5 Transferable Skills For Your DEI Resume

Passionate about a career in DEI but concerned you might not have transferable skills? I get asked all the time, “What skills do you need for a DEI position?” You may be surprised how relevant your experience in other roles can be.

Companies are looking for professionals who not only understand DEI foundations but can also deliver on company-wide DEI goals.  Of course, understanding DEI foundations, like unconscious bias and microaggressions, is necessary.  However, applying those concepts to lead organizational change requires a  variety of skills - skills that you may have already gained from your professional experience. 

Here are 5 transferable skills  to include on your DEI Resume:

1. Strategy Development

Hiring managers are looking for professionals with experience creating impactful strategies. They’re looking for candidates with a record of using quantitative and qualitative data to achieve company objectives. If you have developed and executed a strategy for your current department, highlight that relevant, transferable experience on your DEI resume.

2. Project Management 

As a DEI professional, you will often juggle multiple initiatives at the same time. From ERG programs to Self-ID campaigns and diversity recruiting, a variety of projects will be running simultaneously.  It is imperative that each project stays on time, on budget, and within the outlined scope. Recruiters want evidence of how you have successfully planned, organized, and supervised past projects. 

3. Creative Problem-Solving

When executing a DEI strategy, each organization has its unique set of challenges, from budgets to staffing to time constraints. Hiring teams are looking for creative solution builders who can overcome these challenges to drive meaningful organizational change.  If you are a creative problem solver - a skill that does not come easy- your resume should show it.

4. Influencing Cross-departmentally

DEI is not solely an HR concern, and all departments in an organization must embrace your proposed DEI strategy. Getting interdepartmental cooperation on simple tasks can be challenging, even more so with DEI initiatives. Your resume should showcase your ability to influence multiple departments to achieve a shared goal. Recruiters want to know you’re skilled at motivating and persuading everyone, even middle managers and individual contributors.  

5. Gaining Leadership Buy-In

You will come across many types of leaders within an organization. And although they may say they believe in DEI, the real progress comes when you can spur them on to action. Especially when department leaders feel DEI work is optional or conflicts with achieving their department’s primary goal.  Recruiters are looking for candidates with strong interpersonal skills that can navigate unique leadership styles, personalities, and beliefs about DEI. 

Jumpstart Your DEI Career

Making a career pivot can be challenging. But it’s your time to move past self-doubt and fear to your new DEI career. Let us help you gain clarity and confidence as a DEI job seeker. Go to DEICareer.com/coaching to learn more about our DEI Career coaching services.