Ever heard of the term Transferrable Skills before? Maybe you have, or maybe you haven’t. But if you are interested in learning more about what they are and how we can acquire them, you’ve come to the right place!
What are Transferrable Skills?
Transferrable Skills are exactly what their name suggests. They are skills we learn/acquire in one place (maybe at school, at a job, volunteering, an internship, etc.) that can be applicable pretty much anywhere else – another job, class, internship… you get the idea!
Transferrable Skills are both Soft and Hard/Technical Skills; some examples of skills that are very transferrable include patience, customer service, bilingual, stock/inventory, among many, MANY more.
We all have many Transferrable Skills, but might not be sure exactly how to identify them. If you would like to learn more about how to identify your Transferrable Skills, be sure to look through our Soft Skills for Success Workbook and register for the next public Soft Skills Workshop (they’re always on Zoom!).
How do we develop more Transferrable Skills?
Now that we have a better sense of what Transferrable Skills are, we can explore ways in which we can develop even more of them in order to reach our goals. One of the best and easiest ways to acquire new skills (or strengthen the ones you already have) is through volunteering! Research volunteer opportunities near you, doing something that you are passionate or would like to learn more about, and watch your new skills rack up!
Another way is though internships. Look to apply to internships for your current education level to explore your interests deeper, and in a more hands-on environment. You won’t have to worry about a long-term commitment, either – most internships are during the Summer or Winter! Often times, these internships can actually lead to actual employment offers. This brings us to the last way we can acquire more Transferrable Skills!
Lastly, working provides us with new skills to add to our resumes. The more work experience you have, something that comes naturally with time, is the most steady, yet long term, way of acquiring new Transferrable skills.
Moving forward
Now, we hope this post was helpful in defining and identifying our many Transferrable Skills! We encourage you to take some time and reflect on the vast array of skills you currently possess, and ways to develop new ones! Never hesitate to reach out to us at JFY if you ever need support in discovering your most prominent Transferrable Skills, and we hope to see you at one of our upcoming public workshops!
