Transferable skills in your resume - to use or not to use?

A resume is the primary way that prospective employers learn about you and what your employment goals are. Therefore, its importance cannot be understated; simply slapping together a page or two that dryly lists your previous work and educational experience is unlikely to have much of an impact on your job search. Even if you have an impressive roster of previous employment within your industry, it can be of little use if you are looking to break into a different field or industry. In that case, deftly marketing your transferable skills is the best strategy.

Put simply, transferable skills are skills that you have accrued in any area of your life. They can be gained through things like previous jobs, special projects, classes, training, being a parent, hobbies, volunteer work - just about anything in your life, as long as it results in an increase of your knowledge in a specific area. Some may even refer to transferable skills as being merit badges from the school of life, and they wouldn't be very far off the mark; they are the little skill sets that every one of us builds up through living our lives.

On the outset, using these transferable skills as evidence of your qualifications on a resume might smack of desperation: after all, who cares if you have participated in baseball or have raised three children? However, when presented correctly, these transferable skills can make you look like a much more appealing candidate for virtually any job you are interested in. Below, we will show you how to use these seemingly vague skills to your advantage when crafting and honing your resume.

When To Use Transferable Skills On A Resume

Anyone who has done a modicum of research into designing a stellar resume knows that it is essential to custom design each resume for the specific position that you are applying for. Employers can spot a generic resume from a mile away, and even people who possess a broad range of work experience and education can miss the mark by handing out resumes that do not specifically address the job title they are interested in.

The main reason that so many people are hesitant or wary of coming up with a new resume for every job is because it can seem overwhelmingly difficult to spin their specific job experience so that it applies to the position they want. Taking those web design skills and making them sound applicable to an interior design position, for instance, can seem impossible - and it can come across as a bit of a stretch to experienced human resources directors. That is where transferable skills come into play.

Transferable skills can bridge the gap between work or educational experience and the position you are specifically crafting your resume for. If you have the most experience working as a receptionist and would like to get a position as a bookkeeper, for example, putting your transferable skills to work can help make this a more feasible proposition. These skills allow you to think outside the boxes of previous work experience and education, while maintaining honesty.

How To Determine Your Transferable Skills

When trying to come up with a list of your transferable skills, begin by writing down each and every full-time and/or part-time job you have held throughout your life. Do the same for each volunteer position you have held, each hobby you are avid about, committees and/or associations you have held positions in, etc. What were some of the less tangible skills you honed in each of these situations? Some examples of intangible skills that would be considered transferable include:

 ·  Working well under pressure

This list is by no means complete; it simply contains examples that can help give your resume a more rounded out appearance and feel. As you can see, each of the skills listed above is something that simply goes with the territory of many jobs, sports and other events in a person's daily life. Look back on the jobs and other positions that you have held, and consider which types of transferable skills you particularly excelled at in each.

When it comes to using transferable skills on your resume, presentation is everything. Monotonously listing the intangible skills associated with various positions you have held can appear foolhardy in the context of a professional resume. However, these very same skills can be quite marketable when presented in the proper light. For instance, collecting the membership dues from the people in your club or association might seem inconsequential; however, with a listed, measurable result it can be easily turned into "Increased efficiency and data reliability by approximately 10% through accurate, timely book keeping" or "Gained reservoir of available funds through swift dues collection (collected dues from 90 parents in 14 days)."

Putting Transferable Skills To Work On Your Resume

As noted above, virtually any skill you have honed during different parts of your life can be used to demonstrate your qualifications for a position you are seeking. However, it is vital to only list skills that you can provide solid examples or results for. Padding your resume by stretching the applicability of your transferable skills will only get you into hot water when it comes time for an actual sit down interview. Only include transferable skills that you are confident and truly skilled in, and for which you can provide measurable, tangible results.

Indeed, transferable skills are a highly underrated strategy in marketing yourself for a huge range of jobs. Many people miss out on incredible opportunities in fields they are perfectly suited for by omitting these skills from their resume. Put your life experience to work for you by employing well worded and relevant transferable skills with quantifiable results, on your professionally designed resume.