Best Hard Skills To Put On A Resume In 2021
LIke we said earlier on, the job landscape is evolving and we dont mean your typical slow pace, Darwin type of evolution. Nope. This is a fast computer age evolution and youre going to have to put in some effort and come up with some great resume ideas for skills if you dont want to be left in the dust.
This is especially true for careers that depend heavily on hard-skills, such as those in the tech, industrial and construction industry. So, just like bringing the right tool for the job, its important to bring the right set of hard-skills.
With that said, these 10 hard-skills are in huge demand in 2021:
How Many Skills To List On Your Resume
For the most part, youll want to have anywhere between 5 and 10 skills in the skills section of your resume. Depending on what kind of job youre applying to, youll want to pick the skills that are most relevant to the job description and add them. Its also a good idea to include the skills you have mastered or have more experience with, rather than just using everything that applies to the job description.
It might seem like a small number, but you should be able to get the most important skills on your resume in most cases. While you might think that the more skills you list the better, its actually good to cut down on what you include. You dont want to make your reader go through every skill you have, no matter how much experience you have, and potentially get lost. It also shows your reader what skills you think are most important or that youre best at if you cut it down to 5-10 skills in the section.
Dont forget that your skills can also speak for themselves in other sections of your resume. If you include that you have a certificate in a specific skill or area, then people reading your resume will be able to infer that you have certain skills. The same goes for the experience section of your resume. If you include in your job responsibilities that you managed a team of 15, then theyll know that you have great leadership, managerial, and teamwork skills.
How To Write Skills Section For Your Resume Best Soft And Hard Skills To Put On Your Resume In 2021
No matter the job and no matter the experience level, skills are essential to a resume.
So much so, that amongst recruiters there’s a new saying brewing the future is skill-based.
And it makes sense, as mundane jobs get automated, those with a strong skill-set are able to shift focus and remain relevant in a fast evolving job environment.
In this article we’ll not only show you how to write a skills section for your resume, but also show you the differences between soft and hard skills and when to apply them, as well as some of the most sought after skills by recruiters in todays job market.
Don’t Miss: How To Write Email For Sending Resume
Skills To Put On A Resume
“Skills” are generally understood to be the things you are good at, but you should be highly selective of which skills you include in your resume. This is because both the job you are applying for and the company you will interview at have very specific skill requirements. With a tailored set of skills, your resume will stand out.
- Completely free trial, no card required.
- Reach over 250 million candidates.
How To Customize A Resume Template With Ms Word
Many of the resume templates on Envato Elements and GraphicRiver come with an editable PDF or MS Word File, so you don’t need to use specialized graphic editing software to customize a resume template with your information.
Here’s a quick rundown of how to list skills on a resume using MS Word.
Note: For this example, we’ve used a professionally-designed resume template from Envato Elements.
You May Like: Is My Perfect Resume Legit
Good Hobbies And Interests To Include On Your Resume:
Blogging on a subject or published writings .
Part of an industry-relevant group or association .
Activities that show leadership in something .
Social/Charitable/Community Involvement .
Anything else that could be of relevance to the job. You can use both hard and soft skills to show an employer youâre the right fit for the job. Think about languages you know or skills you could teach to someone else.
Skills To Leave Off Your Resume
When writing a resume, some folks subscribe to a spaghetti on the wall philosophy throw everything that youve got on it and see what sticks. But to recruiters and hiring managers, its all about quality, not quantity. After all, with only about seven seconds to capture their attention, you want to make sure you get to the good stuff right away. Because of this, its probably a good idea to pare down your skills section from time to time.
Consider an artists portfolio, for example.
Any serious practitioner will tell you that your portfolio is only has strong as its weakest piece. The same can be said of the skills you list on your resume less is more, says Aurora Meneghello, career coach and founder of Repurpose Your Purpose.
Wondering what exactly you should strike from your resume? Start with these seven items.
