Transferable skills are valuable to all jobseekers. When properly utilized, they can serve as a golden ticket to changing careers, earning a promotion, or thriving within a remote workplace. Our Virtual Vocations special report defines how transferable skills apply to remote job searches and names the best remote jobs for your transferable skills. This is your guide to showcasing talents and abilities desired by remote-enabled companies.
Transferable Skills Explained
Transferable skills are abilities, talents, or areas of expertise that can be utilized in a variety of occupations or shift from one job to another.
- They are not job-specific.
- They can be hard or soft skills.
- They should be included on your resume and cover letter as well as discussed during job interviews.
- They show employers that you can work effectively beyond the job description.
- They can come from previous work experience, education, or volunteerism.
Transferable Skills Statistics
LiveCareer surveyed more than 1,500 people who have been unemployed within the last two years. The company’s national survey data on displaced workers and their transferable skills proved that applicants are underutilizing their transferable skills in the modern labor market. A majority of jobseekers cannot identify their own transferable skills, are unsure about how to add them to a resume, and do not feel confident applying their current skillset to a new job. What’s more, one-third of workers reported they are unable to recognize whether or not their existing skills would be needed in a new role.
How to Identify Your Transferable Skills
Pinpointing your top talents and abilities is essential to finding the best remote jobs for your transferable skills, but, as LiveCareer’s survey data found, most jobseekers need help identifying those key skills. We have developed five remote job search actionable steps for identifying transferable skills so that remote jobseekers can utilize them in their searches.
1
Use Job Profile Skills Matching
Read job postings for positions you want and match those skills lists against skills you have developed in your career thus far.
LEARN MORE: The Complete Guide to the Top Soft Skills for Remote Workers
2
Conduct a Skills Self-Analysis
Begin by making a list of your skills, then research job postings in your industry of interest that require those abilities.
LEARN MORE: The Top 20 Ways You Can Easily Upskill for Your Remote Job
3
Complete a Skills Assessment
If you aren’t confident in your ability to assess your own skills, consider doing an online skills test.
LEARN MORE: Online Skills Testing for Telecommute Jobs – Is It Worth It?
4
Rework Skills, Creatively
Think of your dream job. Now, imagine which of your transferable skills you can reframe to make you more qualified.
LEARN MORE: Ask a Job Coach: How to Write a Resume for Remote Jobs
5
Seek Network and/or Peer Feedback
Reach out to trusted members of your professional circles and ask them to name 3–5 of your top job skills.
LEARN MORE: Remote Networking: 6 Tips for Building Business Relationships
Using Transferable Skills
Once jobseekers understand how to identify their transferable skills, they can use them throughout the hiring process. Apply these transferable skills strategies to highlight them in resumes, cover letters, and job interviews.
Resumes
Resumes are a prime spot to highlight transferable skills during a job search. Here are three key resume sections used to list transferable skills:
- Resume summary or objective statement.
- Employment history description.
- Skills list or core qualifications.
Cover Letters
Review the job description to find commonalities between the transferable skills you possess and skills needed to get the job. Within your cover letter, write about one or two of your transferable skills that the employer also included in the job description. This helps to paint a picture of why you are a good fit for the job you want.
Job Interviews
When answering job interview questions, expand on examples of when you used your relevant transferable skills throughout your work history. Remember to show rather than tell when you give anecdotes by sharing appropriate data and/or figures, as well as emphasizing measurable outcomes.
Top Transferable Skills
Understanding and utilizing transferable skills is a remote job search strategy every jobseeker should know, whether you are a…
- New graduate applying to remote jobs for the first time,
- Stay-at-home parent reentering the workforce,
- Member of the military applying for jobs within the civilian labor market,
- Retiree seeking supplemental income or a second career,
- Entry-level worker ready to move up the career ladder and take on more responsibility,
- C-suite executive seeking greater flexibility, or an
- Experienced professional who wants to change careers.
As you search for and apply to remote jobs, ensure you maximize your transferable skills on your resume. Start the process by examining this list of in-demand transferable skills across six ability categories. To further assist you in your remote job search, we have matched each skills category with the best remote jobs for your transferable skills. We have also provided suggestions for remote-enabled companies that actively hire jobseekers for fully remote jobs befitting those top transferable skills.
