14 Sep How to use transferable skills to secure a new job

If you have been working in a specific sector for a long time, and you suddenly find yourself out of work or looking for something different, you may be concerned that you will never find the right opportunity. Of course, some roles require specific expertise and qualifications, but you may be able to secure other roles based on your transferable skills.

These are some ways to identify transferable skills and use them to find a new role.

Soft Skills

Your soft skills are your personal attributes and your personality which are just as important as the experience and knowledge you can bring to a role. If you have been working in a customer centred role, such as in a restaurant, and you are looking to secure a role within retail, your transferable soft skills will play an important part. If you ensure your CV and cover letter are focused on some of the important soft skills, such as your ability to work well as a team, build a rapport and communicate well, and you can provide examples during your interview, you will have a better chance of finding success. The personal qualities you can bring to a role are also important, and these will depend on the culture of the organisation. Most employers are looking for someone who is ambitious, driven, hard working and motivated. If you don’t have the exact experience the employer is looking for, focus your CV on those transferable soft skills you possess. If in doubt about what these are, check the job description for the role you are applying to, soft skills are always mentioned.

Experience

You have worked within retail for years, but now you’d like to work in an office, so how do you land a new role without experience? You can make use of your transferable experience to try and secure a role. For example, in an office you will be communicating with other departments, speaking on the phone, and generally building good relationships with people in the company. In retail, you are customer facing, as well as having to deal with a range of departments. Your computer experience will also be relevant. It is important to use your CV to show which areas of your experience are relevant to the role, even if you don’t have direct experience.

Knowledge

What knowledge do you have which could set you apart from other candidates? If you are applying for a retail role within a book shop, for example, and you are an avid reader, this is something to focus on when compiling your CV. Similarly, if you are applying for a role in a gym, you have no direct experience of working within the fitness industry, but you work out every day, this is worth mentioning on your CV. If you have any knowledge which is relevant to the role or industry you are applying to, it is important to pay attention to this.

Strengths

You should also consider the strengths you have and what talents you possess which would be relevant to the role. For instance, if you want to move from a role in retail to a role in digital marketing, you will need to accentuate those social media skills you have. If you are good at public speaking and this is a key element of the role, make sure you draw attention to this on your CV, including examples.

When applying for a job which is different to what you’ve done before, sit down and write out any soft skills, experience, knowledge or strength which are either relevant to the company/industry or are a requirement on the job description. Make sure you highlight these when compiling your CV.