As workplace demands continue to change, employees are being called upon to bring more variety to their skillset, both hard and soft skills. Although having a single offering in a particular department is required and welcome, your ability to ‘wear different hats’ in the workplace will bring much more value to the position and business as a whole.  Gaining transferable skills not only helps you in one specific position but also throughout your career. 

Exclusive data from the 2023 Marketing Week Career and Salary Survey reveals over a third (34.4%) of the more than 3,000 marketers surveyed say data and analytics skills is the key gap within their team, followed some way behind by a lack of content and copywriting skills. 

This goes to show the current skills gap employers are tackling, and why the digital industry in particular requires professionals with a range of skills to aid teams. 

When transitioning between jobs, your transferable skills enable you to settle in quickly and adapt, no matter the environment. Therefore, your value increases and you become more appealing to employers. 

The transferable skills that are common for digital positions include: 

•    Data analysis 
•    Project management
•    Time management 
•    Communication 
•    Problem-solving 
•    Critical thinking 
•    Leadership 

Whether you’re in a career in Marketing, Ecommerce, Design, or Software Development, the transferable skills above can be applied in each sector. The overall benefit of gaining transferable skills is that they help you work in any environment, in any job. There are, however, various specific benefits of possessing transferable skills in your arsenal. But what are they? 

You become versatile in your role 

As we highlighted earlier, being able to ‘wear many hats’ in your position enables you to be of value to not just your position, but to other departments too. For instance, working in a startup is considered much different from a more corporate setup, Therefore, you’re likely to be working in a more fast-paced environment and be called upon to give a helping hand to other departments when required. 

Your employability appeal rises 

In an increasingly competitive hiring market, employers are looking for candidates who stand out. Those who are able to manage projects effectively, lead by example and problem-solve. They look for transferable skills on your CV. This emphasises your ability to learn quickly and adapt to different situations. 

They’re useful in different roles 

The great thing about transferable skills is they are useful for any position. Whether you’re working in Marketing or Ecommerce, your ability to analyse data will be required, and Marketing Week’s research has highlighted the need for this. If you’re a designer or software developer, projects are likely to come up. Therefore, being able to manage a project is a skill you should possess.  

It can bring longevity to your role 

Despite highlighting the importance of transferable skills when settling into different working environments, it can bring longevity to your position and career as a whole. When employees grow and thrive in different ways, this means they’re likely to feel more motivated and engaged, meaning they’ll stay in a particular business for longer. 

Summary 

Due to the existing skills gap, 2023 has not only highlighted the need for businesses to carefully source candidates with specific skillsets when hiring, but it has also challenged professionals to expand their skills to boost their employability. The more skills you have, this saves employers making additional investment into further skills training.

As hybrid and remote opportunities continue to rise, the need for transferable skills becomes greater. Professionals looking to boost their careers and gain promotions, an effective way to do this is to not only possess these skills, but apply them every day.