How to Market Transferable Skills in Job Interviews
Knowing how to market transferable skills in the job interview is a skill successful job seekers have to develop. I was once part of an interview team for a new Vice President and I watched many strong candidates miss opportunities to speak about their transferable skills. Many of the candidates selected for job interviews did not have specific industry experience, but had excellent transferable skills from other industries — or so I thought — except they weren't talking about them. Many of the interview candidates missed good opportunities to market transferable skills. I found myself wishing I could slip them this list before the interview.
To identify marketable skills, read job descriptions carefully
Too many job seekers really underestimate the value of job descriptions. I think it fair to say that most employers put a lot of effort into creating a good job description to attract the best candidates, especially for complex roles. In today's internet recruiting economy, companies aren't saving on paper or ad space with internet recruiting. If a job seeker has not read the job description carefully, they are overlooking what could be great clues for success in the job interview and on the job. Reading the job description several times to become familiar with what the company wants will help candidates speak to specific needs of the employer in the job interview.
Become familiar with the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) needed for this specific job.
In addition to reading the job description look at external sources to find out more about current trends in a specific profession. If you have financial services experience from Wall Street you want to bring to Higher Education, find out what the trends are in Higher Education finance, budgeting etc. Professional associations are a great resource to find specific information on in-demand skills for specific jobs and industries. Re-frame your experiences in the context of the new industry and market those experiences and transferable skills in the interview. Use this current knowledge and think about similar situations you have encountered in your career.
Acknowledge skill gaps between what employer wants and what you have to offer - before the interview.
Interviewees, who acknowledge the gaps ahead of time, have an opportunity to address them in a positive way in the job interview. If prepared, the employers' focus on these gaps should not surprise the job seeker in the interview. Identify experiences from one's own career and background that will show how you will be able to transfer background to this new environment and demonstrate how transferable skills will compensate for direct knowledge.
Make the connection by sharing the right experiences in the job interview.
Showing energy and vitality in the job interview is crucial. Job seekers must show enthusiasm for the job, the company, their profession and the prospect of bringing prior experiences and lessons learned into this new organization. Job seekers must be able to speak comfortably, despite the nerves, and share interesting and engaging stories to demonstrate how they used these skills successfully before and how they transfer into this new environment. Putting the interviewer to sleep with a long winded, unfocused answer is not the way you want to be remembered.