Read Also: Community Service On Resume
Soft Skills Vs Hard Skills
âSoftâ skills are those that are not quantifiable, such as leadership. These skills also cannot be learned, but are rather a facet of your personality. Nevertheless, soft skills are still critical to have, for they demonstrate that you are personable and competent.
âTip: Use some of the soft skills as adjectives when writing your profile summary. For example, try âenthusiastic entrepreneur,â âempathic childcare worker,â âorganized nursesâ aid,â âsupportive administration assistantâ or âdetail-oriented sales associate.â
The resume below is for a Childcare Worker and includes many soft skills that companies look for, including Creativity and Organizational skills.
In contrast, âHardâ skills are those that are learned — either in school or through a certification program. These skills are quantifiable and can be continuously expanded upon through further education. Today, most hard skills have to do with computer technology, such as SEO, CSS/HTML, or Microsoft Suite. Even if you arenât tech-savvy, chances are you still have a few hard skills.
Tip: Be specific about your hard skills. Instead of listing âProgramming Languages,â specify which ones you know — Python, Java, C, etc. Same with photo editing software and any other platforms you are familiar with.
What Hobbies And Interests Should I Include
Include the hobbies or interests that help show the employer or hiring manager why youâre a good fit for the job and have some level of professional relevance. For example, letâs say youâre a hiring manager looking to hire a web developer.
Which candidate comes off as a better pick for the position?
A) Hobbies & Interests â Fishing, Playing guitar and Travel
B) Activities & Interests â Blogging on web development, solving complex coding issues, and volunteer work to help develop and maintain a website for a non-profit group.
You can clearly see what that candidate B has the more relevant and effective hobbies and interests! When deciding on what hobbies and interests you could include on your resume, look at it from an employerâs perspective.
So, what are some good hobbies and interests to include on a resume?
Weâve put together a list of hobbies and interests to put on your resume.
Read Also: How Many References Should I Have On My Resume
Nursing Resume Font Size
Most resume resources recommend a minimum font size of 10pt. However, its a little more complicated than that.
Different fonts have different units of measurement. Therefore, the size of Times New Roman using 10pt is much smaller than Arial using 10pt.
We agree that you should not use less than 10pt for any font type, but the minimum size for certain font types, like Times New Roman, should be 12pt. Youll need to run some comparisons between fonts to determine whether the base font size for a particular font type is small or large.
With that in mind, you also want to use different font sizes and font weights to highlight certain aspects of your nursing resume. Its good to experiment with this aspect of your resume, but the table below will help:
| Normal |
Top 10 Skills For Resumes
If youre unsure of which skills to add to your resume, here are some of the most important ones you could include:
- Active Listening
- Time Management
- Transferable Skills
To help you craft a strong skills section, weve gathered a few tips and resume skills examples that are bound to help your resume capture the attention of hiring managers and recruiters.
Related: 6 Universal Rules for Resume Writing
Recommended Reading: What Is A Good Typing Speed For Resume
Boost Your Skills In The Work Experience Section
The work experience section of your resume should be achievement-oriented to showcase how you have used your skills to produce satisfactory results at your previous jobs. This section reinforces your experience and proves that you can use your skills in a real-life work situation.
To create a great achievement-oriented work experience section, you can use the Problem, Action, Result method:
- Problem: Identify an issue at your previous job.
- Action: Show how you used a skill to resolve the problem.
- Result: Highlight the positive result of your action.
Once you have this drafted, you can then create a single achievement-oriented bullet point to highlight your chosen skill. You can also add numbers, percentages, or other bits of data to quantify your skills. For example, you could say that you implemented a new project management software that increased the efficiency of your team by 15%. This highlights your project management skills.
Be Proficient In Computer Basics
Computer knowledge is a hard skill that can easily be demonstrated in the workplace. Most positions require a basic understanding of computer knowledge, including how to use email, Microsoft Office and other applications. Make it a point to be as knowledgeable as possible in the computer applications required to perform your job.
