Module 2: Skills
Assessing Transferable Skills
Learning to translate academic responsibilities, from course planning to dissertation research, into transferable skills is an important step in building application materials for internships and beyond.
Transferable Skills Resources
The transferable skill categories you demonstrate in application materials will depend on the positions you will apply to. Some industries may value or desire specific types of skills, frequently communicated in internship advertisements, that applicants will wish to highlight. We have compiled a list of resources that demonstrate the breadth of transferable skills that can be reflected in application materials:
- PhD Transferable Skills (U-M, University Career Center) Links to an external site.
- Transferable Skills Workbook (U-M, CEW) Links to an external site.
- PhD Transferable Skills (MSU) Links to an external site.
Reviewing the sites will give you a sense of the types of skills that are typically built in graduate school, as well as skill areas that are frequently highlighted in application materials. You will have the opportunity to keep track of both of these skills in an activity on the following page.
Applicants are expected to showcase their experiences and skills in two written application submissions: the resume and cover letter. It is up to you to determine which skills are better represented in each format. As you track your transferable skills, consider:
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