiresSupervise employeesAllocate resources such as equipment, materials, and facilitiesSchedule personnelPreside over meetingsNegotiate contractsEvaluate employeesOrganize committees Clerical Skills Perfor m general clerical and administrative support tasksDesign forms, correspondence, and reportsManage recordsTake minutes at meetingsUse word processing softwareUse database management softwareUse spreadsheet softwareUse desktop publishing softwareUse presentation softwarePerform data entryKeep track of accounts receivable, accounts payable, billing, and other bookkeeping tasksScreen telephone callsGreet visitors Research and Planning Skills Identify and present problems to upper managementAnticipate and prevent problems from occurring or reoccurringUse critical thinking skills to make decisions or evaluate possible solutions to problemsSolve problemsDeal with unexpected situationsDefine organizations or departments needsSet goalsPrioritize tasksLocate and reach out to suppliers or sub-contractorsAnalyze information and forecast resultsManage your time and meet deadlinesPlan and implement events and activitiesCreate and implement new policies and procedures Develop a budgetCoordina te and developprogramsDocument procedures and resultsProduce reportsConduct research using the Internet and library resourcesGenerate ideasImplement new strategies Computer and Technical Skills Use computer software that is related to jobUse job-related equipment and machineryInstall software on computersUse the Internet, including emaille and search enginesUse office equipment such as printers, copiers and fax machinesTroubleshoot problems with hardware and softwareInstall equipmentTroubleshoot problems with and repair equipmentMaintain equipmentInspect equipment to identify problems Additional Skills Demonstrate fluency or working knowledge of a foreign languageDemonstrate fluency or working knowledge of sign languageFundraiseWrite grantsDesign websites What Are Your Transferable Skills? Now its your turn. Use this as a jumping off point to write a complete list of your transferable skills. Since it is unlikely for any individual to have all these skills, choose only t he ones that match your skillset. It is likely you also have other skills that havent been included here, for example, the hard or technical skills that are specific to your area of expertise. Once you have everything written down in one place, assess your marketability to potential employers. One simple way to do this is to find announcements for jobs in which you would be interested. Compare your qualifications to those listed in them. Do you have the skills those employers are seeking? Are thereany gaps you will need to address by getting additional training, education, and experience? Use Your Transferable Skills to Market Yourself to Prospective Employers Your resumeshould demonstrate to prospective employers that you are a qualified job candidate. This is where your transferable skills come in. Work them into your job descriptions taking care to match the language you use to the language the employer uses in its job announcements. Be sure to discuss your transferable skill s in job interviews as well. When you answer potential employers questions, talk about those that are relevant to the positions for which you are applying.