As if returning to work weren’t daunting enough, many returners add an extra layer of stress by getting caught up in the guilt of wanting to not go back to what one used to do. “If I don’t go back to being a lawyer, I will let someone down and waste an expensive education…”

Reality is, however, that many of those lawyer skills will travel with you, even if you put them to work in a new or different way. The skills that move forward with you are your transferable skills.

You should love them.

Why? These are skills you have honed and learned through your life experiences, and they can be key to being successful in a wide range of jobs and industries. 

Why are they so important? Transferable skills are skills you use in every job no matter the field or title, and 70 percent of employers say they are willing to hire and train people with transferable skills. They know they can teach you what the company does, but it’s much harder to train for human skills, things like good communication skills, people management, or project management skills. 

The LinkedIn Talent Blog keeps track of the most in-demand transferable skills, and summed up the ones at the top of the list recently:

“People skills are going to come more to the center of individual career growth,” predicts LinkedIn VP Aneesh Raman, “and people-to-people collaboration is going to come into the center more for company growth. For leaders, you’ve got to start with communicating clearly, compassionately, and empathetically with your teams.”

As the LinkedIn list points out, transferable skills can be hard and soft. Take a look at these examples of both, think about yours, and start making a list.

Knowing Your Transferable Skills: Hard Skills (Some examples)

  • Research & Analytical skills
  • Project Management
  • Computer skills
  • Data analysis
  • Coding
  • Financial modeling
  • Business operations 
  • Evidence of lifelong learner 
  • Speaking a foreign language

Knowing Your Transferable Skills: Softs Skills (Some examples)

  • Creativity
  • Communication
  • Collaboration
  • Reliability
  • Independence
  • Organization
  • Conflict resolution
  • Self starter
  • Problem solving
  • People management
  • Leadership
  • Empathy
  • Decision Making

Transferable skills go nicely at the top of a resume, as these talent acquisition specialists explain.

What are yours?