Career Skills for a Job Transition

Many people find that they will need to sharpen their career skills as they transition in to a new line of professional work. If you have been out of work for a while or feel that it is time to do something different, changing careers  might be just what you need.

While you might feel a sense of trepidation while making a career transition – especially if you have never been faced with such a challenge. Eventually, you will benefit from making the move. Remaining stagnant in a changing job environment is not the answer.

Companies expect their employees to be computer literate and able to use all of today’s latest technology to help perform their job faster and more efficiently. Acquiring the skills for a new career may seem difficult at first, but with a little determination, you can do it. Perhaps you are deficient when it comes to computer skills. You may know how to get on the internet, check your e-mail and maybe use a word processing program to write a letter. Do you know how to create a financial spread sheet? Can you create a PowerPoint presentation? How about learning to create a web page or using social networks to increase a company’s recognition and perhaps increase their sales?

However, technology goes much beyond regular Word processing and spread sheets. The profession that you are trying to enter into most likely requires highly specialized skills. Make sure to do research into the specialized technology skills that will be required. Should you have an understanding of supply chain software? SAP? Microsoft Dynamics? Make sure to look up what technologies their employees list on social networks like Linkedin – and if you don’t have these skills, read a book about the technology before interviewing with a new company.

These are a few career skills that can enhance your chance of finding employment in any number of jobs from secretarial and clerical jobs all the way up to management and executive positions. The most important career skills of course have to do with how you work with people. Working well with teams, ability to market yourself, and confidence are the most important skills you can have. If you feel deficient in one of these areas, be sure to try to improve. Join Toastmasters or a similar public speaking club if you need to improve your interpersonal skills.

While some jobs require technical skills and special training, many more require common skills and basic intelligence. If you have good math and communication skills, are organized and have a good attitude, you can be an asset to most companies. If you add in great interpersonal skills, making a job transition should not be difficult for you.

To give yourself the best chance when changing career paths, get the career skills you know you are lacking, walk in to the interviewer’s room, hold your head up high and tell them why you should get the position being offered. Remember, career success is not a matter of necessarily having the required career skills, but rather knowing how to talk in the vernacular of the profession and engaging well with the interviewer.