Discover 21 transferable skills from teaching and learn how to showcase them on your resume to land your next role.
As a teacher, you develop an incredible range of skills that are highly valuable in other careers. Whether you’re looking to shift industries or advance within education, it’s essential to know how to highlight your transferable skills. In this article, we’ll explore 21 key skills teachers possess and how to emphasize them on your resume.
Transferable Skills From Teaching
Teachers possess a range of transferable skills that go beyond the classroom. These skills are not only valuable in education but are also highly sought after in various industries and can open doors to various career paths.
From communication to leadership, your daily teaching activities have prepared you for a multitude of career opportunities.
Below, we’ll dive into 23 transferable skills you’ve mastered as a teacher and explain how to highlight them on your resume. By showcasing these skills effectively, you can transition smoothly into your next career and demonstrate your value to potential employers.
1. Communication
Teachers excel at clear and effective communication. You’ve explained complex ideas in simple terms to students, parents, and colleagues. Employers across industries value the ability to present ideas concisely and collaborate with others.
How to Highlight It: Include examples of times you communicated successfully with different stakeholders. You could mention leading parent-teacher conferences, presenting workshops, or collaborating on cross-departmental projects.
Example: “Led weekly parent-teacher conferences, providing updates on student progress and discussing action plans to address challenges.”
2. Organization
Managing lesson plans, grading, and extracurricular activities requires strong organizational skills. You’ve likely balanced numerous tasks while maintaining order in your classroom. This skill translates well to project management, administration, or any role where multitasking is essential.
How to Highlight It: Describe how you created systems to streamline classroom processes or managed multiple tasks simultaneously.
Example: “Implemented an organized lesson-planning system that improved class time efficiency and reduced grading hours by 20%.”
3. Time Management
Time is a precious commodity in the classroom. You’ve learned to stick to strict schedules, ensuring each lesson fits within limited periods. Your ability to manage time and meet deadlines is useful in fast-paced environments.
How to Highlight It: Show how you balanced competing priorities, like lesson preparation and grading, while staying on schedule.
Example: “Effectively managed 30 weekly lesson plans while balancing administrative tasks and grading.”
4. Leadership
As a teacher, you’ve naturally taken on leadership roles in guiding students, mentoring peers, or managing extracurricular activities. You’re comfortable in positions where you direct others, which translates well to managerial roles.
How to Highlight It: Mention instances where you led a team or initiative, such as coordinating an after-school program or mentoring a new teacher.
Example: “Led a team of five educators in developing and implementing a new curriculum, improving student engagement by 25%.”
5. Problem-Solving
Every day in the classroom presents new challenges. Whether it’s adapting lessons for different learning styles or managing conflicts, you’ve developed strong problem-solving skills. Employers seek candidates who can think on their feet and find solutions under pressure.
How to Highlight It: Cite specific problems you solved, such as improving student performance or resolving conflicts between students.
Example: “Identified and addressed learning gaps through differentiated instruction, increasing student performance by 15%.”
6. Adaptability
Education is an ever-changing field. You’ve adapted to new curriculums, technology, and teaching methods, demonstrating flexibility in the face of change. Adaptability is highly sought after in industries undergoing rapid transformation, like technology or marketing.
How to Highlight It: Emphasize times when you adapted to new tools, policies, or challenges in your teaching career.
Example: “Adapted to virtual learning platforms during the pandemic, maintaining student engagement and achieving curriculum goals.”
7. Emotional Intelligence
Teaching requires you to understand and manage not only your own emotions but also those of your students. Emotional intelligence helps you connect with people, making it valuable in customer service, sales, and management roles.
How to Highlight It: Demonstrate your ability to read situations and respond with empathy and tact, whether dealing with students, parents, or colleagues.
Example: “Utilized emotional intelligence to build trust and rapport with students, resulting in a 90% class participation rate.”
8. Collaboration
Working with fellow teachers, administrators, and parents has honed your ability to collaborate effectively. You’ve likely contributed to team efforts, shared resources, and solved problems together. This teamwork skill is key in almost every industry.
How to Highlight It: Showcase your collaborative efforts in team teaching, cross-department projects, or working with external stakeholders.
