- Have a clear understanding of the skills you can offer that can be used across multiple industries. Think about what you’re great at, what people come to you for (whether they’re colleagues, clients, customers or friends or family), and what you love to do.
- Write a cover letter specifically for the job you’re applying for, explaining why you think you can do the job despite a different career history to most other applicants.
- Prepare a great resume that highlights your transferrable skills, and not simply listing generic job titles you held.
- Prepare yourself for the interview to really sell yourself, come with examples of work you’ve been proud of, how you’ve handled difficult situations and new learning opportunities.
- Seek out support from a career consultant to help you with each of the above steps and go into a new job opportunity with great confidence.
Start by booking in a 20 minute free chat HERE.
For employers wanting to find a suitable hire, we encourage the entrepreneurial employers to look beyond obvious skill sets of past work experience that are listed in the resumes presented to them and consider transferrable skills. Someone might be perfect for their job even if they don’t have the exact experience for the role. In some instances it can be better that they learn the specific skills directly from their new employer instead of having to ‘unlearn’ undesirable habits from similar previous roles.
Here at Kate Langford Career Consulting, one of our top consultants came from a background in comedy and performing, but her transferrable skills in connecting and empathising with others makes her an outstanding team member in this completely different field.
It’s also important for businesses to recognise that some job applicants can be more selective in the jobs they apply for and due to some reflection time during lockdown periods, they are choosing only to work with companies that align with their personal values. To attract these people who can bring valuable experience and skills, your business needs to demonstrate its values, purpose and goals so that it draws in the people who feel aligned and driven to achieve in that space.
My advice for employers is:
- Look at what core values and personality traits are required for the job and hire for that.
- When you hire for a culture fit for your business, and not just technical skills, you’ll more likely have greater employee engagement and collaboration.
- Don’t just take resumes at face value and try not to dismiss an applicant too early, instead, consider people’s transferrable skills across industries and benefit from their different experiences that they can bring to your business. The other technical skills required of the job can often be learned on the job or in the weeks leading up to the job with your onboarding process.
- Create interesting job descriptions when offering job positions to encourage people from a wider pool to apply.
- Demonstrate the culture, purpose and passion of your business when posting jobs so that people provide you with more specific cover letters and resumes that align with your culture.
