TRANSFERABLE SKILLS

Through your education, work experience, and community activities you have developed certain skills that will be attractive to employers and that will be appropriate for many situations. It is important to know yourself, your skills and your abilities before exploring a new direction, whether it is in employment or in life.

ASSESSING YOURSELF:

• Identify your most powerful strengths and talents
• Think about things that you like to do and things you do well
• Consider the things that you do in all realms of your life: home, school, work, church, etc. and see what they have in common
• Be honest with yourself; you can’t get anywhere if you don't know where you're starting from

JOB/ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS YOU POSSESS:

• Computers- software systems and programs
• Information management- the ability to sort data and objects; applying information creatively to specific problems or tasks
• Design and planning- setting realistic goals; following through with a plan or decision; prioritizing; managing time effectively
• Research and investigation- use a variety of sources of information; identify problems and needs
• Management and administration- delegate responsibility for completion of a task; organize people and tasks to achieve a goal; identify people and resources that contribute to solutions
• Communication- speak effectively to individuals and groups; use various forms and styles of written communication
• Budgeting- using money efficiently, outlining costs of projects
• Critical thinking- create innovative solutions to complex problems; reason things through to a logical conclusion
• Leadership- have vision of the future of the organization and motivate others to achieve it

LIFE SKILLS YOU POSSESS:

• Adaptability- you can handle a variety of tasks and situations
• Flexibility- if things don’t go according to plan, you don’t quit
• Tenacity- you will stick with a plan or goal until you succeed
• Valuing- you can assess your values in relation to important life decisions
• Human relations and interpersonal skills- you are willing to take risks and you can interact effectively with other people; you value diversity in people and in opinion

MISCELLANEOUS:

• Think bigger- a skill you learned in school, such as research or writing a paper, can be useful in a job, community activity, or student organization
• Be realistic- everyone wants to achieve more, but know and understand your limits
• Documentation- keep track of things you do; think in terms of skills you've learned, not just positions you've held

Last Updated: 2/00 AJD/JWMH