Example:
“Collaborated with a team of educators to redesign the school’s math curriculum, leading to a 10% improvement in test scores.”
9. Conflict Resolution
Classroom dynamics often lead to conflicts between students or between students and teachers. You’ve mediated and resolved issues, maintaining a productive learning environment. Conflict resolution is vital in HR, management, and client-facing roles.
How to Highlight It: Mention specific conflicts you helped resolve and the outcome of your intervention.
Example: “Resolved a recurring conflict between two students through mediation, improving classroom harmony and cooperation.”
10. Public Speaking
You spend hours speaking in front of your class every day. You’ve developed the ability to engage and instruct an audience, a skill essential for roles in sales, marketing, or corporate training.
How to Highlight It: Provide examples where you delivered presentations or training sessions, whether in the classroom or to colleagues.
Example: “Presented a professional development seminar to 50 educators on integrating technology into the classroom.”
11. Creativity
Teaching often requires thinking outside the box to make lessons engaging. You’ve developed creative solutions to keep students motivated and make complex topics more accessible. Creativity is a major asset in roles like marketing, content creation, or product development.
How to Highlight It: Highlight your creative approach to teaching or solving classroom challenges, especially where it led to improved outcomes.
Example: “Developed interactive science lessons that increased student engagement and boosted test scores by 15%.”
12. Attention to Detail
Grading papers, preparing lessons, and managing student records have sharpened your attention to detail. Many industries, such as administration, data management, and editing, require careful attention to detail.
How to Highlight It: Mention your meticulous planning or how you maintained accurate records in your classroom or school projects.
Example: “Maintained detailed and accurate student records for over 100 students, ensuring compliance with school regulations.”
13. Technology Integration
You’ve integrated technology into your teaching through smart boards, educational apps, or online platforms. Your ability to adapt to new tech is a valuable skill, especially in tech-driven industries.
How to Highlight It: Describe how you used technology to enhance learning and efficiency in the classroom.
Example: “Incorporated interactive learning apps into lessons, improving student engagement and increasing overall course comprehension.”
14. Writing
From lesson plans to emails and reports, teaching involves a lot of writing. You’ve developed strong writing skills, which are useful in marketing, content creation, and administration.
How to Highlight It: Provide examples where your written communication made a significant impact, like writing proposals or school policies.
Example: “Authored a comprehensive 20-page report on school curriculum changes, which was adopted school-wide.”
15. Assessment and Evaluation
Teachers continually assess student work and provide constructive feedback. This evaluation process can transfer to roles in human resources, performance management, or quality assurance.
How to Highlight It:
Emphasize your experience creating assessment tools or providing detailed feedback to improve performance.
Example: “Developed custom assessment tools to measure student progress and provided actionable feedback, improving student outcomes by 18%.”
16. Data Analysis
Analyzing student performance data has likely been a part of your teaching role. You’ve used data to inform instruction and track progress, a skill highly valued in business and finance roles.
How to Highlight It: Share how you used data to drive decisions, improve outcomes, or solve problems in your classroom.
Example: “Analyzed student performance data to adjust lesson plans, resulting in a 10% improvement in test scores.”
17. Mentoring
Mentorship plays a significant role in teaching. Whether guiding students or supporting new teachers, you’ve developed mentorship skills that are transferable to leadership or coaching roles.
How to Highlight It: Describe specific mentorship experiences, focusing on how you helped others grow or succeed.
Example: “Mentored a new teacher through their first year, leading to a successful classroom management strategy.”
18. Patience
Teaching requires a high level of patience, especially when dealing with different learning paces and behavioral challenges. This patience translates well into customer service, healthcare, and social work roles.
How to Highlight It: Demonstrate how your patience led to positive outcomes, whether in student growth or conflict resolution.
Example: “Exercised patience in working with students with learning difficulties, helping them achieve measurable progress in math.”
19. Delegation
As a teacher, you’ve likely delegated tasks to students during group work or assigned classroom responsibilities. You’ve balanced teaching while ensuring others contribute, a skill essential in leadership and management roles.
How to Highlight It:
Mention instances where you delegated effectively, such as assigning student leaders or delegating tasks in collaborative projects.
