Identifying Transferable Skills

STOP underestimating your "unrelated" skills and experience when you're looking for a new job. When I was in college, I had a bunch of odd jobs including working at UCLA’s Campus Call Center. My main objective was to jump on cold calls and convince high schoolers who got accepted to UCLA to come to the school. I knew I really wanted to work in sports, media and entertainment. And this job at the time didn't make any sense to my career growth, but I had to make some money one way or another to pay the bills because my financial aid only got me so far. But with this job, I didn’t see any route or direction that would lead me to my goals. Up to that point, my only "real" jobs were working at Forever 21 as a summer retail associate, YMCA as a referee, and as an afterschool assistant for an elementary school. So each day I’d dial 100+ of calls for work. Then I’d get home and apply for 100s of jobs for me. And it'd lead to rejection after rejection. I couldn’t figure out what I needed to say or do differently to get noticed by organizations. It wasn’t until I realized my current job wasn't just about me making calls. It was about me using skills like: - Relationship management  - Persuasive communication - Marketing strategies By reframing my experience, I transformed my “unrelated” job into a stepping stone for my career. This mindset shift was what helped me finally land a job at UCLA Athletics in student-athlete recruiting where I was now convincing high school athletes recruited by UCLA to commit to our programs. So keep in mind that every experience you’ve had, no matter how small, may already be the game changer you’ve been looking for. The key is identifying those transferable skills that align with your dream opportunities. Questions to ask yourself: - What skills am I truly developing? - How can I articulate these skills to potential employers? - Where else could these abilities be valuable?   What are “unrelated” skills / past experiences that have helped you in other roles? #CareerAdvice #SportsBiz #Media #Entertainment 

Tech skills are not enough in Cybersecurity The higher up you go .. the more you need to speak the language of the business Learn how to communicate with non-technical stakeholders i.e. the people who care about business outcomes more than technical details. Key Areas To Focus On: ↳ Learn key concepts like risk management, ROI, and regulatory compliance. This helps connect cybersecurity efforts to business outcomes, making it easier to gain executive buy-in. ↳ Practice writing concise reports and delivering presentations that break down technical topics into actionable insights for non-technical leaders. ↳ Understand budgeting and financial planning: As a cybersecurity professional, you’ll need to justify security spending and understand how to allocate resources efficiently. Learning budgeting skills will help you make the case for necessary investments. ↳ Grasp project management basics: Many cybersecurity initiatives are cross-functional and require strong project management skills to align teams and ensure deadlines are met. ↳ Learn vendor management: You’ll often need to work with third-party vendors for security tools or services. Understanding how to manage these relationships and negotiate contracts is key. Simple fact is .. if you can’t explain complex security issues in simple, actionable terms, you'll hit a massive career roadblock. Focusing on these skills will set you up for long term success Good luck on your career

I frequently encounter professionals who attribute hiring challenges to degree misalignment rather than examining how they position their qualifications.   This perspective creates unnecessary limitations and overlooks a fundamental hiring reality: employers prioritize problem-solving capability over academic credentials when both factors compete for consideration.   Successful career transitions happen when professionals reframe their educational background: • Highlighting transferable competencies developed through any rigorous academic program • Demonstrating how diverse educational experiences provide unique analytical perspectives • Connecting academic projects and coursework to real business challenges • Positioning non-traditional backgrounds as competitive advantages rather than deficits   The most effective placements I've facilitated often involve candidates whose degrees don't directly align with their target roles.   What distinguishes them is their ability to articulate how their educational foundation contributes to solving employer challenges.   Rather than viewing your degree as a constraint, consider how your academic experience developed thinking patterns, research abilities, and analytical frameworks that apply across multiple industries and functions.   Your educational background equipped you with problem-solving methodologies - the application domain is often more flexible than you assume.   How have you successfully leveraged an "unrelated" educational background in your career progression?   Sign up to my newsletter for more corporate insights and truths here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju   #deepalivyas #eliterecruiter #recruiter #recruitment #jobsearch #corporate #transferableskills #careertransition #educationalbackground #careerstrategist

