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)
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)
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
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
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.
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)
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
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.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
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