Example: “Delegated leadership roles to students during group projects, encouraging teamwork and accountability, which improved group outcomes by 15%.”
20. Motivational Skills
Teachers often motivate students to achieve their best, even in challenging circumstances. This ability to inspire and drive others is vital in sales, coaching, and managerial positions.
How to Highlight It:
Show how you motivated students to improve or reach goals, especially when dealing with disengaged or struggling students.
Example: “Motivated underperforming students by setting personalized goals and offering encouragement, leading to a 20% improvement in class participation.”
21. Project Management
Running a classroom and managing events like field trips or school projects requires strong project management skills. You’ve handled timelines, resources, and coordination to ensure success. This makes you well-suited for roles like project manager or event planner.
How to Highlight It:
Discuss your experience planning and executing events, handling logistics, and meeting deadlines.
Example: “Planned and managed school events for over 200 students, ensuring all logistics, communication, and schedules were flawlessly executed.”
Tips for Highlighting Transferable Skills on Your Resume
When transitioning from teaching to another career, effectively highlighting your transferable skills on your resume is crucial. Here are some general tips to help you present these skills in the best possible way:
1. Tailor Your Resume to the Job
Review the job description closely and identify the skills and qualifications the employer is looking for. Customize your resume to highlight the transferable skills that align most closely with the role. This shows employers that you’ve carefully considered how your background fits their needs.
2. Use Strong, Action-Oriented Language
Begin bullet points with action verbs to convey the impact of your skills. Use words like “led,” “organized,” “developed,” and “improved” to describe what you accomplished as a teacher. This makes your experience sound proactive and results-driven.
Example: “Led a team of educators in developing a new curriculum, improving student engagement by 25%.”
3. Quantify Your Achievements
Whenever possible, include numbers or data to demonstrate the impact of your work. Quantifying achievements can make your skills more tangible to potential employers. For instance, mention percentages, student improvement rates, or the number of students or projects you managed.
Example: “Increased student test scores by 15% through targeted instruction and personalized learning plans.”
4. Translate Teaching Terms to Industry Language
Avoid jargon that only makes sense in the education world. Instead, translate your teaching experience into terms relevant to the industry you’re targeting. For example, instead of “lesson plans,” you could use “project plans” or “training materials.” Instead of “students,” you could refer to “clients” or “team members.”
Example: “Developed and executed training programs for diverse teams, ensuring clear communication and achieving targeted learning outcomes.”
5. Focus on Relevant Skills
While you may have many transferable skills, not all will be relevant to the job you’re applying for. Focus on highlighting the skills that are most applicable to the role.
For example, if you’re applying for a project management position, emphasize your organization, leadership, and time management abilities. If you’re applying for a job that requires you to speak another language, make sure you include your language skills on your resume.
6. Create a Skills Section
Include a specific section on your resume for “Core Competencies” or “Key Skills.” List the top transferable skills you want to showcase, such as communication, leadership, and problem-solving. This section gives recruiters a quick snapshot of what you bring to the table.
7. Incorporate Skills into Your Professional Summary
Your professional summary at the top of your resume is a great place to incorporate your transferable skills. Highlight the most relevant skills for the role you’re applying to and briefly explain how your teaching experience has prepared you for this new career.
Example: “Results-driven educator with 10+ years of experience in leadership, communication, and project management in education. Proven success in developing innovative solutions and driving measurable improvements. Seeking to apply these skills in a project management role.”
8. Use Real-Life Examples
Provide concrete examples of how you applied your transferable skills in a real-world setting. This not only demonstrates your abilities but also helps the employer visualize how you can bring value to their organization.
Example: “Managed a team of teachers and coordinated a district-wide professional development program that enhanced instructional practices across 20 schools.”
9. Focus on Impact
Always focus on the impact of your skills. Employers want to know how your skills made a difference. Whether it’s improving student performance, streamlining processes, or leading a team to success, emphasizing the outcome is key.
10. Keep it Concise
Ensure your resume is concise, focusing on key experiences and transferable skills. Avoid overly long descriptions, and keep your bullet points to one or two sentences each.