We academics underestimate how transferable our skills are. Because we were trained to never name them. That became obvious when I applied for startup funding during my post-doc with a friend. We had no entrepreneurship background. No business language. No startup playbook. Yet we went far in the competition. We made it to the final four. We didn’t have to do anything new. We were doing exactly what we had always done in academia: defining problems precisely, mapping what already existed, identifying gaps, testing ideas, refining arguments, and explaining why something mattered under pressure. Here is what struck me. 1. Problem-solving is universal Academic work teaches you to define problems clearly. Investors do not care that it is a research problem. They care that you can solve one. 2. Mapping existing knowledge matters everywhere Literature reviews apply outside academia. Understanding the landscape, spotting gaps, and positioning an idea is exactly what startups need. 3. Testing and iterating is a skill Experimentation is not limited to academia. Hypotheses, pilots, and refining based on feedback translate directly to real-world projects. 4. Explaining why it matters under pressure is rare Presentations, thesis defences, and writing for reviewers train you to make persuasive arguments. That skill is immediately legible outside academia. 5. Competence is often invisible in academia We assume our skills are obvious. Outside, they are highly visible and valuable if we can articulate them. Yes, we did not win. But what surprised us was how much of what we are good at is hidden by academic norms and language. I think people should feel more comfortable applying their research skills in other environments. The one thing that was different from academia was the pace. Things move fast. That can be challenging, but it is also why exposing yourself to new environments is so valuable. Your research skills can take you further than you think, even outside academia.

Career changers! Learn how to articulate the value of your transferrable skills into the new role you’re looking to apply for especially if you’re pivoting into a completely new industry. Hiring managers need to understand how your skills will be of relevance to the role. If in an interview you are asked why do you think you’d be a good fit for this role Using the example of a teacher looking to pivot into cybersecurity as a Cybersecurity Awareness Trainer you would say something along the lines of : 1. Creating Engaging Training Materials: Through my experience as a teacher, I developed engaging training materials for various audiences, including students, parents, and fellow educators. This skillset will be invaluable when creating training programs on topics like phishing awareness, password management, and secure browsing practices. 2. Communication Skills: As a teacher, I honed my ability to explain complex concepts in simple terms. This skillset will help me effectively communicate cybersecurity principles, such as the importance of two-factor authentication and recognizing social engineering tactics, to a diverse workforce, 3. Adaptability: The classroom environment is dynamic, requiring quick adjustments to lesson plans based on student needs. This adaptability will serve me well in the fast-paced world of cybersecurity, where threats like ransomware and data breaches evolve rapidly. The above is an example of how to articulate your transferrable skills in alignment with the roles needs #careerchanger #careerpivot #skillsforlife #careeradvice

Stop disqualifying yourself from jobs. Start connecting your transferable skills instead 👇🏼 A hard truth I've learned from years as a career coach: Most qualified candidates never apply because they focus on what they lack instead of what they bring. Last month, I worked with Alex who wanted to transition into project management but kept saying "I don't have PM experience." Wrong mindset. This thinking keeps amazing candidates on the sidelines while less qualified (but more confident) people get hired. I helped Alex reframe his background using 3 strategies that landed him 2 offers: ✅ 1 // Map your transferable skills to their actual needs. Don't focus on job titles—focus on problems you've solved. Alex coordinated cross-functional teams, managed budgets, and delivered complex initiatives on time. That's project management, just without the official title. ✅ 2 // Highlight measurable achievements that translate across industries. We repositioned his "event coordination" as "managed $500K budgets and 50+ stakeholders to deliver projects 2 weeks ahead of schedule." Suddenly, his experience looked relevant. ✅ 3 // Reach out to decision makers before jobs are posted. Instead of waiting for perfect job postings, Alex researched target companies and connected with department heads on LinkedIn. He shared insights about challenges they were facing. The result? Two interviews for positions that were never advertised publicly. Both companies extended offers. They were impressed at how well he communicated his experience. The unfortunate reality is most people eliminate themselves from opportunities before employers ever get the chance to. Remember: Companies hire people who can solve their problems, not people with perfect resumes. 📌 Question: What's a role you've talked yourself out of applying for? What transferable skills do you actually have?

