You’re More Qualified Than You Think
Many professionals underestimate how valuable their experience really is. If you’ve ever looked at a job posting and thought, I could do that… but it’s not my industry, this article is for you.
Recruiters and employers are now looking beyond direct experience. They’re hiring people who can transfer adjacent skills, the knowledge and capabilities that work across sectors.
This means your next career move might not require starting from zero, just reframing what you already know.
What Are Adjacent Skills?
Adjacent skills are abilities that transfer naturally between roles or industries, even if the job titles differ.
For example:
- A production engineer in automotive can adapt to battery cell manufacturing, applying the same process control and quality assurance methods.
- A procurement specialist from construction can move into renewable energy, using contract management and supplier evaluation experience.
- A data analyst in finance can switch to climate technology, translating insights into sustainability performance metrics.
These transitions happen every day, often successfully, because the underlying skills are already there.
How to Recognise Your Own Adjacent Skills
- List what you actually do Go beyond your job title. Write down the tasks, decisions, and projects you lead or support. Many of these will translate into new contexts.
- Identify patterns across industries Search for roles that use similar tools or solve similar problems. For instance, process optimisation, safety standards, or stakeholder communication appear in almost every technical field.
- Speak the new industry’s language Tailor your CV and LinkedIn profile so that your experience reads naturally to the target sector. Replace niche acronyms with broader terms that recruiters in that space will recognise.
- Show learning agility Highlight courses, certifications, or side projects that demonstrate adaptability. Employers value curiosity as much as credentials.
Why Adjacent Skills Open More Doors
Industries like renewable energy, data centres, and advanced manufacturing are expanding faster than they can hire. Employers need people who can learn quickly and apply existing strengths to new challenges.
By positioning yourself through adjacent skills, you:
- Access a wider range of roles
- Increase your earning potential
- Stay resilient when your industry slows down
The ability to move across sectors is no longer a risk — it’s a career advantage.
How Intelligent Employment Helps
At Intelligent Employment, we specialise in connecting professionals with emerging opportunities across Europe. We often see candidates who don’t realise how close they already are to their next role.
By focusing on transferable skills and market insight, we help candidates pivot confidently into sectors like clean energy, data infrastructure, and sustainable technology, where their experience makes an immediate impact.
You don’t need to be a unicorn to progress. You just need to recognise how far your skills can move.
When you start seeing your experience as adaptable, not fixed, whole new industries open up.
