Translating Your Skills and Experiences
Transferable skills are skills you acquire or learn in one setting that can be applied or translated to new and different settings, environments, and activities. Doctoral students often fall into the trap of seeing their skills as applicable in only one setting, thus do not recognize that they are qualified for a wide variety of career paths. Don’t let this happen to you! In the table below you will find a list of skills most sought after by employers. In the final column of the table are examples of activities that demonstrate these essential skills. For several of the skills you can also take online assessments to identify which areas you still need to develop.
ESSENTIAL SKILLS: Adaptability, Analytic skills, Balance & resilience, Communication skills( oral and written), Conflict resolution/negotiation, Cultural/Intercultural, Discipline-specific skills, Ethics & Integrity, Follow-through/Ability to get things done, Fundraising, Independent (self-starter), Intelligence, Inter-/Multi- disciplinary, Interpersonal skills, Leadership (program), Leadership (personnel/management), Networking & collaboration, Organization, Outreach, Project management, Research, Self-direction/Entrepreneurial skills, Supervision, Technical skills (information technology), Work ethic
Essential Skills and Competencies for Graduate Students1:
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Skill |
Definition of skill |
Assessment |
What you can do in graduate school to develop this skill |
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Ability to learn and adapt at a high level, self-confident, think quickly on your feet, and respond appropriately to large amounts of information. |
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Engage in multiple projects |
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Ability to synthesize and understand complex content, problem solve, consider the big picture while managing details, apply advanced research methods, make decisions consistently about abstract information, and exercise good judgement. |
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Ability to balance multiple tasks simultaneously, integrate the products of your work with those of others to meet the multiple missions of your organization, and maintain a satisfying personal life |
Engage in structured interests and hobbies outside of graduate school |
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Ability to coherently organize material for others, facilitate discussions, speak up effectively, and share your voice. |
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Ability to speak effectively in any forum relevant to the job title at different levels, convey complex information to diverse audiences, and present in front of large or small groups. |
Presentations to general (not discipline-specific) audiences, e.g. International Speakers Program for international students |
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Ability to write effectively in any forum relevant to the job title at different levels, edit, and proofread. |
Proposal-writing (especially if proposal is accepted
Grant-writing (especially if grant is awarded)
Research
Manuscripts |
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Ability to negotiate and resolve conflict with diverse stakeholders to advance the mission of an organization |
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Training that promotes understanding among cultures and countries |
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Study, work, and/or research abroad |
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Specific knowledge acquired through coursework and research in discipline |
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Coursework
Research Teaching |
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The possession of appropriate personal |
Attend the Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research workshop series |
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Ability to manage and complete multiple projects in a timely and efficient manner. Possess tenacity, stamina, and focus necessary for degree completion. Take initiative. |
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Publish papers
Degree completion
Plan events
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Experience raising money or managing budgets to support a research goal or a mission of an organization |
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Involvement in MSU student group fundraising and budgeting activities |
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Attribute of a person who is motivated to accomplish new endeavors on his or her own |
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Capable of learning and retaining information quickly, asking intellectual questions, and evidencing intellectual maturity. |
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Training that crosses traditional boundaries between academic disciplines or schools of thought |
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Ability to engage in cooperative learning and produce products with a team of people |
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Work on a team project
Coauthor a research paper |
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Process of managing personnel or cooperators in an organization |
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Incorporate undergraduate interns into research program |
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The process of leading and developing projects that fall within a mission of an organization |
Incorporate undergraduate interns into research program |
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Ability to identify and bring together many individuals on the basis of common ideas or goals; develop partnerships |
Develop partnerships with organizations outside of university to answer research |
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Ability to manage a project, organize, plan, and manage research/work, maintain records, navigate complex environments, organize and plan events, prepare programs, panels, or presentations, and recruit others to participate. |
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Ability to connect ideas or practices to the efforts of other organizations, groups, specific audiences or the general public |
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Develop partnerships with organizations outside of university to answer research questions of interest to the organization
Presentations to general (not discipline-specific) audiences, e.g. International Speakers Program for international students |
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Process of managing projects that fall within a mission of an organization |
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Organize a conference
Fundraising
Incorporate undergraduate interns into research program
Manage volunteers during graduate research
Organize an event outside of department or university |
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The ability to define a problem, identify relevant resources, define parameters, synthesize and cite the work of others, prioritize and assign tasks, and effectively collaborate with other researchers and staff |
Thesis, dissertation, or creative event |
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Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, thrive in a competitive environment, perform effectively under pressure, self-motivate, and manage large, self-directed projects. |
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Ability to objectively evaluate the performance of others and/or monitor and oversee the work of others. |
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Grading
Teaching |
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Competency in using basic and specific software and technical tools |
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Engage in work or research using technology (beyond coursework) |
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Ability to evidence self-discipline, track records of achievement, meet high expectations, care about work performance, and work hard. |
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1 Contents of table are adapted from Blickley, et al. (2012). “Graduate Student’s Guide to Necessary Skills for Nonacademic Conservation Careers.” Conservation Biology, 27:1.
2 Winterton, Delamare - Le Deist, and Stringfellow (2006). “Typology of knowledge, skills and competences: clarification of the concept and prototype.”
Additional resources on transferable skills:
