In the past month I have had the privilege to attend two Skills Work for Women! Networking Dinners, one in Port Elgin and one at Centennial College in Toronto. These dinners bring together young female students from Grs. 9-12 with mentors from the community who are working in the skilled trades and technologies.

The mentors talk about a day-in-the-life of their chosen career and encourage young women to look at the skilled trades and technologies as a career choice.

After listening to each of the thirty mentor’s unique stories I recognized that each job we do, no matter how unrelated, provides us with experience and skills we take into our next position. The career paths vary from mentor to mentor and some have taken a very round-about journey to get to their present position. One woman at the WiN-Durham dinner started with a Masters in Psychology and Human Resources, realized she didn’t like the work and then took an apprenticeship as a mechanic. She now owns a very successful automotive shop that supports female mechanics and caters to a female clientele. Wow! That is quite a career path.

As we move from job to job and possibly change careers I think it is really important to evaluate what skills are transferable and how they can relate to your new position. Going through this exercise will not only help you prepare for interviews but make you more aware of your own skill set and how it can be transferred from career to career.

Take a few minutes and think about your different jobs over the years. What skills did you pick up along the way? Maybe it was your first student job and you learned a great deal about interpersonal skills and how to talk to the public. Write them down as you go through each position you have held. I bet you’ll be surprised at the talents and skills you have transferred over the years and by the size of that very long list. Keep the list handy for that next performance appraisal or job interview. Enjoy the exercise!