Transferable skills

10 posts

Writing a career change resume can be tricky. How can you effectively market yourself to employers in a different industry when you don't have nearly enough experience as the average candidate applying for the same job as you?

If you're looking to make a career change, optimizing your resume becomes even more important than it normally is. It's also critical to write a disruptive cover letter and make strategic networking and intentional branding the priority.

Follow these five tips for an effective career change resume so you can land your dream job in a new industry.

1. Create An Interview Bucket List

An interview bucket list is a list of 10-20 companies you'd love to work for. Before beginning your job search as a career changer, having an interview bucket list is a must.

How can you identify the right companies to add to your interview bucket list? Well, it's simpler than it sounds. Think about the companies you admireâfor their mission, the product or service they provide, or both. Then, determine whether you could find an opportunity at these companies that aligns with your career change goals.

When creating your interview bucket list, you're ultimately looking for companies you connect with. Why are you passionate about working for them? Tell that connection story in your disruptive cover letter. Then, you'll be able to tailor your resume for specific job openings at these companies, customizing it for each position that you apply for. This leads to our next tip for a career change resume...

2. Highlight Your Transferable Skills

Transferable skills are hard skills that are in demand across many different roles and industries. As a career changer, highlighting your transferable skills on your resume is the key to looking as qualified as possible for the position you're applying for.

Never include soft skills on your resume. It doesn't matter whether you're changing careers or not. Soft skills cannot be quantified. Therefore, they do not belong on your resume.

For example, "detail-oriented" is a soft skill, and "project management" is a transferable skill. You may not have experience managing the types of projects in the industry you're looking to get a job in, but if you have the skill, you'll likely be able to transition into a role that requires project management smoothly.

3. Focus On Your Accomplishments

In the "Work History" section of your resume, you'll want to focus on what you accomplished in previous roles, keeping your transferable skills in mind. For each role you list, you should have at least three bullet points detailing your quantifiable accomplishments.

Employers want to see what you accomplished in your previous roles and how those accomplishments could translate to success in their industry. They don't care what your tasks or responsibilities were. That won't tell them the value you provide as a business-of-one.

What accomplishments are you most proud of in your career? Write those down. Hiring managers will probably be impressed by them too.

4. Avoid Irrelevant Information

Any irrelevant information you include on your career change resume will hurt your chances of getting an interview. Hiring managers spend only seconds reviewing each resume that comes across their desk. If they can't easily identify relevant information, they'll assume you aren't qualified for the position and toss your resume.

Only including relevant information on your resume will be difficult if you're changing careers. But if you follow the tips above, you should be on the right track.

5. Use The "Additional Experience" Section To Your Advantage

The "Additional Experience" section of your resume is the perfect place to showcase more relevant work or volunteer experience for the industry you're looking to switch to.

Did you volunteer at an organization within the same industry? Have you worked on special projects that involved the industry in some way? This section is where you should include any remaining relevant information you believe makes you qualified for the job you're applying for.

These five tips will help you write an effective career change resume. Just remember the importance of strategic networking and intentional branding in your job search as well.

To get your resume in front of hiring managers, you'll likely need to go around the ATS and focus on networking your way into companies by connecting with current employees of these companies on LinkedIn. Customizing your resume, writing a disruptive cover letter, and having a solid networking strategy will help you successfully change careers.

Need more help with your career change resume?

Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

5 Tips For A Career Change Resume

Notice: Undefined index: https://i0.wp.com/careershift.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hannah-wei-aso6SYJZGps-unsplash.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 in /home/techjule/careerbeeps.com/wp-content/plugins/featured-image-from-url/includes/attachment.php on line 92

Notice: Undefined index: https://i0.wp.com/careershift.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/hannah-wei-aso6SYJZGps-unsplash.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 in /home/techjule/careerbeeps.com/wp-content/plugins/featured-image-from-url/includes/attachment.php on line 92

Making a career change can be both exhilarating and challenging. Transitioning into a new field often involves showcasing transferrable skills and experiences effectively during interviews. Letâs […]

The post Highlighting Transferable Skills & Experience: Tips for Making a Change in Careers appeared first on Blog Job Hunting Career Management Solutions | CareerShift.

