What Skills To Put On Your Resume

 

What skills do we put on our resume? There will be resume for fresh grads, resume for this or that career...the internet is full of examples about the ideal 'niche x' resume.

 

But, you only need to know one thing: You put those skills on your resume, which are most relevant to the job you are applying for.

 

To get an idea of the skills for that job, look at the job description / responsibilities closely, and then put those skills etc in your key skills area, as well as career summary area. If you need to, Google 'Job X resume', look at samples and if it makes sense, modify only if you want to. Why? Because your situation might be different, or you may have taken a different approach that also worked.

 

To repeat: Look at the job description, put in the relevant skills.

 

Also mention the relevant new skills you learned on a job, the 'transferable skills'. If you learned about customer service in your last mention 'customer service skills' in the relevant sections on your resume.

 

What Are Transferable Skills?

 

Transferable skills are skills that we’ve used (or learned) before in our other jobs, which we can use in our new/next job. The more transferable skills we have, the better our chances of winning that new job.

 

We highlight these skills in our resumes under the skills /skills used area.

 

For example, if you learned to create PPC (Paid Per Click) ads in your previous, that's a new transferable skill that you learned, and which will be useful to an employer looking for candidates with sound PPC skills.

 

Important soft skills for your resume

 

Now, a quick run through the important 'soft skills' (skills other than your trade skills, but needed to deal with people successfully) that you should also mention in your resume (and give a successful example or two of the skill under the relevant job

 

- e.g. 'Negotiated better ad rates for our ads- 25% less than what we were paying.'

 

1. Interpersonal communication skills: Talking, listening, writing, telephones, meetings, persuasion, negotiation, dealing with an angry customer, team relationships etc.

 

2. Planning and organization skills: Forecasting, gathering resources for a project, researching information for a project, creating strategies for X, coordinating and completing tasks, etc.

 

3. Management and leadership skills: Forming and managing teams, delegating, settling conflict between team members, setting performance objectives and tracking performance, helping people with whatever they need to get the job done, etc.

 

4. Technology skills: Using social media to spread the word about your company/products, connecting with useful people who may be of value to the company/brand, etc.

 

5. Adaptablity skills: This is a broad term, basically meaning you are able to deal with any business situation, adapting, learning, getting back on feet, etc. This also means being able to not say 'this is not my job', but stepping forward and give 100%.

 

Soft skills-related words that employers like to see mentioned on your resume: initiative, dynamic, teamplayer, proactive, self-motivated,

 

Strong action verbs to use on your resume: led, achieved, completed, co-ordinated, delegated, delivered, identified, presented, promoted, reported, resolved, organized

 

Now, the above job skills in 'action verb' style for your resume:

 

Communication skills: Writing clearly and concisely, speaking effectively, listening attentively, openly expressing ideas, negotiating/resolving differences, leading group discussions, providing feedback, persuading others, providing well-thought out solutions, gathering appropriate information, confidently speaking in public

 

Interpersonal Skills: Working well with others, sensitive, supportive, motivating others, sharing credit, counseling, cooperates, delegating effectively, representing others, understanding feelings, being self-confident, accepting responsibility

 

Research and Planning: Forecasting/predicting, creating ideas, identifying problems, meeting goals, identifying resources, gathering information, solving problems, defining needs, analyzing issues, developing strategies, assessing situations

 

Organizational Skills: Handling details, coordinating tasks, punctual, managing projecting effectively, meeting deadlines, setting goals, keeping control over budget, planning and arranging activities, multi-tasking

 

Management Skills: Leading groups, teaching/training/instructing, counseling/coaching, managing conflict, delegating responsibility, making decisions, directing others, implementing decisions, enforcing policies, taking charge.

 

Thank you for reading.
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