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Transferable Skills

Skills are activities that a person does well.  If you’re a young person, you might think that you don’t have very many job skills, especially if you have only worked a short time.  By attending school, volunteering, or even having a hobby, you have most likely learned valuable skills that will help you get and keep a job.

Transferable skills are those skills that we learn in everyday life and can use when we go to work.  Employers want to hire people who have these kinds of transferable skills:

The key is discovering your skills and how you learned them.  Answer the following questions to find out what skills you’re best at and what they are called in the world-of-work.  Then when you apply for a job, you will be able to translate your skills into language that employers understand. 

Employers Call it…

Ask Yourself…

Yes

No

How?

Problem-Solving

Can you sense a problem before it actually happens?

      
 

Can you identify a problem and describe it?

      

When you have a problem, do you think about more than one way to solve it?

      
Do you make a plan to solve your problem(s)?      

Is it easy for you to solve more than one problem at the same time?

      

Can you decide which problem to solve when you have more than one problem happening at the same time?

      

Adaptability & Flexibility

Are you a team player?

      
    

Is it easy for you to learn new ways to do things?

      

Can you switch from one project to another easily?

      

Do you follow instructions even when you think there’s a better way to do something?

      

Do you ask for help when you need it?

      

Interpersonal

Do you make friends easily?

      
    

Do you care about how others feel?

      

Do you “really listen” when others are talking?

      

Can you let others know how you honestly feel about something?

      

Do you respect the feelings and opinions of others?

      

Communication

Do you use words that can be understood by those around you?

      
     

Can you write a clear description about a problem or situation?

      

Do you listen to others when they talk?

      

Do you take part in group discussions?

      

Can you describe your ideas?

      

Can you talk people into doing something?

      

Planning

Can you look at a situation and understand the “big picture”?

      
       

Can you pick out all of the facts and details that make up a situation?

      

Do you usually know how a situation will turn out?

      

Can you identify the resources you have to work with?

      

Do you think about how to solve a problem more than one way?

      

Do you think about getting a project done more than one way?

      

Do you know what you want to accomplish before you start a project? 

      

Do you set goals?

      

Time Management

Do you get to where you need to be on time?

      
    

Do you finish your assignments by the due date?

      

Can you work on more than one project at a time?

      

Do you schedule your day so that you can finish everything you need to get done?

      

Do you work on your assignments in the order of importance?

      

Transferable skills aren’t limited to those listed above.  Here are some other ideas that will help you identify other skills you might have.

Financial Management

Can you make your allowance last all week?

      

Leadership

Have you every organized a group to work on a project?

      

Technical/Keyboarding

Do you know how to use a computer?  Make a list of the software programs you can use.

      

Sales Skills

Have you ever sold things for a fund-raising project?