Survive and Thrive in Your Job Search

Many job seekers get tunnel vision when it comes to looking for the next position. They assume that the next one will be very similar to the last one. More precisely, most job seekers pigeonhole themselves in their own minds, telling themselves (and prospective employers) that they are what they were. If you were a banker, you are likely to tell prospective employers and network contacts that you are still a banker. If you were a teacher in a high school, you will call yourself a high school teacher.

                You may not be connected to government officials like Tim, but you certainly have skills that you have developed to a very high level in your previous position that other employers will find valuable. 

                Banking involves many different facets such as financial and budget controls, high-level compliance, auditing, mortgage lending, financing. The list goes on. Believe me, there are companies out there (other than banks) that want and need people with that type of experience. Teaching isn’t just about standing in front of a bunch of teenagers and talking for six or seven hours a day. You have amazing experience in organizational development (creating training plans), training and development, and, most important, you are an expert at explaining things to others in an understandable and applicable way. Financial companies, marketing firms, and training consultants all need someone like you!

                So, then, the question becomes, what transferable skills do you have?

                First, allow yourself to recognize that you do have valuable transferable skills. As a new job seeker, you may have difficulty remembering anything that you really did during those last ten years. You may also fall into the common trap of thinking that if you can do it, anyone can. That’s just not true.  You have a unique combination of education and experience paired with particular skills that you mastered and demonstrated. The trick is to first give yourself enough freedom to recognize them and second, to methodically identify them.

Four Steps To Discovering Your Transferable Skills

1. What you love to do?

Have you ever heard the old saying that if you do what you love you will never work a day in your life? That may be trite but it rings true. If you are an avid golfer, you probably jump out of bed on Saturday and Sunday, maybe even earlier than you did during the week for work. There is no hitting the snooze button and you are never, ever late to meet the rest of your foursome at the course. Wouldn’t it be great if you found a job that brought out that type of passion in you?

                Foremost, despite the rampant cries of TGIF workers at week’s end and the typical stereotype of people being completely miserable at their job, there are people out there who love what they do. They are the lucky ones. But nothing says that you can’t join that club with your next position.

                But not everyone can be a professional golfer playing day after day after day, right? Right. But there is a lot more to the game of golf than being a professional player. Country clubs employ everyone from instructors to facilities and fleet managers, from club managers to event coordinators and planners. 

                The key to going from that job you tolerated in corporate America to working in the golf industry you are passionate about? Transferable skills!

                In the coming paragraphs, I am going to encourage you to make lists of things you enjoy, are good at, are known for. But this isn’t an exercise you should plan to complete in the next ten minutes. I understand you are anxious to get going and find your next job, but contemplation about your answers is crucial. So be patient and take this very seriously. Start by thinking of the things that you love to do. Don’t limit it to what you liked at your last job. Similarly, don’t limit it to what you like to do outside of work. Everything is in bounds for these exercises. Broaden your thinking!