WHY ARE TRANSFERABLE SKILLS SO IMPORTANT IN THE NEW NORMAL
The business world is an ever-evolving entity. That’s why it loves people who can wear multiple hats as and when needed. In other words, it is more favorable to people with transferable skills. Now, you may wonder what this mystical phrase precisely entails. But, worry not. We’re about to break that down.
What are transferable skills and why are they important?
Transferable skills are abilities that indicate how well an individual can perform in a broad set of roles. In the literal sense, they are skills that seamlessly transfer from one job to another. As we go further in our discussion, we’ll discuss what some of these skills are. But first, let’s go over why they are valuable. Transferable skills depict your value as an employee outside of your core competency. They signal a capability to get the job done even when you’re not the ideal candidate. Meaning, people with transferable skills will add tons of value to a company in the long run. So, it’s only natural for such people to have more employment and career growth opportunities at their disposal.
Transferable skills and the new normal
Even in a “normal” world, transferable skills had the power to make or break someone’s career. Now that we’re living in a world abundant with unprecedented challenges, transferable skills are even more essential than before. Think about it yourself. Since businesses have seen how much events like COVID can affect operations, wouldn’t they want to work with people equipped to handle chaos and unpredictably? Wouldn’t they want to hire individuals skilled at handling whatever the job throws at them? The answer is obvious here, isn’t it?
Key transferable skills you must develop to remain a competent employee
Now that we’ve discussed what transferable skills are and how they impact your employability, let’s dive into some actionable insights. Here are 7 transferable skills that’ll make you a rock-solid employee for years to come:-
Knowing your strengths and weaknesses helps you optimize your job performance. It also makes it easy to ascertain when you need help as well as when you don’t. Moreover, self-awareness extrapolates into better emotional intelligence. Taking out the time to understand yourself will give you empathy — a skill often underestimated in professional contexts. All in all, self-awareness is a trait that makes you an asset to whoever employs you.
It’s one thing to think well, and entirely another to communicate well. Though both skills are needed to excel in professional environments, the latter takes precedence. There are going to be days when you won’t be able to do your best thinking. Not all your ideas and endeavours will become a raging success. However, if you’re unable to communicate clearly, you make it difficult for your allies to extend help. You even close the door to guidance when you need it the most. Also, clear-communication makes you fit for leadership positions. Moreover, given how businesses have switched to remote operationally, clear-communication has become even more vital than before. Work-teams cannot collaborate effectively if they communicate poorly.
Ability to work independently
An employee's drive to be a go-getter is as important as his job-specific skill set. That’s because the business world is mired with slackers who rely on an extra push to meet objectives. So, if you’re someone who can get the job done without extensive supervision, you’ll automatically become more valuable than the employee next-door. Your superiors will see you as someone reliable who can step up to the occasion when needed. Thus, you’ll open the door to more opportunities. In a way, it’s baffling how much of a difference merely acting as a responsible individual can make for your career growth. But, bear in mind that the ability to work independently must not come at the cost of collaborative skills.
Relation with people and machines around us
Interpersonal skills are essential to being a good employee. If you’re not able to build rapport with your co-workers and your superiors, you’re a hindrance to smooth and effective collaboration. But, that’s not all. The contemporary workspace also requires employees to have a good relationship with the machines around them. Being able to adapt to new technology makes you someone who is future-ready. From a company’s point-of-view, employees who do well with people, as well as technology, serve as good long-term investments. After all, think about the future that we’re heading towards. With automation looming over our heads, core people skills and creative thinking will save tens of thousands from unemployability. At the same time, value also exists in knowing how to make automation work for you and the organisation you’re working for. Circling back to our core argument, succeeding in the future is all about doubling down on interpersonal and tech skills.
If there’s one thing companies hate more than passive employees, it is quitters. No one wants to deal with someone who is destined to add to an organisation’s attrition rate. On the other hand, employees who display perseverance when the going gets tough reap rewards in the long-run. Just like people who can work independently, they’re seen as reliable individuals who can be trusted with important tasks. Moreover, resilience is a must-have as you progress in your career. As your responsibilities increase, tough days will become more frequent. So, if you’re someone who caves easily under pressure, you simply won’t be able to excel at high-level positions.
If 2020 is any indicator, companies need to have an adaptable workforce. Business organisations are dynamic entities that face new challenges every day. Moreover, said challenges are often unpredictable. Thus, lacking the ability to adapt to changing circumstances will make you more of a crutch than an asset. For example, employees who showed resistance to adopting remote work would have made dealing with COVID more difficult for companies. On the other hand, employees who adapted to the situation quickly would have made the transition 100 times easier. The point here is that businesses prefer to employ people who default to adapting instead of unnecessary complaining.
Businesses often operate under strict deadlines. Higher-ups always want objectives to be completed by yesterday. In the face of such expectations, poor time management is a major red flag. If you spend 4 hours on a task that shouldn’t have taken more than 30 minutes, you pave the way for a bad performance review. Moreover, time management isn’t just about efficiency at individual tasks. It is about being able to know how best to allocate your time when multiple things demand your attention. The crux here is that the better you know how to optimise your time, the better you become as an employee.
The business world is never the same on two days. It always evolves with time. Sometimes, that evolution is harsher than usual. Be that as it may, having transferable skills is the only way for you to thrive in such a space. So, get committed to developing them. Feel free to come back to this post whenever you need some direction to do the same.