Transferable skills are also referred to as ‘soft skills’ and are applicable in any career progression or industry. This makes them some of the most important skills you should highlight if you are searching for a job, looking to change careers, or have the hope of securing an internal promotion at your workplace.
The following are 3 of the most useful of the transferable skills you should develop as well as tips for improving your ability in those areas that you can easily implement.
1. Leadership: The action of leading an organisation or group of people or being able to do this.
Why is it important? It is one of the key attributes that hiring managers look for. Demonstrating leadership will help you stand out from the rest of the applicants and secure future roles. Honing leadership skills increases your effectiveness when it comes to managing and working on team tasks. This means that it is a key career muscle that you should develop even when you are not in a management position currently.
How do you work on it? Practicing is very important as is the case for most skills. Develop leadership skills by asking to take a more active role in offering junior members of the team the support they need or taking the lead on projects at your place of work. Leadership is simply about supporting your team to come together and do the best job possible. It is a skill that come down to delegation, attitude, and communication.
2. Listening: Taking note of and acting on what somebody says; giving one’s attention to a sound.
Why is it important? The pillar of any successful company is communication. While it is important to make yourself heard, effective communication entails listening to stakeholders and co-workers. Effective listening is critical to any role, which makes it one of the most important transferable skill to highlight in your resume. Whether you work in retail and need to listen to the needs of your customers, or are a tradesperson that depends on effective communication to understand the parameters of a job, it is important to demonstrate and highlight your ability to listen since it will help you secure the role of your dreams.
How do you develop this skill? Listening is something that almost everyone does every day without paying so much attention to it. However, if you make an effort to develop a knack for active listening, you can really up the ante at your workplace. Honing the skill requires making a conscious effort to hear what colleagues say then processing the information before offering a response. Show your colleagues that you are listening by and acknowledging their comments, stopping what you are doing, and establishing eye contact. Repeating back what a colleague says is a great way to make sure that you have heard everything right while proving to them that you have taken in their feedback.
3. Research: Systematic study of, and investigation into, sources and materials for the purpose of establishing facts and reaching conclusions.
Why is it Important? When hiring managers and employers are assessing candidates, they usually look for those that show initiative and exhibit that they have the ability to learn.
Highlighting your research skills is indicative of both of the attributes, which makes you more effective and productive as an employee in day-to-day business.
Research can be either practical or theoretical, so while you might believe that your job does not require ongoing research, the reality is that most people are always learning new things and trying out new methods of doing their work all the time.
How do You Develop Research Skills?
The research you do largely depends on your industry. However, if you would like to improve the skill, it is important to set aside one or two hours every week to consciously explore relevant systems, news, and even ways of doing things.
To get a better understanding of trends and news in your field of work, you should browse through relevant trade publications. Subscribe to YouTube channels and industry blogs that provide tutorials and insights. Talk to your manager and colleagues about the research they do and pick up a few ideas and tips from them.