50 Examples of Transferable Skills for Your CV

Transferable skills are capabilities you can apply across more than one role, sector or setting. They include communication, planning, problem-solving and digital literacy. They are not universally relevant, however. Their value depends on the vacancy, working environment and level of proficiency required.

Employers may consider relevant experience, technical competence, qualifications and transferable skills together. Your task is not to claim every skill on this page. It is to identify the abilities that match the job criteria and support them with credible evidence.

This guide provides 50 transferable skills examples, a practical way to map them to a vacancy and achievement-led wording for your CV. In the UK, the usual term is CV, although international employers may call it a résumé.

What are transferable skills?

A transferable skill is an ability developed in one context that can be useful in another. You might acquire it through paid employment, education, volunteering, caring responsibilities, a career break, community activity or a personal project.

Transferability is not automatic. For example, a bank software developer moving into an operations role might transfer analytical thinking, stakeholder communication and risk awareness. Coding knowledge could also remain relevant if the new role involves automation or working with technical teams. Both interpersonal and technical abilities can transfer when the target role requires them.

The National Careers Service provides a structured skills assessment to help people identify their motivations, preferences and existing abilities. Treat the result as a starting point for exploration, then compare it with real vacancy criteria and evidence from your experience.

Transferable skills, soft skills and hard skills

These terms overlap, but they do not mean exactly the same thing:

• Soft skills describe how you work with people and approach work, such as listening, collaboration and adaptability.
• Hard skills are teachable technical abilities, such as spreadsheet analysis, coding, bookkeeping or operating equipment.
• Transferable skills may come from either group. Spreadsheet analysis can transfer between administrative, finance and operations roles. Active listening can transfer between customer service, healthcare and management.

Technical skills are not inherently less valuable than interpersonal skills. The right balance depends on the job description and selection process.

50 transferable skills at a glance

Use this table as a checklist, then read the category explanations below. The groups are practical rather than rigid, so some skills could sit in more than one category.

Leadership and organisation skills

These abilities help people coordinate work, use resources responsibly and keep tasks moving. You do not need a management title to demonstrate them. Organising a student society event, coordinating volunteers or planning family care can provide relevant evidence.

• Leadership: setting direction and helping others work towards an agreed result.
• Delegation: allocating appropriate tasks while retaining oversight.
• Decision-making: comparing evidence, constraints and likely consequences.
• Project planning: defining tasks, milestones, responsibilities and resources.
• Prioritisation: deciding what needs attention first.
• Time management: organising time to meet realistic deadlines.
• Team coordination: aligning people, information and activity.
• Coaching: helping another person improve through guidance and feedback.
• Conflict resolution: addressing disagreement constructively and seeking a workable outcome.

Evidence might include delivering a project on time, reorganising a rota to maintain cover or helping a new colleague become competent in a task. Explain your contribution rather than implying that you were solely responsible for a group result.

Research and problem-solving skills

Research and problem-solving involve more than finding information. Good evidence shows how you judged reliability, identified a problem and used what you learned to recommend or implement an appropriate response.

• Research: investigating a defined question systematically.
• Information gathering: obtaining relevant facts from suitable sources.
• Data analysis: examining data to identify useful findings.
• Critical thinking: testing assumptions and evaluating evidence.
• Problem identification: distinguishing an underlying cause from its symptoms.
• Problem-solving: developing and assessing possible solutions.
• Resource planning: identifying the people, time, tools or budget required.
• Risk assessment: considering hazards, likelihood, impact and controls within your competence.
• Evaluation: measuring results against agreed objectives.

Do not overstate specialist competence. Contributing observations to a workplace risk assessment is not the same as holding responsibility for safety decisions that require specific training, authority or experience.

Interpersonal and teamwork skills

These skills support effective relationships with colleagues, customers and other stakeholders. They matter in many roles, but the expected behaviour differs by context. Empathy in a customer service conversation, for example, is not a substitute for clinical expertise in a healthcare setting.

