Transferable skills and NACE career readiness competencies are abilities, attributes, and personal qualities obtained during your study and experiences that you can apply across career sectors and roles. The key is to articulate these skills and competencies on your résumé and cover letter to demonstrate to a potential employer how these skills transfer to the workplace and the position to which you are applying.
Become Career Ready: Skills Employers Seek – UConn Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills
Some employers may consider additional competencies to be essential for career readiness. These may include, but not be limited to:
| Project Management |
| Identify and set goals and integrate team members when appropriate. Create timelines and prioritize tasks. |
| The individual can manage a project from beginning to end. Maintain flexibility and address unexpected problems. |
| Analytical Skills |
| Sorting, analyzing, and applying mathematics to numbers and other data. |
| The individual can comprehend large amounts of information and interpret what is relevant. Compile, analyze, evaluate, and summarize quantitative and/or qualitative data. |
| Research |
| Identify sources of information to solve problems and convey search results. |
| The individual can conduct research, employing approaches that may include qualitative, quantitative, and/or mixed-methods research. |
Identifying And Articulating Your Transferable Skills & Career Readiness Competencies
Job and internship postings typically list skills necessary for the position. Make a list of the skills you possess. Determine where you have used those skills and include them in your résumé.
Consider using a spreadsheet to track which skills and competencies you possess, where you used them, and where they might appear in your résumé.
This is a sample activity, and you can create your own list of skills and competencies.
| Which skills have you demonstrated? | In which experiences have you developed/applied this skill? | Through what activities/duties, actions, or achievements can you show this skill? | What was the purpose or outcome of using this skill? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative | |||
| Analytical | |||
| Creative | |||
| Critical Thinking | |||
| Customer Service | |||
| Interpersonal | |||
| Leadership | |||
| Organizational | |||
| Persuasion | |||
| Problem-Solving | |||
| Project Management | |||
| Quantitative | |||
| Research | |||
| Teaching | |||
| Time Management | |||
| Verbal Communication | |||
| Written Communication |
