Until recently, quiz shows such as University Challenge and Mastermind focused on general knowledge. Questions ranged from who composed the 1812 Overture, to who scored at the last Cup final held at old Wembley. The latest trend in brain teasers is logical puzzles, and lateral thinking. If you’ve watched The 1% Cub, Only Connect, or House of Games at the BBC, then you will understand what I am talking about.
Organisations have come to realize that skills like the ability to think laterally and solve puzzles, are more valuable than what used to be called “specific knowledge” in the Person Specification. Transferable skills are valued more by organisations as they strive to be Agile. They are looking for people who have the ability to adapt quickly to different areas of business, and also have the necessary skills to assume responsibilities that they do not have any professional experience in. These individuals possess transferable skills. They are skills that can be applied in any business area. People management, budget management, lateral thinking and solving problems are examples of transferable skills.
There was a time in my career when I worked in a large, complex organisation. After a reorganisation of the management structure and a reorganisation of services in health and social care which I was experienced in, I became Head of Resources in charge of HR & Finance & IT in which I did not have any professional qualifications or experience. I had transferable skills such as budget management, problem solving and people management.
When it came to recruiting, I used the concept of transferable skills. I was willing and open to interviewing people with no prior experience in the business or service they were applying for, as long as they had transferable skills. I altered the PS to emphasize transferable skills. It was obvious that if someone were appointed to a position in an area in which they did not have any background, they would need to be able get up to speed fast. This is a transferable skills. In order to become Agile, more organisations are expected to identify transferable skills and specify requirements for lateral thinking.
