Five timeless transferable skills

Technology is replacing many dated aspects of day-to-day work with new opportunities and roles for expanding industries. Which is good news for some and bad for others. If you’re in administration, you might want to take note of these.

Increasingly we are seeing the workforce shift toward project-and contract work. The bad news here is that when the economy goes pear-shaped (like now), project workers are shown the door.

Even so, I have Iisted some ‘timeless’ skills that most employers look for.

Leadership skills: Take your existing leadership skills and apply them to a one-off project at work or in your spare time. In a rather over-glorified example, Richard Branson applied his leadership skills to run businesses across multiple industries including publishing, music, fashion, and airlines.

Interpersonal skills: Being able to effectively interact with other people will be integral regardless of how dramatically the workforce changes. This means building effective business relationships.

Problem solving: Problem solving is an essential skill. Work on it and refine it. In a cover letter, briefly state what a problem was at work, how you solved it, and what the good result was.

Time management: If you’re someone who struggles to stick to deadlines or prioritise, find ways to build this skill. In a resume, demonstrate your ability to deliver projects, not only to budget but on deadline.

Creativity: You can be creative in any industry you’re in, it’s just a matter of finding novel solutions to problems. Not easy. In a resume, give a concrete example.

You already have more transferable skills than you think.

Put your best foot forward

Malcolm builds expert resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles, which unleash an unbeatable business case to promote you as a ‘must have’ asset to an employer.