Career Tip Tuesday: Identifying Transferable Skills in your Career

(Via Flickr/vuhung)

In our current job market, you are more likely responsible for things that are both inside and outside the realm of your job description. You have to know how to do a little bit of every job. While this may seem exhausting and maybe a bit overwhelming now, you are building your resume and increasing your set of transferable skills in the long run.

Sodexo is a known powerhouse in the world of social media recruiting and has won numerous awards. Trish Freshwater, Senior Communications Manager for Talent Acquisition at Sodexo, defines transferable skills as: a set of skills that you can apply to more than one job. She also believes that in order to leverage these skills, one must be able to successfully market them.

In her blog post, “Beyond Your Major: Building Transferable Skills,” Freshwater breaks these transferable skills down into five categories:

Soft skills

These are the skills that help you relate to, communicate with, influence and inspire other people. Examples include delegating, coaching/mentoring abilities, listening, presentation and cooperation skills, and leadership skills.

Analytical skills

These are your problem-solving skills. Examples include research abilities, data gathering and analysis skills, needs assessment, creativity and risk analysis skills.

Technical Skills

These are specific hands-on skills you’ve acquired, like how to use specific computer software programs and electronics, your ability to work with specific machinery or other trade/craft skills.

Organizational Skills

These skills reflect your planning skills, how you sort data, manage projects, records and tasks. Examples include prioritizing, time management, task management, resource management and coordination.

Workplace Skills

These skills reflect on your work ethic and workplace character. Examples include integrity, reliability, punctuality, diligence, decision-making ability and teamwork.

Be sure to include these skills as keywords in your resume to showcase what you are really capable of.

Find out What You’re Good At

Use the chart below to organize your skills and find out what you’re good at. Write down your daily tasks, skills you use to complete each task, and your skill level. Then rank the skills based on how much you enjoy each of them. Identify skills that both appeal to you and that you are proficient in. This will help you leverage the power of transferable skills in your resume.