When employers are looking over resumes there’s four factors they look carefully at: experience, achievements, education, and relevant skills. Out of the four, relevant skills would be the ultimate in how you stand out compared to other candidates. Separating yourself from the other applicants is a great way to showcase transferable skills to the employer.
Transferable skills are individual talents collected throughout internships, work experience, volunteering and more. They are specific traits that are acquired from soft skills such as communication and organization. For example, giving a product presentation to an audience, you are actively engaged in public speaking which is considered a transferable skill of communication. Public speaking doesn’t come easy for many people, therefore listing this skill on a resume will spark interest in the hiring team.
Transferable skills are not only used for one specific job, hence the name “transferable,” as they can be used in any field of work and industry out there. Some skills may stand out more than others depending on the role but the more you have to offer, the better you will stand out to employers. Below are examples of five skills employers seek and the transferable skills for each:
- Communication- Helps you know when and how to ask questions, relay information and enhances ability to work with others in the workplace.
- Active Listening
- Written/Verbal Communications
- Confidence
- Public Speaking
- Dependability- quality that labels you as a trusted employee.
- Punctuality
- Integrity
- High achiever
- Teamwork- ability to work with others towards a common goal.
- Collaboration
- Relationship Building
- Conflict Resolution
- Organization- ability to maintain neat structure in the workplace environment, tasks, and relationships.
- Time Management
- Diligence
- Decision-making- expresses confidence and good judgement. Requires you to analyze a situation and produce a solution.
- Problem-Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Creativity
