Skills Translation Matrix

Purpose

Transform your career history into a powerful map of transferable skills that open doors to new industries. This skill helps you identify the hidden value in your experience and see exactly how it translates to fields you've never considered.

Most career changers underestimate their transferable skills by 50% or more. This matrix reveals the full picture and gives you concrete language to position yourself for new opportunities.

When to Use

Use this Skill when you need to:

• Understand what skills you have that apply to other industries
• Create a comprehensive inventory of your transferable capabilities
• Position your experience for a career change or pivot
• Build confidence that your background has value beyond your current field
• Prepare for interviews in new industries
• Craft resume bullets that translate your experience

Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Career History Extraction

Understand your complete professional background to mine for transferable skills.

Help the user document their career:

Ask guiding questions:

• "Walk me through your career—what roles have you held, and for how long?"
• "In each role, what were your main responsibilities?"
• "What projects are you most proud of, even if they seem routine?"
• "What problems did you solve regularly?"

Capture:

• Job titles and industries
• Key responsibilities
• Notable achievements
• Regular problem-solving activities

Output Variable: career_history

Step 2: Deep Skills Mining

Extract transferable skills from each role, going beyond obvious job functions.

Ask probing questions:

• "In [role], when things went wrong, how did you fix them?"
• "What did people come to you for help with?"
• "What did you do that wasn't technically in your job description?"
• "What skills did you develop that you didn't have before?"

Look for hidden skills in these categories:

1. Communication: Writing, presenting, negotiating, influencing
2. Analysis: Data interpretation, problem-solving, research
3. Leadership: Team management, mentoring, decision-making
4. Technical: Software, tools, methodologies
5. Operations: Process improvement, project management, budgeting
6. Interpersonal: Relationship building, conflict resolution, collaboration

Output Variable: raw_skills_list Context Used: career_history

Step 3: Skills Categorization

Organize skills into transferable categories with proficiency levels.

For each skill identified, determine:

• Category: Which of the 6 categories above
• Proficiency: Expert (10+ years), Proficient (5-10), Developing (2-5)
• Evidence: Specific examples proving the skill
• Universal Value: Why this skill matters across industries

Create a structured skills inventory with at least 15-20 distinct transferable skills.

Output Variable: categorized_skills Context Used: raw_skills_list

Step 4: Industry Exploration

Identify 5-10 potential industries or roles based on the user's interests and skills.

Ask:

• "What industries have you always been curious about?"
• "What problems in the world do you care about solving?"
• "What work environments energize you?"
• "Are there any fields you've ruled out? Let's revisit them."

Research how the user's top skills are valued in each target industry.

Output Variable: target_industries Context Used: categorized_skills

Step 5: Translation Mapping

Create the actual Skills Translation Matrix showing skill-to-industry fit.

For each skill and target industry, identify:

• Role Relevance: Which roles in that industry need this skill
• Language Bridge: Industry-specific terminology for the skill
• Proof Points: How to demonstrate the skill in interviews
• Gap Assessment: Any additional skills needed

Output Variable: translation_mapping Context Used: categorized_skills, target_industries

Step 6: Generate Final Matrix

Create a comprehensive document with the complete Skills Translation Matrix.

Create a document titled "Skills Translation Matrix" with:

Section 1: Executive Summary

• Total transferable skills identified
• Top 5 strongest skills
• Best-fit industries based on skill alignment

Section 2: Complete Skills Inventory For each skill:

• Skill name
• Category
• Proficiency level
• Evidence from career history
• Universal value statement

Section 3: Industry Translation Matrix A grid showing:

• Skills on one axis
• Target industries on other axis
• Fit rating (High/Medium/Low) in each cell
• Specific role examples where skill applies

Section 4: Language Bridge Guide How to describe each skill in the language of each target industry.

Section 5: Recommended Next Steps

• Highest potential pivot paths
• Skills gaps to address
• Immediate actions

Context Used: All previous steps

Output Format

Skills Translation Matrix

# Skills Translation Matrix for [Name]
Generated: [Date]

## Executive Summary
- **Total Transferable Skills:** [number]
- **Top 5 Strengths:** [list]
- **Best-Fit Industries:** [ranked list with rationale]

## Complete Skills Inventory

### Communication Skills
| Skill | Proficiency | Evidence | Universal Value |
|-------|-------------|----------|-----------------|
| [skill] | [level] | [example] | [why it matters] |

### Analysis Skills
[same format]

### Leadership Skills
[same format]

### Technical Skills
[same format]

### Operations Skills
[same format]

### Interpersonal Skills
[same format]

## Industry Translation Matrix

| Skill | [Industry 1] | [Industry 2] | [Industry 3] | [Industry 4] | [Industry 5] |
|-------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
| [skill] | High: [role] | Medium: [role] | Low | High: [role] | Medium: [role] |

## Language Bridge Guide

### For [Industry 1]
- "[Your skill]" becomes "[industry term]"
- Example: "Managed $2M marketing budget" → "P&L ownership with cross-functional resource allocation"

### For [Industry 2]
[same format]

## Recommended Next Steps
1. [Immediate action]
2. [Short-term action]
3. [Medium-term action]

Tools

• basile_create_document - Creates the Skills Translation Matrix document in user's space

Example

Input: "I've been a Marketing Manager for 12 years and feel stuck. I want to explore other options but don't know what I can do."

Output: A Skills Translation Matrix revealing:

• 18 transferable skills including strategic planning, stakeholder management, budget ownership, data analysis, team leadership
• 6 potential industries: EdTech, HealthTech, SaaS, Non-profit, Consulting, Corporate Training
• Translation showing "Marketing Manager" skills map to: Product Marketing, Customer Success, Business Development, Operations Manager, Program Director roles
• Language bridges for each industry