Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on FlexJobs.com.
Writing a good resume is a difficult balancing act. You have to keep your resume length short and sweet, but still include enough quality information to make an impression.
Hiring managers will hold a particular interest in the skills you possess. This means it’s very important to know what is relevant to the job when thinking of good skills to put on your resume. And though it goes without saying, we’ll say it just in case: Any skills listed on your resume should be skills you truly possess.
So, how do you figure out the best skills to put on a resume? And what if you’re looking to find a remote job? Let’s take a closer look at resume skill examples and the skills section of your resume.
Let’s take a closer look at the top skills to put on your resume, starting with soft skills.
1. Problem-solving
No matter what the job is, eventually, something will go wrong and employers want to know that you’re capable of coming up with a quick and effective solution.
In fact, there are jobs that are essentially nothing but solving problems for the company, the clients or both.
2. Critical thinking
Being able to think rationally and thoughtfully is the basis of critical thinking. Employers want workers who can think through a problem or a project and determine the best steps needed.
Critical thinkers come up with new and better ways to work, making that an invaluable skill to put on a resume.
3. Flexibility
Many organizations and industries covet employees who are dynamic and adaptable to every situation, or who have a natural ability to use a variety of methods and approaches in different circumstances to get the best end result.
4. Communication
Whether it’s written or verbal, being able to communicate with your boss, co-workers and clients/customers in all situations is very valuable.
The better you are at it, the better results you will generate.
5. Teamwork
Most jobs will require you to work with other people at some point, and employers want to know that you can succeed in a team environment.
Some jobs will prize this skill more than others.
6. Organization
This is not just about having a neat desk, but also organizing tasks and projects for your co-workers, management and, at the very least, yourself!
If you want to show off your organization skills, having a tightly structured resume certainly helps.
7. Creativity
Thinking outside of the box and coming up with creative solutions can be a real asset in any role. Perhaps you’re good at thinking about something in a way that hasn’t been done before.
Creativity can be shown on your resume through a problem you solved or through a creative skill like writing or design.
8. Emotional intelligence
According to Psychology Today, “Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others.” In the workplace, this means you’re rational and even-keeled, and can handle ups and downs without losing control.
While this is important for everybody, it’s a must-have skill to include on a resume for management.
9. Attention to detail
On the job you need to ensure you follow all instructions in order to complete your work. This can be especially important when you work with others.
Paying attention to detail will be needed in any role you have. Consider listing times when you caught or fixed a potential mistake due to your attention to detail.
10. Responsibility
Part of being a good employee is taking responsibility for your duties and even owning up to mistakes. Most managers don’t want to have to check in on their employees to ensure every part of their job is getting done.
Responsibility means doing what you need to do to complete your tasks.
Let’s move on to the hard skills that tend to be in demand across many industries.
11. Digital skills
The list of professions that don’t require you to use computers and certain types of software is very short. You could very likely break up “digital skills” into two or three specific technical proficiencies for your field.
Most jobs require computer skills, including experience with video meeting software, project management programs and other company-related software.
12. Design
Aside from the obvious professions like graphic or web design, there are jobs in marketing, advertising, branding, engineering and construction that require some type of design skills — even if it’s only for drawing up presentations.
13. Data analysis
Data is very much in vogue right now, and there are a lot of jobs out there where you will be called upon to analyze metrics and extrapolate a practical use from them, making analytical skills extremely valuable skill to put on your resume.
14. Negotiation
There are many jobs that involve selling a product or service, purchasing stock or merchandise, brokering deals for production or transportation, establishing partnerships for advertising or investments, and so on.
15. Math
Finance, business, engineering, construction, manufacturing, logistics, health care and operations will require you to be competent with math in some capacity.
If you’re in a profession that is more math-heavy, consider splitting it up into a few more specific skills areas.
16. Project management
Many jobs will require project management skills. The ability to manage your task flow and complete assignments on time is part of project management.
Perhaps you have used project management software in the past or have completed a project early — these all show good project management.
17. Marketing
Marketing involves selling and promoting products and services. Even if you’re not a marketer per se, many companies may desire this hard skill.
