Developing transferable skills

When HR managers assess potential employees they look not only at your professional qualifications but also at your soft skills. These so-called soft skills are skills that increase an applicant's flexibility and are applicable to a wide variety of industries. Communication, friendliness, and social competence are just a few examples. Working on these skills increases your attractiveness to potential employers regardless of the industry in which you want to work, as they help ensure a pleasant, cohesive work environment.

The ability to work in a team is an indispensable ability no matter where you work. Being a team player improves the efficiency of the entire team and the team's ability to work together to solve problems. In fact, this is one of the primary soft skills potential employers look for in future employees.

Can you plan your work schedule in a way that enables you to make the best use of your time? Whether this is a skill you are learning or improving, the ability to organise your schedule and your team's schedule will vastly improve your chances of being offered a job. After all, being able to prioritise means you will always be doing precisely the task that is most important to the team at the company.

Can you convey your thoughts to your colleagues in a way they can understand? Can you empathise with supervisors and your fellow employees? Are you sensitive to social cues? Being able to express yourself and listen to others is essential both within a company and in terms of working with clients. Working on your ability to communicate will certainly give you an edge over your competition during the application process.

Another aspect of communication is your ability to assert yourself in the workplace, particularly if you are in a management position. Your ideas and solutions can only find fertile ground if you are able to express them in a friendly yet assertive manner. This coupled with an ability to take responsibility for your ideas and to accept the final outcome will help you get a job and climb the corporate ladder should you so desire.

Another important soft skill is the ability to think analytically. Taking an objective view helps you sort out problems and discard ineffective methods. Working on this soft skill will further increase your attractiveness to your employers, and if you take a position in management your team will greatly appreciate your ability to dispassionately assess any given situation.