Transferable skills: Competencies that add value to any role

Some skills serve a specific job context, while others are applicable to any role. They even apply to educational or personal spheres. In fact, people often acquire some of these throughout their lives, through experiences whether related to the professional world or not. We are referring to transferable skills.

What are transferable skills?

Transferable skills are those competencies that can be applied across different job roles, sectors, or functions. They do not depend on a specific tool or context: they are developed through experience and are activated wherever they are needed.

Here is an example to help you better understand the concept. Imagine a company has an employee who has led teams on a design project. They possess strong coordination capabilities, confidence in decision-making, and effective communication. These competencies will assist them in other work contexts, such as a product launch in an entirely different sector where they have never worked before.

They are useful in changing environments that require professional retraining, as is the case in the AI era. They also prove helpful when the company initiates internal promotion processes to fill higher-ranking positions.

Which are the transferable skills?

They can be both soft skills (soft or power skills) and hard skills. These skills are not learned exclusively in the workplace. For example, a person who has studied abroad for two years may achieve fluency in English. The development of that skill was not related to a work context, yet it is fully applicable to a job.

6 examples of transferable skills

Effective communication. Essential in any work environment for conveying ideas clearly and adapting the message to the audience.
Leadership. Guiding teams, making decisions, and assuming responsibilities with respect and empathy.
Problem-solving. Essential for analyzing situations and finding viable solutions.
Critical thinking. Questioning, interpreting data, and making informed decisions. A skill increasingly valued in the context of AI.
Adaptability. Allows for the adjustment of behaviors and strategies depending on the context.
Collaboration. We refer to the value of working with others through listening, empathy, and commitment.

How are transferable skills applied in the workplace?

These transferable skills allow individuals to move between teams, projects, or responsibilities with greater fluidity. They also help break down silos, improve cross-departmental communication, and activate synergies in diverse environments.

Perhaps members of your team already possess transferable skills, but you have not noticed them. They might not even know how to apply them to their specific role or position.

We invite you to evaluate the real talent within your team. Because sometimes what you need is already there; you just don't see it yet.