Transferable Skills Checker
Work out which of your real work experiences count as transferable skills, so you can use them in a CV, application or career change with confidence.
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What the Transferable Skills Checker does
The Transferable Skills Checker looks at the things you've actually done at work — tasks, responsibilities, situations you've handled — and identifies which skills they demonstrate. It's built for people who know they've got relevant experience but can't easily put a name to it, especially when moving between industries or job types.
Many people undervalue their own experience because it doesn't look like the language used in job adverts. Handling an angry customer, training a new starter, juggling a busy shift, or keeping a stockroom organised are all evidence of real, employable skills — communication, coaching, prioritisation, organisation — but they rarely get described that way. This tool bridges that gap using your own examples.
It only works from what you tell it about your own experience. It won't assume you have a skill just because your job title suggests it, and it won't claim expertise you haven't actually demonstrated. The result is a grounded list of skills you can genuinely back up if asked about them.
Who it is for
- Anyone changing industry or career direction who needs to reframe past experience
- People returning to work after a career break who are unsure how their experience translates
- School leavers or early-career workers with limited job history but relevant life experience
- Retail, hospitality and care staff moving into office-based or different sector roles
- Anyone struggling to fill in the "skills" section of a CV or application form
- People preparing for a job application that lists specific required competencies
- Anyone who feels their experience doesn't "count" because it wasn't in a similar role
How it works, in three steps
Step 1
Describe your experience
Tell the tool about roles, tasks or situations you've handled — in your own words, whether that's a job, volunteering, caring responsibilities or something else. Detail matters more than job titles.
Step 2
See the skills it reveals
The tool identifies the specific transferable skills your examples demonstrate, such as communication, problem-solving, organisation or leadership, and shows you which part of your description supports each one.
Step 3
Turn skills into evidence you can use
Save the skills and their supporting examples so you can drop them into a CV, application form or interview answer, with the real evidence behind each one already attached.
An example, start to finish
What a member typed in
- I've worked on the till and shop floor at a supermarket for two years. I often end up training new starters on the till system because I'm quick to explain things.
- I also handle most of the customer complaints on my shifts because the other staff tend to pass them to me.
- When we're short-staffed I move between departments to cover wherever's needed.
Transferable skills identified
- Coaching and training — evidenced by regularly training new starters on the till system, based on being quick to explain processes clearly.
- Customer service and conflict resolution — evidenced by handling most customer complaints during shifts, relied on by colleagues to do so.
- Adaptability — evidenced by moving between departments to cover gaps during short-staffed periods.
- Communication — evidenced by explaining systems and processes clearly enough that colleagues pass training tasks to you specifically.
Each skill is tied directly to something described, not assumed from the job title alone.
Why people use it
Puts a name to skills you already have
Turns everyday tasks into recognised skill language that employers and application forms actually ask for.
Helps with career changes
Makes it easier to show how experience from one industry applies to a completely different one.
Backed by real evidence
Every skill identified is tied to something you described, so you can talk about it confidently if asked in an interview.
Fills gaps in CVs and applications
Gives you concrete content for skills sections and competency questions instead of generic phrases.
Builds self-awareness over time
The more experience you add, the clearer a picture you build of your own strengths, useful well beyond a single application.
Your information and your privacy
- Your work history and examples are only used to identify skills within your own account.
- Nothing is shared with employers or third parties unless you choose to send it.
- You can edit, remove or add to your recorded experience at any time.
- Skills are only ever identified from experience you've actually described — none are assumed or invented.
Read the EarnedStory privacy policy for the full detail.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a transferable skill?
- A skill you've built in one context that applies just as well in a different job, industry or setting — things like communication, organisation, problem-solving or teamwork, rather than skills tied to one specific tool or role.
- I've only ever had one type of job — will this still work?
- Yes. Most jobs, even a single long-held one, involve a wide range of situations — dealing with people, solving problems, managing time — each of which demonstrates different skills once you look closely.
- Can I include volunteering or caring responsibilities?
- Yes, any real experience is valid input, including volunteering, caring for family, community roles or informal responsibilities, not just paid work.
- Will it invent skills I don't actually have?
- No. Every skill identified is tied to a specific example you've described. If your input doesn't support a skill, it won't be listed.
- How is this different from a general list of transferable skills?
- Generic lists tell you what transferable skills exist in theory. This tool works from your own experience to show which ones you can actually evidence and talk about.
- Can I use the results directly in a CV?
- Yes, the skills and their supporting examples are designed to be used directly in a CV skills section, application form, or as the basis for an interview answer.
Check your transferable skills now
See which skills your real work experience already demonstrates, backed by your own evidence.
Open the Transferable Skills Checker