Transferable Skills

Think beyond your label—years of academic life have pushed you to fine-tune a statement regarding your research interests that is short and to the point. It often starts with “I am a doctoral student in…” To hone your transferable skills, or the skills that are valued in research as well as other career areas, you have to break away from thinking about yourself in those terms. Prove that you can do the job even when you do not have direct job experience—you will do this by learning to think broadly and comprehensively about your transferable skills. Know how to identify your transferable skills. For everything that you have achieved in your life, there is an accompanying set of skills that will add value to you as a job applicant. Know how to describe them. Know how to portray your transferable skills in industry terms. There are phrases that resonate with key industries and organizations in their search for new recruits. Identify the correct terms to be understood in your chosen career field.