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Top transferable skills companies are looking for
Organisations are increasingly looking for transferable skills, or human skills, but most people do not know how to articulate the these skills they have. Never fear, we're here to help.
Because job seekers with strong transferable skills are in high demand, we want to get you up to speed on defining and evidencing your non-technical skill set.
What are Transferable Skills?
Transferable skills, sometimes also called Soft skills, human skills or behavioural skills, are the interpersonal attributes you need to succeed in the workplace. They make your technical skills more impactful. They are how you work with and relate to others. They include your personality, attitude, flexibility, motivation, and manners. Transferable skills are so important that they are often the reason employers decide whether to keep or promote an employee.
Transferable skills are different from technical skills, which relate to the subject-specific skills you gain through learning or experience. Technical skills are often more quantifiable, and easier to learn than transferable skills.
Transferable skills are hard to teach, so employers want to know that job seekers already have them skills and so we see more and more asking for them as mandatory in the recruitment process.
What Transferable Skills are Employers always looking for?
Below is a list of the most important transferable skills employers look for. Work on these skills and emphasise and evidence them in Clu profile, applications and interviews.
Evidencing to your interviewers that you have the key transferable skills their organisation is looking for will help you stand out because you really know your strengths and areas for growth. This will significantly help you increase your chances of getting hired.
So what are the most common transferable skills Employers look for and what are the supplementary skills that make someone good at them? To help you understand the main requirements of the most common transferable skills Employers are looking for in Clu, we've analysed thousands of job adverts and collated the most common ones. Enjoy! _______________________
Communication:
Communication skills are important in almost every job. You will likely need to communicate with people on the job, whether they are clients, customers, colleagues, employers, or vendors. You will often need to be able to speak clearly and politely with people in person, by phone, and in writing too.
You will also likely need to be a good listener. Employers want employees who can not only communicate their own ideas but who also listen well to others. Listening is a particularly important skill in customer service jobs.
Communicative
Someone who is communicative can speak and correspond easily with others
Empathetic
Someone who is empathetic is able to imagine what it would be like to be in another person's situation
Good listener
Someone who is a good listener listens carefully, attentively, and sympathetically, typically imparting support and understanding to the speaker
Negotiation
Someone who is good at negotiation finds it easy to reach a compromise
Persuasive
Someone who is persuasive is likely to convince a person to believe or do a particular thing
Respectful & Respectable
Someone who is respectful shows consideration and regard for someone or something
Storyteller
Someone who is storyteller understands how to use words to convey purpose and connect with customers
Critical Thinker:
No matter what the job, employers want candidates who can analyse situations and make informed decisions. Whether you are working with data, teaching students, or fixing a home heating system, you need to be able to understand problems, think critically, and devise solutions. Skills related to critical thinking include creativity, flexibility, and curiosity.
Analytical
Someone who is analytical is good at taking a problem or task and breaking it down into smaller elements
Consultative
Someone who is consultative is good at asking questions to understand a situation
Creative
Someone who is creative has the ability to invent and develop original ideas
Critical Thinking
Someone who is a critical thinker will identify, analyse and solve problems logically and not by instinct
Curious
Someone who is curious is interested in learning about people or things around you
Continual Learner
Someone who is a continual learner enjoys the process of learning new skills and knowledge on an on-going basis
Innovative Thinker
Someone who is an innovative thinker engages in thinking that leads to new ideas and solutions to problems
Logical Thinker
Someone who is a logical thinker observes situations, reactions, feedback, or tasks and makes rational conclusions
Problem Solver
Someone who is a problem solver can conclude why an issue is happening and come up with a solution to resolve it
Transformational
Someone who is transformational inspires people to achieve unexpected or remarkable results or change
Leadership:
Leadership is not only displayed by senior managers. And whilst not every job opening is a senior manager role, most employers will want to know that you have the ability to make decisions when push comes to shove and can manage situations and people. The ability to step up to the plate in a difficult situation and help resolve it is something employers always look for in prospective employees.
If you are interviewing for a job that has the potential for advancement, the employer will want to know that you have what it takes to be a leader.
Other skills related to leadership include the ability to resolve problems and conflicts between people and to make executive decisions.
Accountable
Someone who is accountable is responsible for what they do
Assertive
Someone who is assertive behaves confidently and is not frightened to say what they want or believe
Conflict Management
Someone who is good at conflict management can identify and handle disputes sensibly, fairly, and efficiently
Dependable
Someone who is dependable will always act consistently or sensibly
Diplomatic
Someone who is diplomatic can be sensitive in dealing with others and who can achieve peaceful resolutions or facilitate discussion
Emotionally Intelligent
Someone who is emotionally intelligent has an ability to manage their own emotions and understand the feelings of others
Has Integrity
Someone who has integrity does the right thing to do in a situation in a reliable and trust-worthy way
Inspiring
Someone who has integrity does the right thing to do in a situation in a reliable and trust-worthy way
Impactful
Someone who is impactful can create a powerful effect on a situation
Leadership
Someone who is a natural leader can instinctively manage and lead groups of people to achieve collective goals
Mentor
Someone who is a mentor helps and guides others to support their personal development
Motivating
Someone who is motivating is able to make someone eager to do something
People-centric
Someone who is people-centric thinks about how people want to work and what motivates them to do their work
Positivity: Employers are always seeking people who will bring a positive attitude to the office. They want employees who will be friendly to others, eager to work, and generally a pleasure to be around. Being able to keep things positive is especially important if you're working in a fast-paced, high-stress work environment.