• Collaboration: contributing to shared work and recognising others’ input.
• Active listening: concentrating, checking understanding and responding appropriately.
• Empathy: considering another person’s perspective without making assumptions.
• Relationship building: developing constructive professional connections.
• Customer service: understanding needs and handling enquiries appropriately.
• Emotional awareness: recognising emotions and managing your response.
• Supporting colleagues: offering practical help within suitable boundaries.
• Inclusivity: enabling people with different needs and backgrounds to contribute.

Strong evidence describes your behaviour and its effect. Instead of writing “good team player”, explain how you shared updates, resolved a handover problem or helped the team complete a demanding period of work.

Communication skills

Communication means conveying and receiving information in a way that suits the audience, purpose and channel. It includes checking understanding, not merely speaking or writing.

• Verbal communication: speaking clearly and appropriately for the audience.
• Written communication: producing accurate, concise and well-structured material.
• Presentation: explaining information to a group with a clear purpose.
• Facilitation: helping a discussion remain inclusive and productive.
• Giving feedback: offering specific, constructive observations.
• Persuasion: making a reasoned case supported by evidence.
• Negotiation: exploring interests and working towards an acceptable agreement.
• Questioning: using relevant questions to clarify and explore.
• Non-verbal awareness: noticing tone, expression and body language while avoiding unsupported assumptions.

For a fuller explanation, read our guide to the key features of effective communication. You can also explore roles that may suit people with good communication skills.

Creative and adaptive thinking skills

Creative thinking generates or connects ideas. Critical thinking evaluates them. Employers may need both, since a novel suggestion still has to be suitable, affordable and safe.

• Creativity: developing useful original approaches.
• Idea generation: producing a range of possible options.
• Curiosity: asking questions and seeking deeper understanding.
• Adaptability: adjusting appropriately when circumstances change.
• Cognitive flexibility: considering an issue from different perspectives.
• Pattern recognition: spotting meaningful similarities or trends.
• Process improvement: identifying and testing better ways of working.

A useful example could be redesigning an enquiry form to reduce missing information. State what prompted the change, what you did, how the change was tested and what improved.

Professional and digital skills

These skills support dependable day-to-day performance. Some are broadly useful, while others depend heavily on the workplace and its systems.

• Reliability: completing agreed work consistently.
• Accountability: taking ownership and addressing mistakes appropriately.
• Attention to detail: checking important information for accuracy.
• Goal setting: defining specific and realistic objectives.
• Digital literacy: using relevant digital tools securely and effectively.
• Record keeping: creating accurate records in the required format.
• Policy compliance: following relevant procedures and escalating concerns correctly.
• Self-management: organising your workload, conduct and development.

“Digital literacy” is too broad on its own. Name the relevant tool or activity, such as maintaining a customer database, producing spreadsheet reports or collaborating through an online workspace. Avoid claiming familiarity with software you have not used.

How to identify your strongest transferable skills

Start with evidence, not adjectives. Review situations in which you completed a task, solved a problem, supported somebody or improved a result. Include experiences outside paid work where they are relevant.

Use the role-to-skill mapping worksheet

Create a table with these five columns:

1. Job criterion: copy an essential criterion accurately from the vacancy.
2. Matching skill: name the capability the employer is asking for.
3. Context: note where you demonstrated it.
4. Action: record what you personally did.
5. Outcome: add the result and a verifiable measure where one exists.

For example, “able to manage competing deadlines” might map to prioritisation and self-management. Your evidence could come from coordinating three university assignments, handling overlapping customer requests or arranging appointments during a period of unpaid caring.

Use numbers only when they are accurate and meaningful. A percentage, time saving, volume, satisfaction result or deadline can strengthen evidence, but an honest qualitative outcome is better than an invented metric.

Score relevance before choosing examples

A simple scoring mechanism can help you focus. Give each possible example one point for each of these features: it matches an essential criterion, shows your personal action, includes a clear outcome, is recent enough to discuss confidently, and can be verified or explained. An example scoring four or five points is usually more useful than a vague claim with no result.

