Why Transferable Skills Can Get You that Dream Job
As the rules of the workplace shift, so must you adapt to its new world order. Look through that resume again and see if you have the skills to arm yourself with the changing times. A set of capabilities is needed, even better if that set can cover a multitude of purposes and industries.
Transferable skills are sets of skills that fall under categories like leadership or collaboration and are heralded just as much as work experience. Remove the old thinking that specific work experience is needed to enter the field you want because it is essential now to be well-versed in more than just what you should know now.
Navigating industry changes
Transferable skills have been existent for years, and people have been using these to enhance their work experience, specifically to enter new industries. Trades like Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and data analysis roles were existent only 15 years ago, so before that, no one had experience in such fields. Transferable skills, however, took such trades to where they are today.
Another example is e-commerce, a good investment during that period where the online space is a marketplace for all kinds of needs. When this first came to light, there were no training videos or manuals to learn about this evolving line of work, but people used their skills in sales, marketing, and Information Technology (IT) to thrive in a fast-paced setting.
Automation, a new way of life
Many companies are switching gears to automation, turning to technology to make companies more efficient and cost-effective. It is where usually monotonous and repetitive skill-based capabilities are handled by artificially intelligent beings and contribute to higher productivity and cost efficiency due to the speed and coverage of technology.
And with the bases covered, people can now focus on the bigger picture and provide ideas that technology is unable to, like leadership skills, social skills, problem-solving, creativity, and the like. Such transferable skills will be of aid when sifting through opportunities and new jobs in the market.
Also read: New Skills for the New Normal: How to Upskill for Now and Beyond
New mindsets and job skill gains
Transferable skills apply to any industry and to be used across, if not all, industries. Take teaching, for example, as shared by Andrew Brushfield of Robert Half, a Human Resources consulting firm. He says that many candidates who make use of their new job skills as experience are more successful and efficient in the path they are on.
“They are able to multitask, to handle time pressure, and are very competent at presenting and communicating in a manner that a lot of people understand. They can simplify potentially complex messages easily.” he says.
According to Brushfield, he shares that he has shifted many candidates across industries, like from accounting to software sales, with transferable skills as their ticket. He starts them off with selling accounting software due to their primary skill set before shifting to selling other kinds of packages.
How to leverage your transferable skills
Amplify your transferable skills on your resume and cover letter by clearly defining what you can bring to the table. Always provide the skills that would be beneficial to the job that you are applying for and balance that job description with your set of capabilities.
Also read: Top 6 Resume Mistakes and How To Prevent Them
Effectively selling yourself is the primary source of success in securing that dream job, and knowing full well what you can do will ensure even greater chances. Focus on building these skills up even further and how your company can highly benefit from what you offer.
A positive attitude and a passion to support others are sellable enough and can ascertain you a spot in different industries. For instance, if you have sufficient knowledge in data analysis, you can apply those skills to other fields like market research, financial planning, insurance, or recruitment, to name a few.
After putting in the hard work to develop these transferable skills, why not show them off? Make yourself stand out to your current employer by listing down all that you can do, and if you are seeking an opportunity elsewhere, add #WorkNow to your JobStreet profile should you be available for employment. Search jobs in JobStreet or visit the Career Resources Hub to know more.
As a steadfast partner to employers and candidates, JobStreet has launched the campaign #TogetherAhead, with a specially set up COVID-19 Jobs and Resources Hub to offer guidance to both businesses and individuals through this crucial time.
#TogetherAhead, we rise above our challenges.
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SEEK Asia, a combination of two leading brands JobStreet.com and jobsDB.com, is the leading job portal and Asia’s preferred destination for candidates and hirers. SEEK Asia’s presence span across 7 countries namely Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam. SEEK Asia is part of the Australian Securities Exchanged-listed SEEK Limited Company, the world’s largest job portal by market capitalization. SEEK Asia attracts over 400 million visits a year.
About SEEK Limited
SEEK is a diverse group of companies, comprised of a strong portfolio of online employment, educational, commercial and volunteer businesses. SEEK has a global presence (including Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, South-East Asia, Brazil and Mexico), with exposure to over 2.9 billion people and approximately 27 per cent of global GDP. SEEK makes a positive contribution to people’s lives on a global scale. SEEK is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, where it is a top 100 company and has been listed in the Top 20 Most Innovative Companies by Forbes.
