Transferable Skills | How to Get a Job with No Experience

This post is all about how to get a job with no experience by using transferable skills.

Something we will all experience at one point or another is the luxurious process of job hunting, resume writing, and interviewing.

We’ve all seen that job posting labeled “entry level” requiring a masters degree and 5+ years experience (*insert eye-roll*).

You might be a new grad without much work experience, or have started out in one field only to find out it’s not for you.

Whatever the reason for your job hunt, career changes are becoming more and more common, and have only increased as as result of the pandemic.

While a lot of things in the world are changing, needing to make money is (unfortunately) not one of them. 

The application process can be tedious, but you can make things easier on yourself by optimizing your resume and cover letter with transferable skills.

Transferable skills are your best friend when it comes to switching jobs, and this post will break down everything you need to know!

What are Transferable Skills?

In general, transferable skills can be defined as the skills that you have gained in one place that you can use (transfer) somewhere else.

This means any hard or soft skills that you have learned from working, volunteering, or training that apply to a variety of job functions.

Hard skills are highly specialized for a role. Examples include coding, foreign languages, and data analysis. These are skills that can’t be used in every job, and are specific to the role or industry. 

On the other hand, soft skills can be used across jobs and industries. They’re less quantifiable than hard skills, and can be applied anywhere.

This means they’re what you want to leverage if you’re looking to get a job without much relevant experience. 

Why are transferable skills important?

Transferable skills are important to have in any workplace because they give you a foundation of knowledge. Depending on the position a company is hiring for, they will be looking for a certain set of abilities that will ensure candidates are a good fit for the role. 

Broadly, most transferable skills are applicable in any job, but some are more relevant than others. For example, if a company is hiring a customer service specialist, they’ll be looking for someone who has good communication, problem solving, and interpersonal skills. 

Your presentation skills might be great - but they're not looking for that.

Employers are looking for people who have the potential to be an asset to the company.

For example, you may not have direct experience in the area but you have a demonstrated ability to learn new skills and software quickly.

Recruiters spot this and see you as someone they can train and will be rewarded when you excel in the role.

Market yourself as a new graduate

Graduating is hard enough when you are trying to figure out what you want to do with your life. Tie in trying to find a job you’re interested in and it’s quite the nauseating cocktail.

The truth is that many jobs that we consider typical today didn't exist 10 years ago. Influencers, TikTok, social media managers, UX designers, rideshare services (just to mention a few) are all recent evolutions of the job landscape.

The decisions you made years ago about which path to take in school to land a job may not be as relevant as they once were.

In fact, nearly 25% of people are working in jobs outside their field of study. This means that you can't neglect the soft skills that make you a well rounded candidate.

Transferable skills are especially important when you’re trying to break into a new industry or job function in an area where you don’t have much experience.

We need all the help we can get, and transferable skills can help boost your resume into the interview round.

Recruiters need a reason to believe you will be able to do the job without any track record of experience. 

How do they do this? 

By looking at the skills you have gained in previous roles and seeing if you can leverage them to apply to theirs.

This means it’s your job to show them that you are someone worth betting on. Make them see how the skills you have will set you up for success!

Make your resume work for you

We’ve established that transferable skills are important to get a job, so how do you go about using them? Your resume and cover letter.

As I mentioned in this post about designing your resume to get an interview, start by reading and analyzing the job description. 

1. Look for any common themes
2. Identify the kind of skills they're looking for
3. Highlight them on your application!

Nowadays, many employers are using AI software to screen applications to select for ideal candidates. They operate by looking for keywords that are programmed in, so use this to your advantage!

As I mentioned earlier, transferable skills can be applied broadly but it’s important that you use the ones that are most relevant to the job you’re applying for.

You might be really strong at project management but they’re really looking for problem solving skills.

Do yourself a favour and prioritize the skills that will give you the best chance at getting an interview. 

How to identify them

Think about your current and past jobs. Focus on how you accomplished things, not what.

For example, as a student you may have put together an event for a conference that you were on the executive committee for:

• Did you prioritize tasks?
• Communicate with vendors and attendees?
• Did you organize the event?
• Were you part of a team that put it together?
• Did something surprising come up that you adapted to?