Adaptable
Someone who is adaptable is able to adjust their self to different conditions
Approachable
Someone who is approachable is friendly and easy to talk to
Energetic
Someone who is energetic has a lot of energy and is very active
Enthusiastic
Someone who is enthusiastic is very interested and excited by what they do
Friendly
Someone who is friendly is kind and helpful
Honest
Someone who is honest always tells the truth and does not try to deceive people
Inspiring
Someone who is inspiring is exciting and makes you feel strongly interested and enthusiastic in their ideas
Open-minded
Someone who is open-minded is willing to consider new ideas
Passionate
Someone who is passionate has very strong feelings about something or a strong belief in something
Patient
Someone who is patient has the ability to remain calm when dealing with a difficult situation, task, or person
Trusting & Trustworthy
Someone who is trusting will believe what people tell them, without prejudice or suspicion
Project Management: While “project manager” seems like a fairly straightforward job title, this role is responsible for far more than keeping projects on track. Understanding what these skills are and how you can improve them can help you excel in your career.
Project management skills can have a direct impact on the team's ability to complete an assignment.
Agile
Someone who is agile can work across different tasks easily and quickly
Flexible
Someone who is flexible can adapt to different conditions and circumstances as they occur
Inclusive
Someone who is inclusive is welcoming to all kinds of people, especially those who are different to them
Negotiation
Someone who is good at negotiation finds it easy to reach a compromise
Organised
Someone who is organised is able to plan things carefully and efficiently
Proactive
Someone who is proactive makes things happen, instead of waiting for things to happen to them
Relationship management
Someone who is good at relationship management understands influencing people to reach goals and understanding
Stakeholder manangement
Someone who is good at stakeholder management is good at engaging with people, and maintaining healthy relationship
Time management
Someone who is good at time management successfully organises and plans how to divide their time between different activities
Teamwork: In an ideal world, everyone will get along at work and the focus will always be on delivery. We all know, however, that that isn't the case. Whether you will be doing a lot of team projects or simply dealing with some difficult stakeholders, you need to be able to work effectively with the people around you. You need to be able to work with others even if you do not always see eye to eye.
Some skills related to teamwork include the ability to collaborate with others and to recognise and appreciate differences of views and approaches in a team. Another related skill is the ability to accept and apply feedback from others.
Collaborative
Someone who is collaborative works well with other people to complete tasks
Consultative
Someone who is consultative is good at asking questions to understand a situation
Empathetic
Someone who is empathetic is able to imagine what it would be like to be in another person's situation
Open-minded
Someone who is open-minded is willing to consider new ideas
Patient
Someone who is patient has the ability to remain calm when dealing with a difficult situation, task, or person
Reflective
Someone who is reflective is always thinking about their actions and how they can improve them
Self-aware
Someone who is self-aware knows and judges their own character well
Work ethic:
Your work ethic defines how you show up at work, and really encapsulates a lot of the above. Employers are always looking for candidates with a strong work ethic. Such people come to work on time, manage stakeholder relationships and expectations, engage with their colleagues respectfully and stay focused and organised.
They are able to manage their time and complete their work to a good standard. While they can work independently, people with a strong work ethic can also follow instructions and work well in a team.
A strong work ethic is difficult to teach, so employers will be impressed if you can demonstrate it in your job application.
Balanced
Someone who is balanced has a sensible and reasonable attitude towards life and work
Culturally sensitive
Someone who is culturally sensitive is aware that differences and similarities between people exist
Customer-focused
Someone who is customer-focused likes to think about things from the perspective of a customer
Detail oriented
Someone who is detail-oriented can demonstrate critical thinking, remain consistently efficient, and who can observe much more than just words on a page
Determined
Someone who is determined is extremely motivated and unlikely to quit or change their mind
Efficient
Someone who is efficient is able to do tasks successfully, without wasting time or energy
Focused
Someone who is focused can commit to working on or completing a task without distraction
Growth Minded
Someone who is growth minded believes that their success depends on time and effort
Intuitive
Someone who is intuitive has the ability to know or understand things without any proof or evidence
Loyal
Someone who is loyal shows firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution
Resilient
Someone who is resilient is able to deal well with difficult and challenging situations
Strategic
Someone who is strategic uses critical thinking to solve complicated problems and achieve business objectives
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