transferable skills tourism

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What you can do with your tourism skills

How to get a job ; 21 April 2020 by Chelsea Cosgrove

Your tourism skills can be transferred to other jobs and industries. Here’s how.

What's on this page?

What skills are learned in tourism jobs, what other jobs can these skills be used for, consider a career change, find out more.

Tourism workers have great customer service skills, cultural awareness and high levels of professionalism. If you've been working as a travel agent, tour guide, hotel worker or customer service representative, find out how you can transfer those skills to other career options. 

Tourism workers often operate in fast-paced environments where they provide quality service to both domestic and international customers. The wide range of skills gained in the tourism industry include:

• a strong work ethic
• being able to relate to people from different cultures and backgrounds
• high attention to detail
• planning, organisation and time management
• public speaking
• sales and customer service experience
• the ability to maintain professionalism at all times.

The skills listed above are called transferable skills – the skills and abilities you have developed throughout different life experiences that can be transferred from one job to another. The transferable skills gained by working in tourism can be applied to a range of other jobs, including:

• Administration officer
• Contact centre worker
• Courier/delivery agent
• Mail and parcel sorter
• Personal assistant
• Real estate agent
• Sales representative
• Support worker
• Storeperson .

Find job vacancies here:

• Job vacancies and recruitment agency websites

This might be a time to consider other career options.

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Transferable Skills Gained by Working in the Tourism and Hospitality Sector

Publication date: Feb 2024

Language: English

Addressing labour shortages affecting the travel and hospitality sector demands a multifaceted approach, focusing on facilitating worker mobility, adopting innovative technologies, and changing the sector’s image as a workplace. In collaboration with the University of Surrey’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management (SHTM), the European Travel Commission (ETC) has embarked on a long-term strategy to reshape the perception of the sector among the next generation of workers. The primary mission of this project is to address the challenges faced by the Tourism and Hospitality industry, including labour shortages and an unfavourable image.

This study involved three main components: identifying transferable skills, categorization of these transferable skills, and an exploration of effective approaches for children to learn soft skills. A Transferable Skills Model has been developed that comprises categories of soft and hard skills and demonstrates the interconnectedness of various skills.

Transferring Your Tourism And Hospitality Skills To A New Role

Everyone has transferrable skills they can bring to a role, that are valuable to prospective employers and Hospitality and Tourism workers are no different! The varied work days, wide range of international clients and multi-tasking involved in the majority of Tourism and Hospitlaity businesses means staff are usually equipped with lots of skills that are attractive to potential employers. Working out what yours are will help you to stand out when you start applying for new jobs.

What are transferrable skills? 

Transferable skills are a core set of talents and abilities, learned and acquired over time from every role, or experience you have ever had. For example, if you used to be a Travel Consultant and spent most of your time on the phone processing sales with clients, then you could transfer these communication skills over to a Call Centre role. Or, perhaps you were a Tour Guide and would rather remain active, working outside, than taking on an office job; working a season fruit picking could be a great option to take your physical aptitude into a new environment.

Transferrable skills can be just as valuable as work experience and you should showcase them on your CV.

Below are some transferrable skills from various industry roles, that you might not have considered before. Remember to provide examples on your CV where they have been applied or learned, in previous jobs:

Hospitality Professionals

• Time management 
• Problem-solving (i.e. thinking quickly, on your feet)
• Strong customer service
• Financial management (i.e. cashing up the till each day)

Travel Consultants

• Researching and reporting
• Financial management (i.e. keeping track of what your clients are spending)
• Sales and marketing (i.e proven ability to influence clients' travel decisions)
• Creative thinking (i.e. navigating travel and booking requirements)
• Communication (i.e. great in-person and phone manner)

Flight Attendants

• Leadership (i.e. prioritising and delegating tasks, problem solving)
• Strong time management
• Interpersonal skills (i.e. compassion, empathy, co-operation, teamwork)
• Health and Safety knowledge
• Great under pressure

Tour Guides

• Strong client relationships (i.e. rapport)
• Listening (*this is one of the most important skills for any employee to have)
• Flexibility (i.e. being able to adapt plans)
• Problem-solving
• Working outdoors, in all weather conditions

Event Managers

• Administration
• Planning skills
• Financial Management

Hotel Receptionists

• Interpersonal skills (i.e. awareness, empathy, reliability, teamwork)

And the list goes on! 

