Skills You Can Use In Multiple Jobs And Careers

Dawn Rosenberg McKay,
March 01, 2016
Newsletter Article

Whenever you embark on a job or career change, you hope to be able to use at least some, if not all, of your current skills. Talents and abilities you can take from job to job, or use in multiple careers, are called transferable skills. Use the transferable skills list that follows to help you discover yours. It is categorized into six broad areas: basic, people, management, clerical, research and planning, and technical skills.

It does not include the hard skills that allow you to perform your particular job, although they could be transferable between occupations.

Go through this list and copy the skills you have to your own list. You may have acquired them through jobs, education, apprenticeships, internships, formal and informal training, hobbies and volunteer experiences. Then add skills that aren't included here, including your hard skills, to your personal list. Having everything written down in one place will allow you to assess your marketability to potential employers as well as determine if there are any gaps you must address with additional training.

It will also provide a good starting point when you begin to write your resume.

Basic Skills:

Use listening skills to understand oral instructions
Learn new procedures
Understand and carry out written instructions
Orally convey information to others
Observe and assess your own and others' performances
Communicate in writing
Use mathematical processes to solve problems
Speak in public
Demonstrate professionalism

People Skills:

Provide constructive criticism
Receive feedback
Coordinate actions with those of other people
Negotiate, persuade and influence
Motivate others
Handle complaints
Train or teach new skills
Delegate work to others
Oversee others' work
Perform outreach
Counsel people
Build strong customer relationships
Collaborate with other people
Mentor younger colleagues
Resolve conflicts
Develop relationships with suppliers
Comfortable dealing with all people
Gain confidence of clients or customers

Management Skills:

Oversee budgets
Recruit personnel
Review resumes
Interview job candidates
Select new hires
Supervise employees
Allocate equipment, materials, and facilities
Schedule personnel
Preside over meetings
Negotiate contracts
Evaluate personnel
Organize committees

Clerical Skills:

General clerical and administrative support
Design forms, correspondence and reports
Manage records
Take minutes at meetings
Use word processing software
Use database management software
Use spreadsheet software
Use desktop publishing software
Use presentation software
Perform data entry
Keep track of accounts receivable, accounts payable, billing, etc. (bookkeeping)
Screen telephone calls
Greet visitors