A lot of people are familiar with the concept of “transferable.” What are these things? Do you happen to possess any? Moreover, how do you move them around?
To put it another way, transferable talents can be gained in one setting and then used to another. It is possible to learn how to evaluate large amounts of data by detecting patterns and correlations while pursuing a PhD in Physics. In the banking profession, for example, you can use the same skills to analyze massive financial data sets. You can broaden your employment options by spending some time examining your core competencies and discovering new applications for them.
Fortunately, there is a wealth of information available to help you get started. Among the 8099 STEM PhDs questioned in a PLOS One study in 2017 were those who claimed that they had learned a wide range of critical career skills throughout their training—”potentially more than trainees and program leaders currently appreciate.”
Identifying your transferrable skills is vital, but it’s also important to know what companies are looking for. In a recent study, researchers from the University of Minnesota and the Educational Testing Service evaluated over 142,000 job postings on two different recruitment websites to see which talents were most frequently mentioned. The experiment was repeated a year later, with the same results, using 120 000 job adverts. More than a quarter of the job ads cited the ability to communicate effectively orally. Written communication skills appeared in more than 20% of the advertising. Problem solving, communication, social intelligence, self-direction, critical thinking, time management, and ethics were some of the most often desired talents. When it comes to careers in STEM professions, problem-solving and cooperation skills were more frequently sought for than in social science fields.
A lot of transferable skills weren’t discovered in the research. How do you know which one belongs to you?
Taking a look back at your career and accomplishments is a fantastic place to begin. What if you decided to start a journal club in your school? List the abilities you utilized to do this: project management, bargaining for resources, identifying a target audience, marketing, setting a schedule, and so forth. You’ll notice that several of the same skills appear again and over again after completing a few accomplishments. As far as I know, your greatest talents lie in these areas. In order to persuade a prospective employer that you possess the necessary skills, you should be able to give specific examples of when you employed them.
Even if you were compensated while developing your transferable talents, it doesn’t matter to your future employer. Your employment may have required you to assume the role of a leader, or it may have been something you assumed on your own. Take the initiative and get things done without an official title or task, and don’t forget to thank yourself for it. Prepare to talk about what you accomplished as a result of your leadership and how you were able to do so.
Make it a priority to learn new skills if you don’t already have them, either through your existing employment or as a volunteer. Develop your money management abilities, for example, if you want to work in industry but lack them. For example, you could take on the role of treasurer for a local non-profit or manage the purchasing for your lab. Take use of the opportunity to manage budgets and deliver on projects with profit and loss considerations to show that you can handle it.
A excellent method to gauge where you’ve come as a professional is to identify the transferrable talents you already possess and the accomplishments they have led to. To further your career, it’s important to organize your professional history and seek out relevant experience wherever possible.
