Top 10 Transferable Skills Employees Need to Succeed
What Are Transferable Skills?
Transferable skills are abilities, talents, and expertise that are beneficial for any profession. Employees can easily transfer these skills from one career to another. These skills can be acquired from your job, school, volunteer work, and even your hobbies.
Transferable skills can be soft or hard skills. Soft skills, which are difficult to measure, such as emotional intelligence tend to be more common as transferable skills. However, some hard skills such as fluency in a foreign language can be transferable as well.
Why Are Transferable Skills Important?
It is important to include transferable skills in your resume because they could distinguish you from other candidates for that role. Transferable skills are considered to be an asset regardless of the position you’re applying for. This means employees with transferable skills will find it easier to transition from one career field to another. “Transferable skills are particularly valuable if you’re unsure of your current career path and are considering another one,” advises Helen Price, a career blogger at Draft Beyond and Writinity. “Having these competitive skills can help you transfer from one industry to another.”
Transferable skills tend to be useful outside of work as well. Skills such as communication, emotional intelligence, and creativity can be applied to improve other aspects of your life beyond your career. Since transferable skills can be developed outside of work, employees can practice and hone these skills regardless of their profession.
1. Creativity
Creativity is one of the most valuable yet underrated skills in the workplace. Many people mistakenly assume that it’s an inherent talent that only some possess, but in reality, everyone has the capacity for creativity. If you identify as someone who isn’t creative, chances are, you simply don’t practice it as much. While it’s true that some exhibit more talent in certain creative endeavors than others, creativity, in general, is a transferable skill that can be developed. When you generate a new idea, devise a clever strategy, or solve a complex problem, you use your creativity. Many employers value creativity because it encourages employees to discover patterns and form connections when approaching their work. Moreover, creativity is necessary for innovation, and companies need to continuously innovate to remain competitive.
2. Emotional Intelligence
More and more hiring managers are prioritizing emotional intelligence when filling roles within their companies. This is largely due to the benefits of having an employee with high emotional intelligence. Those with high emotional intelligence or emotional quotient (EQ) are better able to manage their emotions and respond to the emotions of their coworkers and clients. Employees with high emotional intelligence offer employers their ability to communicate sincerely, empathize with coworkers and customers, as well as calmly approach stressful situations. This fosters greater collaboration and better relationships among employees. As a result, many companies look for this transferable skill in their employees.
3. Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is a constantly sought-after skill in every industry. This skill enables you to make well-informed and nuanced conclusions based on all the available information. Employees who possess critical thinking skills are more adept at understanding a problem and its consequences fully. They are also able to devise solutions based on their analysis and implement it effectively. Many organizations rely on the critical thinking of their workers to operate efficiently. Critical thinkers can also help them optimize processes, reduce costs, and develop solutions to complex issues. Thus, many hiring managers look for candidates with this transferable skill.
4. Complex Problem Solving
Complex problem solving draws on transferable skills such as creativity and critical thinking to approach issues. Novel problems on the job are almost certain to arise in today’s world and employers want to ensure you have the mental dexterity to tackle them. Those with complex problem solving skills can observe challenging issues objectively and implement well-informed solutions and strategies. They are able to thoroughly comprehend the consequences of various solutions before they apply them. Furthermore, employees with complex problem-solving skills are better able to identify the root cause of an issue and determine the optimal solution moving forward.
5. Cognitive Flexibility
Cognitive flexibility determines how well you can adapt to your new work environment. This skill is defined by your ability to multitask and course-correct. Those with a high degree of cognitive flexibility can adjust as needed to any unforeseen changes in an environment. Moreover, they can easily switch their approach and modify their strategy in response to these changes. Many employers appreciate this transferable skill in this rapidly evolving world. Employees with cognitive flexibility can not only adjust faster to their new roles and work environments, but they will also respond better to any changes implemented by the company.
6. People Management
As one of the few skills that cannot be automated, people management is an extremely useful transferable skill to put on your resume. Managers understand better than anyone the challenges of overseeing other employees, and thus, recognize the importance of this skill in their applicants. Those who possess people management skills offer a lot of crucial expertise to organizations. They can skillfully communicate with other employees, empathize with them, and understand how to maximize their potential. They are able to motivate others, increase productivity, and encourage others to meet the desired goals of the organization.
7. Judgment and Decision-Making
Employers need workers with excellent judgment and decision-making skills to ensure decisions are aligned with the company’s values and overarching vision. Furthermore, as the data available to businesses increase, they need people who can make sense of the vast amount of information, analyze it, and help them formulate well-informed strategies and decisions. Employees who can weigh these decisions, reach practical conclusions, and present objective recommendations are necessary for the success of a business. The judgment and decision-making skills of individuals ultimately determine the future of a company. Therefore, many companies require applicants to have these transferable skills.
8. Coordinating With Others
It’s clear why companies would look for employees who can successfully coordinate with others. Collaboration and teamwork are important aspects of any workplace. The better employees can communicate with each other and work together, the better it is for business. Companies want employees who can coordinate well with others because it boosts productivity, promotes the exchange of ideas and expertise, and results in happier employees. Therefore, the ability of employees to coordinate with others can determine their experience in the workplace and the success of a business.
9. Negotiation
Understanding how to negotiate with people is a very valuable transferable skill that can be advantageous in numerous fields. Finding a mutually beneficial solution is extremely important in business. The skill to negotiate well contributes to the success of a business because they develop better relationships and eliminate the chances of conflict. Clients and other companies are more likely to do business with you again after a good negotiation. Likewise, bad negotiations can negatively and permanently impact business relations. Thus, companies need employees with good negotiation skills to build and maintain strong relationships as a business.
10. Service Orientation
It’s no surprise that customer service is a highly valuable skill to customer-centric businesses. With more competition than ever, businesses must provide excellent service to consumers in order to survive. Employees with the skills to anticipate the needs of consumers and cater to those needs in order to ensure customer satisfaction are incredibly valuable to companies. Similarly, employees who understand their ideal consumer well are necessary for a business to thrive.