Careers and Employment Education Internship Networking and Public Relations

Highlighting Transferable Skills & Experience: Tips for …

Whether you were fired, laid off, let go, want to make a career change, or just quit your job, it's important to find activities that will make you more employable when you're out of work. Otherwise, you'll have a hard time keeping up with qualified job candidates who aren't desperate for a job.

Also, you'll have a lot of explaining to do when it comes to addressing employment gaps on your resume. Your goal is to fill those employment gaps with productive activities that are relevant to your field.

So, when you're unemployed, don't waste valuable time just sitting around applying for jobs online. Instead, make yourself more employable by doing one (or more!) of these resume boosters:

Upskilling

Upskilling is one of the best ways to give your resume a boost. Think about skill sets that would give you an edge in your industry or target job. Then, determine how you can get those skill sets.

Consider certificate programs, online courses, workshops, free webinars and video tutorials, or professional clubs. Even though you're not currently working, you're proactively finding ways to stay relevant in your industry. That fact alone can give you a huge leg up in your job search.

Temp Work

Happy young man working on his laptop at work while he pets his cat on his lap

Working with temp agencies (or staffing agencies) is a great in-between-jobs option for professionals.

These agencies will match you with companies and place you in temporary jobs. This type of work can lead job seekers to some great opportunities because it allows them to get paid for their work (although minimal), network with different companies, figure out which companies could be a good fit, and potentially receive a full-time job at one of the companies.

Part-Time Work

Young woman works a part-time job while seeking a full-time position

If you can find a part-time job that allows you to hone your current skill sets or build new ones, this is another great way to get a paycheck as well as fill those pesky resume gaps.

Remember, while it would be ideal to find something in your industry, you don't always have to do that. Think about what transferable skills you can gain from a part-time opportunity. How will the skills you use in this part-time job transfer to your target job?

Volunteering

Unemployed professionals take advantage of volunteer opportunities

While it doesn't pay, volunteering is a great way to keep yourself busy, sharpen your skill sets, and network with like-minded people. Find organizations in your area that relate to your field or interests and start making a difference in your community!

Blogging

Happy young woman on her laptop writes for a blog while looking for a job

When blogging first came on the scene, people used it as a way to share their diaries, opinions, and useless knowledge with the world. While some still use blogging as a tool to share their personal lives with the world, others use it more strategicallyâand you should, too! Think about your industry. What advice, insight, ideas, or issues can you write about?

Writing about things that matter in your field can help you establish yourself as an expert in your industry. When recruiters Google you and they see that you've been actively writing about your industry, you'll score brownie points because you're taking steps to be a thought leader in your field (and most employers dig thought leaders).

Instead of spending all of your time sitting on your couch simultaneously searching for jobs while watching reruns of Friends, find ways to stay active in your field. It can really pay off!

Need more help with your job search?

Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

5 Things That Will INSTANTLY Make You …

Sometimes the reason your resume gets dismissed by employers has nothing to do with your experience and skills. It simply could come down to having phrases that turn employers off.

On top of avoiding overused buzzwords on your resume like "creative," "innovative," "visionary," "team player," "motivated," "highly skilled," "hard worker," "passionate," and "driven"âthat are really blank statements that don't demonstrate anythingâyou want to also avoid certain phrases on your resume at all costs.

Here are some of the top phrases to avoid on your resume:

"Job Duties"

"Job duties" essentially says to the employer that these are my responsibilities on the job. Well, that's fine if the only one you need to impress is the applicant tracking system (ATS) looking for matches in the job description.

The problem with including this phrase on your resume is it doesn't inform the hiring manager how well you perform on the jobâand they ultimately have the final say as to whether your resume is a keeper or not.

A more effective phrase to use is "accomplishments" to describe your work experience. You want to inform the employer of what you did on the job and prove that what you did produced valuable results. You always need to quantify your accomplishments on your resume. The first step in quantifying your accomplishments on your resume is getting rid of the phrase "job duties."

