Have things changed dramatically? The answer is obvious. We all know that over the past 3 years there has been a sea change in the marketplace. New skills are in demand as new roles have evolved and there are new businesses that have sprung up. Start ups have become an attractive option for job seekers, technology has become an integral part of so many companies which are not necessarily in the IT industry.
What does all this mean for the job seeker? It opens up career opportunities provided you are able to demonstrate your transferable skills.
How do you do that?
Let me guide you in 3 steps:
Step 1: Identifying Transferable Skills
These are skills which are portable across roles and industries for example – adaptability, ability to communicate through the technology platform, learning, resilience, flexibility, project management and so on. These are currently in demand.
While employers look for relevant domain skills they also seek transferable skills, the combination of which reflects an individual’s candidature holistically. They are virtues which represent the potential of an individual even if the candidate does not have direct experience or much experience in the targeted field. Hence the transferable skills gain importance.
Think about it. What if you have great IT related skills however do not have the resilience to bounce back after failing at a project. How effective will you be? So it is very critical to present your transferable skills to expand your job options.
Step 2: Creating success stories:
Write down 3 personal and 3 professional stories of success using the following format :
· What was the challenge/project – that you handled?
· How did you go about handling it?
· What was the measurable outcome?
Let the flow of the stories be natural the way you experienced it except that you need to follow the structure mentioned above while describing them. For example, the personal success story could be that you were planning a holiday trip with your family and you managed it well with proper planning for negotiating to research. Include the hurdles that you would have faced and how you handled them well, for example at the last moment your hotel booking got cancelled and changed to another cheaper hotel and how you managed to retain it and so on.
Similarly, take a professional story of how you managed a project and successfully delivered a measurable outcome. When you have finished writing these stories identify the transferable skills that you would have used and make a list.
Once you have the list ready, as a buffet menu caters to different individuals’ tastes, you can pick up relevant skills and customise your resume and pitch letter (generally referred to as cover letter) for different jobs.
Step 3: Industry specific transferable skills
To give you a better understanding of how to integrate transferable skills into the marketing of your candidature, let us take a look at few industries which are hiring / have the potential to hire and the kind of transferable skills that are in demand with these industries (Source for industries hiring: Forbes, The muse).
Industry Specific Transferable Skills
Healthcare Industry – Top Transferable Skills
Besides the clinical ability, the following transferable skills are in demand by employers.
Product knowledge- The ability to understand the medical drugs and their use.
Empathy– The significance of this skill gains a lot more importance in this industry as compared to many other industries.
Team work : The need to collaborate with different departments for patient care is critical.
Working under unpredictable circumstances : It is stressful if you do not have the capability to persevere and continue to deliver results.
Real Estate – Top Transferable Skills
Negotiation – The value of deals are large and unless you are a tactful negotiator you would not succeed in this industry.
Patience – The firming up of deals and orders closing takes a long time. One needs to have high levels of patience to be able to see deals through successfully.
Social cues – Since one is dealing with international clients coming from different cultures, it is important to be aware of social cues which are disrespectful and those which are appreciated.
Retail / Trade – Top Transferable Skills
Attention to detail – To plan the inventory stocks, display of goods and services requires a good ability for attention to detail.
Conflict management – To handle irate customers and amicably resolve issues.
Interpersonal skills– The constant interactions with customers and internal employees requires great interpersonal skills.
Professional and Business Services – Top Transferable Skills
Listening ability – To understand the challenge faced by clients and being able to devise solutions.
Communication skills through technology platforms – To be able to get your point of view across clearly by using the technology platform, making effective presentations and being able to relate to people.
Analytical ability – Being able to research the needs of customers and draw meaningful inferences.
Also, in your LinkedIn profile do include these soft skills in the about you section which can be presented in an interesting success story format engaging the reader motivating him/ her to reach out to you. That helps in you getting discovered by employers.
“You can’t be normal and expect abnormal returns”- Jettery Pfeffer
Use these transferable skills to expand your industry and role options as well as differentiate yourself from other candidates and you will certainly attract recruiters and land up with your dream job.
Best of luck!
Sarabjeet Sachar
Seasoned Career Coach, Founder & CEO, Aspiration