How to Uncover Your Strengths and Identify Transferable Skills for Career Advancement

Whether you're trying to break into a new industry or move up in the one you're currently in, uncovering your strengths and identifying transferable skills are essential for advancing your career.

Transferable skills are the skills you carry from one job to another. But sometimes, it might not seem like your skills are portable from one job to the next — until you look a little closer. So in this post, we'll show you how to identify your top strengths and transform them into valuable skills for your next career move:

Step one: Gather your data.

The first step to uncovering your strengths and identifying transferable skills is to reflect on past experiences. Think about jobs you've had and the different tasks you've completed.

Note the tasks you found yourself excelling at and the ones you found enjoyable, as this is an important step in understanding your skill set and what you can contribute in the workplace.

Step two: Assess your discoveries.

Next, you should take some time to synthesize the data from your reflection. Ask yourself: What skills have I developed from previous roles? Have I acquired any new skills or honed existing ones since then?

Brainstorm a list of transferable skills you have honed during your previous positions and new skills you have acquired. Once you've created a comprehensive list of skills, assess each one in terms of its relevance to potential jobs. A skill might be more relevant to some positions or industries than others. Consider the skills mentioned in job postings you're interested in, and once you've identified relevant skills, start focusing on building them up.

For example, if the job requires strong communication skills, start practicing public speaking and engaging in meaningful conversations. It's also helpful to take assessments that help you pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses. This can help you better understand what you have to offer and which skills may need improvement.

Step three: Think outside the box.

Finally, you should think about the transferable skills you've developed in your everyday life. While not directly related to work, these skills can still be useful in the workplace.

For instance, taking care of a younger sibling could have helped develop problem-solving skills, or running a blog could have cultivated creativity and technical abilities that an employer would appreciate.

Start highlighting your transferable skills on your resume.

We all have beneficial and transferable skills — you just might have to reflect to truly better understand your vast skill set. So take these three steps yourself, and discover what valuable assets you've been sitting on!