This is part 2 of a 4-part blog series about transferable skills.
This forms part of section 6 of our Energise career e course: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/e-course/
Read part 1: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/transferable-skills-where-next-part-1/
How can you use your best skill in new contexts?
People often don’t know how the skills they use in one context could be useful in another context, job or career.
We can only know what we know, and it can be hard to be clear about what other career options are open to us.
One of the things that I do with my clients is help them understand how their minds work and the steps they take with solving a problem for example; then identify other contexts where this approach could be useful. It is amazing how skills are transferable to completely new areas.
Examples of skills that can be transferred:
• From sales to fundraising
• From marketing products to marketing people
• From organising events to project management
We’ll take each one at a time and show how the skill in each case is transferable.
From sales to fundraising
If you are good at selling with the following skills: persuasion, listening, understanding needs, overcoming objections, understanding motivations, influencing and achieving a ‘win win’, then you can use these same skills in the area of fundraising. The skills it takes to persuade someone to buy something are equally relevant in fundraising – persuading them to part with cash for a good cause, whether as a one off or a regular donation via direct debit.
From marketing products to marketing people
In the past I worked in marketing in the food industry and spent time on chilled ready meals, sausages, pizzas etc.
Marketing is about understanding the needs of your customers, segmenting them into smaller groups with similar needs and creating things that are appealing to them. I now use those same skills to help people to market themselves as well as market my own business and services.
I help my clients to think about and research the needs of their target audience, whether it is an employer or customer, then define what makes themselves unique and work out how to appeal to their audience. Same skill, different context.
One of the reasons I created the Energise career e-course is because many people dislike marketing themselves. They avoid it so don’t realise their potential. I help them to understand their limiting beliefs about self-promotion, to feel more comfortable about it, define their personal brand and increase their chances of success.
I feel more passionate about the difference I can make helping people to market themselves rather than marketing food!
From organising events to project management
If you are good at organising events, creating a clear outcome, thinking about what’s involved, planning ahead, communicating tasks and deadlines clearly and effectively, and engaging the team involved under pressure, you could use these same skills as a project manager.
Project management is a role needed in many different industries and professions and it may be a question of reshaping your CV to emphasis certain aspects more.
More examples of transferable skills will be shared in parts 3 and 4 of this four part blog series about transferable skills.
What next?
If you are at a major career crossroads and thinking about changing career direction, becoming self-employed or developing a portfolio career, we can help.
This blog is an extract from section 6 of our Energise career e course: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/e-course/
Why not get in touch to arrange your free no obligation meeting?https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/contact-us/
Save the dates! Coming soon.
Energise seminars to help you to market yourself.
10-12 Tuesday 11 May 2021 on Zoom: “Why me? What value do you bring?” https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/marketing-seminar-why-me-what-value-do-you-bring-tickets-149507654419
10-12 Tuesday 15 June 2021 on Zoom. “Marketing me: Proactive marketing.”
Contact us to find out more:https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/contact-us/