Transferable Skills

Transferable skills are commonly overlooked abilities that are acquired in every occupation and are applied throughout a career.

Identify transferable skills below that match your new position and keep these in mind when writing your cover letter, resume or CV.

Analytical Skills

You may have developed these skills through research or classwork, but all can be applied in a workplace:

  • Examining data
  • Forecasting future goals
  • Investigating situations/problems
  • Recommending solutions based on data

Communication Skills

Clearly expressing information in writing and presentations is important and you'll want to show that you have skills that include:

  • Critical listening
  • Facilitating meetings
  • Presenting
  • Teaching/training (can also be interpersonal)
  • Writing

Interpersonal Skills

The ability to work with others -- individually and on teams -- is valued in all professions and can include the following scenarios:

  • Advising colleagues/clients
  • Developing relationships with customers
  • Leading teams
  • Managing staff
  • Mediating problems
  • Mentoring / motivating individuals
  • Negotiating agreements

Organizational Skills

Work you've done in the past that involved preparing and organizing information has helped you build skills that can be applied to jobs in many industries, such as:

  • Coordinating projects/events
  • Managing projects
  • Meeting deadlines
  • Maintaining inventory/files/a library/a facility

Creative Skills

Big-picture thinking and problem-solving are valuable skills. You can show how you would positively impact an organization by listing skills that aren't necessarily tied to specific tasks, such as:

  • Adapting to change
  • Initiating a new procedure
  • Innovative problem solving
  • Managing crisis situations