Skills for Your Ideal Resume: List & Examples

Writing an outstanding resume is an uphill climb for most employees. You have only one page to interest the recruiter and get an invitation to a job interview, so you need to think about every single word you put into your resume. Skills are a significant part of any resume, and presenting them effectively is the key to your dream job. Keep in mind that every job has its specifics, and the more you customize your skills to a certain position, the higher your chances are. But what skills should you present and how to do it optimally?

In this article, we will give exhaustive answers to your questions about skills. We are going to give examples of top skills to include, how to organize them and how to present them originally and interest a recruiter. Let’s get started!

Best Skillset to Add to a Resume in 2021

You can place endless lists of skills into your resume after you define the most effective ones. We can separate them into two groups: hard and soft abilities. They are equally important, and most employers follow such classification. Let’s have a more detailed look and give examples of each skill type.

Hard resume skills (samples + explanation)

They depend on a certain industry and position. In brief, they are something you learn at school, college, course, previous job experience, etc. They may include:

• Knowledge of programming languages;
• SEO marketing;
• Interaction with CRM systems;
• Microsoft office;
• Web design programs.

The most crucial distinction is that hard skills can be acquired throughout education or career. Hard skills play an important role in defining your relevance for a certain job. On the other hand, the latest tendency draws more employer attention to soft skills. Why are they so essential? Let’s find out.

Soft resume skills (samples + explanation)

Soft ones are applicable to any position. They can also be called social or people skills. They encompass such spheres as:

• Communication
• Solving problems
• Multitasking
• Leadership
• Teamwork
• Time management

These skills can not be acquired through education, only through life experience. Developing them is more challenging and time-consuming. That’s why they have exceptional value for employers. As a rule, soft skills boost hard skills. For illustration, a project manager with excellent time management and communication abilities is a more suitable candidate than the one who completed numerous courses but lacks effective communication and can’t organize time. For a candidate, it is essential to involve both to present themselves as an all-around person.

How to Place Skills in a Resume

The content organization plays a decisive role in improving clarity and readability. Grouping the skills is an optimal way to make them noticeable and highlighted. Here are a few steps to include only relevant and demanded abilities to impress the interviewers. You should mention your abilities not only in a separate part but also enhance your experience with them as well as strengthen your introduction.

1. Determine Professional Skills Prevalent In Your Industry

There is no one-size-fits-all set of abilities suitable for any situation. Professionals from different industries have different expectations towards their future employees. Firstly, you should dive into the industry specifics and define the skills in high demand. Look through statistical data, interviews with experts, or simply read about trends and tendencies. Read the similar job descriptions in the targeted industry and identify the main employer requirements. Then, write the outcomes down in a list. It is very important to make notes to save time and remember all the important aspects.

Now, it’s time to think objectively about the abilities you possess. Make a separate skill list and find out the points that coincide. Try to think out of the box and include additional abilities. It is most beneficial for candidates who lack hard skills or relevant experience in a certain industry.

2. Place Them in Your Resume Skills Part

The way you organize this part hinges on the specifics and requirements of a certain position or sphere you aim at.

When to use an “Additional Skills” section

This is an optimal way to focus attention on your skills if you lack relevant experience in a certain industry. For example, you can add the knowledge of different computer programs, foreign languages, etc., which is not demanded but will be a big plus.

When to use a “Technical Skills” section

This part is particularly suitable if you are applying for a post in the technical sphere. It is essential to highlight the qualifications and particular tech abilities. It is especially for software engineers, testers, designers, and other specialists in the IT industry where technical capabilities are decisive for hiring a candidate. Simply ensure you present the core ones first and the extra ones after them as an extension.

3. Incorporate Skills in Your Work Experience

This way, you demonstrate your professionalism and illustrate your worth as an employee. Add a list of your acquired skills at every position in your work experience. You may link them to your previous responsibilities and show how a certain job influenced your professional growth. This is an original way that will definitely be noticed among the resumes based on templates.

Step 1: Create a list of all your applicable skills

Write all the relevant abilities to the position you aim for. To receive deeper insight, look through job specifications or business profiles of people who have similar jobs. 

Highlight the points you need to emphasize and organize the entire skillset around them. Simple enumeration is also acceptable, but it looks too common.

Step 2: Create achievement-oriented bullet points

After composing a list, you need to prove to your potential employee how to make a positive impact. Here is the most suitable approach.

1. Define an issue or core responsibility
2. Demonstrate how a particular skill you possess will be helpful to solve it.
3. Deliver the positive outcome of your work

For example, here is how it works for a graphic designer.

1. Attractive visual plays a crucial role in creating a brand image and attracting potential customers.
2. 3-year experience in graphic editor allows creating amazing visual content
3. Improved brand representation, wider customer reach, increased brand awareness, and, as a result, income

Then you turn this into one effective sentence.

Created attractive and memorable visuals in graphic editors that improved the brand positioning and helped reach business goals.

This approach makes you more valuable to your potential employees and lets you show that you perfectly meet the job requirements and employer needs.

Step 3: Confirm your abilities with figures

Don’t simply list them; prove your skills with accurate numbers. The more factual information you give, the more valuable your experience seems to the potential employers. It also improves readability and draws attention to the most significant accomplishments. Although your achievements may not be so global, this information clarifies your background, and the employer knows more about what to expect from you.

4. Place Your Leading Skills in Your Resume Introduction

Keep in mind that the earlier you stress your strengths, the more likely an interviewer will notice them. Recruiters won’t read hundreds of resumes till the very end.

Create a powerful objective and summary that encompass all your most beneficial abilities. This demonstrates that you possess all the required abilities right away. Moreover, this shows that you value their time and effort.

Skills-based resume introduction:

Creative Graphic Designer with over 3-year experience in designing logos and visual content for different brands as a member of the marketing department. Offer extensive expertise in creating content in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe InDesign. Adaptable to any project and short deadlines while ensuring high design quality, originality, and a high level of customer satisfaction.

Commonly Asked Questions about Resume Skills

Here are the answers to the popular questions about formulating a resume and adding skills to it.

What Are the Most Beneficial Skills for 2021?

The Coronavirus pandemic disrupted the job market, and the requirements towards candidates have changed dramatically. In times when most people work remotely, soft skills, especially communicative, play a crucial role. Here are our top lists of soft and hard skills.

Must-have soft skills:

• Flexibility
• Communication
• Creativity
• Critical thinking
• Problem-solving
• Organization
• Attention to detail
• Work ethics

Must-have hard skills:

• Software and application knowledge
• Marketing
• Administration
• Foreign languages
• Technical Writing
• UI/UX design
• Project Management
• Data Analysis

What Skills Should I Add to My Resume If I Lack Work Experience?

Having no relevant experience can be easily outweighed by your unique personal traits and benefits. Position yourself as a valuable specialist oriented on your professional development. Here are the most beneficial skills to highlight:

• Analytical thinking
• Teamwork
• Multitasking
• Time-management
• Flexibility
• Goal-orientation

Don’t ignore including foreign languages as it adds value.

How to Systematize Skills on a Resume?

It depends on the format, goals, and job requirements. You may go for a separate part, add them to your experience, or mention them in a functional resume. Keep in mind that you need to define a few core strengths and concentrate on them. Divide your technical expertise into the core sections

Conclusion

If you want to save your precious time on creating a resume, hiring a writer is the greatest decision. At Brandname, we are going to craft a resume for a certain position within the shortest deadlines. Expert writers are ready to consider all the job requirements and create an outstanding resume that will impress and engage an employer to invite you to a job interview. Place an order at Brandname right now and get your dream job without worries.