Career Change · Skills
Transferable Skills Examples
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The short answer: transferable skills are the bridge between your old job and your new one: name the underlying capability — communication, training, rostering, record keeping, cash handling — then prove it with a specific task from your past work, written in the language of the target role. The table and rewrite below show exactly how that translation works.
Key takeaways
- Name the underlying capability — communication, training, rostering, record keeping, cash handling — not just the old task.
- Prove each skill with a specific task from your past work, written in the language of the target role.
- Translate duty by duty: the table on this page shows the before-and-after wording.
- Only claim skills you can evidence in an interview; a transferable skill is a real one, renamed.
In this guide: what transferable skills actually are, a duty-by-duty translation table, a worked bullet rewrite, and how to find your own.
In this article
What transferable skills actually are
Transferable skills are capabilities you built in one job that are directly useful in another, even when the industries look different. Communication, training new staff, handling money, rostering, resolving complaints, keeping records, following safety procedures and working to deadlines all travel between workplaces. This page, part of our Career Change Resume Guide, shows how to identify yours, translate them into the language of a target role, and prove them with specific examples — rather than listing soft claims anyone could make.
Employers are not asking you to pretend your old job was the new job. They are asking whether the underlying work overlaps. A teacher explaining concepts to thirty students is presenting and checking understanding. A retail assistant calming an unhappy customer is de-escalating and problem-solving. A warehouse picker working to dispatch cut-offs is managing time and accuracy under pressure. When you describe the underlying work plainly, a hiring manager in the new field can recognise it.
From old duty to new-job wording
Use the table as a translation prompt, not a script to copy blindly. Find the row closest to work you have genuinely done, then rewrite it with your own numbers, systems and context. If a row does not match your experience, leave it out — credibility matters more than coverage.
| Old-job duty | Transferable skill | New-job wording for your resume |
|---|---|---|
| Served customers and handled complaints in a shop | Customer service and problem resolution | Resolved customer enquiries in person and by phone, escalating complex issues to the manager with a clear summary |
| Trained new starters on the register | Training and mentoring | Trained new team members in procedures and systems, checking understanding and providing follow-up support |
| Counted the till and did end-of-day banking | Cash handling and accuracy | Reconciled daily takings, investigated discrepancies and completed end-of-day financial reporting |
| Helped build the weekly roster | Scheduling and coordination | Assisted with rostering for a team of 12, recorded availability and leave and arranged cover for vacant shifts |
| Received deliveries and checked stock | Inventory and records | Checked deliveries against orders, updated stock records and reported variances to the supplier |
| Explained products to customers | Communication and needs assessment | Assessed customer needs through questioning and explained options clearly to support informed decisions |
| Opened and closed the store, set alarms | Responsibility and compliance | Key holder responsible for opening and closing procedures, security checks and incident reporting |
| Worked busy weekend and holiday peaks | Working under pressure and flexibility | Maintained service standards during peak periods on rotating rosters including weekends and public holidays |
Tip: Work duty by duty, not job by job — a single old role usually contains four or five transferable skills hiding inside ordinary tasks.
Worked example: rewriting weak bullets
Most first drafts fail not on experience but on wording. Vague bullets hide transferable value; specific bullets reveal it. The block below shows the same duties before and after rewriting for an administration application. Note that no facts are invented — the after versions simply name the task, the tool, the scale and the outcome that were always there.
Before — generic wording
- Responsible for customer service
- Helped with admin tasks when needed
- Good communication and computer skills
- Worked well in a team and under pressure
After — rewritten for an administration role
- Answered phone and in-person enquiries for a busy retail store, directing calls and taking accurate messages for the manager
- Entered customer orders, lay-by details and delivery bookings into the store system daily, with records checked at end of day
- Prepared weekly roster notices and stock summaries in Microsoft Excel and Outlook for a team of 12
- Covered reception-style duties during peak periods, greeting visitors, managing a waiting area and keeping appointments on schedule
Skills section wording — same experience, grouped for the target role
- Administration: data entry, filing, shared inbox, appointment bookings, record keeping
- Customer service: phone enquiries, complaint resolution, stakeholder communication
- Operations: rostering support, stock records, cash reconciliation, opening and closing procedures
Why this rewrite works
- Verbs replace adjectives. “Answered”, “entered” and “prepared” tell an employer what you did; “good communication skills” asks them to take your word for it.
- Scale is included. Team sizes, daily volumes and peak periods let a reader judge the level you worked at without exaggeration.
- Systems are named. Excel, Outlook and the store system are searchable keywords and interview-ready facts, unlike “computer skills”.
- Nothing new is claimed. Each after bullet can be confirmed by the same referee who supervised the original duty.
If you can't see what's transferable yet:
Start with the target advertisements, not your old job description. List the five or six capabilities the new role repeats, then go through your work history — including casual work, volunteering, community roles and study — and find a real example of each. Write each example as a sentence with a verb, a task, a tool or context, and a result where you have one. If you cannot find a genuine example, that is a signal to build one through a short course, volunteering or a placement before applying, rather than a prompt to invent one.
Talk to your referees as part of this process. A former supervisor can often name strengths you have normalised — the person who always fixed the roster gap, re-explained the new system to the team, or handled the difficult customer well. Those observed patterns make strong, defensible bullets. Our pages on writing a career change resume and the teacher to corporate training example show this translation applied to complete applications.
Tip: Read three advertisements for your target role and list every verb they repeat; those verbs are your translation dictionary.
If employers search in different words than you use:
Applicant tracking systems and SEEK searches match words, not intentions. If the advertisement says “stakeholder engagement”, “records management” or “rostering”, use that exact phrase where it truthfully describes your work, alongside your plain-English description. Keep a mix: the employer's term for search, and your specific evidence for the human reader.
A final honesty check: read each bullet and ask, “Could I give a two-minute example of this in an interview, and would my referee agree?” If the answer is yes for every line, your transferable skills are presented as strongly as they can be — and safely.
The bottom line
Every transferable skill claim needs a task behind it. Name the capability in the target role's words, attach the proof from your old job, and your experience stops looking unrelated.
Frequently asked questions
What are transferable skills on a resume?
Transferable skills are capabilities developed in one role that apply in another, such as communication, training, cash handling, rostering, record keeping and problem solving. On a resume, present them with a specific task, tool and context so an employer can see the evidence.
How do I identify my transferable skills?
Start from the target job advertisements. List the capabilities they repeat, then match each one to a real task from your work, volunteering or study. If you cannot find a genuine example, build experience through study, volunteering or a placement rather than claiming the skill.
Should I copy the wording from a job advertisement?
Use the advertisement's terms where they truthfully describe your work, because recruiters and systems search for those words. Do not copy duties you have not performed. Pair each keyword with your own specific example so the claim is credible in an interview.
How many transferable skills should I list?
Focus on five to eight skills that match the target role closely, each supported by evidence in your skills section or work history. A short, well-matched list is stronger than a long generic list that could apply to any applicant.
Can volunteer work provide transferable skills?
Yes. Volunteering, community sport, school committees and family business work can all provide genuine examples of administration, communication, money handling and coordination. Label the role clearly as volunteer work and describe the duties honestly.
Sources (3)
- SEEK Career Advice — Australian resume, cover letter and job application guidance.
- Workforce Australia — Australian Government employment services and job seeker resources.
- Fair Work Ombudsman — workplace rights, awards and employment information for Australia.
Read more
How to Write a Career Change Resume — the full method for structuring a career change application.
Teacher to Corporate Training Resume Example — transferable skills applied in a complete worked resume.
Retail to Admin Resume Example — transferable skills carried through a full worked resume.