This is an organising tool, not an employer’s formal scoring system. Always follow the vacancy instructions, particularly when an application form asks for evidence against specified behaviours or competencies.

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How to write transferable skills on a CV

Official CV section guidance explains the common parts of a CV and the information each can contain. Its advice to tailor your CV to the job supports a focused approach: select evidence that answers the vacancy rather than submitting the same general list each time.

CIPD guidance also explains that recruitment decisions should be based on defined role criteria and evidence gathered through appropriate methods. Although written for employers, that principle helps applicants understand why relevant, specific examples are stronger than unsupported labels. See the CIPD recruitment factsheet for the wider professional context.

Where to include your evidence

• Personal profile: mention two or three relevant strengths supported by your background.
• Employment history: use achievement-led bullets beneath each role.
• Education: include relevant projects, presentations, research or group work.
• Volunteering and community activity: show responsibilities and outcomes where they support the application.
• Skills section: name technical tools or concise skill areas, but avoid an unsupported list of personality traits.
• Cover letter: connect one or two strong examples directly to essential criteria.

Turn a weak claim into evidence

Before: “Excellent communication and organisational skills.”

After: “Coordinated weekly updates across a six-person project team, introduced a shared deadline tracker and delivered all client documents by the agreed date.”

Before: “Good customer service skills.”

After: “Handled up to 35 customer enquiries per shift, clarified complex requests and maintained an accurate handover record for unresolved cases.”

Before: “Strong problem-solver.”

After: “Reviewed recurring booking errors, identified an unclear form field and proposed revised guidance that reduced incomplete submissions from 18 a week to 6.”

The last example follows a simple evidence mechanism: action, context and outcome. Confirm that every number can be explained if discussed at interview. Preserve confidential information and do not identify customers, patients, clients or commercially sensitive projects.

Examples for different career stages

Graduates and school leavers

Draw on assignments, placements, societies, sport, part-time work and volunteering. A group project can demonstrate research, collaboration and presentation, but describe your own contribution. Do not present the whole team’s result as your individual achievement.

Example: “Analysed survey responses for a four-person research project, summarised the findings and presented recommendations to an audience of 30 students.”

Career changers

Translate previous experience into language used by the new sector without disguising what you did. A retail supervisor may offer team coordination, stock analysis, customer service and conflict resolution. They may still need role-specific training for a move into logistics, HR or another profession.

Example: “Scheduled rotas for 14 staff, adjusted cover during seasonal peaks and communicated changes while maintaining service levels.”

People returning to work

A career break does not erase earlier capability. You may also have developed relevant skills through caring, community work, study or managing personal projects. Include these experiences when they strengthen the application, but you do not need to disclose private details that are irrelevant to the role.

Example: “Coordinated appointments and records across several service providers, prioritising urgent issues and maintaining accurate documentation.”

Freelancers and self-employed applicants

Self-employment can provide evidence of planning, customer communication, budgeting and self-management. Separate routine responsibilities from achievements and state the scale honestly.

Example: “Planned concurrent work for five clients, agreed milestones in writing and used a weekly review process to identify scheduling conflicts before deadlines were affected.”

How to improve transferable skills

Choose one skill that matters to your target role and define what better performance would look like. Then practise it in a real setting, seek specific feedback and record the result.

1. Assess: compare your evidence with the vacancy criteria.
2. Practise: take on a suitable task at work, in education or through volunteering.
3. Ask for feedback: request observations about a specific behaviour, such as whether your presentation was clear.
4. Reflect: note what worked and what you would change.
5. Repeat: use the skill in a more demanding but appropriate situation.

Courses can support structured learning, particularly when they include practice and feedback. Lead Academy offers options in areas such as business communication, leadership, time management and problem-solving. Check the current course page before enrolling to confirm the syllabus, assessment, certificate terms and suitability for your goal.

