Transferable Skills For Your Career Growth

I wish someone would’ve told me, coming out of college, to focus on skills instead of titles. 

Focus on developing your skills; this will be useful down the line if you ever want to pivot into a new career. As someone who pivoted from technical sales to program management within ed-tech, I assure you these skills will support your career pivot and growth. I am also the 2x author of Reroute: Post Grad Guide To Success- Physically Mentally and Financially and Dreams Don’t Cost A Thing. These same skills supported the creation of both of these books and my personal growth in the process.  

Lastly, after working with students interested in different fields, I am certain that the skills mentioned below are what companies are looking for and are transferable across industries. 

10 In-Demand Transferable Skills:

Problem-Solving‍

Employers want to know if things go downhill or if something needs rectification, you’ll have the solution to the problem.‍

Critical Thinking‍

Critical thinking is the assessment and analysis of information to make a rational and logical decision or choose a specific action. Critical thinking supports employees in solving problems and building out strategies.‍

Leadership

Even if you are not in a leadership position managing or supervising a team, your employer wants to know that you are a self-starter and can take the lead on a project or step up if need be.‍

Adaptability

‍Adaptability is important as sometimes deadlines, due dates, and tasks can change or shift. You need to be ready for whatever is thrown at you, and if you feel ill-prepared, step up, be a leader, and ask questions to get clarification. ‍

Communication

‍Your communication skills present your capability to convey ideas and data clearly and concisely. The better your communication skills are, the less room there is for miscommunication, thus allowing you to be more productive.‍

Writing‍

Communication can come in different forms, writing is one of them. Writing is important in every job capacity as you’ll always have to write something. This can be as a a report, email, or a project; it all requires your ability to communicate through written speech. ‍

Public Speaking‍

Speaking is another form of communication. Sometimes, you may have to express your ideas in a meeting or demonstrate a project you’ve been working on. Your ability to be well-spoken will keep the audience engaged, thus allowing them to retain the information you share better.  ‍

Listening

‍Active listening skills are often pushed to the curb, but they are important. Put it like this: to solve a problem for a prospect (if you work with clients) or resolve team conflicts, you must listen and understand what the opposing side is sharing. You may not understand what people try to share if you aren't a good listener.‍

Creativity‍

Creativity isn’t always about art and painting. Better yet, creativity, in this case, is about how you execute tasks and solve problems. Do you think outside the box? People who are truly creative employ solutions to the problems they face. They support their employers in seeing things from a different perspective and solving problems, uniquely.‍

Project Management‍

Employers hire people who are self-starters and can visualize and anticipate what comes next as they move through a project. Project management ensures deadlines are met and tasks are accomplished most effectively.

Any skills you’re interested in developing or honing in on as we go into the New Year? Keep in mind that these skills can take you to the next level in your career. For public speaking, check out Toastmasters and join a chapter in your area to develop your speaking skills. For the other skills you may be interested in learning more about, look at sites such as Linkedin Learning, Skillshare, Coursera, and Udemy to take courses to upskill.