Spotlight Your Transferable Skills in Your Resume
As a continuation of our previous article discussing the basics of transferable skills, Part 2 will map out the essential must-dos to ensure those skills are given the prominence they deserve on your resume. Most people tend to downplay their transferable skills, making the faulty assumption that they're not as important as technical skills or qualifications. Truth is, they're just as important, assuming those skills are relevant to the job in question.
Here are 6 must-do's to turn the spotlight on your transferable skills. Give your resume an edge over the competition!
#1: Customise
We can't stress enough just how important it is to customise the content in your resume to each individual application. Don't be lazy and send out carbon copies of a standard resume. Trust us, the recruiter will know at a glance how much effort has gone into preparing that job application. Want to stand out? Curate your list of transferable skills to match the job requirements. While they don't have to match 100%, the skills you choose to highlight have to be relevant to a certain degree.
#2: Qualify / Quantify
As much as possible, qualify or quantify those skills by highlighting facts and figures that show how valuable those skills are. Say you're a pro at project management. Highlight an example where you managed a project that involved several different parties (internal and external), and succeeded in completing said project under budget and on time. Even better if you can include some figures, for example, "Successfully managed a productivity drive at work which led to a 30% boost in daily production and 20% increase in sales."
#3: Specify
Be as specific as possible when describing your skills. Stay away from vague phrases such as "good leadership skills" or ambiguous jargon such as "excels at critical thinking". What do those words mean anyway? If the recruiter doubts the authenticity of your statements, they might not make it to the end of the page, much less shortlist your application. Use simple words as much as possible and state clearly what you've achieved using those skills (refer #2). The point is to illustrate how valuable your skills are, as clearly and simply as possible.
#4: Showcase
This might not be relevant for all skills, but you'll score bonus points if you can provide online proof that your skills are as valuable as you say they are. A good example would be a YouTube video with a view count of over 50,000, or an Instagram account with over 10,000 followers, or even a blog with consistently high traffic and audience engagement. Most companies desperately need help mastering social media, so if that's one of your strengths, this is your opportunity to showcase them.
#5: Paraphrase
Play around with the phrasing to keep your skills relevant to the advertised job requirements. This doesn't mean exaggerate, rather, it's about demonstrating the relevance of the specific skill to the job scope and responsibilities. Example: The job requires the candidate to have creative thinking skills. You could tie it back to your experience of volunteering as an English teacher for kids in Cambodia (for example), where you had to constantly find new ways to keep the kids' attention engaged and introduce fun games and exercises to keep the classes enjoyable.
#6: Proofread & edit
If you don't trust your writing skills, get a friend who's proficient in the language to proofread and edit your resume for you. The devil's in the details, and you want the recruiter to have the best first impression possible upon setting eyes on your resume. Most people don't realise it, but editing is actually the most important part of writing. This is when you polish, tweak and correct the tone and content until it feels just right.
Follow these simple must-do's for your next job application and let us know how it goes.
