You see that section on your CV where you’re meant to list all your extracurricular skills? Those are what we refer to as transferable skills. These are the kinds of skills that aren’t tied to a single career or field. These are the ones you pick up along the way as you advance in your education or profession. They are considered to be transferable qualities because they are general skills that may be transferred between jobs, departments, and industries, and they do not fall into a specific sector. It is important to highlight your transferrable skills in your required documents and job interview since they allow the potential employer to see beyond your academic achievements and determine whether you are a good fit for the job. This is also why many people lie about them. People frequently add skills to their CVs without even knowing what they imply. The following are some examples of transferable abilities, how to acquire them, and how they might be valuable. Critical thinking This is the ability to analyse anything intellectually and reasonably by balancing the situation, facts, data, or evidence associated with it. It’s difficult to say how one can learn critical thinking as a skill, but it surely doesn’t go with being impulsive. The most significant benefit of being a critical thinker is that it enables one to make more informed decisions. Teamwork This is a skill that almost all employers look for in a potential employee. It should be noted, however, that not everyone is an excellent team player. Team work is the ability to participate and contribute to a collaborative effort in completing a common task. The New Times and others often write a number of articles that offer advice on how to improve teamwork skills. One thing is certain though; one cannot be a successful team player unless they are willing to learn from others. Flexibility and adaptability In modern workplaces where unpredictability and change are often constant, one is awaited to deal with unexpected challenges quickly, calmly, and efficiently. However, this can be trying to anybody! Keeping an open mind and not being hasty to react can facilitate one in mastering these two. Leadership skills This entails taking responsibility and motivating others to achieve set goals on an individual, team, and company level. This however does not require one to be in a leadership position already. What makes a difference is the ability to manage one’s own or delegate responsibilities, plan and organise a variety of tasks, solve problems and resolve conflict, and make and implement decisions. In contrast to popular opinion, this skill is not inborn and can be learned through practicing accountability. There are numerous transferable skills, including communication skills, time management, among others. Even if a person has little work experience, creating a solid CV based on their transferrable skills will increase their chances of success. All of these transferrable skills will demonstrate your ability to adjust to new demands and your willingness to learn. One can lie about them, but there will inevitably be difficulties in the workplace, and it would be a pity to be humiliated because you can’t apply what you claimed to be an expert in.