"Transferable Skills"

While professional resume writers speak of highlighting "transferable skills" on your resume when you're looking to make a career change or when you don't have the exact work experience the employer may be looking for, the specific term should be avoided on the resume.

When hiring managers and recruiters see "transferable skills" on a resume, it basically sends the message "I don't have the exact experience or hard skills you're looking for, but..."

A more effective phrase to use is "skills" or "skill set" or even "experience summary" (see below). It doesn't bring attention to the fact that you aren't a direct match with what they are looking for, but goes straight to the point of what you can offer that is of value to them.

"Objective Statement"

Traditionally, the objective statement takes a prime spot at the top of the resume detailing what you, the job seeker, are looking forâbut that's no way to compete in today's job market. The opening of your resume needs to make a bold statement informing the employer what you can do for them.

Replace an objective statement with an experience summary, which is a list of 6-8 hard or transferable skills needed for the specific job you're applying for. It'll help you stand out to employers within seconds of them reviewing your resume.

"References Available Upon Request"

A hiring manager goes through job applications with outdated phrases you should never include on resumes

You can assume all employers will go through a reference check before they hire you. Including this phrase on your resume is simply a waste of space and makes your resume come across as outdated since it was common practice to include it at the end of the resume years ago before ATS changed the landscape of the job search process.

Today's job seekers need a well-polished resume to compete. Avoiding overused buzzwords and phrases that say nothing or that may imply something negative will help keep you in the running.

We know today's hiring managers get more applicants than needed for each job opening, so don't let bad phrases be the cause for them turning away your resume!

Need more help with your job search?

Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

4 Phrases You Should Never Have On …

Do you want to leave your job but don't want to give your two weeks' notice until you find a new one? With the right job search strategy, you can easily find a job while you're still employed.

One of our Work It DAILY fans wrote in and said, "Hey, I want to quit my job and start a new one. What should be my to-do list today?"

I'm going to walk you through the four basic steps that you should take in order to make that happen.

Referrals Matter

Now, before I begin, I want to remind you of an important fact. Up to 80% of all jobs today are gotten via referral. So blindly applying online is not going to work for you. Only 3% of the people who apply online ever get called by recruiters or hiring managers.

The four steps that I'm going to outline for you are going to help you go around that ATS (applicant tracking system) and connect with recruiters and hiring managers so you stand out as a great job candidate.

So, let's break it down...

Step 1: Inventory Your Skills

You need to inventory your transferable skills. These are all the hard skills that will be helpful in your next job. You may perform some or all of these things in a future position.

Step 2: Get On LinkedIn

You're going to take those transferable skills you've identified and make sure they're optimized on both your resume and your LinkedIn profile.

Recruiters are always searching for those key terms when looking for potential job candidates, so if you have your transferable skills listed on your LinkedIn profile (in your LinkedIn headline, for example) you're going to improve your chances that they'll connect with you and reach out to you about job opportunities you're a fit for.

Step 3: Make A Bucket List

Next, create what's called an interview bucket list. This is a list of 10 to 20 companies that you would love to work for and that hire for your skill sets.

The best way to build an interview bucket list is to research companies you feel a connection to. Make sure you'd be able to either commute to or work remotely for these companies. If your skills also match the jobs they hire for, the company belongs on your interview bucket list!

Step 4: Identify People At Your Bucket List Companies

Finally, you're going to identify people who work at the companies on your interview bucket list and use your networking connections to get introduced to them.

You want to be able to have conversations with people who are currently employed at these companies. They can help you understand what it takes to stand out in the hiring process and potentially introduce you to hiring managers.

The Most Efficient Way To Find A New Job

This brings me back to my very first point about getting referred to companies. This is the best, fastest, most efficient way for you to find a new job while employed because you don't have time all day to spend on your job search. Work smarter, not harder!

Need more help with your job search?

Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

4 Things To Do: Getting A New …

As we all know, most of us will reach a time in our work life when we have to reinvent our careers for an evolving economy. Some of us go back to school while others enter new businesses.

The first thing you want to do when considering a career change is to stop thinking of yourself as just a job title, whether that be financial analyst, human resources specialist, manager, teacher, or homemaker. No matter how you spend the first part of your career, whether it's coaching soccer or fully entrenched in corporate America, we all end up developing specific expertise.

