Meeting the Transferable Skills Challenge!

Jul 14

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. (findcareerpathway.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. (findcareerpathway.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. (findcareerpathway.com)

Transferable keys are keys to success!!! Here are other reasons why Transferable Skills are important!

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)

Since Transferable Skills are important not just for students but for everyone, need to understand the meaning behind transferable Skills.

According to our career experts, the top four transferable skills are –

· Hard skills

· Soft skills

· General skills

· Interpersonal skills (findcareerpathway.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

Ennie Chikwema from ennielifecoach.com requoted the wikijob.co.uk article stating that soft skills as “personal attributes, characteristics and competencies that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people, at work and in life”. Soft skills complement hard skills and can also be referred to as people skills or interpersonal skills. (ennielifecoach.com)

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

General skills exist in a lot of different environments. There are a variety of 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.

Adaptability is an Interpersonal Skill. According to Maggie Wooll from betterup.com, Adaptability is how well you’re able to adjust to new circumstances. Adaptability is also reviewed by naceweb.org, careeraddict.com, theforage.com, wikijob.co.uk.

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)

5. Transferable Skills and Interest Areas

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

This is just the beginning of your journey to understand Transferable Skills. Want to read more about Transferable Skills? Here is a list of consultants that can provide you additional information:

Askew, Mary. Transferable Skills Career Tools. (https://www.findcareerpathway.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