Transferable Skills: The Forgotten Gold Mine

It’s easy to forget the skills you bring to your career, work, and occupation. Sometimes the things you do come naturally and as a result, you have trouble defining them. Or you deem those skills irrelevant and ignore or devalue them all together. Whether you are transitioning industries or occupations and or newly graduated from undergrad or graduate school, sometimes you can miss the importance of everything you bring to the table and forget the gold mine of talent and uniqueness you offer. However, don’t underestimate any of the experiences and how they can relate to future endeavors. Additionally, it’s important to not only identify those key skills you bring and can transfer somewhere else but even more important, determine which of these skills you LIKE using! Try the below activity to help you determine what events or projects you have enjoyed and the skills you used in those experiences. As you move through the activity you will think about not only what skills you have but ultimately create a strong list that includes those skills you also like!

PART I
Think of three specific events or projects where you enjoyed the process and the outcome of the work you had done. These experiences may be from volunteer activities, hobbies, personal life, school, or work. List them below:
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PART II
Now think of the skills you used in each of these events or projects. List below the specific skills you used which gave you pleasure.
Experience #1:
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Experience #2:
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Experience #3:
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PART III
Which of those “pleasurable” skills (from Part II) do you most want to use in your career?
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Use the above skills to help remind employers of the value you bring, to highlight on your resume, to drive your job search choices or next work assignment, and to give weight to your interview answers. The next time you struggle to define your value, pull out the above list of your personal gold!
Quick Tip: The top skills being sought after by employers in 2020in any job category are creative problem solving and resourcefulness!
By Serena Santillanes
Serena Santillanes President
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