If you’re looking for a new role but are worried that you don’t have the skills for the job, don’t panic! You may well have more to offer than you think. Life experience can give you transferable skills that are valuable in the workplace – you just need to know how to describe them.
After a new job, but worried your skills don’t stack up?! You’ve got more to offer than you think. Everyday life stuff gives you skills you might not know you have, that are useful in the workplace - you just need to recognise them.
First, ask someone to describe your strengths. Are you a planner? A listener? The person who gets things done? Next, learn the lingo for a CV. 'Gets the party going' isn’t right, but 'leadership and motivation skills' ticks the box. Organisation, negotiating, team activities - they’re things you might do every day BUT they’re all great as skills and experience.
Look at job adverts. What are employers asking for? Are any of the skills a good fit for you? And keep looking for chances to apply these skills in a work-like environment.
Volunteering somewhere useful to your chosen career or getting stuck into a charity activity can all mean professional experience for your CV. Even a few hours will show your interest, so just do it!
And with the skills and experience under your belt, you can shout about them when you apply for a job. So, think about your life experience in a new way - it can be the key to exciting new job opportunities!
What are your strengths?
Ask someone who knows you well to describe your strengths. They might describe you as a planner, a listener or a person who gets things done.
Although you might not think these things have anything to do with work, you’d be surprised how much employers value skills like these.
But how does that apply to my CV?
Now you’ve identified the skills that you use every day, you just have to translate them into workplace language. You might be someone who ‘gets the party going’, but you probably shouldn’t put that on your CV! Describing your ‘leadership and motivation skills’ would be better – these are skills employers are looking for. Reading job descriptions is a good way to learn the language of skills and work.
Ideally you’ll have used your skills in a professional environment and can use these examples on your CV. If not, volunteering – whether in a field related to the job you’d like or for a local charity – can help you get professional experience for your CV.
Life experience can lead to job opportunities – you have more to offer than you think!
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