Transferable skills: changing jobs without making things up
Changing jobs doesn't mean starting from nothing. It means showing how what you've already done answers what the new advert asks for.
What makes a skill transferable
A skill transfers when the new job needs it and you can show you've used it. Dealing with upset customers in a shop transfers to a call centre. Planning lessons transfers to training roles. Managing rotas transfers to scheduling jobs.
The test is whether a reader can see the link. It's your job to make the link for them.
How to find yours
- List the new advert's must-haves.
- For each, ask: where have I done something like this, at work, in study or as a volunteer?
- Write the line in the new job's language, about what you really did.
- Retail to customer service: Handled [type of] complaints face to face, resolving most without needing a manager, and logged each on [system].
- Hospitality to admin: Managed bookings and the diary for a [size] restaurant using [booking system], including changes and cancellations.
Be honest about the gap
If the new job needs something you don't have yet, don't hide it with clever wording. Show the steps you're taking: a course you've started, a qualification you're working towards, or related volunteering. Name it and the date you expect to finish.
Shape the CV for the change
- Use a personal statement that says what you're moving to and why you're suited. See writing a personal statement.
- Consider a short "Relevant skills" section near the top that links each must-have to an example.
- Keep your employment history, but trim duties that don't relate to the new job.
Questions
Should I use a skills-based CV?
A CV organised only by skills, with little job history, can make readers wonder what you're leaving out. A normal CV with a strong statement and a short relevant skills section often works better.
Do soft skills count?
Yes, if you show them. "Calmed an upset customer and kept their order" proves more than "excellent interpersonal skills".