When changing careers many people tend to overly focus on what they need, whether that be further qualifications or new skills, rather than what they already have.

For instance, several years ago I was in the process of making a career transition from a finance background to web design. Having taught myself sufficient design skills to work in the web industry, I was, rather apprehensively, going through the process of approaching design studios seeking work.

Needless to say there were plenty of knock backs, but one creative director called me in for a chat one afternoon. At that point I really had no commercial portfolio (aside from some “demonstration” work) to show, and was wondering how on Earth I was going to make any sort of impression.

The creative director looked over my CV (as totally devoid of web design experience as it was!) and with a smile said, “I like what I see here.”

He could see I was a little puzzled, so elaborated. “You have all these communication and customer relationship skills. They’re so important in this industry. It is essential that we listen carefully to our clients, and understand what they want. And the ability to communicate with clients is also of paramount importance. I see these skills all over your CV!”

The way he spoke, I felt 90% qualified for the job before we had even talked about my design skills. He had recognised, and even pointed out, a number of transferable skills I hadn’t even thought about!

While new skills and knowledge, and possibly some study, are more than likely required to make any career transition, the first thing you should do is make a list of your existing skills, and then find ways of seeing how they could apply to your new career.

And everyone, no matter what they’ve done, or where they’ve worked previously, will have transferable skills. They are almost like invisible abilities, or talents, we acquire and develop without even realising it.

For instance a check out operator, bus driver, or waiter, will have customer service, communication, and multi-tasking abilities. An accountant, or computer programmer, could have problem solving and presentation skills.

So lets make a list of the more common transferable skills: communication, problem solving, customer or client relationship, training or supervision, office management, other languages spoken, multi-tasking (which, by the way, doesn’t necessarily mean doing numerous tasks simultaneously), report or letter and email writing, public speaking and presentations, and delegation.

And don’t over look less obvious skills, and knowledge, such as “day-to-day” computer software, like Word and Excel, which are virtually staple requirements of just about any office based role.

This list is by no means comprehensive, and I’m sure you will have other transferable skills unique to your own background and experience. But by understanding what you already have, and what can be “recycled” in your new career, will make the task of working out what new skills and knowledge you do need to acquire, a whole lot easier.