The economy has shifted at a rapid place, with some sectors losing workers, while others can’t add talent fast enough to keep up with demand. Fields such as logistics and customer service are fast-growing, and have plenty to offer. For workers who find themselves searching for a job, making the leap to a different industry is possible.
Many of the skills you have acquired in your previous roles are hugely relevant and attractive to employers, even if your experience is in a different sector. Here are some transferable skills to highlight on your CV and in interview when searching and applying for new roles.
Critical thinking
As organisations make fast-paced changes in response to the global work environment, workers can take concepts learned in their previous roles and apply them to new opportunities. In your new role, you’ll need critical thinking to take your prior knowledge and apply it to this fresh workplace environment. When there isn’t a road map, the ability to think on your feet and consider long-term implications is essential and very much in-demand.
Coordination and collaboration
Project management skills will always be in demand, including the need to coordinate and collaborate among multiple people, skill sets and teams. In any workplace, you’re often expected to juggle multiple projects at once, often over a long-term timetable. Employers will always need people who can set goals, check-in on progress regularly, get feedback, and use the resources of others around you.
Time management
Every workplace has the same amount of this limited resource: time. People who can manage time and workload effectively will be valuable wherever they go. Managing your workload means understanding your own abilities and timeline, and also those of others around you. Those who know how to respect others’ time will always send out an agenda before a meeting, set timelines for projects, and create check-in targets to adjust if necessary.
Active listening and communication
More than half of employers (56%) say communication skills, written and verbal, are their most valued human strengths, followed by collaboration and problem-solving, according to a ManpowerGroup global survey. That’s why developing these skills are important for any workplace, and they’ll only become more necessary during change.
Learnability
Finally, above all learnability is needed over the long-term to adapt to an ever-changing economy. Learnability is the desire and ability to continually learn and grow throughout you career. Of all transferable skills, learnability is the foundation – and will help keep you in demand for the future. Be sure to nurture yours.
