Why Your Transferable Skills Matter

Do you feel cheated by employers and think they are getting more than they pay for? You might be right, and so it’s high time to consider making full use of your transferable skills and making the most of your skillset any way you want.

Your transferable skills should matter more than anything else, because in the end – it’s all you've got. Job offerings, promotions, and other appointments will pass, but your skills are yours, so sharpen them and use them. When people can’t make sense of constant rejection from potential employers, frustration and depression could set in. And it could be much worse for people currently in a job they can’t stand.

But have you considered channeling more time into harnessing your transferable skills? Do you know that it’s possible to make a greater impact as a trainer or mentor than at your current job? In this post, you’ll get to see every important fact about transferable skills and why they should matter to you.  If you hate your current job and don’t want to send out application emails anymore, this post is for you. Learn how to maximise transferable skills to benefit others while you do what makes you happy.

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What are Transferable Skills?

Transferable skills are a set of abilities needed to perform specific tasks and can be either soft or hard. Most common transferable skills can either be learned on the job or transferred through training. Transferable skills are mostly acquired through personal experiences.

Hard transferable skills

These skills usually require instructions from experts and high concentration from students to be duplicated successfully. Hard skills like coding, marketing/sales, academic knowledge and others require instruction and students’ attention.  You might be an ace React developer, and want to help people be the best coder they can be, or perhaps artworking is your thing and you know every photoshop shortcut there is to know, maybe you are a maths teacher and want to expand into private tutoring. Whatever it is, you've probably spent years and have refined your craft and are now ready to share your skills with others.

Soft transferable skills

Not every skill requires expert instruction or concentration to master. Soft transferable skills can be passed from person to person without formal training. Communication skills are rated as soft since they can be transferred verbally and with no long-term training required. Problem solving is another and is great skill for mentors to help transfer onto their mentees.

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Examples of Transferable Skills

Several kinds of transferable skills exist. Here’s a look at three of the most popular transferable skills you’ll likely come across:

Academic transferable skills

These transferable skills can only be passed down through training, workshops, formal learning, etc. Some of the most common academic transferable skills are time management-related and can be vital in students’ careers.

Job-related transferable skills

Transferable skills of this nature can only be learned on the job. Sales internship programs are popular examples of a place where job-related transferable skills are learned. In most cases, these skills can only function in a specific industry and may require different periods to master.

Sports-related transferable skills

Sportsmen usually have special skills they can only transfer to teammates or interested individuals. Most, if not all transferable skills in this category might not be useful outside a certain sport. Think as well of yoga skills, fitness and diet based skills, workout and training skills, all important skills for staying healthy and all you might have already.

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3 Popular In-Demand Transferable Skills

Transferable skills are in different forms; here’s a list of three of the most common skillsets and how these skills can be relevant to your quest for self-sufficiency:

Management skills

-      Prioritisation

-      Process efficiency assessment skills

-      Productivity assessment skills

-      Project coordination

-      Resource management

-      Time management

People skills

-      Coaching and mentoring skills

-      Collaboration skills

-      Communication

-      Customer or client service

-      Diplomacy

-      Empathy and tact

-      Interpersonal skills

-      Listening and negotiation skills

-      Presentation skills

Analytical skills

-      Budgeting skills

-      Data analysis

-      Financial analysis skills

-      Problem-solving skills

-      Research

-      Risk management

Successful entrepreneurs build their world beating businesses through one or more of these transferable skills. But many full time workers have many of these skills in their back pocket, used each and every day on their jobs. Take some time to think about what skills you use and what you could help others to learn. For example, have you been a department budget holder and could you teach others basic accountancy principles? Have you had to manage and get the best our of a class of unruly teenagers and so could you take others through diplomacy and collaboration skills?

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How Can You Identify the Transferable Skills You Have?

You can identify any transferable skills you may possess through:

-      A formal assessment with a superior or colleague

-      Through an online assessment tool

-      By discussion with your peers - perhaps even a post on social media

Assessing your grasp of any transferable skills you have should be easy with two or all of these methods. Seeking professional support from an expert mentoring agency could also be of great help.  

Why Transferable Skills Matter

Transferable skills can help you start your own business

Many transferable skills can become money-spinners when harnessed to benefit interested clients. Several lucrative businesses today have a simple model built on one or more sought-after transferable skill.

Transferable skills are yours to keep

No-one can take your transferable skills away, no matter how many people you share them with. On the contrary, you grasp a better understanding of your transferable skills as you educate more people with your knowledge.

Transferable skills can always be improved

Honing transferable skills can be quite easy, especially when your ability can be improved with extra training. Signing up for additional courses could be what’s required to transform that common ability into a fantastic, lucrative business idea.

Top 15 Transferable Skills People Are Ready to Pay For

With any of these fifteen transferable skills, you could become self-sufficient and attract great rates from clients (and on Yoke you set your own rates):

1.              Adaptability skills

2.              Analytical skills

3.              Communication skills

4.              Computer skills

5.              Creativity-related skills

6.              Critical thinking skills

7.              Detail-oriented skills

8.              Leadership skills

9.              Listening skills

10.           Management skills

11.           Problem-solving skills

12.           Project management skills

13.           Relationship building skills

14.           Teamwork ability:

15.           Writing skills

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Can You Be Self-Sufficient with Transferable Skills?

Transferable skills can eliminate reliance on paid employment, transforming you into an entrepreneur in record time. Harnessed transferable skills can fetch you more engagements through a mentoring or training venture. Your business will be hedged on helping others while bettering your bottom line every time. Sharpening your transferable skills and making them attractive to potential clients is the smartest way to make them profitable.

How Yoke Can Help

Yoke provides expert support to help people share their transferable skills for maximum benefits. Professional support on offer will ensure you make the most of all free or paid sessions to students or clients. We provide a platform to help you earn money wherever you are, allowing you to quit the rat race and become a fully fledged remote worker.

Join us today to start making the most of all your engagements. Boosting your transferable skills into a lucrative venture will be more comfortable than ever when you use Yoke to help manage your business and bookings.

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