Land Your Dream Career With These 5 Transferable Skills

How will work look in the future? There are several factors at play that shape the workplace. Evolving technology and work practices continue to streamline careers, especially those that appear redundant. One of the best ways to adapt, survive, and thrive is through transferable skills – those that are valuable in every job and industry and will never be dated.

Advances in technology are, no doubt, shaping the future. The Fourth Industrial Revolution will soon usher industry shifts through automation and digitalisation, rendering some roles obsolete. And with the rise of other industries, business experts predict that more jobs will soon be available in fields like robotics and computer programming. A 2020Future of Jobs Reportby the World Economic Forum states that 40% of current workers’ skills will change in the next five years.

There are modifications in the way you work as well. Project-style and contract work are gaining more and more favour in the job market, and companies are moving towards online and work-from-home arrangements. All these point to new opportunities for the workforce, coupled with a need for future-proofed skills.

Thus, amid various rapid changes within the workforce, staying resilient means strengthening versatile traits that do not go out of style and provide value in any role or industry. These are called transferable skills.

What Are Transferable Skills?

Transferable skills are abilities that make you an asset to employers, even if you belong to a completely different industry. These skills are vital, especially when you are doing a career shift. You can learn them through your various work knowledge or even from other experiences outside of your profession, such as volunteering for organisations. Your education, training, and employment also play a role in these traits.

Just what skills are considered transferable? Think of these as your “general” skills: capabilities that continue to make you effective and more productive regardless no matter where you are. These may include versatile abilities, such as communication (e.g., writing and listening), organisational skills (e.g., planning and time management), or even people skills (e.g., empathy and flexibility).

Why Should You Include Transferable Skills in Your Resume?

Having transferable skills in your resume shows an employer how you can make a valuable contribution to the company. Many of these qualities are fundamental capabilities that determine your likelihood of excelling in any given role.

Transferable skills also come in handy when transitioning from another role or industry. Knowing which skills to leverage in a new job can give you a different perspective of a role and make you stand out.

Adding these transferable skills to your social profiles may also pay off. Aside from including them in your web-based resume, you may also demonstrate these skills through various posts that can showcase these. Did you lead a team in or outside of work? Posting a photo with the said team can help you allude to leadership qualities, for example.

Some transferable skills that are applicable across almost any role include:

• Leadership qualities
• Creative problem-solving
• Financial management
• Teamwork
• Empathy
• Diplomacy
• Attention to detail

There are transferable skills that cover various aspects of a job, especially in the absence of a hard, technical skill. For example, empathy and teamwork are considered essential when working in a team setting and are expected to be a team player. On the other hand, diplomacy helps you easily adapt to various personalities. Meanwhile, having attention to detail and financial management can guide you in analytical roles where one overlooked mistake can spell multiple challenges.

On top of this, employers highly value talent who can adapt to a constantly changing work environment. As you start witnessing the changes in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, employers are only beginning to see how roles may change and adapt in the future. In this case, having a range of transferable skills (as opposed to a rigid set of technical skills) plays to your advantage as employers want to future-proof their organisations in case of drastic changes by having easily adaptable employees.

Google, for example, is well-known for hiring employees for their “Googliness.” The term is an internal metric the company has come up with to define “a mashup of passion and drive that’s hard to define but easy to spot.” It leads Google to hire employees based not on the technical skills required for the role but the breadth of experiences and knowledge they have across various disciplines that translate to versatile, transferable skills.

In this case, transferable skills help you stand out from other jobseekers because you are more adaptable and quick to respond to a situation.

How do you identify and develop transferable skills?

You can identify your transferable skills by thinking about the things you are good at, whether it is directly related to your current role or not. Reflect on how your capabilities help you create smoother relations and achieve results — whether it’s your problem-solving abilities, your knack for communication and conflict resolution, your organisational skills, or your creativity. You can check out this list of transferable skills and learn how you can best highlight them in your resume.

As for developing transferable skills, one way to do this is to challenge yourself to do something outside your comfort zone at work. Volunteer for a project that is outside your usual scope of work or seek mentorship from a supervisor to whom you do not report directly. Going out of the box can help you gain a different perspective and attain these transferable skills.

If you are looking to future-proof your career or you are planning on moving to a different industry soon, here are five of the most essential transferable skills you must have.

5 Transferable Skills To Help You Land Your Dream Job

Leadership Skills

Leadership, or the ability to lead a group of people to accomplish a common goal, will always remain valuable to employers. Knowing how to be a good leader becomes even more essential as you take on more responsibility in your career as well.

There are many ways to grow your leadership skills. Notice the qualities you admire in your superiors, read sources such as books and articles, and do not be afraid to practice. Take the lead role in more projects at work. It is through experience that you learn and become better.

Interpersonal Skills

No matter the job, knowing how to interact and communicate effectively with other people is crucial. Every day you talk to your managers, colleagues, and clients. How well you do so can affect the advancement of your career.

Social and emotional intelligence is just as crucial as job proficiency. Being difficult to work with, even if your technical skills are up to par, can hinder your growth. Remember to take conscious efforts to be a better communicator and team player, and to empathise alongside excelling in the technical aspects of your chosen career.

Problem-Solving

You will encounter obstacles and setbacks in anything worth pursuing. Every job has its own set of challenges and your ability to effectively problem-solve can decide whether you succeed or fail a task.

Meet challenges at work with a productive and positive mindset. A willingness to do research, openness to innovation and a good amount of grit are good assets to have alongside your problem-solving skills.

Time Management

Time management affects productivity. Time management means knowing how to maximise the amount of time allotted for a given number of tasks. Time management is crucial to a wide range of careers, including those with regular work schedules like office employees or in project-based jobs with a strict deadline on deliverables.

Effective time management requires organisation and self-discipline and ensures you are at your most productive. Evaluate your work habits by tracking how and where you spend your time to pinpoint areas for improvement.

Creativity

You may think your job does not require using your creative muscles, but it does. Creativity is being able to think outside the box. It includes finding solutions others may not have thought of and figuring out better ways of doing things. In a technology-driven world where quick adaptation and innovation are highly valued, creativity may just be the skill you need to land your next dream job.

Transferable skills are skills that can always be expanded and honed. There will always be more things to learn about becoming a better leader, enhancing one’s social skills, problem-solving, effective time management, and expanding creativity. It is never too late to start!

Ready to wow employers with your transferable skills? Then # LetsGetToWork ! Update your JobStreet profile with these sought-after transferable skills. A good way to do this is to highlight past work experiences where your transferable skills played a crucial role.

For more expert insights on finding workplace fulfilment and building healthy work relationships, visit the Career Resources Hub. You can also download the JobStreet app on Google Play and the App Store for easier access.