Re-careering: What Are My Transferable Skills?

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Retail – On the surface, working in retail as a stockkeeper, cashier, or supervisor seem very simple and not like occupations that yield valuable skills. Think again. Working in retail

requires effective interpersonal and communication skills; customer service and problem-solving skills; planning and organizational abilities; computer skills; math and analytical abilities;

creative talent for displays and product presentation; and solid selling ability. Your supervisory skills are transferable to any number of jobs. You may also have developed extensive

knowledge about specific products, such as home furnishings, and that information may be applicable in another occupation, such as home decorator. Keep in mind that retailers will begin

hiring at the early phase of an economic recovery.

General Manufacturing – At first glance, working in a manufacturing plant may not appear to yield a variety of transferable skills. But even looking at the work from an outsider’s view,

you’ll see that industrial jobs give you many transferable talents, including quality monitoring and evaluation; computer skills; the ability to read and analyze production orders and

specifications; time-management and organizational skills; technical trade and skilled-labor abilities; teamwork; and product-specific knowledge. Technical, trades, and other specialized

manufacturing jobs yield equipment-maintenance, production-planning, and supervisory skills. till, the permanent decline in the number of manufacturing jobs resulting from the shrinkage of

entire industries, such as the auto sector, is cause for concern. If your skills are highly specific to one product or industry, you may need extensive training in a new trade or occupation.

Construction – When the mortgage and credit markets collapsed, residential and construction jobs disappeared almost immediately. The Federal government goal is for public spending on

infrastructure and “green” projects to absorb many workers previously employed in construction. Yet a career in construction still yields transferable skills that may lead to new

occupations, including computer skills; purchasing and materials management; project costing and planning; drafting; computer-aided design; and transportation and logistics. People involved

with unskilled construction jobs or manual labor will have the fewest transferable skills.

Real Estate Sales – Fewer homes being built and sold means fewer jobs in real estate sales. The transferable skills that employers in other fields value include lead generation for sales;

interpersonal and communication skills; telemarketing; customer service; big-ticket sales of consumer goods (anything from furs to jewelry to boats and luxury watches); client relations; and

marketing communications.

Banking and Finance – Transferable skills include mathematical and analytical, computer applications, financial analysis, and general accounting and bookkeeping skills. Knowledge of personal

financial counseling and planning, credit and collections, and processing electronic transactions also make you an attractive candidate for careers outside finance. Finally, customer

relations and communication skills prepare you for work in many fields.

Human Services and Not-for-Profit – The recession has also caused many nonprofits to cut jobs in human services and advocacy. Still, the skills gained in these areas can be transferred to

other industries and occupations. Interpersonal and communication skills are fundamental to many caregiving occupations, including personal home care. Knowledge of public and private benefit

programs can help you perform “individual service” occupations in government and education. The Social Security Administration and Veterans Administration, for example, offer many jobs

suited to the skills you may have acquired in human service and not-for-profit organizations and occupations. You may also bring more general skills to the table, including finance and

budgeting, accounting, project management, and general administrative supervision.

General Administrative – The combination of the recession, outsourcing of administration and support jobs, and increasing computer automation has produced significant job loss in

administration. Nonetheless, many occupations demand organization and planning, customer relations, communication, budgeting and finance, computer, and project management skills.

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