When I first transitioned into cybersecurity, I had no technical background. No coding experience (I couldn’t even tell the difference between a line of code and Arabic), no knowledge of networks or firewalls. All I knew was… well, you need a password, even if it’s your pet’s name. Lol. But I had something just as valuable: curiosity, problem-solving, and transferable skills. Reporting, attention to detail, logic, precision, communication all things I’d honed in my previous career. Those “non-technical” skills became my bridge into cybersecurity and helped me thrive. Here’s the kicker: by 2040, the global shortage of cybersecurity professionals is projected to reach 85 million. And with AI automating more tasks, the demand for humans who can think critically, communicate risk, and solve problems will only skyrocket. So if you’ve ever thought, “I’m not technical enough for cybersecurity,” think again. Your unique skills are exactly what this industry will be begging for in the next two decades. Cybersecurity isn’t just for coders, it’s for thinkers, problem-solvers, communicators, and lifelong learners. Could that be you? #Cybersecurity #CareerChange #SkillTransfer #WomenInTech #Mentorship #Audit #CareerGrowth #AI #FutureOfWork

“I want to work in industry post-PhD, so is it worth teaching at all?” I get this question from PhD students who see teaching as a distraction from research. I understand the logic. If you are planning an industry career, why spend time grading papers and preparing lectures? Here is what I learned after years of teaching: Those classroom skills translate directly to industry success. Teaching forced me to develop abilities I never knew I needed: Reading the room — You learn to spot confusion instantly. When a student’s eyes glaze over, you know your explanation is not working. In industry meetings, this skill helps you adjust your message in real-time. Speaking to non-technical audiences — Teaching 101 courses means explaining complex concepts to students from every background imaginable. Business majors, pre-med students, liberal arts majors. You cannot rely on jargon or assume prior knowledge. This prepares you perfectly for explaining your work to executives, stakeholders, and cross-functional teams. Adapting and pivoting on the spot — When your carefully planned lecture is not landing, you have to switch approaches mid-sentence. Industry work requires the same flexibility when your presentation strategy needs to change based on audience reaction. Some of us had to teach as part of our fellowships. But even if I had not been required to teach, I would recommend it for the transferable skills alone. The ability to communicate complex ideas clearly, read your audience, and adapt your approach? These are not just teaching skills. They are leadership skills. PhD students considering industry careers: Do not underestimate the classroom as training ground for your future role. What unexpected skills from academia have served you best in industry? More PhD insights coming next Thursday! Hit follow + 🔔 to join the journey! #PhDHindsight

Maybe this can encourage someone... Whilst on a business trip in Brussels this week, I stumbled upon Quick. For those who don’t know, Quick is a fast food chain popular in Belgium and France, and it also happens to be where I had my very first job. I was 18, in a new country, navigating a new culture and language. Was it my dream job? Not at all. But that experience taught me so many skills that I still use today. Almost 16 years later, now as a leader in the Talent Acquisition space, I’m passionate about reminding students and recent grads not to underestimate experiences like these. These early jobs can be powerful examples during interviews, showcasing teamwork, attention to detail, process management, multitasking, objection handling, and dealing with difficult customers (nothing worse than a hangry one!). 😅 Practice how to position those experiences using the STAR method so interviewers can clearly see the transferable skills you bring to the table. PS: Anyone else bite their bottom lip when concentrating? Apparently, I still do! 😅 #recruitment #careeradvice #interviews #CareerGrowth #EarlyCareer #TransferableSkills #TalentAcquisition