Transferable resume skills to drive a career change

 Due to the global pandemic there have been many people who have found that their once stable career is no longer stable or in some cases even viable. There are whole industries that have been affected and will continue to be affected and severely changed long after a solution or a ‘new normal’ is reached.



For many this means reinventing themselves and looking for a new role in a new industry. The job search process can be somewhat overwhelming to a new job seeker, let alone when you need to change your job title and industry. You may feel that a lack of industry specific experience will hamper your efforts but this does not always have to be the case. It is worthwhile to seek help from a professional job application writer who can assist you to identify your transferable skills and develop a new resume that supports your application for roles in alternative industries. 

With the support of a resume writer you can identify your transferable skills. Transferable skills are those competencies or skills that you have used in one job that can be used in another role or industry. 

These are things like teamwork and teambuilding, project management, organizational skills, administrative skills, customer service, communication – written and verbal, research and analytical skills, numeracy, leadership and people management, problem solving and information technology skills. There are literally hundreds of skills we develop throughout both our personal and professional lives. Even being involved in your leisure time with a sporting group can increase your skill set. 

Employers are also usually looking for employees who have qualities and abilities that are present in their most effective employees. These soft skills such as showing initiative, integrity, loyalty, creativity, communicating effectively and having a good work attitude are valuable no matter which industry you are applying to enter. 

Once you have brainstormed your list of transferable skills with your job application writer you need to determine what industry or position you wish to target. If you are not sure what to do think of compiling a list of the likes and dislikes for each facet of your previous roles. For example, if you liked working with a team but disliked being a manager in charge of a team you are narrowing down the type of role you would like to apply for. 

Once you have a core list of the transferable skills you enjoyed using you can use this information to identify roles you would like to pursue and you can work with your job application writing team to develop your new resume.

Your new resume will need to have a new title. You will need to change how you are selling yourself particularly on the front page of your resume which is where you need to grab the attention of the future employer and convince them to read your resume in more detail. It will be obvious to the reader that you are changing your industry or focus so ensure your resume objective emphasizes your skill set and how it relates to the new focus industry. 

The resume writer can then highlight the transferable skills in the key skills and strengths and place them in an order that suits your new career direction. The language and key words should reflect the job description and particular jargon of the new role or industry you are looking to enter. 

It is particularly important that when you are applying for a new role with your amended resume you also include a strong cover letter that briefly explains your reason for changing and emphasizes the transferable skills you bring to the new role.



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