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Job Interviews & Careers vocabulary · Skills, Strengths & Weaknesses

Transferable skills

Meaning in job interviews & careers, with examples

nounCommon term

In job interviews & careers, transferable skills means: Skills you have gained in one job, course of study or activity that are also useful in a different job or industry.

In Turkish: aktarılabilir beceriler, farklı işlerde kullanılabilen beceriler

How it is used

Especially important when changing careers or applying for a first job. People mention them in cover letters: 'My experience as a teacher gave me transferable skills in presenting and planning.'

Example sentences

  1. Organising university events gave me transferable skills in planning and budgeting.

  2. As a former nurse, she had many transferable skills for a role in patient support software.

Common collocations

  • highlight transferable skills
  • key transferable skills
  • develop transferable skills
  • career changeA move from one type of work or profession to a different one, for example from teaching to software development.
  • soft skillsPersonal and social abilities that help you work well with others, such as communication, teamwork, time management and problem-solving.
  • skillAn ability to do something well, usually because you have learned and practised it, such as writing reports, coding or managing a budget.
  • cover letterA one-page letter sent with your CV that explains why you want a particular job and why you are a good fit for it.

More terms: Skills, Strengths & Weaknesses

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