How to demonstrate your transferable skills on a resume

If you are planning a major change in your career, there is one thing that you must pay attention to: your resume. Your new resume must bring out your transferable skills in a way that showcases your adaptability and potential to prospective employers in the new industry.

However, a lot of job seekers struggle with identifying and articulating their transferable skills on a resume. It does not matter whether you are transitioning into a new industry, entering a workforce after a break, or simply planning to stand out in a competitive job market, highlighting your transferable skills on your resume is an effective way of significantly enhancing your job applications.

What exactly are transferable skills?

These are the skills and talents that you acquire through previous jobs, education, volunteering, or personal experiences and can be applied across different roles and industries. Some common examples of transferable skills include communication, teamwork, leadership, problem solving, and time management. Highlighting these skills effectively on a resume will set you apart from the other candidates, no matter which profession or industry you are aiming for.

How to identify the right transferable skills for you

Just like job-specific skills, the right transferable skills will differ from the profession and industry that you are targeting. Before you bring out your transferable skills on your resume, you must identify which skills align the most with the new role that you plan to apply for. We recommend taking the time to carefully analyze the job description and pinpoint the right skills that the employer values the most. Once you have identified those, you can reflect on your past experiences and find specific examples that illustrate these skills.

Bringing out your transferable skills on a resume

Just like any other skill, simply listing your abilities by name on your resume will have a low impact on an employer. Here's how you can bring out your transferable skills effectively on a resume:

Create a dedicated skills section

Your resume must display a dedicated skills section within the top half of the document. This makes it easier for potential employers to scan your resume for important keywords. Be strategic when you decide which skills to list on your resume. You must only display the skills that are relevant to the job that you're targeting. Give priority to job-specific skills when creating your skills section. After that, you can use your transferable skills to fill in the rest of the skills section. For example, if you are transitioning from a retail management role to a project management position, your resume must emphasize skills such as organization, budgeting, conflict resolution, and leadership.

Use your work experience section

The most powerful way of demonstrating your transferable skills is to bring them out using solid examples from your career within the work experience section of your resume. Here you'll get the chance to use real-life results to highlight the impact of your transferable skills instead of merely listing them. For example, you can create an impactful bullet point such as, “Facilitated effective team communication, leading weekly meetings that improved project turnaround time by 15%” To bring out your communication skills on your resume.

List quantifiable achievements

Just like for any other skills, employers will value concrete evidence of your transferable skills in action. Quantifying your accomplishments within the career history of your resume is the best way to achieve this. Bring out your transferable skills through measurable achievements. Make it easier for employers to envision the value that you bring to their organization by using your transferable skills effectively.

Tailor your resume

It does not matter how many important transferable skills you list on your resume if you do not tailor it to the position that you are applying for. This means that you must align each section of your new resume with the key requirements that the employer has listed in the job description. Make it clear how your past experiences, especially the ones from different industries, have equipped you for success in this new role. With this targeted approach, you can make your transferable skills look like they were tailored specifically for this role.

Are you undergoing a major career transition this year? At Resume Mansion, we excel in creating career-change resumes that get results. Visit our website at www.resumemansion.com. Conquer your new career with a resume that highlights the best bits of you!