How to Demonstrate Transferable Skills on Your Resume

How to Demonstrate Transferable Skills on Your Resume How to Demonstrate Transferable Skills on Your Resume 4You’ve finally found it- the job of your dreams. You’ve enthusiastically read the job description a dozen times. You know you’re going to toss your hat into the ring, but there’s one shred of doubt that’s been looming in the back of your mind: your experience is a little out-of-the-box. Perhaps you’re making the move from marketing to sales. Or, maybe all of your experience has been in the nonprofit sector and you’re switching to a tech startup. Regardless of the specifics, you know it’s going to take a little more elbow grease to prove yourself as a no-brainer fit for that position. Well, it all comes down to how you highlight your transferable skills. Here’s what you need to know to make the most of your transferable skills on your resume: What are transferable skills? Transferable skills are actually pretty simple- they’re the skills you pick up in one employment setting that can seamlessly be transferred to your next job. If you aren’t making a major career or industry change, then you probably have a lot of these to offer. Your coding capabilities, for example, will serve you well in your next web development job. But, if you are making a switch in terms of role or field, then transferable skills usually relate to your softer competencies- such as organization, leadership, problem-solving, communication, and other skills that aren’t so technical in nature. Start by analyzing the job description. You need to figure out which skills of yours are transferable and should be showcased on your resume. The best place to start is by taking a fine-tooth comb to the description for your desired job. While doing so, keep a notepad and a pen next to you. Jot down the words and requirements that are repeated or stand out. Does the phrase “skilled communicator” crop up a few times? Has the description emphasized that they need someone who can juggle multiple projects at one time? Write those things down so that you can come back to them in the next step. Compare that to your own experience. You have a list of the core things they’re looking for to fill that open role. Now it’s time to match those up against your own experience to see what skills you should be drawing attention to. Perhaps they’re looking for someone who is an expert at managing project timelines and budgets. While you might not have a ton of traditional project management experience, you saw a lot of projects through from start to finish in your last role as a marketing manager. That’s a facet of that role you should be emphasizing. Again, jot down these parallels between what the position is looking for and what you have to offer. In doing so, you’re creating a list of what your resume absolutely needs to include. It’s important that you’re honest with yourself here. There’s nothing wrong with pulling out different pieces of an experience to highlight or finding a way to present that information in a way that’s more relevant to your desired position. But, there’s a big difference between doing that and flat-out lying about what you bring to the table. Tweak your resume. Armed with your list, it’s time to inject this information into your resume to present yourself as a qualified fit. You can do this in your summary, your key skills section, and even in your resume bullets. Let’s look at a quick example for some clarity. You’ve worked as a customer support specialist for the past couple of years and are now looking to make the jump into a sales role. In describing your job as a customer support specialist, you have a bullet point that says: Answered customer questions and solved customer problems You could adjust that to say: Established and maintained positive relationships with clients and customers by answering their questions and assisting them in troubleshooting See how that draws stronger connections to what would be required of you in a sales position? Give some thought to how you can do that to other sections of your resume to really present yourself as a solid candidate. Don’t be afraid to get creative. Tailoring your resume for a job is always nerve-wracking- but especially when you’re feeling doubtful about whether or not you check all of the boxes. Don’t look at your seemingly untraditional experience as a drawback, and instead think of it as a positive. While you might assume that some of your skills or previous roles might be totally out of left field, they can actually give you a level of knowledge and expertise that sets you apart from the other candidates. Those unique experiences could equip you with some know-how that could serve you well in that position- even if it seems totally unrelated. Know someone looking for a job? Refer a friend to with this link- you’ll get a month free service and they’ll get 30% off!