Transferable Skills Guide: 7 Types of Transferable Skills

Transferable skills are competencies that can easily transfer from one job to another. Many technical skills, critical thinking skills, analytical skills, writing skills, verbal communication skills, and leadership skills can apply to a range of jobs. These skill sets come in handy in all kinds of fields, and as a result, are valued by job recruiters and hiring managers.

Whether you are upgrading to a dream job in your existing field or pursuing an entirely different career path, you can bring along the transferable skills you've acquired through prior work experience. As a job seeker, your abilities and adaptability can make you appealing to a potential employer and make your own personal transition smooth and enjoyable.

Transferable skills fall into a number of broad categories.

1. 1. Communication skills: These can include verbal communication skills like public speaking, team leadership, and phone sales. They can also include writing skills, on-camera skills, and graphic design skills. Someone who learned to communicate as part of a sales team could apply some of their acquired skills to creating marketing campaigns.
2. 2. Interpersonal skills: Applicants with strong interpersonal skills know how to slot into needed roles as a team works toward a common goal. In some cases, an employee needs to display leadership. In other cases, they need to know how to encourage others to lead. People with strong interpersonal skills can do both.
3. 3. Time management skills: For jobs that involve major projects and tight turnaround times, strong time management skills allow you to prioritize tasks effectively to meet deadlines. If you learned how to hit deadlines in your prior work experience, you can transfer those skills to a new line of work, even if the nature of the new company's projects differs from what you've done in the past.
4. 4. Organization skills: Companies need highly organized professionals to work in database management, content management, and customer care. A person who managed customer retention databases at an old job could, for instance, bring organizational skills to a new job running a company's social media platforms.
5. 5. Technical skills: Whether you have experience with software programming and web programming (in languages like HTML and JavaScript) or just know your way around Microsoft Office and Google Drive, you can bring these skills from one job to another.
6. 6. Problem-solving skills: The ability to find creative solutions to new problems helps professionals thrive in customer support, tech support, project management, and strategic branding.
7. 7. Leadership skills: Even if you're new to a company, you can lead by example to influence others within your department. Mentoring colleagues, organizing a team of collaborators, and providing feedback to freelance employees are all examples of leadership in action.

Learn how to identify and further develop the transferable skills you already possess before beginning your next job search.

1. 1. Review a list. Review examples of transferable skills and determine how many of them apply to you. Make your own list, which you will later incorporate into your resume.
2. 2. Ask your friends and colleagues. Let a few trusted friends or colleagues know you are thinking about pursuing a new career. Ask them to candidly share what specific skills might make you most appealing to a prospective employer. In these conversations, you may also learn what job skills you still need to refine.
3. 3. Study common interview questions. Many online resources offer sample interview questions and a preview of what prospective employers value. Practice answering those questions, and take the opportunity to reflect on the hard skills and soft skills you could bring to your next job.
4. 4. Exercise your skills. Once you have identified your current skill set, you can develop these skills by asking for more responsibility at your current job, asking your manager for more feedback, seeking out volunteer work, apprenticing, or taking specialized courses. You can also take the same approach to develop new skills.

Transfer skills matter to potential employers for three key reasons.

1. 1. Training: An employee with transferable skills will not have to start from square one upon making a career change. While all jobs require some on-the-job training, skills from past work experiences can shorten the adjustment period.
2. 2. Innovation: New employees bring fresh ideas and energy to a workplace. When you bring transferable skills to a job, you enliven your new work environment. This goes a long way toward fostering teamwork and relationship building.
3. 3. Potential: A person with existing skills may have the potential to add more skills through work experience. A new employee that comes to a job with strong decision-making skills, project management skills, or active listening skills already shows potential to grow on the job and help their team meet a common goal.

Get the MasterClass Annual Membership for exclusive access to video lessons taught by business luminaries, including Bob Iger, Chris Voss, Robin Roberts, Sara Blakely, Daniel Pink, Howard Schultz, Anna Wintour, and more.