Once you have your
transferable skills list handy, what do you plan to do with it?
There is plenty of job search advice for discovering your transferable skills for your job search...sometimes the hardest
part is figuring out what the next step is.
Let’s take a look at how to use
your transferable skills to help you network, focus your resumes, and prepare
interview responses.
Networking...
Making connections is your #1 priority in your job
search and career management strategy.
It’s your source for:
- Professional Skills Development
- Marketing Your Personal Brand
- and Becoming a Direct Referral for a job
Without knowing what skills you
possess that are desirable to your targeted employers....how do you know what
relationships to focus on and what to talk about?
Transferable Skills For Networking
Tip
#1
Use
your transferable skills to provide direction and focus in your networking
strategy.
Here is an example of using your
Transferable Skills for Networking:
Melanie is interested in changing
career fields from Office Management to HR.
One of her strongest transferable
skills is Communication. She has a high level of Emotional Intelligence and is
the go to person in her office for diffusing conflict and engaging employees
for group causes.
She chooses to strengthen that
skill by attending communication related workshops, seminars, and webinars that
are targeted for HR professionals; such as ones offered by the ISEI
(Institute for Social and Emotional Intelligence ).
During the classes she works on
skill development but also on making connections with other professionals she
develops relationships with.
- She exchanges business cards
- Connects on LinkedIn
- And honestly plans to attend other workshops she has learned about with some of her new connections.
Melanie is genuinely interested in
the workshops and is able to develop real relationships with the people she
meets.
Transferable Skills For Focusing Your Resume
Tip
#2
Use
your transferable skills to craft your work history into a career story.
Do you have a career story?
A Career Story is basically the
result of weaving together the pieces of different jobs or career moves you've
had in the past. (The beginnings of your Personal Brand)
So that, rather than having a maze
of random jobs, it looks like you either:
(a) Had a plan to
begin with and took advantage of things to get to where you currently are; or
(b) Saw opportunities
to move into other exciting and challenging industries but remained unified by
some common goal.
Many people craft their resume with
an objective statement followed by a reverse chronological work history.
This format does not allow you to
paint a cohesive picture.
Instead create a Career Story by:
- Replacing your objective with a brief career summary that focuses on your strongest experiences and transferable skills.
- Following that with a listing of your specialty skills related to the job and
- Organizing your work history to highlight the duties and accomplishments that complement the skills theme you created in the summary.
Transferable Skills For Preparing Interview Responses
Tip
#3
Develop
powerful examples from your top transferable skills
One of the best ways to be
confident in an interview with out faking it, is to be as prepared as possible.
Have you ever wondered what to say
when they ask, “So tell me about yourself?”
You can use your strongest transferable
skills to prepare a brief 30 second commercial of who you are and what you
bring to the table as your reply.
Compare your transferable skills
list to the job announcement.
By knowing what skills the company
is looking for and what you have to offer, you can rehearse what answers you
will give for general questions and prepare to give example situations that you
know would fit with what they are looking for.
Plan to succeed and you will
succeed in your plan!
Share and be Inspired!
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