Transferable Skills: Job Skills That Go With You Wherever You Go!Skills That Go Where You GoTransferable skills need a lot of thought when considering changing careers. After all, it is one of the more important decisions one can make. We have to consider our families, our living and financial situations, our competitive advantage in the new field, and what your long term goals might be. Transferable Skills And Career ChangeMaking a career change typically means starting over in a new and untried field and you have to invest your time and energy, make sacrifices and prove yourself as a credible professional in your chosen new field. You have to be highly motivated to sustain the drive that is necessary to be successful. After you convince yourself that changing careers is the right thing to do, you still have to convince your potential employers to give you the job you are seeking. Transferable skills, those skills that can be utilized in numerous fields, are the key to a successful career change. Consider your qualifications to date. What experience have you acquired that can be transferred across industries? When you link your skills with your personal qualities you will have a winning package that ensures your career change goes smoothly. Transferable skills, your list of job skills, include verbal and written communication, people management, customer relations, organization and project management, development of new processes, generation of new ideas or concepts.
Personal Transferable skills• Communication Skills – Verbal: This can include something like the capacity to make a point, communicate a specific message or present an argument with an awareness of audience reaction, and to respond appropriately to feedback. Listening skills are also valued as being another dimension of communication.• Communication Skills – Written: This includes the ability to present arguments, make reports, summarize a document or situation in writing in a clear and focused manner, depending on the purpose of the text and its intended readers, so the intellectual level of the audience is also a factor. • Interpersonal and Social Skills: The capacity to establish good working relationships with customers, clients, colleagues and others such as suppliers is seen as of utmost importance in all work roles, for effective performance within the organization and competent representation of the organization with its clients. Analyze your transferable skills carefully as the ability to negotiate is also seen as especially useful. • Organizing Skills: Examples of this are: planning ahead; meeting deadlines; managing yourself and others; establishing priorities and co-ordinating people; organizing activities such as events of all kinds; whether work-related; social; fund-raising and so on • Problem Analysis and Solution: E.g. clarity and logic of thought in defining and solving complex problems; capacity to identify key issues and reconcile conflict; ingenuity in the creation of solutions; effectiveness under pressure; concern with priorities; creative thinking • Leadership: Leadership potential is considered important because it is assumed that most graduates will eventually take up senior positions and roles in managing others. Aside from graduates, those who can lead other people in the direction the organization chooses are valued highly. • Team Working: This ability is necessary to work in formal and informal, interdisciplinary, long-term and project based teams or groups towards a common objective, with an understanding of the different roles within groups and importance of team-building, when you analyse your transferable skills, be sure to include this area. • Adaptability and Flexibility: Necessary for the initiation of, and response to, changing circumstances, possessing the breadth of intellect, interests, knowledge and attitudes required for adapting to changing circumstances and demands. • Achievement: The ability to set and achieve goals for yourself and for others. Employers increasingly need those who will help move the organization forward, so the capacity to recognize opportunities, appraise needs, evaluate risks and execute effective action plans in order to achieve results is also highly regarded • Intellect: Judged by how effectively mental ability is turned into action and as an underpinning for the use of the other skills wanted by the employers. Follow the link for another more informative list of the top skills that employers want. Such work skills are your key employability skills and as such can be adapted to all organizations. You should analyze your skills and utilize them to showcase your suitability for the job you are seeking. For example, if you would like to ditch the humdrum 9-to-5 desk job for a more hectic, unpredictable job as say, a police officer, let your potential employer know that your previous experience in leading by motivation makes you a perfect candidate for the job (even if that marketing project you managed has nothing to do with community relations) and keeps your career options wide open. Making a list of all your professional experiences and the qualifications needed for the job you are seeking will help you in determining which skills are transferable to your new career. Once you define your transferable skills, use a functional resume or CV to assure most (if not all) of the qualifications needed for the new job are met in your resume. Need help with writing a CV? Click the link. In addition to your resume, use your cover letter or email to let your potential employer know why you are changing careers, and that your new interest is not a passing one. Make sure that your resume reflects your newfound interest in a genuine and professional manner, and you are sure to have a successful career change. For more help with all the information you need to be sure of a successful career change, click the banner below:  Your transferable skills need a lot of thought when considering changing careers because, it is one of the more important decisions you will have to make. When changing your career, you have to consider your family, your living and financial situation, and your competitive advantage in the new field. On top of that think about what your long term goals might be. You are here: Transferable Skills Return to Your Career Change home page. You might also want to visit Career Management Be sure to visit our Career Books Shop for extra reading and information. You can also search this site for more about transferable skills, or the whole of the web from here. 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