Knowing the highlights and benefits of your company’s products and services, and being able to speak or write about them, can be valuable to many different jobs.
If you have specific marketing or social media experience, even better.
18. Administrative skills
Even if your job is not administrative in nature, it’s likely a part of your role. Administrative skills involve the things you do to manage your role: organizing, planning, scheduling, writing emails, managing files, etc.
Employers want to know you’re able to take hold of the details.
19. Writing
Many jobs involve writing. Whether it’s done to clients or co-workers, having a basic writing ability is necessary and an absolute skill to put on your resume. Emails filled with typos and grammatical errors will not reflect well on you, and poor tone can send the wrong message.
Demonstrate this skill through your cover letter and emails with the recruiter, and list any specific writing-heavy projects you’ve completed.
20. Foreign languages
Being bilingual can be a great hard skill and set you apart from your competition. Even if a role or company doesn’t initially have a need for a bilingual employee, they may look favorably on your ability.
It is common to need someone with fluency in another language to help customers or clients, so play up this skill on your resume.
Find more resume skills by looking for target keywords
If you’re still unsure if any of these resume skills are right for your situation, one quick way to determine which job skills the employer is seeking is to check the job description.
If you read through it a few times, you’ll likely spot three or four key skills mentioned several times throughout the document. If that’s the case, you should focus on those skills for resume relevance.
For instance, if you are applying for a sales job, you might find that the job description lists desired skills such as lead generation, market research or territory management. You’ll want to include these skills in your sales resume.
Hard skills versus soft skills in your resume
There are endless skills that you can include on any resume or resume profile, and you have to decide which ones will be the most effective. There are hard, industry-specific technical skills, as well as soft skills that every job demands.
Knowing the right skills to put on resume profiles can improve your chances of landing an interview.
What are hard skills?
Hard skills are technical abilities that are specific to a particular job and are often measurable. Software developers, for example, have a set of hard skills that would include specific programming languages.
What are soft skills?
Soft skills are personal skills or creative abilities that can come naturally or be strengthened over time. Some examples of soft skills are adaptability, self-motivation, people skills, time management and the ability to work under pressure.
“Some great skills employers love to see on your resume if you are looking for remote work are written and verbal communication, the ability to work independently, time and task management, organization, comfort with technology and specific knowledge of remote communication tools like Zoom, Skype, Dropbox, Google Suite, etc.,” shared Toni Frana, FlexJobs’ Lead Career Expert.
How to list skills in your resume or CV
Once you’ve determined which hard and soft skills you want to highlight for your target role, you should incorporate those skills into your resume based on skill type and relevance.
1. Sort skills by relevance
If you are applying for a sales job, your prior experience as a car mechanic is not the most relevant. You will want to emphasize experience and key strengths that can be applicable to a sales role. However, if you lack the experience, search through your existing positions for relevant job skills.
For example, if you were a mechanic responsible for providing customer service, that is a transferable skill that can be relevant to a sales role.
2. Add a career highlights section
Modern resumes are built to be value-oriented, which requires providing information that is more achievement-based as opposed to task-based. If you’ve had multiple roles with varying achievements, select the top four you are most proud of and incorporate them into a Career Highlights section.
Try to avoid adding more than four, as this section is meant to be the highlights of your achievements. You don’t want to create sections with long lists of bullets, resulting in a very boring way to read content.
3. Categorize resume skills by type
If you are higher up in your career level, you likely have multiple responsibilities that cross several platforms or departments. If you are an operations manager at a company, your responsibilities may include managing staff, maintaining smooth daily operations, communicating with key stakeholders and/or vendors, developing and managing projects and hiring and training staff.
With either your task-based information or achievements, you can categorize the content into sections to illustrate the types of skills in your responsibilities.
For example:
- Process improvements: Information on responsibilities and/or achievements that relate to creating and implementing processes to improve operational efficiencies.
- Customer service skills: Content that illustrates how you maintain or improve the customer experience.
- Change management: Information related to restructuring staff, developing training programs for employees, and coaching individuals or groups on company best practices.
Your hard and soft skills are what will either qualify you or disqualify you for a job. Be sure to include some of these top skills on your resume for maximum results.