If you start your own independent business from scratch, you will need to know something about every aspect of the business, from managing staff to selling your product or service.

If you're interested in switching to a new industry, you might want to consider a franchise, which comes with a tried-and-true business model, a brand name, and marketing expertise, as well as a training program and ongoing support. With a franchise, you get to operate your own business while having a team of experts behind you.

To accurately gauge your preparedness for any new endeavor, you should consider all the skills you have accumulated that can be transferred to a new career.

As you take inventory of your transferable skills, you want to dive deep into the details of your day to accurately assess your strengths for a successful career change.

1. List What You Do In An Average Workday

Person writes down their transferable skills

Make a list of all the activities you perform on any given workday over a week, since not everything you do happens daily. And don't skip anything you may consider "a no-brainer" or insignificant because these little things can add up to a very significant skill that could transfer to another industry seamlessly.

So, if you sometimes have to field phone calls from disgruntled clients, and you've discovered you're really good at calming people's nerves, that's a valuable skill. Even if your job title is "financial analyst."

You never know what skill could make all the difference in your career change.

2. Realistically Assess Your Personal Strengths

Woman on laptop thinks about her personal strengths while trying to make a career change

You don't need to be good at everything, but if cold-calling is an essential aspect of the company you want to apply to in your career change, you need to know you can do this day in and day out.

Consider core skills such as communications, business acumen, managing people, marketing, and so on. Be honest with yourself and stay clear of jobs that rely on skills that are not among your strengths. Changing careers is a lot easier when you know all of your strengths and how they can help you succeed in your next job.

3. Are You Detail-Oriented Or More The Big-Picture Thinker?

If you're a numbers person and love tabulating figures, you may want to find a business that can capitalize on this valuable skill. Or maybe you prefer creating strategies that can make the whole operation run more smoothly.

Being detail-oriented or a big-picture thinker aren't hard skills. They're just adjectives and definitely DON'T belong on your resume. But knowing which category you fall under should help you identify the hard skills you possess that make you one or the other.

4. Do You Have Good Follow-Through?

Female executive leads a meeting after successfully changing careers

Building a clientele involves not only making good connections but following through to convert these new contacts into lasting relationships. Follow-through can also be an essential attribute in managing staff. A good franchise program can help you learn this skill.

While you don't want to state you have good follow-through on your resume, you should quantify your work experiences so that employers will get that impression when they read your job application. When trying to change careers, quantifiable skills and accomplishments are a necessity.

5. Are You A People Person?

Man smiles at his new job after making a career change

Do you love being around and meeting new people? Do you strike up conversations easily and enjoy learning about other people's interests and goals? Many businesses require a whole range of people skills in hiring and managing staff and attracting and keeping customers, but there are lots of businesses where the role of the owner mainly involves working alone at your computer.

No matter where you end up after your career change, you will have to deal with people in some way, shape, or form. But if you don't want a customer-facing role, it's good to know that so you can choose which transferable skills to highlight in your resume and which to omit.

With personal skills inventory in hand, you're now ready to begin researching businesses that would best match your skills and interests. A career change can be scary. But if you're confident about the skills you've developed in your career up to this point, you'll be just fine.

Need more help with your career change?

Become a member to learn how to successfully change careers and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

Reinventing Your Career? 5 Steps To Assess …

This is for all the teachers who are thinking about making a career change and aren't sure what to do with their transferable skills.

In my experience working with teachers inside the Work It Daily community, these are the best jobs for teachers leaving education:

Strategic Or Conceptual Selling Jobs

@j.t.odonnell Replying to @patsrimbau Job For Teachers Leaving Education #teachersoftiktok #teacher #education #job #jobtok #career #careertok â¬ original sound - J.T. O'Donnell

Not every teacher, but many teachers are really good at what we call strategic or conceptual selling. This isn't the sales where you're cold-calling or knocking on doors. This is complex selling where you listen to the customer's needs and then help them envision and understand how your software, product, serviceâwhatever you're sellingâwill work for them.

