How to List Your Transferable Skills on Your Resume

  • September 29, 2023
  • Xin Hui
  • Resume Tips

Are you considering venturing into a new industry? Sure, changing jobs is one thing, but switching industries may be an even more difficult task. Following a new passion, you do not get paid well in your current industry, or you need a change of environment are some elements that could inspire you to transition into a new industry. 

Transferable skills make this transition easier. Our last article covered some of the most important transferable skills you should have. Whether you are a seasoned professional looking to change jobs or industries or a new graduate looking for your first job, you must have (and sharpen!) these skills. 

Ways to list transferable skills in your resume

You need more than just these skills to land you your dream job. You need to highlight these skills in your resume. Otherwise, the hiring manager will not know this. How do you demonstrate these skills in your resume? We have all the tips to build the perfect resume with all the required transferable skills. 

Identify the transferable skills

Begin by listing your own set of transferable skills. Understanding your strengths to contribute to your resume and tailor it to the job description is essential. In our last article, we discussed some of the most in-demand transferable skills that employers are looking for. 

Analyse the job description

Before applying for a job that interests you, read and analyse the job description! Understand what the job entails. Examine the words in the job description that describe your personality, such as "organised," "collaborative," and "detail-oriented." You can customise your search and choose the most relevant transferable skills for the position you want to pursue now that you know the expectations from the hiring manager.  

List your top skills in the right section

You can highlight your top skills in the resume summary or the skills section of your resume.  

Resume Summary Example:  

A goal-oriented sales executive with seven years of expertise in B2B retail sales and a track record of exceeding monthly sales targets and developing new relationships with clients in Singapore. Successfully increased sales revenue by 20% and maintained client retention by 40% for the past five years.  

In this example, the candidate has highlighted five essential transferable skills a sales executive can utilise even if they are working in different industries: goal-oriented, customer retention, adaptability, closing deals, and customer relationship management.  

Skill Section Example: 

• Communication 

• Leadership 

• Adaptability 

Include your achievements to back up your claims

Let us review the hard part now: proving that you have these skills. It is easy to say you have specific skills, but hiring managers will want to see proof. Explain how you used these skills in previous jobs, the problems you faced, and how you overcame them utilising the skill set you indicated. Always use real-life instances to back up your claims! 

Time to apply for jobs!

We hope you find our advice on the most important transferable skills to have and how to include them in your resumes helpful! What's next? Let's build that resume and start your job search journey!  

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