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We tend to underestimate our transferable skills. Know what your skills are and how you might be able to apply them differently.
Transferable Skills
Throughout our lifetime, we learn transferable skills. Educational institutions teach us how to add and subtract and conjugate verbs. Over time, life adds to these basics and we often don’t even realize how much we have learned. Worse yet, we forget to consider different areas and ways these skills can be adapted to different situations. Do you truly understand your skill set?
For example, do you have the ability to:
- see an issue as a challenge rather than a problem?
- connect to people and understand how you might help each other?
- manage large projects?
- formulate ideas and communicate them in a manner people can easily understand?
Don’t get caught up in what you specifically trained for. Understand your skills and how you can apply them in any situation.
Understanding what skills are transferable.
You may have studied commerce and learned about things like compound interest and statistics; how to set up and manage a business. You graduated, maybe married, and ended up not really working for someone else but successfully started and grew your own business. Did you let the naysayers stop you? Imagine your business grew and you decided to move your business to another country with a warmer climate and a place many would consider paradise. I would suggest that is many people’s dream.
Then, life happens. Your world is turned upside down. What do you do? You never really applied your education in an employment situation and now you don’t have a history to fall back on as you try to rebuild your life. Or do you?
Most business owners have had to learn to make changes quickly. Many don’t even have post secondary education and go on to become very successful in their chosen business ventures.I have been “reincarnated” professionally a few times so far:
Retail sales and management;- computer network design and sales;
- financial services;
- administrative services;
- network and online marketing.
The reality is specific skills are not what lead to my successes. In one interview, I identified to my prospective employer that my greatest skill is learning what I need to know when I need to know it. That, combined with my transferable skills is what got me the job.
What were some of my transferable skills?
- Communication skills.
- Financial analysis.
- Business needs analysis.
- Publishing and marketing.
- Database creation and management.
My background in retail gave me the ability to understand and empathize with people from all walks of life. During the time in the computer industry, I learned to master the Microsoft Office Suite and actually teach myself how to use most software programs. That was also where I learned to analyze business needs to determine technology solutions. In order to do that, I had to understand their processes etc. This is where I learned to listen. The financial services industry compounded on all of the above skills and helped to hone my interpersonal and networking skills. Network marketing delivered so much education, I don’t know where to start and besides, it would take too long here!
You are worth the time!
Wherever you are in your life right now, it’s worth the time to understand your skill set and what is transferable. This will give you posture if you are currently employed or running your own business. Your confidence will become more obvious and that makes you more attractive. Yes, this even applies to dating!
If you’re in a place where you are looking to take that next step, you are in the business of selling yourself. Most sales training compares the sales process to the dating process. You need to understand what you want, what your prospect wants and where the fit is.
You’re worth every minute to ensure your success. You just have to decide to believe in yourself.
Make it a great day,
Barry
P.S. What am I thankful for today? I’m thankful for life experience. I’m thankful for positive people. I’m thankful for you!
What are you thankful for today?
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