Strategic or conceptual selling jobs require somebody to be great at educating and they need to have the right personality. Teachers have usually dealt with kids their whole life, so dealing with adult learners seems easier to them and they end up excelling in these roles. I can't tell you how many teachers I've seen leave teaching and make big money doing this. Strategic or conceptual selling might not be right for every teacher making a career change, but it might be right for you.

If you want to know if you're a fit for strategic or conceptual selling, I built a FREE 20-question quiz that you can take that helps you determine your top workplace personas. Your workplace personas are how you like to create value on the job and how you'll feel satisfied doing work. Those will dictate the kinds of careers that you're fit for. And if you get educator and then other things like visionary or super connector in your quiz results, those kinds of combinations make you ideal for strategic or conceptual selling.

You are never too old to switch careers, but you need to know how you like to create value to get out there and sell those transferable skills to employers. Because again, they're going to have to understand that value and they're not going to just see it on a piece of paper like a resume. You're going to have to explain it to them. And this kind of quiz can help.

Need more help with your career change?

Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

The Best Jobs For Teachers Leaving Education

Project management skills are planning, executing, monitoring, and controlling projects of different sizes and scopes. They involve setting clear goals and objectives, defining roles and responsibilities, managing resources and risks, communicating effectively, and delivering quality results.

If you have project management skills, you might think they are only helpful for managing projects. But that's not true! Project management skills are valuable for project managers and anyone who works on projects or leads teams because these skills are transferable to other job roles and industries. In fact, they can give you an edge over other candidates and help you achieve your career goals.

Let's jump into what project management skills can help you plan, organize, execute, monitor, and control projects of any size and complexity.

Project Management Skills: The Secret To Success

Project management skills are necessary to successfully plan, manage, and execute projects. These skills include hard and soft skills to analyze project performance, manage resources, lead teams, and report progress and results.

Some of the essential project management skills are:

Communication: Convey messages clearly and effectively to various stakeholders, such as clients, team members, suppliers, and senior management. Communication skills also involve listening, presenting, writing, and negotiating.
Leadership: Inspire, motivate, and guide team members toward a common goal. Leadership skills also involve setting expectations, delegating tasks, providing feedback, resolving conflicts, and managing change.
Organization: Prioritize tasks, manage time, document information, and keep track of details. Organizational skills also involve multitasking, planning, scheduling, and following processes.
Negotiation: Reach agreements that satisfy the interests of all parties involved. Negotiation skills also involve persuasion, compromise, collaboration, and problem-solving.
Team management: Coordinate and collaborate with diverse team members across different functions, locations, and cultures. Team management skills also involve building trust, fostering communication, encouraging participation, and resolving issues.
Time management: Complete tasks within deadlines and budget constraints. Time management skills also involve estimating effort, setting milestones, tracking progress, and managing risks.
Risk management: Identify, analyze, and mitigate potential threats and opportunities affecting the project outcome. Risk management skills also involve contingency planning, scenario analysis, and decision-making.
Problem-solving: Find solutions to complex and unexpected challenges that may arise during the project lifecycle. Problem-solving skills also involve creativity, logic, analysis, and evaluation.
Budget management: Estimate costs, allocate resources, monitor expenses, and control spending. Budget management skills also involve forecasting, reporting, and auditing.
Motivation: Maintain enthusiasm and commitment throughout the project duration. Motivation skills also involve self-discipline, resilience, optimism, and passion.
Technical writing: Produce clear, concise documents communicating project information to various audiences. Technical writing skills also involve formatting, editing, proofreading, and referencing.

Project Management Skills: Benefits For You & Your Company

Project management skills are essential because they can help you achieve your professional goals and deliver value to your organization. By applying project management skills to your work, you can:

Improve your efficiency and productivity by planning, organizing tasks, managing time, and avoiding rework.
Enhance your quality and performance by following standards, meeting requirements, solving problems, and managing risks.
Increase your satisfaction and engagement by setting clear objectives, aligning your work with your values, motivating yourself and others, and celebrating achievements.
Strengthen your relationships and reputation by communicating effectively, leading by example, collaborating with others, negotiating win-win outcomes, and delivering on your promises.