By following these tips, you can make a strong case for how your teaching experience and transferable skills apply to your next career move. Tailoring your resume in this way will help you stand out to employers and find a job that matches your transferable skills.
How to Find Jobs That Fit Your Transferable Skills
When transitioning from teaching to a new career, identifying jobs that align with your transferable skills from teaching is key. Here’s how to find the right role for your abilities:
1. Assess Your Transferable Skills
Start by listing the skills you’ve developed as a teacher. These may include communication, leadership, problem-solving, and organization. Identify which skills you’re most proficient in and enjoy using the most. This will give you a clear idea of what to highlight as you explore new career options.
2. Research Potential Career Paths
Look into industries and roles that value the skills you’ve honed in teaching. For example, if you excel at public speaking, roles in training, sales, or corporate communication may be a good fit. If you enjoy interacting with people and managing your classroom, consider roles like educational sales or project management.
Some common career paths for teachers include:
- Corporate Training
- Project Management
- Human Resources
- Educational Sales
- Curriculum Development
- Instructional Design
By researching various roles and industries, you can pinpoint which ones are most aligned with your transferable skills. Take a look at these ideas for career changes for teachers if you need some inspiration.
3. Use Job Search Tools
Job search engines like LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor allow you to search for jobs based on skills. Use keywords related to your transferable skills (like “leadership,” “communication,” “training,” or “project management”) to find roles that align with your abilities. You can also use career exploration websites like My Next Move, which provide detailed job descriptions and suggest roles based on your skills.
4. Network Within and Beyond Education
Networking is one of the most effective ways to find a job that suits your skills. Reach out to former colleagues, mentors, or professionals who have made similar career transitions. Attend industry-specific networking events, and join online groups or communities related to your target field. Networking can introduce you to hidden job opportunities and help you learn more about industries that match your skill set.
You can also attend career fairs or informational interviews to gain insights into new fields and meet hiring managers directly.
5. Consider Taking Assessments
Career assessments can provide valuable insights into roles that suit your skills and interests. Tools like StrengthsFinder, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and Holland Code Career Test can help you understand your personality traits and how they align with certain careers. This step can guide you toward roles you may not have initially considered but that match your strengths.
6. Look for Bridge Roles
If a direct transition to a new industry seems challenging, consider taking a “bridge role”—a job that uses some of your transferable skills while helping you gain experience in a new field. For example, if you want to move into corporate training, you could start as a training coordinator or learning development assistant.
Bridge roles can provide you with the industry-specific experience needed to advance into your desired role, all while utilizing the skills you’ve already developed.
7. Attend Professional Development Courses
If you’re aiming to transition into a specific field, consider taking courses or obtaining certifications that can bolster your resume and help you stand out to employers. For example, if you want to move into project management, obtaining a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification could be a great investment. Similarly, if you’re interested in HR, courses in recruitment or employee relations can demonstrate your commitment to the field.
8. Look for Roles in Growing Fields
Identify growing industries that value the skills you already have. Fields like technology, healthcare, and education technology are expanding and often seek professionals with strong communication, leadership, and organizational skills—skills that teachers excel in. Keep an eye on emerging roles like eLearning developer, online course creator, or remote education coordinator, which are great fits for those with a teaching background.
9. Evaluate Job Descriptions
When evaluating job listings, focus on the skills required rather than just the job title. Sometimes, jobs in different industries have overlapping skill sets. For example, a project coordinator in marketing may require similar skills to what you’ve developed as a teacher managing projects or organizing activities. Look beyond the title and focus on the core skills listed in the job description.
10. Seek Professional Guidance
If you’re unsure about the next step, working with a career coach or resume writer can provide clarity. These professionals can help you assess your skills, explore career options, and develop a strong strategy for your job search. They can also assist in translating your teaching experience into language that resonates with hiring managers in other industries.
Conclusion
By recognizing and showcasing your transferable skills from teaching, you can confidently identify and move into new career areas. Just remember to tailor your resume to highlight your transferable skills in ways that match the roles you’re applying for.
And finally, believe in yourself. Your teaching skills are valuable assets that can help you succeed in many different fields!
James has been helping people teach English abroad for over twelve years. He’s traveled to over 30 countries, lived in 3, and taught English in Chile and online.
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