Transferable skills

Transferable skills are the tools you have developed in various situations – such as at university, in a part time job, volunteering and socially – that are really useful (and valuable) in many other situations, like a career.

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Why are they important?

Why are they important? Employers look for transferable skills in new hires because they are necessary in the workplace. Things like communicating with different types of people, writing documents to a brief (like an essay question), leading a team, answering the phone, being able to work on your own initiative…

As a student, you will have built up a whole bank of them – but you probably don’t even know it. And as a result you probably have no idea how to communicate them either. Don’t fret, you’re not alone. But it is important that you start taking notice of them – and including them in your CV and interview patter.

Students underestimate their skills

Students tend to describe rather than analyse their learning and life experiences – not realising the how is usually more important to employers than the what. For example, they want to know how you researched an article for the student newspaper more than what you wrote about.

Underplaying achievements

Employers are not mind-readers, and won’t know about your achievements unless you tell them. What may seem trivial to you represents something wholly different to an employer. Like presenting your work in a lecture or problem solving as a group: This shows you have developed key skills, which could be really useful in a workplace situation.

Overlooking transferable skills

All undergraduate courses develop transferable skills which are useful for a wide range of work activities. Even if a graduate job seems totally removed from what and how you studied for a degree, the skills involved will have something in common.

Project experience

Students often think of ‘experience’ as paid employment. This means you might overlook the skills developed during your degree (like group and teamwork, research, presenting) and relate them only to study. Things like community based projects and volunteering are equally important in demonstrating your ability and commitment too.