If the pandemic forces you to reassess your professional priorities, you’re not alone.
Many people have been making a major career change, and not just because they want more money. In a survey from Zippia, 58 percent of respondents said they would be willing to take a pay cut to change career paths.
If you are changing careers, you must consider your transferable skills, which are abilities that easily translate to another industry. While some transferable skills are technical in nature, many of these abilities tend to be interpersonal skills like communication, analytical ability and leadership. These abilities are valuable whether you’re working on a production line or developing computer software. People looking to change careers need to take stock of their transferable skills, and in order to showcase them in their application materials.
If you’re preparing to switch career paths, consider your aptitude in the following common transferable skills.
TRANSFERABLE TECHNICAL SKILLS
Before you start thinking about more general transferable skills like communication, you need to consider any technical abilities that might transfer to a new industry. For example, if you are used to working in quality control, abilities related to measuring and testing materials could be relevant in many different roles that have a quality control component.
You should be able to explain how certain technical skills you’ve gained are relevant to positions you’ll be seeking. Talking with the recruiter or other employment expert can help you sort out which of your skills can transfer and to which industries.
COMMUNICATION
If you have any kind of professional experience, you know that good communicators are worth their weight in gold. They make everything easier and more enjoyable.
In communication-specific roles, such as employee training or marketing positions, communication has a very obvious value. In other positions, effective communication is still very valuable, as most jobs involve some type of oral, visual, and/or written communication.
An effective way to communicate good communication skills is to ensure your resume, cover letter and any other application materials are very well written. Be sure to practice ahead of any interviews and focus on clearly communicating your qualifications.
ANALYTICAL ABILITIES
If you use math skills or work with data in simple terms, you may not think it involves using analytical abilities. However, being able to perform simple calculations or use computer programs to process data is in fact a skill. From nursing to quality control, many jobs involve regular analysis, and this is a skill that transfers from industry to industry.
You can convey your analytical abilities in your resume by putting in your achievements in terms of hard numbers. If you were able to increase sales or reduce costs, calculate those increases and reductions for the entire year and include these figures in the Work History section of your resume.
LEADERSHIP
We tend to think of leadership in the workplace in terms of formal leadership positions, and if you have held a formal leadership position, you should showcase that as a transferable skill.
If you have not held a formal leadership role, try to pick out certain situations where you had to step up and take charge of the situation. If you can think of any instances where you were in the position of directing others, be sure to showcase that in your application materials.
WE CAN HELP YOU SWITCH CAREERS
Over the past couple of years, we have spent many hours and days helping people reassess their career path and switch to a new one. If you are currently looking to change careers with a premier staffing agency in Milwaukee, please contact Parallel Employment Group today for a personal consultation.
