Transferable skills are any skills you possess that are useful to employers across various jobs and industries. These might include skills like adaptability, organization, teamwork, or other qualities employers seek in strong candidates. Transferable skills can be used to position your past experience when applying for a new job—especially if it’s in a different industry.

As the employment market is constantly changing and job sectors are increasingly becoming interlinked, transferable skills are becoming more important for employers in identifying the right candidate. It can be quite daunting to highlight your transferable skills to an employer, as you may not be able to relate these skills to the positions on offer. Not being able to communicate and link your transferable skills for a position, can result in the position been offered to another candidate.

To avoid such an outcome, the following points may be of help:

• Identifying your particular transferable skills: Understanding what transferable skills you have/and utilised in previous roles is key. Identifying these skills can be constructed at the interview stage through using the STAR/PEE approach to employer questions.
  
  
• Know the role on offer: This point may seem obvious, but the more you know about the company and role on offer, the easier it will be to communicate how your transferable skills can match the spec, during the interview.
  
  
• Application and interview approach: Keep a Linear approach during the application, weaving transferable skills throughout the process, at the application, cover Letter and CV process.
  
  

Here's an example of the most relevant and potent transferable skills:

1. Decision-making – Demonstrating your ability to weight options, consider pros and cons and make decisive choices.
   
   
2. Multitasking – Being able to manage numerous projects and prioritizing them is an invaluable skill. The skill is in prioritizing and focusing to ensure you provide quality.
   
   
3. Creative problem-solving – Solving problems with unique solutions is paramount in unprecedented times. An “out of the box” thinker is in high demand.
   
   
4. Collaboration – Teamwork, working with others is a necessity.
   
   
5. Communication – Verbal and written skills are required for every job and the better you are at communicating your ideas and listening to others, the further you will go in your career.
   
   
6. Integrity – Your integrity is your word. Ensure your references are able to use examples to demonstrate this skill.
   
   
7. Initiative – Taking initiative demonstrates that you are a self-starter who doesn’t need a lot of supervision to get the work done.
   
   
8. Empathy – Empathy is often an overlooked skill. Being able to understand another’s feelings within a situation and provide counsel and support is important to building rapport with your colleagues and clients.
   
   

Leveraging your transferable skills will help you compete in the job market and may set you apart as a flexible alternative candidate. The ability to identify and improve your transferable skills can lead to better job offers, as you are no longer attached to a single industry. In turn highlighting such skills can lead to career progression also.

Our Employer Services team is on hand to help you find your ideal candidate. Click here to see how we can help you and your business or email us on recruitment@turasnua.ie