How to transfer your skills into
a New Career - a New Industry
Everyone has ‘transferrable skills’ that may be utilised in more than one industry. These skills may have been gathered from personal interests; charitable activities; previous jobs or even natural talents and can be the key to finding a new and exciting job role.
To tap into your most saleable skills it is vital to know how to identify them and how to present them to a potential employer as a useful asset.
Viewing your career path in a detached manner will enable you to target those qualities that could be of value in a new role. Consider all of your experiences and accomplishments and put them under scrutiny to help you decide which represent marketable and transferrable skills. Begin with the areas in which you have a special interest and passion – doing the thing you love best can provide the finest motivation for successful career change.
What do Employers Look For?
Major areas of interest to a future employer would include leadership qualities; previous experience in negotiating and communication skills; competence in analytics and research; success in customer-facing situations; managerial, organisational and motivational skills; updated IT skills; problem solving; writing and numeracy skills; adaptability and the ability to achieve spectacular results under pressure. All of these skills are generic and may be easily transferred from one industry to another to maximise profitability.
Transferrable skills should be regarded as vitally important to gaining a foothold in a new industry, especially in one where you might not have the advantage of specialised training. Consider that when searching for the right candidate it is often the qualities and personal talents of the successful applicant that attract interest. In a job climate where there are more than 80 applications received for a single vacancy the odds are that most of those on the short list will carry core qualifications, therefore it makes sense that interviewers will target those bringing supportive and transferrable skills to the table.
Topping Up
Transferrable skills may be reinforced by gaining qualifications and certification. When assessing your strongest assets consider whether it could be advantageous to complete a course to give you an edge on rival candidates.
Making it Sound Good
Self-assessment is the place to start. Write down your strong points, separating items that carry certification and add notes such as personal references and testimonials. Take an overview of the information you have collated and decide which best compliment your new career opportunity before transferring your new information to your CV.
The way in which skills and marketable attributes are presented can make all the difference to how an employer interprets your personal and professional qualities and whether he can live without them! ‘Did quite well in a race for charity’ does not sound as exciting as ‘Undertook a six month project to organise training for a dedicated team of athletes in support of cancer awareness targeting the London Marathon, achieving a £12,000 sponsorship contribution and liaising with press contacts for publicity coverage’.
A comprehensive and interesting list of your applicable skills will appear on your CV long before the reader reaches the part that describes your qualifications, so it needs to catch the interest and allow you to stand out from the crowd.
Read your CV as an employer might and make appropriate changes to target the role you want.
If you think your CV does not perform as well as you think it should, consult a CV-writing professional for advice to bring your resume up to speed and get you into the interview room.
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Step One
CVs & Resumes
