Identify your transferable skills

You might have skills such as adaptability, the ability to clearly communicate ideas to others, solve unexpected problems, or work well in a team. These are all examples of transferable skills – qualities that will make you stand out as a strong candidate. Transferable skills can be used to present your experience as valuable when applying for a new job—especially if it’s in a different industry. 

Here are some of the top transferable skills that employers look for: 

Communication 

Employers often look for candidates with strong communication skills. If you’ve developed the ability to easily share information with colleagues, you can apply that skill in any workplace. Strong communication is the ability to clearly impart information to others by speaking, writing, creating graphs or via other mediums such as video. 

Critical thinking 

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally, understanding the logical connection between ideas. Employers like candidates who can evaluate a situation and offer the best solution. With critical thinking skills, you can be trusted to make decisions independently without micromanagement. 

Multitasking 

The world of work is busy and often complicated which MTC Australia’s Recruitment Coach Rob Evans says means that people who are good at multitasking – completing several actions at the same time – are highly valued. They’re valued because the ability to multitask means they can be relied on to get results, often quickly. A good example of multitasking is when you start a new role because you initially have so much to learn – new processes, who does what, how the different programs work etc. The ability to multitask will make understanding all of those new elements much easier. 

Adaptability 

Adaptability skills are used to continue working towards goals even as teams, projects, management or products change. Employers hire flexible candidates who can quickly learn new skills and processes to ensure work is done efficiently, effectively and with a positive attitude. 

Willingness to learn 

If you show that you’re open to changing, learning and upgrading your skills, you instantly become a better investment in the eyes of the employer. By demonstrating your willingness to upgrade your skills, stay on top of industry trends and continuously enhance your knowledge, you prove you’re a sharp and valuable addition to the team. One way to prove your willingness to learn is by actively listening to your colleagues and managers and being open to their feedback and ideas. This shows you’re eager to learn from their experience and perspectives.  

Being self-aware 

It’s the interview question everyone dreads: “What are your weaknesses?”. But this is actually a great opportunity to demonstrate your level of self-awareness. If you can identify a weakness in yourself and say how you implement a strategy to overcome that weakness, it proves that you are able to assess a situation, acknowledge your limits, and are prepared to improve yourself.   

Being tech-savvy 

If you can show you’re across the latest technology, social media, innovation, and industry trends, you’re going to be a much more attractive candidate for the role than someone who isn’t. Almost every position across all industries will require the use of technology at some level. In an increasingly technological world and workplace, employers value candidates who can learn new tools and software quickly to complete tasks. 

Teamwork 

Teamwork means having the ability to work with others to reach a common goal. Effective teamwork requires several other qualities such as empathy, active listening and strong communication. Providing successful teamwork examples during interviews can help employers understand how you’ll work with others in their company. 

Attention to detail 

Accuracy and consistency are vital to all businesses. Getting things right the first time ultimately saves money and missing errors, small or otherwise, can sometimes lead to big costs. If you’ve learnt how to be thorough, it will be highly valued by a future employer. 

Hopefully this blog has helped you realise that you possess more skills than you originally thought. Transferable skills are universally important. Candidates who have multiple transferable skills can contribute to the success of a team, improvements to customer service and more. Transferable skills allow you to take control of your career path and can ease the stress of times you are out of work. Research by Jobs and Skills Australia found that 75% of employers place at least as much emphasis, if not more, on personal qualities than they do on technical skills. So, it’s definitely worth figuring out which of the skills you’ve developed in previous jobs might be transferable.

MTC’s Workforce Australia Team can help you identify your transferrable skills while we get to know your individual needs and goals. Together we can identify the right type of work for you and help you build any new skills you need. Contact our Customer Care team on 1300 232 663 to learn how we can help.