indeed Transferable Skills Career User Guide
- June 15, 2024
- indeed
Table of Contents
indeed Transferable Skills Career
Radical Ideas
Radical – adjective / [rad-i-kuhl] Relating to or affecting the fundamental nature of something; far-reaching or thorough.
ConCreates is a creative agency powered by incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. ConCreates exists to give radical thinkers the chance to harness their creativity in a positive way. ConCreates gives brands the diverse, authentic and breakthrough thinking they need and formerly incarcerated people the second chance they deserve.
Foreword
If you’re looking for new ways to market yourself in today’s economy, this guide shows you how to highlight an accumulation of skill setsyou’ve gained throughout your life. Some of these skills are ones that an employer might not see the true value of right away, but you can show how your background makes you uniquely qualified for the job. Transferable skills are important because our shifting job marketrequires hiring managers to look for something different. Beyond technical skills, qualities that show your ability to wear multiple hats are now in high demand. Once you become in tune with these nontraditional transferable skills, you’ll be able to embrace and utilize all the unique experiences you’ve gained throughout life. Just as we at ConCreates have redefined ourselves, it’s refreshing to work with a company like Indeed where there’s a strong alignment around the notion of “hiring the human.” We’ve led with our flaws and challenged the world to see us for the ingenuity and genius that we possess. Indeed champions the mission of helping all people get jobs, and we’re grateful to bring you this guide to share our experiences of turning transferable skills into confident career paths
Why are transferable skills important in the workplace?
Transferable skills are a way for you to show that you can do the job, even if you don’t meet every single requirement or skill match in the job description. Adaptability – Being versatile is important when searching for a new role. Employers are seeking “all-rounders” — those who are able to complete multiple things and fill different roles if and when needed.
Real Stories
Where some see a criminal record We see a unique skill set
Incarceration
Speak Your Truth
Despite having a leadership background in his community and creative spaces, Vincent found himself behind bars after getting involved with selling drugs. While incarcerated, he remained curious and open minded, learning about the people around him and avoiding the negativity of prison culture. He used his charisma to his advantage, befriending guards in order to access educational and creative opportunities. He soon realized that prison is a breeding ground for creativity. Launching several initiatives while incarcerated, and later ConCreates, Vince took ownership of his felony record and turned it into a force of positivity.
Key Takeaway
Mind Over Matter
No matter where you find yourself in life, dedication to a cause you believe in can transcend any physical circumstances. By trusting himself, Vince was able to reclaim his incarceration experience and channel it into a force of positivit
Skillset Transfer
Where some see a stay-athome mom We see an accounts manager
Motherhood
Lead With Love
When she was 16, DeeAnna became pregnant with her boyfriend’s child and was quickly abandoned by her family. She had essentially no support and nowhere to live because her friends’ parents considered her a bad influence. Eventually, she struck a deal with a single mother who let her stay in her two-bedroom in exchange for watching her daughter during the work day. All the while, she continued to attend school and had to make do with what little she had to survive. Upon graduating high school at the age of 18, she had another child. But with the right mindset, she was able to become stable and independent and has never looked back, achieving great success as a result.
Key Takeaway
By Any Means Necessary
It is often in times of despair when bare necessity forces us to see a way
back to the light. Left with no choice but to provide for her children,
DeeAnna learned to make something from nothing at a young age and has
never turned back.
Skillset Transfer
Where some see a drug dealer
- We see an entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship
Trust the Process
Born with a knack to hustle, Tommy realized his entrepreneurial abilities by selling candy in grade school. By high school, his passion for profits took over and he startedto sell drugs. His eventual incarceration forced him to rechannel hisenergy toward drive and education. In prison, he continued to explore entrepreneurial opportunities but with a focus onempathy and understanding human nature. Doing the work to understand himself and others allowed him to make the best use of his skills, earning him an MBA and the knowledge to pursue legal business once he got back home
Key Takeaway
Wealth in the Knowledge of Self
Facing incarceration forced Tommy to sit with discomfort and come to know himself on a deeper level. Beyond this experience, Thomas has sought further guidance on his lifelong pursuit of self-awareness, which has allowed him to clearly see and achieve his goals.
Skillset Transfer
Transferable Skills
Defined
Today’s rapidly evolving world calls for a new era of thinkers in the
workforce. As industry leaders feel the pressures of hiring shortages
and the ability to prepare for the future, the demand for adaptable
workers is at an all-time high. Now more than ever, people who come
from non-traditional backgrounds are at the forefront of what every
company needs.
Transferable Skills are qualities that carry over from one role or experience to a variety of others. Instead of needing a degree in a specific subject to qualify for a certain role, employers are now looking for individuals who can apply real-life experience to the working world.
The following are some real examples of transferable skills:
- Managing a Household
- Budgeting, Scheduling,
- Conflict Management Completing Chores
- Digital Literacy, Initiation, Communication
- Filling Out Applications
- Attention to Detail, Execution, Dependability
Hiring the Human
Real people with real life experiences are what the world needs right now.
Seeing Your Potential
You have probably overcome significant obstacles in your life. Whether you learned to adapt to society after incarceration, managed a busy household or turned your network into your net worth, you have what it takes to rise above the rest in today’s job market.
Realizing Your Value
In the past, the corporate world was largely powered by Type A employees with specialized degrees in their respective fields. Today, most employers are seeking team members who can bring a unique perspective and an array of life experience to the table. Your skills and experiences are in high demand.
