Identifying Career Paths & Transferable Skills
The first step in figuring out what’s next.
When you’re in a career transition, whether you’re actively job searching, feeling stuck, or just wondering what else might be out there, it’s natural to ask: “What’s next for me?”
We hear this all the time inside DIY Job Search Toolkits, usually in one of two forms:
- “What careers suit my background?”
- “What transferable skills do I already have for a different field?”
If you’ve ever asked yourself one of those questions, you’re already on the right track. Why? Because career growth, whether it’s a pivot, a promotion, or a whole new path, starts with understanding what you bring to the table and how it fits into other opportunities.
Why transferable skills matter
Most people think about skills only in the context of their current job title or industry. But the truth is, your real value is made up of abilities that can travel with you anywhere.
Transferable skills are the bridge between where you are now and where you want to go. They can include:
- Leadership & communication – leading teams, running meetings, presenting ideas clearly
- Problem-solving – breaking down challenges, finding solutions under pressure
- Project management – organizing timelines, tracking deliverables, keeping things on budget
- Analysis – working with data, identifying trends, making informed decisions
Recognizing these skills is the first step to seeing possibilities beyond your current role.
Exploring career paths
Once you know what you’re good at, you can start exploring where those skills fit best. This doesn’t have to be a huge, high-stakes decision from the start think of it as research. Try:
- Talking to people in roles or industries you’re curious about
- Looking at job postings in other fields to see where your skills line up
- Using career exploration tools (like our Career Wayfinder) to match your skills, interests, and values with potential paths you might not have considered
Often, you’ll discover that you qualify for more roles than you expected, sometimes in industries you’ve never thought about before.
The bottom line
You don’t have to know your exact destination to start moving in the right direction. By identifying your transferable skills and exploring career paths where they apply, you open up more opportunities and more control over your career story.
If you’re ready to start exploring what’s next, the Career Wayfinder is one of the tools you’ll find inside DIY Job Search Toolkits. It’s designed to help you map your transferable skills, uncover new career paths, and see where your experience could take you all as part of the full job search system our members use.