Transferable Skills: How to Identify and Write Them on Your Resume
The main categories, a four-step method, and examples of how to translate skills from one job to another on your resume.
What are transferable skills? They are the skills you pick up in a job, a training program, or an activity that stay useful in another context: managing a budget, supervising a team, advising customers, organizing a schedule, writing. They are at the heart of a career change or a first job, because they show the recruiter that you already know how to do part of the work, even if your background comes from somewhere else.
Here is how to identify them and put them on your resume, with examples for moving from one job to another.
The main families of transferable skills
| Family | Examples |
|---|---|
| Customer relations | Front desk, advising, handling complaints, building loyalty |
| Organization | Planning, prioritizing, meeting deadlines |
| Management | Tracking a budget, cash handling, inventory, dashboards |
| Supervision | Training coworkers, leading a team, scheduling |
| Communication | Writing, public speaking, presenting |
| Digital tools | Spreadsheets, management software, collaboration tools |
| Problem solving | Diagnosing issues, finding solutions, handling the unexpected |
Identify your transferable skills in four steps
- List your actual tasks, in every job and activity, without filtering: everything you did day to day.
- Read five job postings for the role you are targeting and note the skills they ask for.
- Make the connection: for each required skill, find a past task that used it.
- Translate it into the vocabulary of the new job: an accounting recruiter understands “tracked an annual budget of $80,000” much better than “ran the store.”
Examples of moving from one job to another
| Previous job | New job | Transferable skills |
|---|---|---|
| Cashier | Administrative assistant | Front desk, accuracy in handling payments, managing customer flow |
| Store manager | Accounting assistant | Tracking revenue, end-of-day cash reconciliation, budgeting |
| Server | Call center representative | Customer relations, speed, handling stress |
| Nursing assistant | Insurance advisor | Knowledge of the care process, active listening, explaining clearly |
| Sales representative | Trainer | Public speaking, persuasion, adapting to your audience |
| Military service member | Security officer or logistics team lead | Following procedures, supervising, handling stress |
| Teacher | Corporate training specialist | Designing content, leading groups, evaluating results |
Where to put them on your resume
- In your resume summary: the most useful skill for the new role, in one sentence.
- In a “Key Skills” section placed at the top of the resume, before your experience.
- In the descriptions of your past jobs, rewritten to highlight these skills rather than the tasks specific to your old job.
Example of rewriting a job
Before: “Store manager, clothing retail: sales, managing the team, window displays, ordering.”
After, for an accounting assistant role: “Store manager, 2018 – 2025: tracked an annual budget of $80,000, reconciled daily cash with no discrepancies, managed supplier orders and invoices, scheduled a team of five.”
The job is the same, but the description highlights what the new recruiter cares about.
Proving your transferable skills
A transferable skill needs to be concrete and verifiable. Add a number, a timeframe, or a result: “trained four new colleagues,” “managed a portfolio of 180 clients,” “built a tracking spreadsheet that cut missed deadlines.” In an interview, prepare a specific situation for each one, told in three parts: the context, your action, the result.
Transferable skills from a first job
Without work experience, your activities still provide them: a treasurer role at a student club proves you can manage a budget, competitive sports show teamwork, a part-time job shows reliability and customer contact. Present them the same way.
The words to use
A transferable skill is written with an action verb and a specific object, just like a job duty. A few examples:
- “Managed an $80,000 annual budget” instead of “good with money.”
- “Trained and mentored four new colleagues” instead of “patient teacher.”
- “Handled about 60 customer requests a day” instead of “customer service.”
- “Built schedules for a team of five” instead of “organized.”
This wording makes the skill verifiable and ties it directly to the new job.
Mistakes to avoid
- Listing general skills with no connection to the target job.
- Keeping the vocabulary of your old field, which the recruiter won’t understand.
- Claiming a skill you couldn’t back up in an interview.
- Forgetting skills gained outside work: volunteering, projects, responsibilities.
Frequently asked questions
Are transferable skills enough to change careers?
They help a lot, but training or some initial experience in the new field is often still necessary.
How many should you put on a resume?
Three to five, the most useful ones for the target job.
Can a skills assessment help?
Yes, it helps you identify your skills and build your plan. It may be covered by your employer or a workforce development program.
What about in a cover letter?
Mention the most useful skill with an example.
Do transferable skills matter to recruiters outside of career changes?
Yes. For any change of industry, company type, or level of responsibility, they show what you bring right away. They’re also useful when applying without every skill the job asks for.
How should you talk about them in an interview?
With a specific example for each one: the situation, what you did, the result, then how it will help in the new job. One or two minutes per example is enough.
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