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During this lengthy recession, job seekers are finding that they are no longer in a position to apply solely for jobs that they are trained to do or that they have experience in. The economic climate means that people have to look for employment in areas outside of their comfort zone, where they have little or no experience. They often have to compete for posts against large numbers of candidates; some of whom will have greater direct experience. However, if you as a candidate are able to realise your transitional skills and highlight them successfully within your CV and your application form, then your chances of success within the recruitment process will be improved greatly, even when applying for jobs that may be alien to you. So, what are transitional skills? These are the skills that you have acquired throughout your academic, working and even social life that can be applied successfully to other situations and other working environments. How do I identify these transitional skills? Identifying your transitional skills will require some thought and may take some time initially. Firstly, consider the personal qualities that you possess, perhaps qualities or skills that others comment on. Your friends may frequently comment on your punctuality or your ability to organise a group of people or an event. You may have been unemployed for some time but if you have managed to keep a structure to your day, then this shows a definite degree of self motivation. These are all examples of transitional skills that employers are happy to find in a potential employee. Secondly, consider the technical skills that you possess. These may initially seem to be very job specific from a previous role but if you analyse the actual skills used you may find these are transitional skills that could be applied to a completely different role. For example, you may have worked on a piece of software developed specifically for your previous employer, so that all the fields used and your knowledge of the system was completely unique to that company. However, if you analyse the skills required to use this software you will find several transitional skills. Were you required to learn and use a totally new software package? Were you maintaining databases? Were you analysing information? Were you required to accurately enter data? Were you required to train or mentor others on the use of the software? Considering questions like these will help you to realise that you have many transitional skills, so that even if you have no direct experience in a certain role you should be able to submit a CV to a potential employer and be able to demonstrate that despite that lack of experience you do have the necessary skills to do the job and are willing and able to learn quickly! How do I highlight these skills in my CV? Always refer to your transitional skills by giving examples of how you demonstrated them. Simply stating that you have, 'good IT skills and are able to analyse data accurately', will not be enough to succeed in this highly competitive job market. You need to give examples and if necessary highlight how these skills would be useful in the post you are applying for. Don't give the employer any excuse not to consider you. If you can identify these transitional skills then your eyes will be opened to a whole new set of opportunities and you will find the confidence to apply for jobs that you would have previously dismissed. If you can then successfully include these skills within your CV or application form then your chances of success within an unfamiliar industry or position will be vastly improved and you may even find your perfect career! Want to make sure that you have the best chance of landing that dream job? Then have Words Worth Reading Ltd proofread your application and write your CV.
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