10 Transferable Skills That Can Help Anyone Adapt to Any Career

Transferable skills are the cornerstone of career development and are not confined to a single technology, role, or industry. They pivot across various functions, providing a competitive edge in an ever-changing job market.

By acquiring these skills, you can take on advanced roles, embrace new challenges and opportunities, and diversify your professional experiences. They enhance your ability to integrate into new teams and environments quickly, facilitating better collaboration and productivity.

Here are the 10 transferable skills that everyone should build: 

1. Effective Communication
2. Leadership and Management
3. Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking
4. Digital Literacy
5. Adaptability
6. Emotional Intelligence
7. Creativity
8. Teamwork and Collaboration
9. Time Management
10. Networking

The rapid pace of technological advancements and shifting industry landscapes means that professionals must constantly upskill to stay relevant.

Assess Your Current Skills

Start by evaluating your existing skill set to identify strengths and areas for improvement. Consider conducting a self-assessment or seeking feedback from colleagues and mentors. This process will provide a clear understanding of where you stand and what skills you need to develop to advance in your career.

For organizations aiming to take a similar approach, Skillsoft’s State of Your Skilling Assessment can help evaluate where your organization stands in its skilling journey, pinpointing skill strengths and gaps across your workforce and offering insights to refine your strategy.

Start Training

Knowing which skills to focus on is the first step. The next is to find the right training to close gaps or strengthen weak areas.

Depending on which skill area you’re targeting, it may be best to attend workshops or industry conferences, or participate in on-demand or live training, either online or in person. 

If you’re chasing an advanced role, the best training might include pursuing a certification or even a degree. Search job listings for the positions you aspire to and check the requirements. Many technical and specialized roles often require specific certifications or credentials, in addition to experience. 

Add to Your Portfolio

As you’re learning new skills, it helps to take on work that adds to your work portfolio. Take on projects or roles outside your primary area of expertise to broaden your skill set and gain a holistic understanding of your organization. 

Seeking out opportunities like these adds to your resume, and in the best case scenario, it can also help with internal mobility at your current employer.

Developing these transferable skills will empower you to excel in any career path, ensuring long-term success and adaptability.

Effective verbal and written communication are fundamental in any profession. Clear communication ensures that ideas are conveyed accurately and can significantly influence workplace relationships and productivity. Whether you’re delivering a presentation, writing an email, or discussing projects with colleagues, strong communication skills improve understanding and collaboration. 

In the healthcare sector, for example, clear and compassionate communication enhances bedside manner and patient care for nurses and doctors, ensuring patients feel understood and well-cared for during their treatment. Similarly, in the tech industry, software developers must communicate complex ideas clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. This is akin to how educators need to explain complex concepts to students in an understandable way.

Proficiency in communication is not just about clarity but also about cultural sensitivity and emotional intelligence. Understanding and respecting cultural differences can enhance your ability to connect with a diverse workforce and global clientele, while emotional intelligence allows you to manage and respond to emotions effectively, fostering stronger interpersonal relationships.

Resources to help:

• Listen!: The Art of Effective Communication - Skillsoft
• Trust Building through Effective Communication - Skillsoft
• Effective Team Communication - Skillsoft

Leadership and management skills are indispensable for guiding teams and projects. Effective leaders inspire and motivate their teams, make sound decisions under pressure, and strategically navigate challenges to achieve organizational goals.

And, it isn’t just about managing people. It’s about setting a vision and fostering an environment where innovation thrives. Leaders must be adaptable, forward-thinking, and resilient. They need to balance short-term objectives with long-term vision, all while maintaining team morale and productivity. 

No matter the industry or role — whether in traditional sectors like finance and healthcare or technical fields like IT and engineering — leadership skills are universally valuable. Strong leadership abilities enable professionals across all fields to influence others, drive change, and deliver results effectively, making them essential for both individual and organizational success.

Resources to help: 

• Be the Model: Giving and Accepting Feedback as a First-Time Manager - Skillsoft
• Aspire Journeys for Leadership Online Courses and Training - Skillsoft
• Leadership & Business Skills Training Program | Skillsoft - Skillsoft

Problem-solving and critical thinking are vital across all industries, enabling professionals to identify challenges, analyze situations, and implement effective solutions. By approaching problems methodically and creatively, you can drive innovation and improve processes within your organization.

These skills apply to every industry. Problem-solving and critical thinking help healthcare professionals diagnose accurately, develop effective treatment plans, and adapt to complex patient needs, ultimately improving patient outcomes. In industries like manufacturing, these skills help identify inefficiencies, optimize production processes, and swiftly resolve issues.

Both skills help professionals question assumptions and explore alternative solutions. They require a mindset that evaluates information critically and makes reasoned judgments. 

Resources to help: 

• Critical Thinking - Skillsoft
• Skillsoft CAISY Conversational AI Simulator - Skillsoft

Regardless of your role, it’s likely you’re working with technology in some way. That could be at the point of sale, entering data into software, or even navigating your organizations many platforms. Given the ubiquity of technology today, everyone must become digitally literate.

Digital literacy encompasses understanding software tools, data analysis, and staying current with tech trends. Becoming familiar with the tools your organization uses helps you position yourself as an adaptable professional who’s driven to learn. 

