Identify Those Elusive Transferable Skills: The 3 Pronged Attack

Not long after starting my coaching practice I delivered a workshop to young Chinese professionals on creating the perfect CV.

I was shocked to discover that the majority of participants were simply incapable of naming something they were good at – despite them all being competent English speakers with better jobs than most of their peers.

Half-way through the workshop, one shy twenty-year-old went mysteriously missing. I learnt later that she had fled to the sanctuary of toilets until the stressful “identify your skills” exercise was over.

It was very sad. But unfortunately, it’s not just young Chinese professionals who struggle to identify what they’re good at.  I’ve spoken to countless people who want to change career direction but say they “have no skills” – or no transferable skills at any rate.

This “no skills” dilemma affects both generalists and specialists, though in different ways:

You are a generalist if…

You have quite a vague-sounding job title, like “project manager.” You know a little about a lot of things, but there’s always someone who is more highly skilled than you in any field you care to name.

In fact, you frequently find yourself wondering what exactly you do all day. You spend a lot of time speaking to various stakeholders within and outside your organisation, but you never have anything that concrete to show for it (or not anything you can point to and say “that was down to me”).

The trick for generalists is to name those invisible skills that you are employing, even if it doesn’t always feel like it.

You are a specialist if…

You have the opposite problem.  It’s all too clear what your skills are –  they’ve become inextricably linked with your professional identity. You are an auditor/ IT programmer/vascular surgeon/chiropodist.  You want to do something else but your current trade is all you know.

The trick for specialists is to recognise that your technical skill is just one of the many skills you have acquired over the course of your professional life.  For example, a good chiropodist will have highly developed people/communication skills as well as knowing how to sort out your feet.

Bring on the 3 pronged attack!

Say you’ve had a good think, and you’ve teased out your invisible skills or identified the broader skill-set you’ve acquired. Do you wholeheartedly believe that these skills are true of you? The problem with relying solely on self-reflection is that we may fear we’re simply coming up with a subjectively rosy view of ourselves.

So bring on the 3 pronged attack!  Ask 3 other people what they consider you are best at.  We shine in different ways in different situations, so to get a well rounded view, ask

1. A family member
2. A close friend
3. A co-worker

Ask each person to cite a specific instance where you showed that skill. You want hard evidence to dispel any self-doubt.

Pin down your feedback

Watch out for feedback like “you’re really enthusiastic” or “you’re great with people”.

Enthusiasm is a personality trait or strength, not a skill. A trait is anything which describes how you go about doing what you do e.g. determined, honest, meticulous, patient. By all means collect and appreciate these strengths though, as you’ll need to understand how to use them in your job search or new business venture.

“Great with people” is lovely to hear but too vague. So interrogate! In what way precisely are you good with people – what is the exact skill?: managing teams, cross- cultural communication, persuading, leading, resolving conflict? People on a one to one basis, or people in a group? Certain types of people, or everyone and his dog?

Attack your “no skills” fears with these 3 effective prongs, and you’ll never be that poor person taking a tactical loo break.