The Ambitions Podcast is a weekly discussion about recruitment. Members of the Ambitions Personnel team explore a range of subjects from the latest changes in the recruitment industry to tips on how to retain and train staff.

In this episode, Becky and Lizzie discuss the importance of transferable skills. The difference between soft skills and hard skills and why both are vitally important to career progression.  Can your skillset prove more important than experience when looking for a new role? 

The majority of skills can be transferred from role to role, and even from one industry to another. Customer service skills gained in a customer-facing retail role translate very well to an office environment, for example. There is usually almost always a way to transfer a skill.

Interviewers love asking questions like "tell me about a time when...", which is usually asking for how you utilised your skills to solve a problem. As a candidate, if you can answer that question creatively by using a transferable skill, that can only work in your favour.  

Employers also like to look for flexibility in candidates. They often want to build loyalty in their new employees by upskilling them, usually to improve their own retention rates.