Transferable Skills in the Tourism Industry: 3 tips from Hop It founder Jon Lee on finding and using skills across your career

It may feel like you now need a bachelor’s degree or at least some short courses under your belt before attempting to enter the tourism industry. But as Hop It founder Jon Lee has shown us during his 15-year career so far, you likely already have many strengths and skills that are highly transferable throughout the boundless job opportunities at your fingertips. 

1. Look at your personality traits throughout childhood!

The first place to look is always at the beginning. Think back to the traits that came most naturally to you throughout adolescence.  

“Growing up, in my friendship group, I was always the organiser. Essentially, I was always wanting to see everyone happy. That trait really filters nicely into what we do to this day,” says Jon, who built his hop on, hop off bus service business across three wine regions in Victoria in order to help make people happy every day. 

“My favourite part of the job would be meeting new people and seeing the smiles on their faces. I think working in the tourism industry is a beautiful thing because you get to actually make people laugh, make people smile and see the best of themselves. It builds my confidence and actually feeds my happiness.”

From asking your parents and childhood friends what they saw naturally in you at a young age, to reading back on some primary school report cards – there are many ways to identify those innate traits! Note these down and then think about how they might be able to transfer across to your current career. 

2. Think back to your first job, no matter how relevant it is to your current career pursuits.  

Any job experience is bound to birth a set of skills, and you’ll be surprised to find that many can be applicable to other industries and careers in tourism. 

“I grew up in a corner shop – what you guys would call a milk bar, I think, in Australia. I was only 15 years of age – that was my first job. Essentially, I was looking after customers and eventually looking after licking stamps,” Jon tells us.

While licking stamps may not be as transferrable a skill (though, never say never!), looking after customers helped Jon learn how to work within a community and carry a conversation with people from all walks of life. These communication skills became a crucial part of his business success when looking to develop partnerships with the wine tourism industry in Victoria – especially when COVID hit a mere 8 months after Hop It was launched. 

“We bought two buses. My wife had just come full time with me. We had no money coming in, so we had to think of something. So we just took the seats out of the buses and made them into vans, and we asked the vineyards and businesses what they needed. We communicated with them and said ‘Look, you know, we’re all struggling. What can do we to help you?’”

Communication skills from the corner store transformed into local area marketing skills just as Hop It transformed into a delivery service, bringing wine from the Yarra Valley to people’s homes across Victoria. What started with 3 wineries grew to 30 businesses from truffle to chocolate, and Hop It ended up with 20 staff members on the books. 

Search up a position description for the first job you had and you’re bound to discover a list of key skills required for the role. From communication skills to relationship building, you’ll be surprised how many foundational skills you already have under your belt!

3. Say yes to opportunities, as you never know when those experiences will come in handy later. 

Don’t shy away from any opportunity that comes your way, even if you don’t know yet how it will help you in your career development. 

From an early age, Jon always accepted leadership roles and opportunities even without knowing he was going to become a business owner later in his career. From being the captain of his rugby team back in the UK, to saying yes to a leadership course that was offered to him while working at Nando’s, these opportunities helped hone his skills when it came to managing staff, training people and ultimately running a business. 

Similarly, when Jon and his wife Sara first started Hop It, they took the opportunity to attend regular Young Tourism Network (YTN) networking events. “Going into our first YTN event was really refreshing because in this industry, there are a lot of older people and it can be quite unapproachable. We got to meet people who were like-minded but also similar in age. From there, we met people who worked for TripAdvisor, Victoria Tourism Industry Council and Australian Tourism Industry Council, which led actually into being a part of the Victorian Tourism Awards, which we won!”From recognising his innate traits at an early age, to converting skills developed in his first job and saying ‘yes’ at every opportunity, Jon has built his successful career in the tourism industry.

To learn more from Jon about his career and Hop It, come along to our Working in Wine Tourism panel on Tuesday 26 March.

The Top 5 Transferable Skills and How They Can Help You

When embarking on a career change into a new industry, you might think your previous experience is redundant, and worry that your lack of relevant skills will hold you back from getting hired.

The reality couldn’t be more different. This is where transferable skills come in. 

Whatever your background or previous experience, you’ve developed valuable skills that can play a vital role in forging your new career path. When it comes to applying for jobs, these unique, transferable skills will set you apart from the competition and can demonstrate the value you bring to a company.

This article will explore what transferable skills are, why they’re so important for career changers, and how to market yours the right way. We also spoke to some successful career changers about how they leveraged their transferable skills.

Here’s what we’ll cover: 

• What are transferable skills?
• Why are transferable skills important?
• Five examples of the top transferable skills employees look for
• How to use transferable skills on your resume
• Final thoughts

Ready? Let’s dive in!

1. What are transferable skills?

Transferable skills are the skills you’ve picked up from your past experiences that can be applied to the role or industry you’re looking to transition into.

These skills don’t necessarily have to come from a previous career path; you can also pick them up from volunteer or charity work, hobbies, courses, or even just the day-to-day activities you do at home. 

Transferable skills can be hard skills, like designing, marketing, or writing. They can also be soft skills, like multitasking, critical thinking, or problem-solving. Soft skills are especially useful because you can apply them to a wide range of job roles, regardless of title or industry. 

Think of transferable skills as the foundation of your career-change arsenal. No matter where your career takes you, you can continue building on these skills—and highlighting them to prospective employers. 

2. Why are transferable skills important?

Many career changers worry about not having enough experience to bring to their new career path —especially when it comes to competing with more experienced professionals for the same roles. Transferable skills play a vital role in helping you land your first job in your new industry. 

Being able to identify and highlight relevant experience, as well as providing specific examples, will go a long way in convincing employers you’re the right fit for their company. It can also demonstrate what you’ve learned from your previous roles, and how you’ll leverage these skills to go above and beyond in your next position. 

Looking at real world experience, we spoke to Nick Logan, a math teacher who transitioned into a data analyst . He shared his experience, saying:

Data analytics was appealing because it was a field that seemed pretty accessible for me: I didn’t need to go back to school to retrain, and I could build on the skills I already had.

I t’s always helpful to pause for a moment and reflect on what skills, both practical and interpersonal soft skills, you have built up over time.  

We asked some career-changers who are working in tech to share what they consider the most important soft skills are for a career in tech and how they leveraged them for their new careers. Check out what they had to say in this video:

In many industries, soft skills are widely considered to be equally as important as hard skills. These transferable skills are what sets job seekers apart as great team players, or even potential managers.

An employee could have all the qualifications in the world, but if they don’t have the interpersonal skills to work effectively with other team members, it can be more of a challenge to get hired. So, never underestimate the power of both skillsets! 

To learn more, check out our step-by-step guide to successfully changing careers in 2024 . 

3. Five examples of top transferable skills employees look for

So far, we’ve explored what transferable skills actually are, and why they’re so important. At this point, you might be wondering which skills employees look out for and which ones you might already have. 

Let’s take a look at five examples of highly sought-after transferable skills: 

Interpersonal skills: Empathy and emotional intelligence 

Interpersonal skills are the skills that make you a great team player —such as being a great communicator. Simply put, interpersonal skills are the skills you have in how you communicate and interact with other people, often known as soft skills or people skills. 

When hiring, employers consider how you’ll work collaboratively with the existing team. Having demonstrable skills such as a good listener and a fast learner, as well as being able to effectively give and receive feedback, are particularly sought after.

Some of the other top interpersonal skills include the ability to show empathy, being able to motivate others, active listening, and sharing feedback across different levels and communication styles.  

Speaking to Florian Bölter, who went from studying literature and working in publishing to a job as a product designer, he explained just how relevant these skills are:

Being open to feedback [makes for a good designer]. You need to be able to listen to people and be open to feedback and be able to also voice your feedback, too. For example, when working with developers, you need to be able to say, “I’m sorry, but there’s something wrong with that button. You didn’t do that right, and we need to go over that .” That’s a very essential skill.

These interpersonal skills went a long way in helping him transform his career in a matter of months.

Creativity and problem-solving 

Problem-solving is a highly desirable skill, especially in the tech industry.

You might have to quickly fix a bug in real-time, or work collaboratively with your team to overcome a website’s usability issues. Being able to identify the root of a problem and propose tangible solutions is an invaluable skill—so if you’ve done a lot of problem-solving in the past, be sure to make it known! 

It is a top skill to highlight on your resume, as it demonstrates your ability to identify and then effectively solve an issue, which is incredibly useful and highly valued across different roles and industries. It also shows that you are solution-orientated, and no matter what role you’re working in, challenges will arise which need solving! 

Chad Stacey explained how his problem-solving skills helped him move from a background in history and tech recruitment to becoming a data analyst for The Telegraph :

I had studied maths at A-Level and I have a mathematical brain but felt like I hadn’t used it in years. However, I developed an analytical mind while studying history at university. Even though it deals with qualitative data (as opposed to quantitative) you’re still utilizing that part of your brain— it’s problem-solving. I enjoyed picking apart a source and working out how accurate and trustworthy it is and how you can apply it, which you can, of course, apply to data, so I decided it was the route to go down.

