One of the biggest myths surrounding humanitarian aid workers is that they are useless outside of the humanitarian sector. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
This series highlights some of the many transferrable skills of humanitarian workers and how those skills translate to working life in other industries. Because all of these are skills that managers also need in other industries.
What is one of the most common and in-demand skills of people working in large companies or institutions? The ability to make decisions.
With your humanitarian aid experience, you have invaluable skills that are highly transferrable to other industries. And effective decision-making is one of the most important of those skills.
In difficult situations, you have proven again and again that you are able to make decisions under time pressure, with unclear information and limited resources.
Many people would shy away from that responsibility, but such indecisiveness could cost lives.
However, you have demonstrated the courage that sets you apart from most people and proven that you also possess this valuable transferrable skill.
So if you have worked in humanitarian aid in the past, the chances of a successful transition to another sector are better than you think.