Showcase Your Project Management Skills In Different Industries

Project management skills are transferable and applicable to any job role or industry involving projects or tasks with specific goals, scope, time, and resources. Here are a few examples of how you can use these skills in multiple industries:

IT: IT projects involve developing or implementing software or hardware solutions that require technical expertise, innovation, and integration. Project management skills can help you manage requirements, design, development, testing, deployment, maintenance, and support.

Marketing: Marketing professionals often work on multiple projects simultaneously, such as launching campaigns, creating content, conducting research, and analyzing data. Project management skills can help them prioritize tasks, manage resources, coordinate with stakeholders, monitor progress, and measure results.

Finance: Finance professionals often work on budgets, forecasts, audits, reports, and analyses of financial data. Project management skills help finance professionals monitor and control tasks and ensure quality and compliance.

Healthcare: Healthcare professionals often provide care and services to patients or clients that involve multiple procedures, interventions, and follow-ups. Project management skills can help them assess needs, plan treatments, coordinate with other providers, document progress, and evaluate outcomes.

Automotive: Automotive professionals often work on complex and lengthy projects. Project management skills help manage project complexity, resource optimization, risk, and customer satisfaction.

Project Management Skills: A Competitive Advantage In Any Industry

As you can see, project management skills are versatile and valuable for any job role or industry. They can help you perform better in your current position, advance your career path, or enable you to switch careers altogether. So don't limit yourself by thinking that project management skills are only for project managers. Instead, embrace them as an asset that can boost your professional growth. So, what are you waiting for? Start applying project management skills to your work today!

Many helpful resources can guide you along the way. A great place to start is the Project Management Institute website, where you can find a wealth of information and tips.

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

Adapt And Thrive With Project Management Skills …

4 Mistakes Job Seekers Make With Their LinkedIn Headline

Being on LinkedIn is a must today. Not only can you find recent and relevant job openings, but it also opens up the opportunity for employers and recruiters to find you, for you to do research on the company and specific individuals within the organization, and for you to build your professional network.

Most of LinkedIn's revenues come from recruiters who use it as a major source for finding talent and you want to make sure you come up in their searches. You also want to make sure that your LinkedIn profile is compelling and gets people to want to contact you.

Your LinkedIn headline is the first thing people will see about you when they search for certain skills, job titles, and keywords inside the platform. Here are some mistakes to avoid making in your LinkedIn headline, and a few tips to improve it:

1. Letting It Default To Your Current Job Title & Company

Man on laptop fixes his LinkedIn headline mistakes

When you don't manually change your LinkedIn headline, it'll default to your current job title and employer name. While it's alright to leave it like that, especially if you have a self-explanatory job title and work with an employer that is recognized, you can get better results when you take the time to customize it.

Write a LinkedIn headline that's relevant to your target audience and includes a few keywords (hard skills). The difference is a LinkedIn headline that reads: "Sales & Marketing Executive | Data Analysis | Social Media | Advertising" instead of "Sales and Marketing at XYZ Company."

The revised LinkedIn headline does a better job of informing others of what this person does, who they do it for, and what their expertise is.

2. Not Presenting Your Selling Point

Woman on laptop changes her LinkedIn headline

Your LinkedIn headline needs selling points or a value proposition that makes you stand out.

What is it that separates you from someone else who may hold similar skills and experience? Which hard skills or transferable skills will make you a great candidate for the job you're applying for? That's what you need to think about.

3. Not Peppering Your LinkedIn Headline With Keywords

Man on laptop edits his LinkedIn headline

If you want your LinkedIn profile to show up in search results, it has to have the relevant keywords recruiters and hiring managers are searching for. Determine what those keywords are and make sure they're in your LinkedIn headline. Be sure to include the skills needed for the position you want to get, not the one you're currently in.

Let's say a recruiter is searching for talent to fill a sales position at a pharmaceutical company that sells cancer drugs. If your LinkedIn headline only reads "Sales Professional," you'll probably show up much lower in the search results than someone with a LinkedIn headline that hits on some of the keywords.