Project and time management

Maybe you haven’t officially had a “project manager” job title before, but if you’re a strong multitasker with the ability to manage your time, be organized, and liaise between various stakeholders, you can definitely list “project management skills” on your resume.

Project management skills are particularly useful in client-facing positions (i.e. freelancing or agency work). 

This skillset is so important as demonstrates your ability to plan, prioritize and structure time in an efficient and effective manner. And when you’re looking for top transferable skills to highlight, this one is always in high demand, especially when working in positions with different stakeholders and in roles that require a degree of multitasking. 

Leadership and team management

If you’re changing careers or applying for entry-level positions, you might struggle to highlight any distinguishable experience as a leader. But leadership skills don’t necessarily come from being a manager or CEO.

Leading on specific projects and initiatives, delegating tasks to colleagues, or volunteering to take on more responsibility—all are examples of valuable leadership skills that you can bring into your new career. 

Having leadership experience is a transferable skill that companies are looking for, irrespective if it’s from a different industry and you’re in the process of a career change. Top leadership skills include strategizing, steering a team, motivating others, prioritizing, and building trust. 

Public speaking and presentation skills

Public speaking is a rare skill and one that goes a long way in almost every sector. In tech, you might find yourself having to present your work to the company, lead team strategy workshops, or even speak at events. Being a strong public speaker is considered a desirable quality for senior leaders, so any experience in confidently speaking in front of groups is bound to make your resume stand out.

As can be seen, transferable skills are an important part of career change as they showcase what you already bring to the table, in addition to your newly acquired skills.

Norman Wollaston moved from hospitality and retail into UX design , and explains how his transferable skills where an essential part of of the process:

The more I learned about UX, the more I thought OK, this is something that I can definitely get into!  I love the creative aspect of it, and that it brings in research and user understanding and empathy. That stood out to me because of my previous roles in hospitality and retail, actually—even when I was working for a jewelry designer, I learned a lot from her about business.  Elements of those industries are some things that you think of as a UX designer — business requirements and criteria, empathy for the user, understanding the problem, and finding a solution. It all just kind of clicked for me.

4. How to use transferable skills on your resume

So, how can you use your transferable skills to get a new job? Paired with your portfolio, your resume is the best way to showcase your skills as a career changer.

Even when you fall short of a job’s baseline requirements, you can still persuade the hiring manager you’re right for the role solely based on the transferable skills you highlight in your resume. 

To help you market your skills in the best possible way, here are three best practices to keep in mind when creating your resume:

Only highlight what’s relevant 

You might be tempted to include a laundry list of every soft skill you might have picked up in your adult life, in the hope that at least one of them will stand out. But doing this is a sure-fire way to get your resume quickly disregarded.

Instead, cherry-pick the skills which offer direct value in the position you’re applying for: For example, if you’re on the hunt for a data analytics position , you might want to highlight specific experiences where you’ve had to solve problems, think critically, or carry out research. 

Be strategic with language 

As you read through job descriptions, it’s good practice to take note of the language employers are using when listing desired skills. That way, you can find subtle ways to work the same language into your resume; being strategic with the keywords you use to describe your skillset.

This will help your resume stand out to hiring managers, and demonstrate that you’ve taken the time to understand what employers want. 

Include specific examples

Having transferable skills is all well and good, but most employers want to be able to contextualize these skills with specific examples. For example, instead of saying you take pride in your leadership skills, provide an example of when you’ve had to take initiative and lead a team to deliver on a specific project.

Bonus points if you can provide proof points of the impact your leadership had (even if it’s in a completely different industry)! You can learn more about creating a tech resume here.

5. Final thoughts

So there we have it: Everything you need to know about transferable skills, and how to make the most out of yours. 

When embarking on a career change, you might feel like being a newcomer to the field puts you at a disadvantage in the job market. Hopefully, this has illustrated how your past experience can be a help—as opposed to a hindrance—on your career change journey. 

Your previous experience, and what you learned from it, are part of your unique personal brand . Remember: Employers don’t just hire robots who perform the job’s basic tasks and nothing more. They hire humans ; and the skills, backgrounds, and perspectives those humans bring to the table. 

To learn more about how to market yourself as a career changer, check out these relevant articles: 

• 5 ways to prepare for a major career change
• How to create a winning UX design resume 
• 5 lies you’ll tell yourself if you have impostor syndrome (and how to debunk them)
• What are Soft Skills? A Career Changer’s Guide