Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Leveraging your transferable skills for the next job/ career!

The economy, the changes in technology and various other factors create a scenario where the jobs you are looking may have dried up or you may merely be wanting OUT of the current area of employment or lastly you may be entering the employment field for the first time from the role of a home-maker (this happened to my wife, few years ago)

One the best arrow that you may have in your quiver of capabilities to get you the next job are your transferable skills.

What are transferable skills? Transferable skills are the skills that you have acquired over the years from any walk of your life. It may be during education, sports, parenting, previous employment, hobbies… it can cover virtually any part of your life that can provide a skill required in the next job that you seek.

When do you leverage transferable skills?

1. To start with, one can start identifying the kind of kind of job you should look for based on theskills that you can leverage for a new kind of job. Make a list of skills that you have acquired over the years. Look at jobs that interest you and the skills that may typically be needed for the jobs. Now, you can match those that you have acquired and identify roles that you can look at.

2. During the preparation of your resume: Every resume highlights the skills that you have that are appropriate for the job that you are applying for. As you list the experience you have had, articulate the skills that you have acquired and how you believe it will be useful in the execution of your responsibilities in the new job.

3. Interview: Needless to say, your interview is all about you selling your capabilities for the job you are interviewing for. One cannot adequately emphasize that the main weapon you have, especially when applying for a position that you have not worked in before, is your prior acquired capabilities that can be transferred to the current role. Use it to the maximum extent through the interview. Check out a list of action words that reflect the skills that you intend transferring to the new job.

Many individuals have switched careers succesfully and every such switch has required the individual to leverage his or her transferable skills. What are yours? Start looking within. It may be something as simple as your love for animals - you never know you may be the next winner at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

For more information on transferable skills, visit: http://tinyurl.com/4v6cg2y

On the lighter side: A new manager spends a week at his new office with the manager he is replacing. On the last day the departing manager tells him, "I have left three numbered envelopes in the desk drawer. Open an envelope if you encounter a crisis you can't solve."
Three months down the track there is a major drama, everything goes wrong - the usual stuff - and the manager feels very threatened by it all. He remembers the parting words of his predecessor and opens the first envelope. The message inside says "Blame your predecessor!" He does this and gets off the hook.
About half a year later, the company is experiencing a dip in sales, combined with serious product problems. The manager quickly opens the second envelope. The message read, "Reorganize!" This he does, and the company quickly rebounds.
Three months later, at his next crisis, he opens the third envelope. The message inside says "Prepare three envelopes".

"WHAT NEXT" is provided by Ramesh Anand, President, American Personnel Resources LLC. ( http://www.aprllc.com/ )

Please conduct further research for this and other careerf related information

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