There are transferable skills everywhere! Looking at things from a high level will help to see how they connect.

Logging your challenging experiences or situations where you had to use tact and diplomacy will help streamline the process of picking them out. The Twenty Thrive Interview Playbook is a great resource for keeping track, and will also give you tips on how to prepare for your interview!

How to build your skills

The great thing about transferable skills is that so many of them apply in your everyday life!

Social interactions with friends, family, and your personal life all contribute to your development. Time management and prioritization are essential to making it through college/university, so you've already been working on them for years.

If you have an idea of the kind of job you’re interested in working towards, read through job descriptions. This will help guide you to the areas you need to work on.  

If you're still in school, take advantage and get involved in clubs or committees! If not, pick some causes you're passionate about and volunteer. The purpose is to grow your skillset through experiences.

Regardless of the skills you choose to highlight on an application, you need to have an experience to back it up. The worst place to be is on the receiving end of a question about something you fluffed up a little too much.

Top transferable skills examples: 

1. Communication

The ability to communicate clearly and effectively in a variety of situations.

Verbal and written communication are important in any job or industry. This includes your ability to communicate politely, be assertive, and diplomatic (to name a few). Also relevant is your ability to speak enthusiastically on a topic and be engaging.

Communication tends to be a bit of a buzzword that everyone throws around, but not everyone actually understands what it means.

It includes a lot of important qualities, so make sure you have some concrete examples of times you displayed great communication to share if asked.

2. Teamwork/Collaboration

Working as a member of a team on a project or assignment.

Spoiler alert! Teamwork isn't always sunshine and roses (shocking, I know). Chances are you've already had a handful of less-than-ideal group members throughout school and work.

This trend will likely continue, and while working as a team can be rewarding, throughout your life you will have to work with people that aren't always the easiest.

The ability to manage these kinds of relationships and overcome issues to succeed is an essential skill in any industry.

3. Problem solving

Help you determine why something is happening, and how to resolve it.

The first step in solving any problem is identifying what the problem is! Problem solving is an essential skill in your personal life as well as work. Managers want people that they can train and give guidance to, but that will also take initiative to figure things out along the way.

4. Leadership

The ability to unify a team to work toward a common goal.

Leadership isn't only an application skill for senior positions. You may come across a situation where you need to take responsibility, or motivate a team toward achieving a goal.

Don't play down these experiences! The ability to encourage a group to meet an objective is a skill not everyone has refined.

5. Analytical skills

The ability to analyze and interpret information.

We live in a data driven world. Companies have so much information, but it's all useless unless someone can make sense of it. The kind of analysis will depend on the job, but any experience you have combing through information and extracting insights is valuable.

6. Adaptability

The ability to adjust to a new situation or circumstances.

Some industries are more predictable than others, but it's always an asset to be able to manage curveballs that are thrown at you. This includes shifting priorities, and adapting to sudden changes to responsibilities or timelines.

Startups are notoriously known for being a little chaotic, so this is definitely key for role in that environment.

7. Persuasion

The ability to make an argument for why your idea is good or the best choice.

Persuasion is an amazing skill that doesn't get as much buzz as others. Especially for careers in marketing and sales, convincing your coworkers or customers to "buy-in" to the idea or product that you're selling is super valuable, and honing this skill is especially an asset when working in or leading a team.

Wrapping Up

The further you dig into each skill the more you realize how interconnected they are. Communication skills are used to be an effective team member, and leadership would be impossible without great communication skills.

By the same token, effective communication is key to persuasion, just as persuasion works with leadership. They all work together to help you become a well-rounded person!

The good news is there has been a shift in recent years where recruiters are looking more at the person than the degree. Household names like Google and Apple are amongst companies that have opened up their positions to people without degrees, but have a demonstrated passion and knowledge of the area.

In summary, the technical skills needed to do the job can be taught, but personality and temperament are at the core of what makes a great employee.

If you’re still unsure what transferable skills you have, check out the list of examples below, and see how they apply to your past experiences.

This post is all about how to get a job with no experience by using transferable skills.

What transferable skills do you have? Comment below!

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