Since the launch of my blog posts, I’ve tried to address both workers and company representatives. It’s important for both audiences to realize that there’s always a crossover between the topics covered.
Following my article “Experienced workers: a solution to recruitment obstacles?”, a professional in the research field raised a very interesting question: ” I’m wondering: is experience on the job market sufficiently recognized as being transferable in the case of a career change? I get the impression that recruiters don’t take it into account. In this case, you’re on the same level as a young student entering the job market. “. This comment made me wonder again about the reality of skills transfer.
These are my questions:
Is it an asset to have several skills in a single field?- What’s the advantage of having a wide range of skills in different fields?
- Can a recruiter assess a candidate’s transferable skills?
- Is it up to the worker to self-assess and identify the skills applicable to the jobs he or she wishes to obtain?
At some point in their career, workers need to do some soul-searching. Whether it’s for an internal promotion, a job change or a career reorientation. Individuals need to know themselves before they expect others to do it for them. All too often, I have come across workers who have lost their jobs in mass redundancies, and found themselves faced with an experienced person with no words to describe what they do, how they do it, and what prerogatives they have to do it successfully. The realization that these workers have when we help them achieve their goals is phenomenal.
The question here is:
- Wouldn’t it be a good idea for a company looking for workers to take a closer look at the applications?
- Will this enable her to identify interesting candidates who, through a chain of events, may not have had any help inventorizing their developed skills?
It’s now the employer’s turn to ask questions and make sure he doesn’t let a competent candidate slip through his fingers in these times of labour scarcity. For example, a worker who has spent 15 years in the textile industry and held a variety of positions within the company would be well equipped to meet the challenges of a job in the plastics industry.
I realize that it’s sometimes hard for these workers to imagine the possibility of transferring their skills to a completely different environment. Why would a factory worker be obliged to return to a factory? Acquired skills don’t just transfer to one type of industry! For example, someone very close to me moved to another region. So she had to change jobs. She was General Manager of a large Quebec restaurant chain. The person had started out as a waitress, then manager, and progressed to manager and assistant manager. Her main fear was that she would have difficulty finding a management job, as she didn’t have a degree and wasn’t necessarily interested in returning to the restaurant business. It was therefore very important, in her curriculum vitae and cover letter, to demonstrate the management skills she had developed over time, and above all to highlight those that met the requirements of the positions she was applying for. She soon realized that she could apply for a large number of positions despite her inexperience in the field. Her skills were sufficient to meet the job requirements.
What’s important to remember from this article is that everyone develops skills in their respective positions. From the floor washer to the general manager, everyone has, in his or her own way, developed skills that must, at some point or another, be identified so that they can be put to good use. Both the worker and the company will have the opportunity to benefit from these great skills.