You may have a lot of skills, but are they equally effective on a resume? The answer is no. Usually, skills are considered a less important part of the application. However, the right skills can sometimes make up for your lack of relevant experience.
Below are some skill categories you should try to include:
- Professional skills
- Soft people skills
Now, let’s take a more in-depth look.
Use An Online Resume Builder
It’s always a good idea to begin your resume with an online generator. These templates are most friendly with online submission systems. They are also more favorable for HR professionals and recruiters.
Online templates often come with adjustable sections. Just because the “skill and certificate” block is at the bottom of the page doesn’t mean you have to force everything into two lines.
Popular Skills To Include In A Resume
As we mentioned above, you want to include both hard, professional skills and soft, people skills in your resume. Multiple skill categories show that you are a well-developed individual who can thrive as a professional and a team player.
Examples of Hard Skills
Most hard skills come from the following categories:
- Software proficiency. Are you familiar with popular operation systems? Do you know your ways around the MS Office suite? Have you ever dived into Adobe?
- Foreign languages. Do you speak another language other than English? Or is English your second language? How fluent are you in each?
- Professional skills. Have you operated a cash register? What about answering inbound calls or working in the customer service department?
Examples of Soft Skills
Soft skills, also known as people skills, are much harder to define. Below are some popular options to include on your resume:
- Decision-making skills
- Leadership skills
- Sales and business development skills
- Teamwork and problem-solving skills
- Time management
Use soft skills to prove that you can be a good team player and a good leader in the desired position.
Creative Ways To Showcase Your Skills
Most people use listicles or tables to list out their skills. However, you can opt for more creative methods. For example, you can build a ranking system and rate your skill levels. You can also create an infographic.
In other words, if you have enough space, it’s smart to show skill proficiency with visuals. But make sure your design is easy to understand because recruiters receive thousands of applications each day. You want to make their job easier, not harder.
If you’ve earned certification for your skills, include a brief description under each item. If you are making an online submission, consider making your resume interactive so you can link each certification to the provider’s website.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, start building your resume skills with an online resume builder. If you have too many skills, focus on the ones that are most relevant to your desired position. Make sure you include both hard and soft skills to look well-rounded.
When possible, get a few certifications for the core skills. But make sure you choose more established institutions since so many businesses claim they can certify a skill nowadays.
We wish you all the luck on your journey!
