The Power Of Transferable Skills To Restart Careers

Throughout careers, no matter the industry, people gain transferable skills

By Misty Frost, Penn Foster / Carrus

The last few years have seen massive shifts in people’s careers and recordbreaking interest in developing professional skills through online learning. Many employers are hiring, but jobs are going unfilled. In fact, government data released about job openings and labor turnover shows a deficit in the millions between open roles and hiring numbers.

Organizations fiercely compete for talent and are taking new steps to attract and retain talent. Retail and hospitality are ramping up efforts to attract back the talent they lost last year. Major retailers recently made news when they announced they will cover 100% of college tuition and books for employees. Yet, many people working in sectors like retail and hospitality are quitting in record numbers, citing the desire for improved pay, benefits, or a different career path.

As a leader of a healthcare training organization offering more than 40 programs to prepare people to take certification exams and start their healthcare careers, we have seen record-levels of interest from learners wanting a fresh start.

If I could spend time with each person who is bravely restarting their career, I would encourage them to keep moving forward. Often, when starting something new, we can feel like we are starting over completely. This fact can make people feel overwhelmed or, worse, hold them back from trying something new.

One important thing for anyone seeking to develop new skills to remember is that throughout careers, no matter the industry, people gain transferable skills. The former retail manager who leveraged data to ensure in-demand items were in stock could bring that skill set to their local pharmacy after completing pharmacy tech training and certification. Those who were customer-facing in previous roles are often surprised at the many roles that are available in healthcare where their people skills can shine.

When it is time for a career restart, it’s important to take the following steps:

1. Remember Your Strengths

Listing out the aspects of you that you want to grow and use in a future career can often help you determine what training or professional program is right for you.

2. Identify Your Skills

Write down what soft or transferable skills you have already developed. Aspects of how you work don’t disappear simply because you’ve selected a new career path. Talents such as clear problem solving, communication, strategic thinking, resilience, and collaboration can take you far in a new career.

3. Map Your Path

Once you’ve taken a personal inventory and identified your desired career, map the steps to get there. If the career requires certification and training, speak with those who have successfully done it and write down how you can achieve your goals.

4. Stay the Course

You will encounter doubt. Uncertainty or frustration may sneak up on you, but reviewing the steps it takes to complete your goal and growing your existing skills is all part of the process that, once finished, can unlock new opportunities.

A new career and a fresh start bring a lot of energy. In hard moments, they can also bring doubt and uncertainty. It is reassuring to be centered and know that a fresh start doesn’t mean a start from zero. Existing skills brought to new endeavors can help people accelerate toward and thrive in their new careers.

Misty Frost is CEO of Penn Foster/Carrus.

Would you like to comment?

Cultivating HighPerformers: These Are The Skills Workers Need Now

How can organizations retain those who possess the skills?

By Andrew Gold, Pitney Bowes

The labor and economic landscapes are facing unique turning points: While unemployment rates 1 have remained at 3.5-3.6% for the last four months, fears over an impending recession and a resulting increase in unemployment are on the rise. With unemployment comes greater availability of talent – something employers have struggled with over the last year amidst the pandemic and “Great Resignation” or “Great Reshuffling.”

However, regardless of the landscape, strong talent – those who possess the latest skill sets – always remains in demand. Not only is it up to workers to cultivate these skills but also their employers to help develop them and retain these high-performing workers.

What Makes a High-Performer?

At Pitney Bowes, where I lead our HR function and have spent the greater part of my career spanning over 28 years, we look for specific skill sets in our talent, among both existing and potential employees. These skills represent the convergence of people skills, culture, and emerging technologies, including the below, which I believe are pertinent to any organization:

1. Managing diversity. Recently, many companies have placed an increased focus on creating a diverse and inclusive environment for employees. To achieve this, they need empathetic leaders who can develop employees and recognize that people come from different cultures and backgrounds. This also means taking meaningful actions for employees, such as ensuring pay equity and creating safe spaces. 2. Data analytics. New technologies have impacted the ways the workforce processes information and make decisions, and as such, employees across all areas of the organization need to possess skills in data analytics. In fact,

McKinsey & Company predicts that leveraging data will become a natural part of all employees’ work by 2025. This means going further than looking back at a report, but rather working with data to understand the story it tells. 3. Project management. People need to understand how to understand your mission and what is needed to achieve it. To carry this out, organizations need effective project managers who have strong change management and communication skills in addition to a solid understanding of the business.

Retaining High-Performers

One of HR executives’ biggest challenges right now is addressing the reality that many employees are looking for a purpose; employees want to gain more from their nine-to-five beyond just coming to work. Organizations must help them find that purpose by fostering an understanding among employees of how they are truly making an impact and can integrate work within the rest of their lives. Workers are focused on their families and communities, and with this, helping them find the right integration of work and life helps retain them for the long term.

While this can be a challenge as workers may define meaningful, purposeful, or integrated work differently, this is also another area where diversity training and leadership play a role, as leaders need to listen and help people find the right solutions to make their jobs work for them. At Pitney Bowes, we respect our employees’ needs and find an arrangement that best suits them and their needs. Now: the scale is bigger. We know people will have dogs in their team meetings or may want to pick up their children after school. Organizations must respect their workforces, communicating that their lives are not less important than their work. In turn, this will create a sense of loyalty and commitment that retains high-performing workers.

Andrew Gold is the Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Pitney Bowes. Andrew has been involved in work across the business that has been recognized by various groups and has been a champion of HR transformation, talent development, diversity, and employee health.

Would you like to comment?

Align your brand with this year’s State of the Industry hot HR topics and showcase your expertise

Sponsor any of this year’s state of the industry research topics and come away with your very own affordable and branded research report and infographic, establish yourself as an industry thought leader by presenting at a one-day Virtual Event, and bolster sales through the generation of qualified leads.

See list of hot industry research topics below and give us a call to get started.

The Future of Talent Acquisition

Aug 24-25, 2022

Learn more at: hr.com/ FutureTalentAcquisition

The Future of Employee Engagement

Nov 2-3, 2022

Learn more at: hr.com/ engagement

The State of Today’s HR Tech Stack

Sep 7, 2022

Learn more at: hr.com/ techstackresearch

The State of Internal Mobility, Succession, and Career Development

Nov 15, 2022

Learn more at: hr.com/ InternalMobilityResearch

The State of HR Skills and Education

Oct 19, 2022

Learn more at: hr.com/ HRSkillsResearch

The Future of Recruitment Technologies

Dec 7-8, 2022

Learn more at: hr.com/Recruitment TechnologiesResearch