If you want to work in a different career field than the one where you have previously worked or retired from, look for opportunities to convey your “transferable skills” – skills that are relevant and applicable to multiple careers and industries. For example, do you have project management skills, sales skills, negotiation skills, writing skills, presentation skills, training skills, leadership skills? Any or all of these skill sets (and more) can be useful in multiple career settings, regardless of which industry you are in.
You will have built up so many transferable skills in your previous work – have a look at the long list below and note how many transferable skills you have acquired (you will be pleasantly surprised!)
Basic Skills:
Use listening skills to understand oral instructions
Learn new procedures
Understand and carry out written instructions
Orally convey information to others
Observe and assess your own and others' performances
Good written communication
Use mathematical processes to solve problems
Speak in public
Demonstrate professionalism
People Skills:
Provide constructive criticism
Receive feedback
Coordinate actions with other people's actions
Negotiate, persuade, and influence people
Motivate others
Handle complaints
Train or teach new skills
Delegate work
Oversee others people’s work
Counsel people
Build strong customer relationships
Collaborate with others
Mentor less experienced colleagues
Resolve conflicts
Develop relationships with suppliers
Demonstrate comfort when dealing with all people
Gain clients' or customers' confidence
Management Skills:
Oversee budgets
Recruit personnel
Review resumes/CV’s
Interview job candidates
Select new staff
Supervise employees
Allocate resources such as equipment, materials, and facilities
Schedule personnel
Preside over meetings
Negotiate contracts
Evaluate employees
Organise committees or working groups
Clerical Skills:
Perform general clerical and administrative support tasks
Design forms, correspondence, and reports
Manage records
Take minutes at meetings
Use word processing software
Use database management software
Use spreadsheet software
Use desktop publishing software
Use presentation software
Perform data entry
Keep track of accounts receivable, accounts payable, billing, and other bookkeeping tasks
Screen telephone calls
Greet visitors
Research and Planning Skills:
Identify and present problems to upper management
Anticipate and prevent problems from occurring or reoccurring
Use critical thinking skills to make decisions or evaluate possible solutions to problems
Solve problems
Deal with unexpected situations
Define organisation's or department's needs
Set goals
Prioritise tasks
Locate and reach out to suppliers or sub-contractors
Analyse information and forecast results
Demonstrate time management skills and meet deadlines
Plan and implement events and activities
Create and implement new policies and procedures
Develop a budget
Coordinate and develop programmes
Document procedures and results
Produce reports
Conduct research using the Internet resources
Generate ideas
Implement new strategies
Computer and Technical Skills:
Use computer software that is related to job
Use job-related equipment and machinery
Install software on computers
Use the Internet, including email and search engines
Use office equipment such as printers and copiers
Troubleshoot problems with hardware and software
Install equipment
Troubleshoot problems with and repair equipment
Maintain equipment
Inspect equipment to identify problems
Additional Skills:
Demonstrate fluency or working knowledge of a foreign language
Fundraise
Undertake community work
Design websites