Out July 9, 2024, Sarah K.
White from CIO just released a POWERFUL, MUST READ ARTICLE
entitled Generative AI and preparing for a shift to
skills-based hiring! This
article was the catalyst for our article on Transferable Skills!
A skill is a learned or acquired behavior, activity,
competency, or proficiency. When writing a resume, applying for a
job, going for an interview, preparing for college or growing a business, your
transferable skills provide a clear picture of who you are. Employers, schools and customers
are looking for people who have good transferable skills. (careerplans4all.com)
·
Transferable skills
show your hard, soft, interpersonal and general skills that make you successful
in any environment.
·
Transferable skills
are a product of our talents, traits and knowledge. These skills
determine how you respond to new activities, work situations or jobs.
·
Transferable skills
are also non-job specific skills that you have acquired during any
activity or life experiences. To be successful in the school, workplace or
entrepreneurial activity, you have to possess transferable skills. (careerplans4all.com)
Universities and professional
organizations agree that transferable skills are essential. The National
Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) is a professional association that
connects at least 17,000 college career services professionals, university
relations and recruiting professionals, and the business solution providers.
NACE has compiled the twenty (20) top personal qualities/skills that
employers requested the most:
1.
Analytical skills
2.
Communication Skills
3.
Computer skills
4.
Creativity
5.
Detail-oriented
6.
Entrepreneurial
skills/risk-taker
7.
Flexibility/adaptability
8.
Friendly/outgoing
personality
9.
Honesty/integrity
10. Interpersonal skills (relates well to others)
11. Leadership and management skills
12. Motivation/initiative
13. Organizational and time management skills
14. Real Life Experiences
15. Self-confidence
16. Strong work ethic
17. Tactfulness
18. Teamwork skills (works well with others)
19. Technical Skills
20. Well-mannered/polite (NACE)
Besides competencies, there are three
(3) Foundation Skills: Basic, thinking, and personal qualities. The types
of Foundation Skills are:
·
Basic skills involve
reading, writing, arithmetic, mathematics, listening, and speaking.
·
Thinking skills
include creative thinking, decision making, problem solving, seeing things in
the mind's eye, knowing how to learn, and reasoning.
·
Personal qualities
are responsibility, self-esteem, sociability, self-management, and
integrity/honesty. (careerplans4all.com)
Transferable keys are keys to
success!!! Here are other reasons why Transferable Skills are important!
Kevin Gray from the NACE
(National Association of Colleges and Employers) wrote an article entitled The
Key Attributes Employers are looking for on Graduates’ Resumes. The
article states 90% of the employers are seeking evidence of a
student’s ability to solve problems and nearly 80% of the employers
are seeking candidates who have strong teamwork skills... (naceweb.org)
In addition, Kevin Gray also
stated at least two-thirds of the employers look for:
·
A strong work ethic
·
Written and verbal
communication skills
·
Analytical/quantitative
skills
·
Flexibility/adaptability
·
Technical skills (naceweb.org)
Since Transferable Skills are
important not just for students but for everyone, need to understand the
meaning behind transferable Skills.
According to our career experts,
the top four transferable skills are –
·
Hard skills
·
Soft skills
·
General skills
·
Interpersonal skills (careerplans4all.com,
betterup.com, careeraddict.com naceweb.org, theforage.com, wikijob.co.uk)
Next, here is a review of
transferable skills.
1.
Hard Skills
Alison Doyle from
thebalancecareers.com wrote that Hard Skills provide specific
knowledge and technical abilities required to accomplish certain tasks, which
are quantifiable, and you can learn them through training, education or on the
job. Also,
In addition, Brita Long from insightglobal.com
stated that there are a wide variety of hard skills that pertain to all
different industries and job functions.
What
are Hard Skills?
According to experts, the examples
of hard skills are -
·
Budgeting
·
Cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR)
·
Carpentry
·
Copywriting
·
Data analytics or coding ()
·
Data mining
·
Engineering
·
Google Analytics
·
Project management
·
Sales and customer service
·
Search engine optimization
·
Software system expertise
·
Technical/ Trade jobs –
Plumbing, Electrical, Mechanical, etc.
·
Video production
Sources for hard skills
resources are - careeraddict.com, betterup.com, edgepointlearning.com - extensive article
with videos and 50+ examples, ennielifecoach.com,
GCF Global -awesome graphics and
videos, theforage.com and more and wikijob.co.uk..
2.
Soft skills
Ennie Chikwema from ennielifecoach.com
requoted the wikijob.co.uk
article stating that soft skills as “personal attributes,
characteristics and competencies that enable someone to interact effectively
and harmoniously with other people, at work and in life”. Soft skills
complement hard skills and can also be referred to as people skills
or interpersonal skills. (ennielifecoach.com)
According to other career
specialists, different types of soft skills include –
·
Attention
to detail (edgepointlearning.com, theforage.com)
·
Human skills (betterup.com)
·
Communication skills (betterup.com,
careeraddict.com, edgepointlearning.com, wikijob.co.uk,)
·
Dependability (betterup.com,
wikijob.co.uk)
·
Flexibility (careeraddict.com,
edgepointlearning.com, naceweb.org,)
·
Interpersonal skills (betterup.com)
·
Listening skills (betterup.com,
wikijob.co.uk)
·
Persuasion (betterup.com)
·
Time management (betterup.com,
careeraddict.com, theforage.com)
·
Verbal communication (naceweb.org)
·
Written communication/
writing (naceweb.org, betterup.com,
careeraddict.com)
·
Other soft skills (edgepointlearning.com,
insightglobal.com)
3.
General Skills
General skills exist in a
lot of different environments. There are a variety of General Skills.