An example of a good LinkedIn headline might be:

Sales Executive | Pharmaceutical Sales | Sales Management | Lead Generation

4. Not Being Memorable

Woman brainstorms what to write in her LinkedIn headline

A LinkedIn headline displaying your skills and expertise will entice others to want to know more about you. Work your brainpower to come up with something powerful and unique.

Write a LinkedIn headline so powerful it'll make recruiters stop scrolling and write down your name!

A major battle job seekers have on LinkedIn is getting others to look at their profiles. But with a customized LinkedIn headline that speaks to the audience you want to reach, you'll get results.

The LinkedIn headline may only allow 220 characters, but it's your best chance to stand out to recruiters and get them to view your profile!

Need more help with your LinkedIn profile?

Sign up for our FREE Resume & LinkedIn Bootcamp today to learn how to update your resume and LinkedIn profile the way recruiters want!

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship

4 Mistakes Job Seekers Make With Their …

Looking for a job has become relatively tough for many people. Even some professionals with advanced academic qualifications, such as bachelor's degrees and even MBAs, are currently having a rough time on the market. However, there are still plenty of jobs out there for the right candidates.

One of the ways of differentiating yourself from other job seekers is by having transferable skills. Broadly speaking, a transferable skill is an expertise that you can use across a wide range of industries.

According to the University of Southern California, many graduates change jobs as many as four times within a period of five years. If you are a job seeker, identifying your transferable skills and articulating them to employers is likely to increase your chances of getting a job.

Here are five transferable skills all job seekers need:

1. Communication

Two professionals with good communication skills

In almost every career, from banking to the hospitality industry, good communication skills are vital. As such, it would be to your advantage if you have the ability to articulate your ideas in writing as well as orally. Since communication normally involves more than one party, you should be a good listener as well.

Employers often look for people who can communicate with co-workers effectively and in an objective manner.

Don't know your workplace communication style? Take our FREE quiz today!

2. Analytical Skills

Woman uses her analytical skills on the job

This is a vital skill in almost every field of work mainly because the majority of businesses generate revenue by solving problems that clients face daily.

For example, cloud-computing companies provide data storage solutions, thereby ensuring that their clients have a backup of data stored on site. Employees can access company data on the go knowing they have secure storage for their information. In such an environment, analytical skills are likely to come in handy when clients face problems such as uploading data or updating certain files. To solve those issues, one would have to identify and define the problem's parameters.

This skill also involves collecting and analyzing data in order to design creative solutions to complex problems.

3. Leadership

Most organizations and business enterprises employ more than one employee. Because of this, it may not be possible to have all the employees in leadership positions. Therefore, a few employees who show the ability to lead generally take charge of the others.

Leadership is all about motivating fellow employees and leading them to work toward a common goal. In addition, leaders analyze tasks and set priorities for the other employees as well as identify and allocate resources that employees need.

4. Information Management Skills

Woman uses her data and information management skills at work

Traditionally, businesses kept a few records such as sales, purchases, and salaries in-house. In most cases, this data was no more than a few gigabytes. However, the emergence of social media, the adoption of e-commerce by consumers, and the large number of data points generated by businesses and corporations have upended the traditional model of managing information. As a result, most employers need employees who can sort and present data objects in an understandable manner.

Information management also involves evaluating and synthesizing information against industry standards. Industries where you can apply this skill set include finance, education, manufacturing, and print media.

5. Project Management

Project managers are in high demand in many industries. Your work as a project manager will involve planning projects, assessing potential risks associated with the project, allocating project finances appropriately, and overseeing the execution of the project on time.

You can use this transferable skill in industries such as education, energy, consulting, and even the military.

The job sector is becoming increasingly competitive with every passing day. With this in mind, job seekers need to broaden their horizons when searching for a job.

Leverage the power of transferable skills acquired in previous jobs to get ahead of the competition. Just remember to quantify these skills on your resume. Also, make sure to mention them in your job interview, and you'll surely stand out from the competition.

Need more help with your job search?

We'd love it if you signed up for Work It Daily's Power Hour Event Subscription! Get your career questions answered in our next live event!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Acquiring Job Advance Your Career Career Changing Careers and Employment Education Internship