Even if you haven’t had your first professional job, you’ve likely built transferable skills through internships, volunteering, classes, and extracurriculars. These skills can transfer from one role to another and include soft skills like collaboration and problem-solving, as well as hard skills like data analytics and coding.
This guide will explain transferable skills, share examples, and show you how to identify and build them for your job applications.
Transferable Skills Definition
Transferable skills are skills you can apply across different jobs, industries, and work environments.
For example, problem-solving skills are valuable because employers — almost 90%, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers — look for candidates who can find solutions. While a writer and a data analyst may use problem-solving differently, the underlying skill is the same: researching, thinking critically, and solving problems.
Why Are Transferable Skills Important?
Transferable skills are valuable because they help you throughout your career and show employers you can succeed in different roles and industries.
For example, if an employer is choosing between two software engineers with similar technical skills, they’re likely to hire the one with stronger collaboration, adaptability, and decision-making skills. These skills help you stand out, even when you’re changing careers or don’t have direct experience.
Transferable Skills Examples
Unlike industry-specific skills like accounting or investment banking, transferable skills can be applied across different roles and career paths. Here are some of the most common transferable skills employers value.
Collaboration
Collaboration is your ability to work effectively with others, whether you’re sharing ideas, solving problems, or working toward a common goal.
Examples: Communication, Conflict resolution, Empathy, Interpersonal skills, Leadership, Negotiation, Teamwork
Time Management
Strong time management skills help you prioritize tasks, stay organized, and consistently meet deadlines, no matter the role.
Examples: Adaptability, Delegation, Goal setting, Organization, Planning, Prioritization
Creative Thinking
Creative thinking helps you approach challenges from new perspectives, generate ideas, and find innovative solutions in any role—not just creative ones.
Examples: Brainstorming, Critical thinking, Curiosity, Experimentation, Innovation, Visual thinking
Analytical Skills
Like creative thinking isn’t just for creatives, analytical skills aren’t just for analysts. These are the skills you use to make decisions and find solutions. You can use these skills to approach problems methodically and reasonably.
>>MORE: Learn how to show off your analytical skills in the interview.
Examples: Data interpretation, Deductive reasoning, Inductive reasoning, Information gathering, Logical thinking, Problem-solving, Research
Attention to Detail
Employers will always value work that is accurate and free of mistakes. Attention to detail skills help you focus on the small areas of a project or task and produce clean and organized work.
Examples: Accuracy, Consistency, Data validation, Fact-checking, Observation, Precision, Proofreading
Adaptability
Adaptability is a highly in-demand skill that helps you adjust to change, learn quickly, and succeed in new situations or work environments.
Examples: Flexibility, Learning agility, Resilience, Resourcefulness
Other Transferable Skills Examples
Because there are so many job skills that can be applied to different careers, the list of transferable skills examples can go on and on. Here are some more examples to add to your resume.
How to Identify Your Transferable Skills
Don’t worry if you haven’t had a professional gig yet — it’s likely you still have valuable transferable skills that employers are looking for.
>>MORE: How to Get an Internship Without Work Experience
“If you worked on a group project, you may have developed your leadership, mentoring, or project management skills,” says Rachel Pelta, senior content writer at Clarity Online SEO. “The specifics depend on your role and the situation, but when you step back and examine everything you contributed to the project, you might find you have a lot of transferable skills that will serve you well throughout your career.”
To identify your transferable skills, ask yourself:
- Process: How did I contribute?
- Collaboration: Who did I work with?
- Skills: What did I learn?
- Results: What impact did I have?
Your answers can help you identify the transferable skills you’ve already built.
How to Build Transferable Skills
Transferable skills are developed through experience, and you don’t need a full-time job to start building them.
- Get involved: Build skills through volunteering, clubs, personal projects, or part-time work.
- Take advantage of learning opportunities: Attend workshops, training events, or complete free Forage job simulations to practice real-world skills.
- Practice active learning: Take notes, ask questions, and apply what you learn.
- Reflect on your experiences: Think about the skills you’ve developed, where you can improve, and how they align with the roles you want.
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How to Include Transferable Skills in a Job Application
The best transferable skills to include are the ones you already have and the ones the employer is looking for. Start by reviewing the job description and matching your hard and soft skills to the role.
Including Transferable Skills on a Resume
Once you’ve identified the right skills, include them throughout your resume—not just in your skills section.
“Recruiters decide who to advance through the hiring process by searching resumes for these specific keywords and phrases,” Matthew Warzel, CPRW resume writer, says. “It’s mandatory to add this core competency section.”
Warzel recommends listing hard skills under a core competencies section and highlighting soft skills in your summary and experience.
Instead of: “Hardworking student seeking an internship.”
Try: “Highly motivated and collaborative student with proven communication and problem-solving skills, seeking an internship in [Industry/Field].”
Instead of: “Managed social media accounts.”
Try: “Managed social media accounts for a student organization, developing content strategies that increased follower engagement by 20% while demonstrating communication, organization, and time management skills.”
Forage Find
Glekeria Kalathas, talent acquisition manager at Actalent, encourages students to include experiences on their resume that show transferable skills, even if they don’t initially think it’s relevant for what they’re applying for. For example, Kalathas looks for customer-facing experience on resumes when hiring — but she knows that this experience can come from so many different industries and positions, whether that’s bartending, retail, or working in a gym.
Including Transferable Skills in a Cover Letter
Your cover letter is the perfect place to expand on your transferable skills with specific examples and measurable results. Rather than simply saying you’re collaborative, explain how those skills helped you achieve a successful outcome.
>>MORE: How to Write an Entry-Level Cover Letter (Example)
In an Interview
Your interview is where you bring those skills to life through storytelling. A simple way to structure your answers is with the STAR method:
- Situation: Explain the context.
- Task: Describe your responsibility.
- Action: Share what you did.
- Result: Explain the outcome.
Even if you don’t explicitly say you used a transferable skill, showing how you solved a problem or adapted to change demonstrates it naturally.
Image credit: Michelangelo Buonarroti / Pexels
