How to Define + Leverage Transferable Skills On Your Resume

In this modern age of the internet, it seems that everyone and their mother has a valuable set of technical skills to add to their resume. Knowledge of certain programs and tools are often no longer enough to make you stand out. It has become increasingly important to pinpoint what separates you from the competition—what makes you the better candidate than the twenty others who know how to use Adobe InDesign, AutoCAD, or SketchUp. Often, it’s the transferable skills you contribute not just to your own role, but to your team and colleagues.

You are more than just your job title: it’s time to define what truly sets you apart, and translate that into a powerful resume that makes you the obvious choice for the job.

How to Define Your Unique Skills in Your Job Search

Understanding what you bring to the table, other than your title, allows you to develop confidence, brand yourself for different roles, and make your skills transferable. Your success in the job market hinges on who you are and your ability to define that, so let’s talk about where to start.

1. Pinpoint your unique strengths

The first step to becoming a stand-out candidate is pinpointing your unique strengths. This does not simply mean you should list out what you are objectively “good” at; it means defining your Working Genius (one of the core concepts taught in Career Breakthrough). 

Start by answering these questions about your current or previous roles:

• What brings me joy/energy in the workplace? 

• What am I often complimented on by colleagues or superiors? 

• Where do I often step in and take over? 

• Where do people ask me for help/support?

Once you are able to recognize your unique strengths and how they translate into what’s in demand in the job market, you’ll be able to more confidently leverage your experience and abilities in any role you apply for.

2. Recognize areas where you lack

Almost as important as pinpointing your strengths is recognizing areas where you lack; not in the traditional “What is your biggest weakness?” way, but in a way that acknowledges where you may be able to improve your professional abilities. There is no shame in admitting where you need support or someone to complement your strengths/fill in the gaps that you can’t.

Start by answering these questions about your current or previous roles:

• Where is my energy often drained in the workplace?

• What leads me to feel burnt out, overwhelmed, or frustrated?

• Where do I lack motivation?

• Where do I feel like my time is being wasted?

• Where do I often need others to step in and take over?

• Where do I ask for help/support?

Acknowledging areas for improvement shows humility and a commitment to continued improvement, and helps you recognize the skills/areas you may not want to focus on when creating your resume.

3. Translate your strengths into transferable skills

You’re likely familiar with technical or specialized skills and their place on a resume, such as data analysis, programming, and software proficiency. Just as important, however, if not more, are your transferable skills. These are skills and abilities that aren’t specific to one role or niche, but can be applied to multiple different jobs, industries, or career paths. They are broader, overarching skills that speak more to who you are and the strengths you bring to any workplace environment; the skills you carry with you no matter where you go or what position you hold. 

Transferable skills are necessary because they make you more adaptable, they are versatile, they expand your reach in the job market, and they show employers that you are more than just your technical skills. These are the skills that will truly set you apart and define whether or not you are right for the role you’re applying for—so let’s go through a few of the most common transferable skills that employers look for.

5 Common Transferable Skills That Employers Look For

1. Communication

Strong communication is one of the most desirable skills across the job market. No matter the industry, you need to be able to communicate internally with your peers and colleagues, employer, and company leadership, as well as externally if the role requires it. Even if the position you’re applying for isn’t a Communications role, being a reliable communicator shows that you are ready to listen, share ideas, work well with others, and address problems as they arise.

Specific transferable skills around communication may include:

• Confidence

• Active listening

• Responsiveness

• Public speaking

• Written communication

• Conflict resolution

• Empathy

2. Adapability

Whether you are seeking a career path in marketing or construction, engineering or design, adaptability is always a strong indicator of who you are and what you bring to the table. You (nor your colleagues) will ever be able to plan for all outcomes, both internal and external—so it’s crucial that you are ready to pivot when needed with confidence. You immediately become somebody that your peers can rely on, somebody who shows up when times get tough and when your unique strengths are needed most.

Specific transferable skills around adaptability may include:

• Positivity

• Creative thinking

• Problem-solving

• Patience

• Critical thinking

• Flexibility

• Open-mindedness

• Innovation

3. Teamwork

Teamwork is a valuable skill in all areas of life, whether you are applying for a job or cooking a Thanksgiving meal with your family members. Employers want to see you as a team player who is reliable, communicative, and skilled at conflict resolution should a problem inevitably arise; they want to see how you’ll handle being part of a team, and what you’ll be able to contribute. Just as we know it’s important to define our strengths, it’s important to recognize areas we may be lacking so we can ask for help or delegate when needed—this shows a willingness to learn, improve, and put your pride aside for the sake of the company/team.

Specific transferable skills around teamwork may include:

• Relationship building

• Conflict resolution

• Communication

• Reliability

• Leadership

• Conflict resolution

• Delegation

4. Dependability

Employers are looking for candidates who they can rely on to complete tasks, fulfill responsibilities, and meet deadlines—candidates who are dependable. You need to show on your resume that your actions match your words; that your accomplishments and achievements are proof that what you say is trustworthy, and that you are somebody who colleagues/leadership can depend on. This could include consistently meeting deadlines, showing up to meetings on time, and being accountable for your faults/mistakes.

Specific transferable skills around dependability may include:

• Punctuality

• Discipline

• Work ethic

• Honesty

• Responsiveness

5. Organization

Finally, organizational transferable skills are incredibly valuable across industries in demonstrating your ability to manage your time, tasks, and responsibilities. Employers look for candidates who can be trusted to pay attention to detail, manage their schedules well, and are able to complete projects in the desired timeframe.

Specific transferable skills around organization may include:

• Time management

• Attention to detail

• Budgeting

• Project management

• Prioritization

How to Highlight Transferable Skills on Your Resume

Your resume will be given a 30-second glance to see if you have what the employer is looking for—and as a professional recruiter myself, I can tell you that sometimes it’s even less. It’s crucial that you make an impression quickly, and that every section is clear and succinct from the get-go. Your resume should spotlight who you are beyond job titles and technical skills, which is why you must include your transferable skills throughout.

While it’s essential to know these transferable skills that you have to offer, what you don’t want to do is add them to your resume in a list of bullet points. This shows an employer nothing more than your knowledge of these words—you need to incorporate them naturally throughout your resume via the achievements, skills, and experiences that set you apart.

Here are two places you can highlight your transferable skills on your resume, without using direct verbiage or simply listing them out.

Summary

Your professional summary should be clear and concise, immediately highlighting the unique skills you bring to the table. This may or may not be a place where you can mention your transferable skills; if other information is more important to share right off the bat, don’t try to force them in. Skills such as leadership, organization, and teamwork may be natural fits in your summary if applicable.

Skills

You should share your strongest skills according to what the employer is looking for, matching skills to keywords from the job posting. Optimizing your skills with keywords like this is crucial to make sure you’re not eliminated from initial resume scans (done either digitally or by a human); be sure to use industry-standard terms (e.g. “Project Management” instead of “Team Leading”), and include exact phrasing as mentioned in the job description.

Defining and highlighting transferable skills is a key part of paving your career path, helping you position yourself for leadership and advancement in clear, compelling way. When you are able to confidently leverage your unique strengths to employers, you’ll finally be on your way to the career, compensation, and breakthrough you’ve been seeking.

For more tools, tips, and strategies to help you land your next role without second-guessing yourself, check out Career Breakthrough. Inside of this comprehensive course, you’ll learn how to:

• Define Your Career Identity

• Write a Power Resume

• Leverage LinkedIn to Increase Opportunity

• Create a Search & Outreach Strategy

• Crush the Interview

• Negotiate the Best Offer

Ready for the promotion and paycheck you deserve? Get started here.