How to Identify Transferable Skills and Use Them to Land a Role

If you’re thinking about switching industries, changing careers, or even re-entering the workforce after a break, one of your biggest advantages is often overlooked: transferable skills.

Transferable skills are the abilities you’ve built in one role, industry, or life experience that can be applied successfully in another. Learning to identify and communicate these skills can make the difference between being passed over and being offered the job.

1. What Are Transferable Skills?

Transferable skills are not tied to one specific job…they’re universal abilities employers value across industries. Think communication, leadership, problem-solving, project management, and adaptability.

For example:

• A teacher’s ability to design engaging lessons → transferable to corporate training

• A cashier’s experience handling customers → transferable to client support roles

• A military veteran’s leadership and discipline → transferable to management positions

2. How to Identify Your Transferable Skills

Step 1: Review Your Past Roles

Think beyond job titles. Write down the tasks you performed, challenges you solved, and outcomes you achieved.

Step 2: Look for Patterns

Ask yourself:

• Did I regularly communicate or present information?

• Did I lead, train, or mentor others?

• Did I manage projects, budgets, or deadlines?

• Did I solve problems under pressure?

These patterns reveal core strengths.

Step 3: Translate Them Into Employer Language

Frame your skills in terms employers understand. For example, instead of “I helped teammates with tasks,” say:

“I collaborated across teams to improve workflow efficiency.”

3. Showcasing Transferable Skills on Your Resume

Your resume should highlight how your skills created results…not just list them.

Bad: “Strong communication skills.”

Better: “Presented weekly reports to senior leadership, simplifying technical data for non-technical stakeholders.”

Tip: Use the job description as a guide. Mirror the language they use and show how your past experiences align.

4. Highlighting Transferable Skills in Interviews

When asked about your experience, connect the dots for the interviewer:

• Acknowledge the difference in industries

• Emphasize the similarity in skills

• Share results to back it up

Example:

“While my background is in education, my experience leading classrooms translates directly into team facilitation and training. For instance, I developed lesson plans that improved student engagement by 30%, which is similar to creating onboarding programs that improve employee performance.”

5. Common Transferable Skills Employers Value

• Communication (verbal & written)

• Leadership and teamwork

• Problem-solving & critical thinking

• Time management & organization

• Project management

• Customer service & relationship building

• Adaptability & resilience

• Technical literacy (software, tools, data analysis)

Remember: employers aren’t just hiring your past...they’re investing in the value you can bring to their future.