Transferable Skills and the Job Market

Taking a moment to emotionally remove myself from this conversation before we have it… Alright, let’s do this!

How Transferable Are Your Skills In This Market?

I keep my eyes on the job market and on the professional work-world in general because I’m always one thought away from being back on the job hunt. Let me tell you what I mean by that before we proceed: If I even get an inkling of some nepharus acts by someone who is supposedly occupying a managerial role (somehow), then I know that my documentation must begin, but I also know that my views on the job/company are about to change drastically. A company that allows a walking poison of a person to be and remain in power is therefore a poisonous company, and you cannot make me see it otherwise. Because you’re generally a reflection of the work that you do (and where you do it), I refuse to sink on anyone’s ship but my own. If I fail, it’ll be my fault, not someone else’s.

Because of this, however, I’ve got to keep my eyes on my skills, my offerings, and my potential because corporations, companies and otherwise are always looking for ways to get the best workers but pay them the least with promises of it getting better (at some magical date far into the reaches of the future).

I Recently Had An AI Interview…

Let me tell you, for all of the crap that I could talk about AI, this was actually one of the most insightful interviews that I’ve ever had.

I have legitimately never had a better interview in terms of the questions asked, the skills and experiences mentioned from my resume and the requirements of the job. It even included future-focused, thought-provoking questions that certainly made me think on my toes instead of the generic run-of-the-mill ‘if hired, what skills will you bring to the organization?’.

Given the excitement of all of this, I truly had to evaluate the skills that I possess and the projected usefulness of those skills in particular roles.

The Generic List of Skills Includes:

This is the list of skills that we tend to list the most, many not even knowing what these things mean as it pertains to the job, mind you. But these are commonly used,

• Detail oriented

• Effective time management

• Leadership skills

• Timely

• Adaptable

• Quick learner

• Team player

• Decision-making

• Multitasking

• Creative problem-solving

• Collaborative

Desirable List Of Skills:

Understanding the skills as they apply to yourself, what you’re capable of and what the prospective job requires is also important, so here are a couple of my desirable skills.

• Leadership skills - With actual leadership qualities and prior experience within a group setting.

• Flexibility/Adaptability - An openness to change, the ability to adapt to last-minute changes, and an appropriate attitudinal approach to change.

• Organization - While individual organization will be specific to the person (I.e. organized chaos could be appropriate levels of organization for some) on-the-job organization is measured by the overall ability to work within the workspace, move about the workspace and/or making the workspace work best for the needs of the role.

• Interpersonal Communication Skills - Mostly as it relates to the ability to maturely converse with those around you in a manner that fosters respect, understanding and professionalism.

• And so on.

Having a good understand of the skill, how it applies to you and how it applies to the role is paramount to ensuring that your skills are adaptable, transferable and desirable for the current requests of the market. As skills and talents shift with the changing times, taking stock of your own offerings so that you’re always ready to professionally promote yourself and network will continuously give you a leg up when it comes to landing those dream roles.

Best,
Bree