This is especially true as applications that use artificial intelligence become more popular. The ability to use these apps in optimal ways can help in several ways to boost productivity, including automating repetitive tasks, analyzing data, and more. 

Resources to help:

• Unpacking the Future: Workforce Development Through an Era of Skill Disruption - Skillsoft
• 5 Courses to Make Sense of Artificial Intelligence - Skillsoft
• Unleash Your Tech Skills - Skillsoft

Adaptability isn’t just about surviving change — it’s about leveraging change as an opportunity to grow, innovate, and lead.

Adaptability helps professionals thrive in a dynamic job market. It involves being open to change and learning new skills as required. The ability to pivot quickly in response to new challenges or opportunities is highly valued by employers and can significantly boost your career prospects. 

In the retail industry, professionals who adjust sales strategies, embrace new technologies, and respond to customer feedback promptly stand out. And – in finance, those who adapt to regulatory changes, reassess risks and economic fluctuation, and devise innovative solutions excel in the market. 

Without adaptability and flexibility, you risk falling behind as industries evolve, making it harder to meet new demands and advance in your career. 

Resources to help:

• Adapting to Change – Skillsoft
• Skill Benchmark: Adaptability – Skillsoft

Emotional intelligence involves recognizing and managing your emotions and understanding the emotions of others. It plays a significant role in professional relationships and teamwork. High EQ leads to better interpersonal dynamics, conflict resolution, and overall workplace harmony.

Those with high levels of emotional intelligence are better equipped to connect with their team members, understand their needs and motivations, and foster a positive work environment. They are also adept at handling stress, navigating complex interpersonal dynamics, and leading with empathy and compassion.

Focusing on improving your emotional intelligence can help in these ways: 

• Self-awareness
• Self-regulation
• Social skills
• Empathy
• Motivation

Resources to help:

• The 4 Reasons Why Every Leader Needs High Emotional Intelligence - Skillsoft
• 7 Ways to Improve Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace - Skillsoft

Organizations need creative thinkers who can envision the future. Encouraging a creative mindset within any role can yield significant benefits.

Creativity drives innovation and problem-solving, leading to business growth and career advancement. By thinking outside the box, you can devise new approaches to challenges and contribute to the organization’s competitive edge.

Whether developing breakthrough products or improving customer experiences, creativity and innovation leads to solutions that differentiate companies in the marketplace.

Resources to help: 

• Innovation and Creativity – Skillsoft
• Skill Benchmark: Innovation and Creativity – Skillsoft 

Collaboration goes beyond mere cooperation — it’s about creating synergies where the collective effort produces greater results than individual contributions. Effective teamwork and collaboration are critical in achieving organizational goals. Especially in diverse teams, the ability to integrate different viewpoints and leverage each member’s strengths can drive exceptional outcomes.

Using manufacturing as an example, each phase of fabrication must build on the one that comes before it. On the floor, the team at one station must complete their work before another can complete theirs. The handoff between the two must happen seamlessly to get the work done quickly. Without teamwork and constant collaboration, production slows or stalls. 

The same is true for virtually any other industry, in which working with others is required.

Resources to help: 

• Collaboration – Skillsoft
• Leading Teams – Skillsoft  

Time management and organization skills involve effectively planning and controlling how much time to spend on specific activities to increase efficiency, productivity, and work-life balance.

These skills help professionals prioritize tasks, meet deadlines efficiently, and set realistic goals. Maintaining an organized approach to work can significantly enhance productivity and career advancement. 

In project management, effective time management ensures that projects are completed on schedule and within scope, leading to successful outcomes and client satisfaction. And – organization skills enable medical professionals to manage patient records accurately and deliver timely care.

Without time management and organizational skills, you may find yourself overwhelmed with tasks, missing deadlines, and experiencing higher stress levels, which can hinder professional growth and job satisfaction. 

Resources to help: 

• Time Management – Skillsoft 
• Personal Productivity – Skillsoft

In a world where who you know often matters as much as what you know, networking can dramatically influence career opportunities. Building and maintaining valuable connections with industry peers and mentors can open doors to new opportunities and provide support throughout your career. A strong network can offer advice, mentorship, and resources that are crucial for professional development.

Here's how to get started:

• Attend industry events and conferences: Engage with peers and experts to expand your professional circle.
• Leverage social media platforms like LinkedIn: Connect with industry leaders and stay updated on trends and opportunities.
• Engage in professional associations and groups: Join relevant associations and groups in your field to connect with like-minded professionals. 

Resources to help: 

• Networking and Building Relationships – Skillsoft
• Skill Benchmark: Building Collaborative Relationships – Skillsoft

Developing transferable skills is essential for advancing your career. These skills will not only set you apart in job interviews, but also help you stay resilient in the face of change. Skills like these also form a solid foundation for taking on more responsibility at work, whether that’s a more specialized role or one in management.

To help build skills like these, Skillsoft’s CAISY Conversational AI Simulator is designed to recreate realistic work scenarios that can help professionals work on their Power Skills, like those listed above. Learn more about how CAISY works and try it out for yourself. 

Read Next: Meet Skillsoft CAISY Conversation AI Simulator: Your Organization’s New Best Friend in Business Communication