Transferable Skills and Experiences: Your Value to an Employer

• How your skills and abilities are valuable to employers. Things you learn outside of work transfer to a job setting.

• Employers don’t want only “hard skills”

What are you proud of?

• To get ready to talk about yourself to get a job interview or to write a resume, think about activities that you have done and accomplishments that have made you proud.

You Have Skills Others Want

• Your abilities and skills may be exactly what an employer is looking for.

• Skills you have acquired in one setting may apply in a work setting.

Ask yourself..."What have I done?"

• To identify your transferable skills, let’s look at lists of skills employers want and lists of words for transferable job skills.

• You will make your own list of things you have done and the skills you have gained.

• Then you can plan to talk about yourself to get the job you really want.

Where Have You Gained Skills?

• School (example: can do basic algebra, drafting, read French—learned, studied, succeeded, bilingual)

• Job experiences (example: patiently served commuters and collected money at high volume toll booth in noisy traffic environment while on feet about 9 hours a day—persistent, physical stamina, flexible, adaptable, cashiering, communication)

Where Else?

• Volunteer activities (example: assisted mentally challenged senior citizens in weekly detailed crafts program at city recreation center for two years--multicultural, dependable, persistent, socially aware, manual dexterity, creative, patient, communicated)

• Hobbies (example: designed and printed knitting patterns for

children’s mittens for Save The Children project in Alaska—generous, creative, socially aware, detail oriented, multicultural, traveled)

Four Skills Employers Want

1. Communications Skills (listening, verbal, written) 2. Computer/Technical Literacy (95% of all jobs require some technical

literacy) 3. Flexibility/Adaptability/Multi-tasking (The 8:00 to 5:00pm work world

is in the past.) 4. Interpersonal Abilities (Get along well with co-workers and supervisors.

Self regulate emotions and read others’ emotions to the benefit of the employer)

Four More Employers Want

5. Leadership Skills (Take initiative and tactfully take over when situation requires it.)

6. Multicultural Sensitivity/Awareness 7. Problem-Solving/Reasoning/Creativity

8. Teamwork (Can work cooperatively with others on tasks.)

Examples of Transferable Skills:Use active words.

• Desire to learn & improve• Good time management• Solve problems• Manage money/ budgets• Manage people• Meet deadlines

More Examples….

• Ability to delegate• Ability to plan• Results oriented• Customer oriented• Supervise others• Increase sales or efficiency• Accept responsibility• Instruct others

MORE! The list goes on and on…

• Tactful• Insightful• Insightful• Teach• Interview others• Anticipate needs• High energy• Open minded

Even more examples….

• Increase sales or efficiency• Accept responsibility• Instruct others• Desire to learn & improve• Good time management• Solve problems• Manage money/ budgets• Manage people

The list is much longer. Think of words that describe the skills you have.

• Patient• Care for• Persuasive• Confront others• Pleasant• Counsel people• Sensitive• Demonstrate something• Supportive• diplomatic• Supervise• Speak in public• Help others

When, where, and how will you apply the list of your skills in looking

for work?• When introducing yourself as you look

for work:*“Elevator speech”*Resume*Interview

Writing the Resume and Preparing for an Interview—not covered here!

• Instead, let’s look at an elevator speech—a summary of the things important to your search for a job that suits you.

Elevator Speech

• Thirty Second Elevator Speech: Introduce Yourself and Your Skills

• How can you tell someone about yourself in 30 seconds?

• Employers appreciate efficient and well organized communication. You can use this when you call to ask about work or when you go to an employer’s office to inquire about work.

Elevator Speech Tells

• Who you are.• What you want.

• That you are grateful for help.

Who you are and what you want

• Who I am:

Hi, my name is Dan Lehmann. I am a machine tool operator in between jobs and have 19 years experience in machine-tooling.

• What you want:

I would like to find a job doing something similar. I read and interpret blueprints, know how to run and maintain computerized machines programmed to cut and shape parts, and am a dependable, hardworking, and honest employee.

What you want and what you can do:

*What you want, continued: I would like to find a job doing something similar to my old job.* What your skills are: I read and interpret blueprints, know how to run and maintain computerized machines programmed to cut and shape parts, and am a dependable, hardworking, and honest employee

What help you need

* Help me, please:

I notice that you work in this company and wonder if are familiar with the human resource manager or the person responsible for hiring operators. I would like to get a resume to that person. Are you be aware of any job openings that require my skills?

You are grateful

* Thank you!I appreciate any help you can give me in my job search, and appreciate you taking time to listen to me.

Here it is! Short an Clear.Hi, my name is Dan Lehmann. I am a machine tool operator in between jobs and

have 19 years experience in machine-tooling. I would like to find a job doing something similar. I read and interpret blueprints, know how to run and maintain computerized machines programmed to cut and shape parts, and am a dependable, hardworking, and honest employee.

I would like to find a job doing something similar to my old job.

I read and interpret blueprints, know how to run and maintain computerized machines programmed to cut and shape parts, and am a dependable, hardworking, and honest employee.

I notice that you work in this company and wonder if are familiar with the human resource manager or the person responsible for hiring operators. I would like to get a resume to that person. Are you be aware of any job openings that require my skills?

I appreciate any help you can give me in my job search, and appreciate you taking time to listen to me.

You try it!

• Now you will complete a simple exercise that will help you think about your skills and experience.

• Then you can work on your own 30 Second Elevator Speech using another simple form.

Remember

• If you don’t have a lot of work experience or a specific job in mind, you can still make an elevator speech using your transferable skills that make you valuable to an employer.