Transferrable skills for working in the retirement sector
Working in the retirement sector can be a highly rewarding experience. If you’re a student, looking for a career change, or a mature worker, there are a wide range of jobs available. While certain roles require highly skilled individuals, other roles can be flexible to a variety of skillsets. Even if you don’t have the exact skills on paper, we still encourage candidates to apply today!
Several skills you need to be successful in this sector can come from places you might not expect, like volunteer experiences or hobbies, for example. Here are some of the most valuable transferrable skills we find in our team members and where you can develop them:
Teamwork Skills
The ability to work well within a team setting is important. At Seasons, we take pride in being team players! We want team members to help one another reach their full potential and be proud of a job well done.
Verbal Communication Skills
The ability to communicate effectively is helpful when interacting with others on a daily basis. In order to work well together and fulfill our desire to get to know our residents, team members need strong verbal communication skills.
Written Communication Skills
Written communication skills are also helpful when working with others. At Seasons, our residences are staffed 24 hours, which means team members will be working different shifts. To communicate effectively between those shifts, staff need to be able to share information through multiple formats including written reports.
Listening Skills
Good listening skills allow us to understand and make sense of what someone is trying to communicate to us, which helps make us more productive. Listening can also help team members be more attentive when it comes to the needs of our residents.
Leadership Skills
Leadership skills are valuable when it comes to decision-making in the workplace. At Seasons, we want to empower our team members to take initiative and do the right thing, especially when working with a vulnerable population. Based on these skills, we look to internally promote team members to different opportunities in our company.
Skill Development
The above skills can be developed in several ways, some of which you may have never considered. Being an engaged student, volunteering or participating in a sports team or social club are great examples. Even coming from a large family and helping with household tasks can be a relevant experience.
Former positions in customer service focused roles also prepare our team members for work in the senior housing sector. After all, Seasons prides itself on providing excellent service to its residents. Going the extra mile and putting a little “wow” into everything we do is the Seasons way. We are looking for individuals like you, who want more than “just a job”!
Apply Today
Whether you are interested in care, dining services, recreation, sales, business or environmental management, there are currently a number of Service Team Member and Service Team Leader level positions available at various Seasons Retirement Communities across Ontario and Alberta.
“I used to work outside the retirement sector, but I always felt compelled to [work in retirement]. I knew very quickly that Seasons was my forever employer. I could not believe that you could have a job you loved! Three years later, I was asked if I was interested in applying for leadership and I’m so glad I did. My team is amazing and we have a lot of fun working together,” says Tamasin, General Manager from Seasons Amherstburg.
Visit our Careers page for more information.