There are a lot of catch phrases that are often used in today’s CVs and Resumes, such as ‘team player’, ‘excellent communicator’ and one that pops up often but on face value doesn’t mean much, ‘transferrable skills’. What are these exactly and why are they so important in securing a new role?
In a nutshell, everybody has transferrable skills and they don’t just apply to work. They are skills and abilities developed across a lifetime from your experiences – play, study, hobbies and interests, volunteer activities, travel and general life skills. All of these abilities come with you into your job and play an important role in your ability to manage different situations that arise during the work-day. Some examples include:
Communicating, listening, reasoning and sharing ideas and thoughts
Interpersonal relationship management, working well with other people and managing interactions with people from different backgrounds and with different communication styles
Literacy and numeracy, being able to read, write, measure, count, process and understand information
Organisation, prioritising your workload and managing your time effectively
Problem solving, applying reason and logic to issues that arise on a daily basis
Customer service and sales skills
Negotiation, persuasion, conflict resolution
Creative thinking, imagination and curiosity
Goal setting and deadline driven
Positive attitude, showing respect to colleagues, working collaboratively
The list is much broader than this. Every activity you undertake requires a multitude of skills – if you go for a walk with some friends, you need to manage your time and organise your arrival, interacting with others, maintaining awareness of your environment and safety issues, being willing to learn and open to the opinions of others, resilience so that you push through any tiredness or physical difficulties, and a positive attitude so that you are a contributor to the group.
It is easy to dismiss transferrable skills as not being important, but many employers in New Zealand are small businesses, and don’t need a computer genius, but need staff who are willing to work hard, will get on with the team, do more than is asked of them, and contribute to a positive work environment – all of these highlight your potential to be an asset to the employer. One of the most overlooked ways of demonstrating your transferrable skills is through volunteer experience, which I always include in CVs as much as possible. It not only points to your abilities, but to your social conscience and that you are the kind of person who likes to give back, contribute and help others. Employers value these attributes.
In every role, there will be some skills that are specific to the position or the company, and they are generally non-negotiable. But each individual position also requires a different combination of transferrable skills that show your value as an employee above and beyond your core competencies. It will be of benefit to you in your job search and in getting your CV prepared, to take some time to identify what your transferrable skills are and incorporate them in your CV and cover letter using practical, real world examples.