ALT-1 Tips for Transferring Skills to a new Job
Starting a new job can be scary, but it doesn't mean that you have to learn everything over from scratch. Chances are good that the new job you took incorporates some of the skills that you have learned in previous jobs. If that weren't the case, you probably wouldn't be hired in the first place. So, how do you make sure that your skills transfer from one job to the next?
The best way to see how your skills transfer is to simply ask. When you are at the interview, you should ask what skills are applicable to your new job, and what skills would need to be learned. You probably will know what part of your skill set immediately transfers, but asking simply gives you another layer of information to see where your skill set fits in with the new company.
Just working at your new job for a few hours will show you where your skills transfer the easiest. If you are working in retail, you will probably see that running a cash register is the same concept no matter where you do it. You might see that working with customers is a skill that is universal and that working with employees to help them do the job at peak performance is another skill that would transfer.
Added education might be a good way to help you transfer skills to the new job. If you are adept at using computers, but haven't used the latest version of the software your company runs, you might want to take a class at the local college to get yourself up to speed. This will help you transfer your skill of using a computer while still knowing what specific program your company uses.
Transferring your skills is all about knowing yourself and what you bring to the table. Take some time to think about what you are good at and what you did well at a previous job. Were you good working with people? Were you good at making your old boss look good? If so, these are some skills that you can bring to the table immediately because they are skills that make any person look good at work.
Your skills will transfer surprisingly well if you just take some time to observe. Ask questions about what skills will be needed on the job and how your old skills apply. Take some time to get comfortable at your new job and you will see for yourself how easily your skills will transfer from your last job.
