{"id":622,"date":"2026-10-12T10:00:29","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T09:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/?p=622"},"modified":"2026-08-07T11:19:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T10:19:45","slug":"dont-underestimate-your-work-experience-how-to-showcase-all-your-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/2026\/10\/12\/dont-underestimate-your-work-experience-how-to-showcase-all-your-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Underestimate Your Work Experience: How to Showcase All Your Skills"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When applying for jobs or internships, it\u2019s easy to think that only roles directly related to your degree or career path count as valuable experience. But the truth is, every job or role you\u2019ve had, (whether paid, unpaid, part-time, or casual)\u00a0can contribute important skills that employers want. For students and graduates from the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (FHASS), recognising and showcasing these skills can make all the difference in standing out in a competitive job market.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why All Work Experience Matters<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Many of the skills you develop in a variety of roles are transferable and highly sought after, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Communication and teamwork<\/li>\n<li>Problem-solving and adaptability<\/li>\n<li>Time management and organisation<\/li>\n<li>Customer service and interpersonal skills<\/li>\n<li>Initiative and reliability<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These transferable skills form the foundation of professional success and often aren\u2019t learned in the classroom alone.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to Identify Your Transferable Skills<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Start by reflecting on your roles, even those you might dismiss as \u2018just a part-time job\u2019 or \u2018something I did to get by.\u2019 Consider:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What tasks did you do regularly?<\/li>\n<li>How did you handle challenges or difficult situations?<\/li>\n<li>Did you work as part of a team or take on responsibility?<\/li>\n<li>What did you learn about managing your time or priorities?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Keeping a skills log or journal can help you keep track of these insights.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Showcasing Your Experience Effectively<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When crafting your CV or job application:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use specific examples that demonstrate how you used your skills. For instance, \u201cManaged customer queries during busy periods, maintaining high satisfaction levels.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Tailor your descriptions to the role you\u2019re applying for, focusing on the skills the employer values.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid undervaluing roles by using positive language\u2014every experience contributes to your growth.<\/li>\n<li>Highlight any achievements or contributions, no matter how small they may seem.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In interviews, be ready to talk confidently about your experiences and the skills you gained. Employers appreciate candidates who can reflect on their learning and apply it to new challenges.<\/p>\n<p>By recognising the value in all your work experiences and presenting them thoughtfully, you open more doors and build a compelling case for your employability. Every role has something to teach, and those lessons can help you on your career journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When applying for jobs or internships, it\u2019s easy to think that only roles directly related to your degree or career path count as valuable experience. But the truth is, every job or role you\u2019ve had, (whether paid, unpaid, part-time, or casual)\u00a0can contribute important skills that employers want. For students and graduates from the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":729,"featured_media":623,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,50],"tags":[14,19,23,39],"class_list":["post-622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career-development","category-featured","tag-career-advice","tag-careers-advice","tag-skills","tag-work-experience"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/files\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1132298668-1080x675-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/729"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=622"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":624,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622\/revisions\/624"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.lancs.ac.uk\/fassemployabilityhub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}