Self-Confidence + Motivation
Possessing transferable skills is step one. To achieve your goals, you’ll need to remain motivated. What energizes you? What drives you? Reflect on what brings you happiness and fulfillment. Picture yourself achieving your dreams, set achievable goals and hold yourself accountable to the life you want to live.
How to Identify Your
Transferable Skills
It can be challenging to see yourself from an employer’s
perspective. Even those who come from more “traditional”
backgrounds struggle with this, which is why career development
resources are so popular. If you don’t come from a “traditional”
background, it can be very difficult to see where you fit into the
corporate world.
To take the pressure off directly answering the question, “What
transferable skills do I have?” we’ve created an assessment to help
you identify the strengths and skills that set you apart.
Take some time to reflect while answering and, if helpful, open up a
word document to capture your thoughts about the following
questions:
-
What non-traditional things have you done to earn money or make a living?
-
What do you consider your strengths when it comes to doing what you do?
-
What’s a significant challenge you faced?
How did you deal with it? -
What do you see in yourself now that you did not used to see?
-
How have you learned from your environment/community? Give a specific example.
-
How does dealing with adversity play a role in your skill set?
-
What’s something you bring to your community?
-
What are you most proud of in yourself?
-
Feel free to tell a story or make a list.
-
Why do you feel drawn to the work you do?
In-Demand Skills
- Communication
- English
- Caregiving
- Customer Service
- Sales
- Microsoft Office
- Computer Skills
- Microsoft Excel
- Manufacturing
- Microsoft Word
- Organizational Skills
- German
- Java
- Leadership
- Driving
- Analysis Skills
- Service Skills
- Python
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Time Management
- SQL
- Project Management
- Administrative Affairs
- Maintenance
- JavaScript
Communication
Experiences that deal with interacting with people across different settings (e.g., cashier, teacher, youth sports coach) can sharpen communication skills. Understanding the value of this skill set can help you qualify for positions such as: Communications Executive, Public Relations Specialist, and Director of Human Resources
Related in-demand skills include:
Customer Service, Sales, Service Skills
Customer Service
Showing that you can interact with and build rapport with people is a valuable skill that can be applied to a variety of jobs. Across fields and industries, people who can show empathy and advocate for customers prove themselves to be valuable additions to a customer-facing team and for positions such as: Support Representative, Retail Manager, and Director of Hospitality
Related in-demand skills include:
Microsoft Office, Java, Python, SQL
Leadership
Coming from a culture where community is a high priority, many of us are forced to step up as leaders at a young age. Whether it’s taking care of your siblings, leading within your religious group or looking out for your neighbors, this skill set can lead to roles such as: Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Project Manager, and Hiring Manager
Related in-demand skills include:
Caregiving, Organization, Project Management
How to take action
The Game Plan
A Brief Review and Steps Moving Forward
Defining Transferable Skills
Transferable skills are qualities that maintain value across a wide array of career paths
Identifying Your Skill Sets
Transferable skills can come from life experience, community roles and past jobs you might not expect. Take a moment to ask yourself what your biggest strengths are and how you’ve overcome adversity in the past, and look for roles that can leverage your unique skill set superpowers.
Self-Confidence + Motivation
Knowing your strengths is just part of the process. In order to actualize your goals, you’ll need to focus on what drives you. Understand that your talents are needed to build a brighter future and get after it.
Putting It All into Practice
We know this is a lot of information to take in. Take your time and don’t be afraid to ask for help. This final section will suggest steps you can take to employ your transferable skills right now.
Three Things You Can Do Right Now
Consider your obstacles
Take out a sheet of paper or open a new doc. Write out 5 obstacles you’ve gone through in life and how you overcame them. Use this guidebook to identify the skills you used in each scenario. Finally, keep this list of transferable skills handy so you can add them to your resume and speak about them in future interviews.
Create a work-back schedule
A work-back schedule is an organizational tool used by project managers to reverse-engineer their goals into reality so they can apply to jobs, develop their skills or update their resume. Follow these steps to create your own work-back:
- Set a goal and put a date on it.
- Find the halfway point; where will you need to be by that date?
- Continue to narrow down the steps as much as you’d like (we recommend 5-15 steps).
- Put a date on each task and hold yourself to it.
Use your network
Check in with your people. Your network is your net worth and you never know when your next big opportunity could be a message away. It can be challenging to stay connected, but remembering to check in with those who care about you can help keep you centered and focused on your purpose.
Obstacle: Gaps in Your Resume
Obstacle: Career Change
After 25 years of customer service experience in the healthcare industry, Latifha wanted to make a career change into remote executive administration. Take a look at some of the key adjustments she made to her resume to highlight her transferable skills:
Afterword
Congratulations! You’re now one step closer to filling the gaps in your resume, speaking about your experience and securing your next career move. You’ve always known what you are capable of — now you have some more tools to translate that knowledge of your strengths and experiences into marketable skills. We hope that you’ve found new confidence in your abilities.
More resources
- Transferable Skills: 10 Skills That Work Across Industries
- 7 Transferable Customer Service Skills And Related Jobs
- Top 12 Job Skills Employers Look for in Job Candidates
- How to Develop Your Skill Set to Advance Your Career
- 10 Skills for Cover Letters
- How To Explain Gaps in Employment on Your Resume
- Functional Resume: Definition, Tips and Examples
References
- Aetna - Health, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability and long-term care insurance benefits.
- Aetna Dental | Solutions and Resources for Dentists
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
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