Page 69 - Marky Stein - Fearless Career Change_ The Fast Track to Success in a New Field (2004)

Testing the Waters

are unique, and so are your personal preferences. You’ll learn
about each through the different steps of this exercise.

Transferable Skills
The first part of this exercise focuses on transferable skills. A trans-
ferable skill is a skill that can transfer from one job to another. In
other words, these are skills you use at your current job that will
transfer to whatever profession you choose next. Managing, orga-
nizing, and communicating are some of the most common trans-
ferable skills because they can be used in such a wide variety of
industries and occupations.
Office managers, financial planners, entrepreneurs, and logis-
tics directors are examples of just a few of the careers that entail
organizational, management, and communication skills. Although
the jobs seem quite different at face value, they share a core group
of skills.
Understanding your transferable skills will make it easier for
you to change occupations. Your skills go with you. In the next
chapter, you’ll learn how and why transferable skills are going to be
one of the main strategies you’ll be using to change careers. For
now, focus on learning what your transferable skills are.
This exercise has three steps:

1. On the following list make a checkmark to the left of any of
the transferable skills that you already possess, to whatever
degree you know how to do them (you don’t have to be an
expert).
2. Then go back through the list and circle the skills you’d
actually like to use in the future. It’s okay to circle either
checked or unchecked items.
3. Finally, pick six of the circled skills (they don’t have to have
a checkmark) that you’d really like to use in your next job.
Go for it!

Transferable Skills Checklist
❑ Acting ❑ Advising
❑ Advertising ❑ Aiding

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