Are You Killing Your Career By Ignoring Your Transferable Skills When Making A Career Change?
Written by: Jen Warrington, Founder of The Warrington Group
Let’s set the scene:
➡ You’re done.
➡ Your job feels like it’s draining the life out of you.
➡ You’ve outgrown your industry.
➡ You know it’s time for a change.
You’re ready to make a change, to take the first step + in some instances you jump right in!
Then the limiting beliefs set in:
➡ Maybe I’m not cut out for this.
➡ Maybe I need to start all over again.
➡ Maybe I should just stay put.
But hold up for a hot minute.
You don’t need a whole new career.
You need a whole new lens.
The real mistake you’re making isn’t the career switch or even the career search.
It’s not recognizing your transferable skills.
+ spoiler alert: those skills are your golden ticket!
If you’ve followed along with anything I’ve said on LinkedIn or Instagram or you’ve attended any of our workshops, you know that I am a MASSIVE advocate of transferable skills + how they will help you find a job you love + be paid what you are worth.
When career seekers come to me frustrated, they feel like they're invisible in the job market. It’s almost always because they’re trying to fit themselves into a new industry by copying + pasting their old job description… instead of translating the skills they've already developed.
Here’s the truth:
Industries might look different on the surface but underneath? They all run on the same principles:
✅ Problem solving
✅ Communication
✅ Leadership
✅ Critical thinking
✅ Project management
✅ Client or customer service
✅ Adaptability
If you can manage projects (regardless of their size), lead teams, achieve targets, build relationships, negotiate, solve problems, or sell an idea ~ you already have 80% of what you need.
I will die on this hill + I will say it on repeat 1,000,000 times until it sinks in.
Remember, what I am sharing with you is through the lens of a recruiter who has hired more than 4800 career seekers since 2007 + for more than 150 organizations across North America.
I’ve also helped more than 100 career seekers since 2020 pivot industries + make massive career changes without needing to go back to school. They’ve also seen salary increases between $10,000 + $93,000!!!!
Imagine a $93,000 salary increase! I know this works!
To get it to work for you ~ you need to connect the dots for the people reading your resume or sitting across from you in an interview.
HERE’S WHY IGNORING YOUR TRANSFERABLE SKILLS IS CAREER SABOTAGE
HOW TRANSFERABLE SKILLS GET BURIED (+WHY THAT HURTS YOU)
Let’s talk about why so many career seekers miss this critical piece:
➡ You undervalue what you’re good at because it’s second nature.
If you’ve been running training programs, building processes, calming angry clients, or crushing complex projects for years, it feels ‘normal.’
So you think everyone can do it.
They can’t.
➡ You think you have to match experience 1:1.
Switching from marketing to tech sales? From education to corporate training? From hospitality to project management?
You don’t need to check every single box.
You need to show you can deliver results using the skills you already have.
➡ You focus too much on tasks, not results.
Hiring managers don’t care that you "managed a schedule" or "organized files."
They care that you created efficiencies, solved bottlenecks, + helped teams win faster.
Outcomes over activities — always.
Now for the good stuff ~
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DO OWN YOUR TRANSFERABLE SKILLS?
Once you identify (+ communicate) your transferable skills, everything shifts.
✅ You stop second guessing your next career move.
✅ You start positioning yourself as an asset ~ someone who adds value + creates impact for any organization they work for.
✅ You make it easy for a hiring manager to say, ‘This is the person to help us right now.’
Confidence is magnetic.
When you show up already believing in your value, others believe it too.
REAL TALK: EXAMPLES OF TRANSFERABLE SKILLS IN ACTION
Still not convinced? Let’s play this out:
If you’ve done this ➡
Managed a team of 10 servers in a busy restaurant
Taught elementary school for 5 years
Sold insurance policies
Handled crisis situations at a hospital front desk
It translates into this ⬇
Team leadership, operations management, conflict resolution, customer service excellence.
Training + development, communication across diverse audiences, curriculum design, project management.
Consultative sales, objection handling, relationship building, solution-oriented thinking.
Crisis management, client deescalation, multitasking under pressure, cross-functional collaboration.
Notice something?
The industry doesn’t matter ~ the skills do.
Believe me now?
Here’s your action plan if you’re serious about making your next career move.
Step 1: Audit Your Wins
Sit down + list 10 career moments you're proud of ~ big or small.
What skills did you use to make those wins happen?
Step 2: Translate, Don’t Transcribe
Stop listing tasks on your resume.
Start telling stories about results, outcomes, + the skills that made them happen.
Example: ‘Improved client retention by 30% through proactive service strategies’ > ‘Handled client accounts.’
Step 3: Tie Skills to Business Needs
When you apply for a job, don’t just list your skills.
Connect them directly to what that company needs.
Show how your ability to lead, sell, coach, organize, or innovate solves their pain points.
Step 4: Practice Talking About It
In interviews, don’t wait for them to ‘get it.’
Own the conversation.
Example: While my background is in hospitality, the skills I honed ~ team leadership, adaptability, client service ~ are directly aligned with what you’re looking for in a project manager.’
HERE’S HOW TO START LEVERAGING YOUR TRANSFERABLE SKILLS (TODAY)
FINAL THOUGHT: YOUR TRANSFERABLE SKILLS ARE CURRENCY.
SPEND THEM WISELY.
➡ Your career isn’t starting over.
It’s evolving.
When you learn to recognize, own, + leverage your transferable skills, you don't just survive a career switch ~ you dominate it.
➡ The real risk isn’t switching industries.
The real risk is sitting on a gold mine of skills + letting them go to waste because you didn’t know how to cash them in.
So if you're standing at the crossroads thinking, "Can I really do this?"
The answer is ‘Hell yes, you can!’
Your next career move is waiting for you to step up.
It’s time to make it happen! 🚀
Inside my free Career Clarity Masterclass, I walk you through exactly how to:
✅ Get clear on what makes you valuable
✅ Show up confidently online + in interviews
✅ Stop playing small + start standing out in your job search