Write for the job you want

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Skills redeployment can help you get the job you've always wanted. But how does it work?

We’ve often heard the phrase “dress for the job you want, not the one you already have”. Cue images of bank workers turning up to work in a firefighter uniform and a cleaner mopping the floor in a surgeon’s gown. However, while dressing for the role you want may not be the most practical solution in your pursuit for a new career, writing for the job you want may be.

Here we’ll take you through the process of highlighting the transferable skills you already have that could make you the perfect candidate for a new role, or perhaps even a whole new career!

What is skills redeployment?

Like the word ‘furlough’ the phrase ‘skills redeployment’ was not typically mentioned in day to day working life.

Pre-COVID, redeployment of an employee would often be an attractive alternative to redundancy, saving the company money and avoiding a blow to team morale.

Redeployment would involve moving an employee from a no longer needed role to another, sometimes in a different department altogether. In these instances, the employee would be seen to possess transferable skills that made them suitable for the role and has the added advantage of retaining key talent and making the workforce more adaptable.

Skills redeployment during COVID

With the loss of 750,000 jobs in the UK due to the Coronavirus pandemic and scores more predicted with the end of the Furlough scheme this month, , many people have had to face some stark changes to their careers.

Skills redeployment in the post-COVID world looks very similar to how it did previously, but whereas before people would usually still have the familiarity of working with the same company, now candidates are faced with not only seeking a  new role but a whole new employer.

Nonetheless the concept is the same, it’s a matter of taking the skills you already have and transferring them in some meaningful way to a new role.

From hospitality to the 9-5

While I was lucky enough to keep my role during Covid, I was faced with my own ‘career pivot’ when moving out of hospitality into an office setting, which came with its own difficulties.

With many years’ experience working in kitchens and bars and coming out of university with some qualifications under my belt, I knew I was hard working and bright. However, these traits were not enough to even get me an interview with many employers, and my lack of experience in an admin role certainly didn’t do me any favours.

It wasn’t until finding myself working in recruitment that I discovered my CV, though carefully crafted and well presented, was the very thing holding me back!

Highlight your transferable skills

Much of the problem revolves around the key word search used by hirers when looking through applications. If you write about your experience in hospitality for instance, your CV will not be picked up in search terms for admin positions, and you’ll only be offered roles in the field you have written about!

This is where writing for the role you want really comes in. Be sure to read the advert carefully and pick up on the key words mentioned and try to (naturally!) scatter them into your CV and Cover letters. This should also be done with the skills that the advert recommends the candidate possess, you should not only include them but link them to the experience you do already have.

Another thing to do is to carefully break down your working day and go over every task and look at what skills are used. These skills can then be repackaged to fit a new role entirely. Worked in a local bookshop and organised the monthly book club? You’ve got experience in events management. Posted on Facebook for the bar that you run? Social media planning. Manage the orders and payment for the kitchen you cook in? Invoice handling and monthly reconciliation management. The list goes on.

While there’s no point in applying for roles you know you have absolutely no experience in, you should evaluate the skills required for your job and see if they can be stretched to fit another role. We’re not saying if you’re a dancer you could work in cyber security however it’s worth remembering  that every new job requires training, so this is just a case of showing you have some foundation knowledge and a willingness to learn.

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Work in hospitality? Caterer.com have got a Redeployment Hub to help those working in this sector find a new role.