Communicating Transferable and Soft Skills
If the unexpected were to happen to your employment status, would you feel confident in your ability to rebound or pivot into your next role?
They say change is the only constant in life (right?) and that couldn’t be more true in 2023. When inflation is plaguing our diminishing paychecks, layoffs are making headlines every other day, and job uncertainty (not to mention stress) is at an all time high – it’s a wonder how we continue to call upon our resilience despite all the change.
Let’s start off by taking a look at the numbers -
There were 15.4 million layoffs in the U.S. in 2022
There have been over 168,000 layoffs since the start of 2023.
28% of Americans have been laid off in the past two years alone.
And yet here’s where it gets interesting… In Gallup’s most recent State of the Global Workforce Report, the research found that,
Employee engagement actually increased by 11% from 2021 to 2023
Exclusively remote employees are more engaged than fully on-site and hybrid employees (although hybrid employees are next, followed by fully on-site)
And to round this all out,
Stress is higher globally among young workers and those in exclusively remote or hybrid work locations.
59% of employees are quiet quitting – the notion that they are doing the bare minimum due to poor pay, benefits, and overall culture.
51% of global employees are actively looking for a new job (!!)
So a third of the workforce is being laid off in the U.S. and HALF of the global workforce is actively looking for new opportunities. That leaves… 20% of the current workforce happy and engaged at work?
Enter a HUGE opportunity to start identifying, understanding and communicating your transferable and soft skills. Let’s start by defining transferable skills versus soft skills.
Transferable skills are abilities and experiences that can be applied in different situations, scenarios and job functions.
Think: organization skills, time management skills, problem solving skills, and communication skills
Soft skills are attributes and qualities related to interpersonal skills/relationships
Think: emotional intelligence, adaptability, collaboration, networking
In all honesty, I see both transferable and soft skills as the skills we inherently possess on a daily basis and they are interchangeable depending on which situation you find yourself in and which skill set(s) you need to call upon. Interestingly enough, we don’t get enough credit for these skills depending on the job, role, or situation we are in. Stay at home mothers are a prime example of being underappreciated, underrecognized and underutilized for the skills they possess as household managers and caregivers.
Here’s how to Communicate Transferable and Soft Skills -
Audit the activities and tasks you do on a daily basis
For the next week or two, start taking note of how you spend your days. What tasks are you focused on? How are you accomplishing those tasks? What comes easy to you? What is a challenge? What gives you motivation versus what drains your energy? What are the tasks only YOU can do?
2. Research different jobs/roles/people you are interested in and uncover themes
Research can be done via traditional job boards, by reading business articles, by networking with your immediate community, and even by scrolling social media learning as you learn about different jobs and lifestyles.
And don’t discount the power of conversation as you start to research, explore, and identify transferable and soft skills. Start asking your friends, coworkers, and (potentially) family members what skillsets they believe you possess or contribute to the interpersonal relationship they experience with you.
3. Document your transferable and soft skill sets
This can be done on your resume, via a cover letter, a word document, or simply in a journal you keep by your bedside. By documenting your observations and findings from auditing and researching this process, it will help provide clarity. If you can identify and write down all the skill sets that make you an invaluable resource as well as the skills that you want to improve upon, it gives you an advantage when it comes to needing to communicate and put into practice each defined skill.
4. Practice communicating your value and contributions
The hard part….Talking about yourself, championing your skill sets and abilities, and ultimately communicating your value.
After you have identified what makes you an incredible resource to your family and the workforce, practice talking about it. The easiest way to implement this into your day to day is to communicate the tasks/projects you are working AND the skill sets you used in order to accomplish each task.
Here’s what it can look like in practice,
When chatting with coworkers, “In the meeting I ran with executive stakeholders today, I had to call upon my ability to diffuse heated situations because there was conflict in the room today. I needed to be patient and a facilitator the entire time”
When chatting with friends, “As the mom and household manager, this week I needed to deploy my incredible time management skills to make sure everyone was at their respective sporting events on time and with appropriate uniforms!”
When speaking with your boss, “This week my main priorities have been a, b, and c tasks. Each of these tasks require me to make sure I’m being diligent about my project management and organizational skills. How else can I be helpful for you this week?”
Every situation where you can practice communicating your transferable skills will be unique and how you decide to communicate will depend on your comfort level. As you continue to audit, research, document, and practice communicating your transferable skills, this will become easier! And it may just be your saving grace as you apply to new jobs, get hit with an unexpected layoff, or simply want to make a pivot in your career.
Career Civility is here to support you on this journey. How else can I be helpful?
