Transferable skills demonstrate a candidate’s ability to learn quickly, navigate change, and contribute beyond their technical expertise. Whether gained through internships, research, campus leadership, customer service, healthcare, or other professional experiences, these competencies often predict long-term success by showing how an individual approaches complex problems, works with diverse teams, and delivers results.
For job seekers, recognizing and effectively communicating transferable skills is essential. Employers are often less interested in where a skill was developed than in how it can create value in a new role. By connecting past experiences to the responsibilities of a prospective position, candidates can demonstrate their readiness to make an immediate impact—even when transitioning between industries or pursuing opportunities in new fields.
Below is a snippet from the article, “Transferable Skills 101: Definition, Examples and how to Build Yours in 2026.”
How to Include Transferable Skills in a Job Application
The best transferable skills to include are the ones you already have and the ones the employer is looking for. Start by reviewing the job description and matching your hard and soft skills to the role.
Including Transferable Skills on a Resume
Once you’ve identified the right skills, include them throughout your resume—not just in your skills section.
“Recruiters decide who to advance through the hiring process by searching resumes for these specific keywords and phrases,” Matthew Warzel, CPRW resume writer, says. “It’s mandatory to add this core competency section.”
Warzel recommends listing hard skills under a core competencies section and highlighting soft skills in your summary and experience.
Instead of: “Hardworking student seeking an internship.”
Try: “Highly motivated and collaborative student with proven communication and problem-solving skills, seeking an internship in [Industry/Field].”
Instead of: “Managed social media accounts.”
Try: “Managed social media accounts for a student organization, developing content strategies that increased follower engagement by 20% while demonstrating communication, organization, and time management skills.”
Questions about how to identify and include transferable skills on your resume- Schedule an appointment with Career Services!
For the full article, please visit: https://www.theforage.com/blog/skills/transferable-skills, Written by Forage
