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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