COMMUNICATION
Transferable Communication Skills Examples
- Speaking/public speaking
- Controlling emotions and empathizing
- Self-editing
- Writing/non-verbal communicating
- Listening/active listening
- Persuading and negotiating
The Best Fully Remote Jobs for Communication Skills
Remote-Enabled Employers to Consider
RESPONSIBILITY
Transferable Responsibility Skills Examples
- Prioritizing tasks
- Managing time
- Setting goals
- Being responsive
- Meeting deliverables
- Using critical thinking skills
The Best Fully Remote Jobs for Responsibility Skills
Remote-Enabled Employers to Consider
MANAGEMENT
Transferable Management Skills Examples
- Leading and influencing
- Documenting tasks and outcomes
- Organizing and planning
- Overseeing people and projects
- Budgeting
- Managing risks
The Best Fully Remote Jobs for Management Skills
Remote-Enabled Employers to Consider
INTERPERSONAL
Transferable Interpersonal Skills Examples
- Cultivating relationships
- Accepting/sharing feedback
- Collaborating
- De-escalating/resolving conflicts
- Delegating
- Coaching and mentoring
The Best Fully Remote Jobs for Interpersonal Skills
Remote-Enabled Employers to Consider
TECHNICAL
Transferable Technical Skills Examples
- Typing and emailing
- Troubleshooting/maintaining equipment
- Using social media
- Operating G-Suite and MS Office Suite
- Conducting online searches
- Installing and configuring software
The Best Fully Remote Jobs for Technical Skills
Remote-Enabled Employers to Consider
ADMINISTRATION
Transferable Administration Skills Examples
- Managing files/records
- Maintaining discretion and privacy
- Entering/analyzing data
- Being confident and assertive
- Effectively multi-tasking
- Decision-making/problem-solving
The Best Fully Remote Jobs for Administration Skills
Remote-Enabled Employers to Consider
Transferable Skills Resources
Our Remote Career Center is a Virtual Vocations member benefit offering dozens of high-level, expertly curated job search resources. Below, we have highlighted two Remote Career Center products to assist jobseekers with both identifying and applying their transferable skills to their job searches. For additional remote job search resources, including webinars, career industry guides, coaching sessions, and fillable worksheets, visit the Virtual Vocations Remote Career Center.
Ranking & Applying Transferable Skills to Your Remote Job Search Worksheets
This two-page, fillable resource will teach you how to identify, rank, and apply your transferable skills to your remote job search. Use it, and you’ll learn:
- Exercises to help you identify your expertise level in six different skill categories.
- Tips for identifying your top transferable skills and discovering areas for improvement.
- Examples and step-by-step instructions on how to craft your own effective transferable skills statements to use in your resumes and cover letters.
Identifying Transferable Skills and Emphasizing Them During a Remote Job Search
Learn about all things transferable skills, including what they are, how to identify them, and why you should incorporate transferable skills into your resumes, cover letters, and interviews during your job search. This coaching session covers:
- Defining transferable skills and sharing facts for your job search.
- Five suggestions for discovering your best transferable skills.
- Identifying types of transferable skills and providing examples of each.
- Including transferable skills in resumes, cover letters, and job interviews.
Contact Information for the Top Transferable Skills Report
Inquiries about our report on “The Best Remote Jobs for Transferable Skills” can be made to Michelle Rawlings, Public Relations Specialist for Virtual Vocations. Contact Michelle at michelle (at) virtualvocations (dot) com or via phone at 1-800-379-5092 EXT. 703. Please visit Virtual Vocations on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest for additional remote work content and conversations.
Image credits: Kimberly Back; Canva
About Virtual Vocations
Virtual Vocations, Inc., founded in 2007, is a private, family-owned, and 100% distributed company. Co-founded by CEO Laura Spawn and her brother, CTO Adam Stevenson, Virtual Vocations is dedicated to connecting jobseekers with legitimate remote job openings that have been screened to ensure the highest quality standards. To date, Virtual Vocations has helped more than four million jobseekers find flexible, remote work options.
In addition to managing and curating a database that, at any given time, houses approximately 15,000 current, hand-screened fully remote job openings, Virtual Vocations offers jobseekers a number of tools to aid in their job searches, including exclusive, self-paced e-courses, career guides for popular virtual job industries, downloadable worksheets, job coaching, and resume and cover letter writing services. Virtual Vocations also releases multiple data-driven reports each year on current trends in remote work.
