1. Define Transferable Skills in Simple Terms
Many people face employment barriers. They might also think skills are only earned on the job. Start by explaining that transferable skills can develop in many scenarios, from work or volunteering to school and military service.
If your client has retail work history, they’ve built up customer service skills. Volunteer roles foster teamwork, while military service deployments and relocations help instill adaptability and self-discipline. These skills are often overlooked because they happened in nontraditional settings — but they’re no less valuable.
2. Use Practical Tools to Help Clients Identify Their Skills
Next, use tools and role-play to help them recognize how to identify transferable skills. Review different program requirements, pointing out the skills that support each career pathway. For example, technical skills in IT or biotech programs can lead to higher salaries and help clients remain adaptable to industry trends.
Guided reflection is another valuable tool. Ask clients to reflect on past responsibilities, such as how training volunteers at a community event can show leadership potential. Or, how crisis responses during military service show adaptability under pressure. Along with reflection, use role-play as an active tool for unlocking clients’ thoughts.
3. Reframe Experience for New Careers
If your clients are transitioning into new careers, help translate those experiences into new industry language. These translations can build renewed confidence and show them how to assess suitability for open positions.
Consider the following transferable skills examples for resume building:
- Retail customer service: In the healthcare industry, they’re skilled with patient communication.
- Military service teamwork: They’re strong collaborators and know how to cooperate across IT and healthcare departments.
- Community event volunteer scheduling: Whether upskilling or on the job, they’re organized and excel at time management.
- Military operations logistics: Their detail-oriented nature suits healthcare administration or project management.
4. Teach Clients How to Market Their Transferable Skills
Marketing personal skills on resumes and applications takes courage. Focus on the outcomes, such as how they might have built communication between teams or trained 10 volunteers for a new project. Mock interviews can also help your clients translate responses into skills-based storytelling.
For military clients in particular, their MOS codes and experience should be translated into civilian-friendly language. For example, medics with 68W MOS skills have patient care and medical knowledge. They might market their skills toward Medical Assistant or Phlebotomy Technician roles.
5. Connect Clients With Training That Builds on Their Skills
Encourage your client to seek out more training. You might recommend education providers like MedCerts with in-demand programs that lead to stable, high-growth careers.
For example, a client with a retail history can pivot into healthcare with training as a Patient Care Technician or Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA). A communications or IT MOS military veteran, on the other hand, can build on those skills with IT Security and Network Technician or IT Helpdesk Administrator training.
Guide Your Clients to Workforce Success
Sometimes, crucial hard and soft skills can go undetected, leading to missed job opportunities. By guiding clients to recognize their complete skill set, you can help them tailor their training, gain essential confidence and strengthen their job prospects. Learn more about how working with MedCerts Partner Solutions can help your clients find better roles that match their inherent talents.