According to influencers,
different types of General Skills include –
·
Analytical skills (naceweb.org, betterup.com, theforage.com
wikijob.co.uk)
·
Creativity (betterup.com,
careeraddict.com, theforage.com)
·
Critical thinking skills/
Logical reasoning (wikijob.co.uk, careeraddict.com)
·
Decision
making skills (betterup.com)
·
Leadership skills (betterup.com,
wikijob.co.uk)
·
Logical reasoning skills (careeraddict.com)
·
Multitasking skills (careeraddict.com) Numeracy skills (careeraddict.com)
·
Organizational skills (betterup.com,
wikijob.co.uk, careeraddict.com)
·
Problem-solving skills (naceweb.org, betterup.com,
careeraddict.com, theforage.com)
·
Project management skills (betterup.com)
·
Self-motivation (careeraddict.com)
·
SMART Goals (ennielifecoach.com)
·
Transferable Skills (betterup.com,
careeraddict.com, ennielifecoach.com, wikijob.co.uk)
·
Writing skills (careeraddict.com)
4. Interpersonal skills
Maggie Wooll from
betterup.com stated Interpersonal Skills are also known as people
skills or social skills. People or Interpersonal Skills are vital for
building positive relationships and collaborating effectively with
others.
Adaptability is an Interpersonal
Skill. According to Maggie Wooll from betterup.com, Adaptability
is how well
you’re able to adjust to new circumstances. Adaptability is also
reviewed by naceweb.org,
careeraddict.com, theforage.com, wikijob.co.uk.
Collaboration & Teamwork
is a second Interpersonal Skill. Zoe Kaplan from theforage.com
stated that Collaboration & Teamwork happen when you are working with
others, whether virtually, in-person, synchronously, or in different time
zones.
Other collaboration articles are
written by betterup.com, theforage.com.
According to consultants,
additional types of Interpersonal skills include –
·
Conflict resolution
(careeraddict.com)
·
Customer
service(careeraddict.com)
·
Emotional intelligence (EQ)
(betterup.com)
·
Empathy (careeraddict.com)
·
Motivating others (careeraddict.com)
·
Patience (careeraddict.com)
·
Relationship building (betterup.com,
wikijob.co.uk)
·
Strong work ethic (naceweb.org)
·
Teamwork/ Team Management (naceweb.org, betterup.com, wikijob.co.uk)
·
Trust-building (careeraddict.com)
5.
Transferable Skills
and Interest Areas
Transferable skills fall
into three (3) interest areas:
·
Working with people
·
Working with things
·
Working with
data/information
These terms are defined below:
·
Working with people
skills happen when people sell, train, advise, and negotiate.
·
Working with things
skills occur when people repair, operate machinery, sketch, survey, or
troubleshoot.
·
Working with
data/information skills involve budgeting, researching, and analyzing. (findcareerpathway.com)
Transferable Skills Reference
List
This is just the beginning of your
journey to understand Transferable Skills. Want to read more about
Transferable Skills? Here is a list
of consultants that can provide you additional information:
Askew,
Mary. Transferable Skills Career Tools. (careerplans4all.com)
Bleich, Corey, Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills: Definitions and
50+ Examples! EdgePoint, LLC, 4340 E. Indian School
Rd., #21-554, Phoenix, AZ 85018, https://edgepointlearning.com.
Chikwema,
Ennie Chipembere. (2019, April 23). Soft Skills and Transferable Skills
– What are they and 10 Tips on How to Develop Them. https://ennielifecoach.com/2019/04/23/10-tips-on-soft-skills-what-are-they-and-how-to-develop-them/
Dale,
Nikki. (2024,January 9). 25 Transferable Skills Employers Look For in 2024. https://www.wikijob.co.uk/interview-advice/competencies/transferable-skills
Dalley,
Mike. (2022, June 3). The Complete Guide to Transferable Skills. https://www.careeraddict.com/transferable-skills.
Doyle,
Alison (2024,July 3), Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills: What's the Difference? https://www.thebalancemoney.com/hard-skills-vs-soft-skills-2063780
GCF Global, https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/jobsearchandnetworking/the-entrylevel-catch22/1/
has awesome graphics and videos.
Gray,
Kevin. (2024,January 16). The Key Attributes Employers Are Looking For On
Graduates’ Resumes. https://www.naceweb.org/talent-acquisition/candidate-selection/the-key-attributes-employers-are-looking-for-on-graduates-resumes
Kaplan,
Zoe. (2023, April 4). What Are Transferable Skills? Definition and Examples. https://www.theforage.com/blog/skills/transferable-skills
Long,
Brita. (2022, August 16). Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills: What Are They? (With
Examples). https://insightglobal.com/blog/hard-skills-vs-soft-skills/
Mellett,
Edward. (2024, May 14). 20 Soft Skills Employers Look For in 2024 (With
Examples). https://www.wikijob.co.uk/interview-advice/competencies/soft-skills.
White,
Sarah K. (2024, July 09). Generative AI and preparing for a shift to
skills-based hiring. https://www.cio.com/article/2509754/generative-ai-and-preparing-for-a-shift-to-skills-based-hiring.html
Wooll,
Maggie. (2024,February 15). 17
Essential Transferable Skills To Boost Your Job Search. https://www.betterup.com/blog/transferable-skills
Hope that you have enjoyed exploring
Transferable Skills. Here are some of our other resources!
Web sites:
https://careersocialmedia.ning.com/
https://www.hollandcodes.com/
https://www.findcareerpathway.com/
Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/careerexploration/
https://www.instagram.com/careersocialmedia/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmaryaskew/
https://www.pinterest.com/hollandcodes/
https://www.slideshare.net/learning4life
https://www.thinglink.com/user/509915651716939777/scenes
https://www.youtube.com/@pathwayidentity
Blogs
https://hollandcodes.blogspot.com/
https://hollandcodes.wordpress.com/
