Transferable Skills

Transferable skills are developed by any person in any major.  These skills are "transferable," or useful, to a variety of employers and jobs.  Interestingly, you may not even be aware that you already posess many of these skills!  It's important to have an understanding of what transferable skills are, how you can develop them, and how they are useful to employers.  Hopefully, these skills will be apparent on your resume and cover letter, when you're networking with employers, and during an interview.

Ways to develop transferable skills:

• Take a class that emphasizes the development of a certain skill (i.e. writing, communication, critical thinking, etc.)
• Become involved in a club or organization on campus that allows you to develop transferable skills such as leadership, decision-making, teamwork, etc.
• Additional avenues for growing your transferable skills include: internships, volunteer opportunities, athletics, and summer or part-time jobs.

Resources on Transferable Skills:

• Transferable Skills Survey

Take this brief survey to help you identify your transferable skills.

• List of transferable skill sets

• Liberal arts skills [PDF]

• Emphasizing transferable skills in a cover letter

• Transferable skills handout [PDF]

Created by the University of Southern California, Career Services Office