What are transferable skills, and how do I show them with no job?

Transferable skills are abilities you can use in many different jobs, such as communication, organisation, teamwork, problem-solving and working with numbers or software. You build them through study, activities and daily responsibilities, not only through work.

To show them, attach each skill to a real situation:

• Communication: "Presented a group research project to a class of 60 students and two lecturers."
• Organisation: "Planned the schedule and budget for a three-day student trip."
• Problem-solving: "Fixed recurring Wi-Fi issues for the family business by reorganising the router setup."

Put these examples in your projects, volunteering or activities sections. A skill backed by an example is far more convincing than a skill in a list. Read the job advert to see which transferable skills matter most for that role, then choose your two or three best examples for those skills and place them where the reader will see them early.