What are Transferable Skills: They are general skills and abilities employers look for in potential employees. In the current job market, it is very important that your identify your transferable skills so that you are not limited to one and only one industry. If you want to be marketable, in this challenging employment climate, versatility and not rigidity is the name of the game.

Here is a list of Transferable Skills to help:

1. Problem Solver

2. Decision-making

3. Planing

4. Teamwork or Team Player

5. Strong Communication Skills (written and oral communication)

6. Leadership Skills

7. Ability to Prioritize

8. Organizational Skills

9. Time Management

10. Organizational Savvy

11. Presentation Skills

12. Facilitation Skills

Take a moment to review your resume and cover letter. Are these words anywhere on your resume and cover letter? If not, take some time to add these words. Be able to speak about your transferable skills in an interview. Use them when answering questions. You don’t need to say they are transferable. Hiring managers and Recruiters will hear them as you are speaking with them. This list will get you started. However as you review your resume and cover letter and prepare for interviews, these words can be used to help bridge the gap between what you have done in the past and what you are willing to do moving forward. Don’t limit yourself in your job search. Open up your mind and consider other industries that may be hiring if the one you have invested in for years is not hiring.

Image Credit: sxc.hu

“So, you’ve been laid off?” An interviewer asked this question of one of my readers. You might think, harmless question. Lots of people have been laid off in this economy. The problem is that this reader was not laid off. They were fired. So how do you suppose this reader should answer the question? Do you think she should correct the interviewer? Or should she just go along? Maybe you think it isn’t relevant. She is without a job and interviewer assumes she has been laid off, what’s the big deal?

Ok, I’ll agree with you for a moment. Long enough for me to write this post. It doesn’t matter. If she says, yes, the interviewer moves on to the business at hand. The interview. She’s ready to talk about her skills and abilities. She can navigate this interview with no problem. Two weeks later the phone rings and the coveted job offer is extended. Let the celebration begin! She is now employed. It couldn’t come at a better time.

The problem is the offer was extended based on their perception that the candidate gave truthful information throughout the process.That is not true. In this case, the candidate was fired! For cause or unjustly, but none the less fired. You may think is a no brainer, but I get emails weekly from job seekers, trying to figure out what to say to a potential organization about being fired. For the record, there is a difference between being fired and being laid off. Let me also say this, if you are sitting in an interview and the interviewer assumes an answer - do yourself a favor and make the correction. Yes, you heard me. Ensure that what they know about you is what is real. They will make hiring decisions, either for you or against you, but at least they are making their assessment based on accurate information. What do you think?

Image Credit: sxc.hu

Word of a new internet service has been spreading the last week.  It’s about NotchUp, a company that pays job candidates hundreds of dollars for an interview.

That’s right - you don’t have the job yet, and you’re already getting paid.  More about it from the official website:

The FAQ also answers some important questions such as:

• Why would a company ever pay to interview someone?
• What prevents fraud or gaming the system?
• What makes NotchUp better than traditional methods?

Among their features is an interview fee calculator that helps you compute your fee based on your industry, years of working experience, educational attainment, current position and other criteria.  My results were for $200, which, I assume, is probably on the lower end.

What are your ideas on this service?  Has anyone tried this yet?  Have you had any success?