Transferable skills
Transferable skills
Most competency frameworks also include transferable skills. These are skills that are not specific to evaluation and can be developed through various employment, volunteer, or education experiences. Some of these skills include:
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Interpersonal skills: These include listening, exercising compassion and non-judgment of others, and other skills that enable positive and collaborative relationships with others.
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Communication and facilitation: These skills involve taking complex ideas, disparate experiences, and unwieldy data and helping to make meaning of them for others. These skills are needed throughout the evaluation process to engage stakeholders, frame the evaluation, collect data, make meaning of results, and promote the use of findings.
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Project management: These involve the skills required to ensure evaluation activities are completed and delivered. It includes planning, developing work plans, allocating resources, and monitoring timelines.
Evolving transferable skills
As you grow in your career, the emphasis on certain skills may shift. While senior positions demand advanced technical skills, they also require a diverse range of transferable skills. Here’s an illustrative example of how the requirements for transferable skills might evolve across three different levels of positions in evaluation:
Entry level
| Communication | Project management | Collaboration |
|---|---|---|
| Written and verbal communication skills | Organisational skills | Ability to work effectively within teams |
What this can look like: Working as part of a team to conduct an evaluation. Contributing to specific parts of an evaluation, such as developing an interview guide, conducting an interview, and synthesising results for a section of an evaluation report.
Senior level
| Communication | Project management | Collaboration |
|---|---|---|
| Ability to communicate technical concepts and findings to various audiences | Project management applied to multiple tasks or projects | Ability to work independently while maintaining effective collaboration across diverse teams |
What this can look like: Facilitating evaluation conversations with clients to identify evaluation needs. Creating an evaluation plan and delegating parts of an evaluation across various teams.
Director or manager level
| Communication | Project management | Collaboration |
|---|---|---|
| Ability to communicate effectively with internal and external partners. Negotiation skills. | Ability to oversee multiple projects, delegate, and hold people accountable. | Ability to lead teams and foster a shared vision. |
What this can look like: Collaborating with other Directors to identify evaluation priorities. Assigning resources to evaluations and ensuring deliverables are met.
Tips from an emerging evaluator
As you navigate your career, make sure you do not overlook your transferable skills. These skills can be key in helping you transition to new roles with increased responsibilities.