Writing a resume is a challenging task. The writer needs to make a lasting impression on the reader(s). The document needs to be short enough to be easily read yet long enough to contain all necessary information and tailored for the specific role being applied for.
Ideally, a resume shows off the applicant’s skills, particularly those that differentiate the candidate from the competition. But what skills should you include? Soft skills? Hard skills? Both? From this article, you will learn skills to include on your resume and how to write a successful resume.
What are Hard Skills?
Hard skills are the technical abilities required to accomplish the tasks and responsibilities of a position/job. These skills are gained through practice, education, and training. They’re easily measurable using work history, certifications, a portfolio, and/or skill assessment tests. It’s possible to prove that an applicant does or does not have the technical skill and experience requested.
For some professions, advanced degrees and rigorous testing are needed to prove hard skills. For other professions, hard skills can be learned on the job and a candidate can prove their hard skills with a portfolio of work.
To determine which skills to include in your resume, use the job description as a guide. It’s acceptable to apply for a position that matches your interests and expertise, even if you’re missing some of the required hard skills. Highlight related hard skills, your ability to learn quickly, and your willingness to do any training necessary to learn the required hard skill(s).
Examples of Hard Skills
Challenging skills to include on a resume:
- Foreign languages
- Certifications or licenses
- Programming languages (JavaScript, Kotlin, etc.)
- Website development
- Content development
- Copywriting
- Copyediting
- Budgeting
- SEO marketing
- Statistical analysis
- User interface (UI)design
- Presentation skills
- Process automation
- Negotiation skills
- Research skills
- Management skills
- Project management skills
- Graphic design
- Data analysis
- Customer service
- Administrative skills
- Enterprise resource planning
- Human resource skills
- Sales
- Accounting
- Business development
- Marketing
- Digital marketing
- Sales management
- Financial analysis
- Engineering
- Social media marketing
- Typing skills
- Structured query language (SQL)
Having at least some challenging skills should be included on a resume.
What are Soft Skills?
Soft skills also called interpersonal or people skills, are traits and abilities that are developed throughout life. They reflect an individual’s personality and personal attributes and show how a candidate might fit into a company’s culture, handle stress, communicate, and work with others.
Soft skills are difficult to define and measure, yet crucial in the workplace. When determining which soft skills to include in a resume, consider the job description, looking for requirements that relate to what motivates you or how you work with other people.
Examples of Soft Skills
Soft skills to include on a resume:
- Communication
- Critical thinking
- Emotional intelligence
- Attention to detail
- Collaboration
- Empathy
- Ability to multitask
- Positive attitude
- Self-motivation
- Adaptability
- Creativity
- Problem-solving
- Organization
- Willingness to learn
- Leadership
- Dependability
- Work ethic
- Teamwork
- Time management
- Decision-making
- Stress management
- Conflict management
- Resourcefulness
- Persuasion
- Openness to criticism/correction
When listing these soft skills, it’s beneficial to provide context or examples that demonstrate how you’ve applied them in past roles. For instance:
- Teamwork and Collaboration. “Collaborated with cross-functional teams to launch a new product, resulting in a 20% increase in sales.”
- Problem-Solving. “Created a troubleshooting guide that decreased customer service resolution time by 30%.”
Including these examples helps to substantiate your claims and shows potential employers how you can add value to their organization.
How to Include Hard and Soft Skills in Your Resume?
Heed the following recommendations:
- Create a skills section in your resume and list all relevant hard skills.
- Create bullet points under each of your job experiences to highlight the soft skills you used and developed. Sort these skills by relevance, emphasizing experiences that are most applicable to the role you are applying for.
- Add a highlights section: Select the top four roles you have had and incorporate them and the relevant skills used/gained into a career highlights section.
- Categorize by skill: With task-based information and achievements, categorize the content into sections to illustrate the diversity of your responsibilities.
- Highlight skills in your work history, volunteer activities, and professional certifications.
- Show rather than name skills, using concrete examples and results.
- Customize your resume and cover letter using keywords and phrases that match the job listing.
- Research potential employers to gain insight into the workplace culture and company values. Attempt to discover additional qualities that would be prized by the employer.
- Check websites such as Glassdoor for company reviews by employees and former employees, gaining insight into the values of the company.
Including the right skills on your resume is crucial to making a strong impression on potential employers. Emphasizing key skills such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, adaptability, time management, leadership, interpersonal skills, work ethic, creativity, emotional intelligence, attention to detail, customer service, conflict resolution, negotiation, and decision-making can significantly enhance your candidacy.
Remember, the skills to include on a resume should align with the job requirements and highlight your ability to contribute to the organization’s success.
Use the STAR Methodology
The STAR method, a favorite among recruiters during behavioral-based interviews, stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result(s).
Beyond interviews, the STAR methodology can be used to describe specific achievements on your resume, making them stand out. Follow these four steps to use the STAR method:
- Situation. Describe the context or problem you faced, or what you aimed to achieve.
- Task. Explain the specific responsibilities or goals you were expected to meet.
- Action. Detail your role, the steps you took, and how your skills contributed.
- Result. Highlight the outcomes of your efforts, ideally including quantifiable data to impress recruiters.
Recruiters favor the STAR method for several reasons. It:
- Follows a clear structure.
- Demonstrates relevant skills.
- Make your abilities understandable and clear.
- Focuses on achievements.
- Shows how you handle similar situations.
- Enhances your reflection skills, allowing you to review and highlight what worked well in your past experiences.
When writing your resume, consider various situations or projects where you can apply the STAR method to create strong, evidence-based descriptions that showcase your suitability for the position.
What Not to Do With the Skills Section of Your Resume?
A few recommendations:
- Don’t exaggerate and/or lie. False claims (inflated job titles, certifications you haven’t earned, skills you don’t have, etc.) are not worth the risk. Falsehoods are easily discovered through background checks and contact with your references.
- Don’t forget to include numbers. Be specific. Try to quantify your value. How much did you reduce expenses for your company? What percent did sales increased under your leadership?
- Don’t misuse words. Never use words you don’t understand. Never use two words when one will do. Avoid jargon and cliches.
- Don’t forget to proofread. Go over your resume thoroughly. Ask someone who understands your goals to look it over.
Include hard and soft skills in your resume. Make sure your resume and the hard and soft skills you include are accurate, well-written, to the point, and backed by numbers. The time and attention you put into your resume will pay off.
Looking for a new position/job? Need expert advice and help with resume writing, specifically answering the question, what skills to include on a resume? Call the Calgary recruiting agency, Equation Staffing Solutions at (403) 930-6080. We are a reliable, innovative, collaborative agency here to support you in your search for a position and/or personnel. Our experience will assist you! Contact us today.