A continuing professional development certificate normally documents learning or course completion. It does not automatically amount to a regulated qualification, professional licence or guaranteed employer recognition.

Check qualifications and regulated roles

If a vacancy requires a recognised qualification, check exactly what is specified before paying for training. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the government’s regulated qualification service can be used to search for qualifications and awarding organisations. Scotland has a separate qualifications framework and regulatory arrangements.

Some occupations also have statutory registration, licensing or protected-title requirements. A course certificate cannot replace these. Confirm current entry and practice requirements with the named regulator, professional body or employer before making a career decision.

Fair recruitment and reasonable adjustments

Recruitment evidence should relate to the role, but candidates do not all access selection processes in the same way. Under the Equality Act 2010, employers have duties concerning reasonable adjustments for disabled applicants and workers. Government reasonable adjustment guidance outlines examples and the process for requesting support.

If you need an adjustment for an application, test or interview, contact the employer using the method in the vacancy information. Describe the barrier and the adjustment that would help you demonstrate the relevant criteria. Case-specific legal questions should be directed to an appropriately qualified adviser.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Listing skills without proof: replace “leadership” with an example of whom you led, what you did and what happened.
• Claiming every skill: focus on the essential and desirable criteria for that vacancy.
• Ignoring technical requirements: transferable skills do not compensate automatically for a required licence, qualification or technical capability.
• Using vague language: name the tool, audience, task or decision involved.
• Overstating proficiency: distinguish between awareness, working knowledge and advanced capability.
• Inventing measurements: use only results you can verify and explain.
• Repeating the same evidence: choose examples that show different aspects of your suitability.
• Copying vacancy wording without evidence: mirror relevant terminology only where it truthfully describes your experience.
• Disclosing confidential details: demonstrate the result without exposing personal or commercially sensitive information.

Frequently asked questions

Which transferable skills do employers want?

There is no universal ranking. Employers assess candidates against the requirements of a particular job. Communication, teamwork, problem-solving, organisation and digital literacy appear across many roles, but their importance and required level vary. Treat the person specification as your primary checklist.

Are all soft skills transferable?

Many soft skills can apply in several contexts, but their relevance and expression change. Negotiation may be central to procurement and useful but less prominent in another role. Transferability always depends on context.

Can hard skills be transferable?

Yes. Spreadsheet modelling, data visualisation, bookkeeping and coding can transfer between jobs that use the same or related methods. You may still need to learn a new system, standard or sector-specific application.

How many transferable skills should I put on my CV?

There is no fixed number. Select a small set that closely matches the vacancy and provide evidence throughout your profile, experience and education sections. A focused CV is usually clearer than a long skills inventory.

Can experience outside employment count?

Yes. Education, volunteering, caring, community activity and personal projects can provide relevant evidence. State the context honestly and concentrate on what you did, the capability used and the outcome.

Does a course certificate prove competence?

It can show that you completed specified learning, subject to the provider’s terms. It does not necessarily prove workplace proficiency or replace a regulated occupational qualification. Reinforce learning with practical examples wherever possible.

Should I use the same CV for every application?

Usually not. Keep a comprehensive master CV, then tailor a copy for each suitable vacancy. Prioritise the experience and skills that answer its essential criteria, while ensuring every statement remains accurate.

Your next steps

Choose a current vacancy and highlight its essential criteria. Select three to five matching transferable skills, gather one credible example for each and convert the strongest examples into action, context and outcome bullets. Then tailor your personal profile and cover letter to the same criteria.

This approach does not guarantee an interview, but it gives the employer clearer evidence to assess. Continue practising the skills most relevant to your target work and update your examples as your experience develops.

About Lead Academy’s careers content

Lead Academy’s editorial team researches careers articles using current UK public guidance, professional sources and relevant regulatory information. Editors check factual claims, links and jurisdictional scope before publication, while readers should confirm role-specific requirements with the employer or responsible regulator. The organisational byline identifies content produced through this editorial process rather than advice from a named careers adviser.

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