You May Like: Uploading Cv On Indeed
How To List Skills On Your Resume
The best thing you can do when it comes to the skills section of your resume is to tailor it to each job you apply to. Job descriptions typically list specific skills that theyre looking for candidates to have, so if you can match those skills, the more likely you are to land an interview.
This is especially important as many first reviews of resumes are done by applicant tracking systems instead of by hiring teams. While ATS are great for identifying resumes with key skills, they can leave lots of applicants out if the wording in a resume is not exact. Making sure that your resume matches the exact skills in a job application is one way to make sure your resume makes it past the automated software review of ATS.
When it comes time to actually put your skills on your resume, you should create a small section just for your skills. You can list out your most important skills by category and broader skill set, or just name each skill. For example, you can include Content Management as a broad skill, then list content management systems youre familiar with . If you choose to just list the skills, you can write down the skill and indicate your familiarity or comfort level.
Human Review Of Nursing Resume Content
More importantly, several humans review nursing resumes during the hiring process. Like the ATS, they also screen for the employers desired content.
Additionally, the humans evaluate the resume to determine if the candidate can excel at the job.
For most employers, a recruiter is the first human to review resumes. Afterwards, recruiters may or may not contact desirable candidates to ask a few questions and determine if the candidates are still interested in the job.
Once this process is complete, recruiters typically forward the best candidates to the hiring manager. Here again, the hiring manager typically reviews resumes for the desired content and judges whether the candidate can excel at the position.
Its important to note that the best resumes are almost always the ones with all the critical details the employer desires. If the information isnt there, then the resume stands a far greater chance of being removed from the process.
Read Also: Resume Template For Ms Word 2007
What If I Dont Have The Required Skill
We brought up the earlier scenario in which you didnt necessarily have the skills required to do the job.
Heres where you have to be honest with yourself. If the skills required are part of the core competencies of doing the job, you may want to reconsider your application.
For example, if a golf course posts a job posting for a golf pro, you probably shouldnt apply if youve never swung a golf club.
Use your common sense to determine whether or not you are a suitable candidate for the job.
Quite often though you will come across a situation where it is closewhere you kind of have the skill.
This is where you need to get creative .
You need to be able to demonstrate, using examples from your past, that you are capable of doing the required skill. So go over your work history with a fine-tooth comb and try to come up with a few examples of you doing the skill.
They are going to ask about it in your interview, so dont think you can just wing it and everything will be fine.
Accomplishments Vs Duties On Your Nursing Resume
Its important to note that the conventional wisdom on resumes contends that your resume should be accomplishment driven. Advocates of this approach advise against listing skills and duties on your resume.
However, nursing is a skills-based profession. Healthcare employers need to know that you have experience with the highly technical skills theyre seeking.
At the same time, healthcare employers want to know about your accomplishments too.
Fitting all of this information on your nursing resume is a major challenge. Managing this challenge represents a key difference between nursing resumes and most other resumes.
There are two key solutions to this problem. First, there are certain critical details that every nursing resume should include when applicable. These critical details implicitly convey tons of information so you dont need to list your duties and skills. We discuss these details below.
Second, use your creative writing skills to frame your nursing skills and duties within statements that convey your accomplishments whenever possible. Essentially, you knock out two birds with one stone. We provide specific examples below.
And remember, not everything on your resume needs to be an accomplishment. The point is to make sure youre thinking about your accomplishments and including them when you can. This is what will make your nursing resume stand out from the crowd.
Recommended Reading: What Is A Good Typing Speed For Resume
How To Write A Resume Skills Section
Ran Zheng / The Balance
What’s the best way to write a skills section for your resume, and highlight your qualifications for the job? The skills section of your resume includes your abilities that are related to the jobs you are applying for. In this section, you should list skills that are relevant to the position or career field that you are interested in, such as computer skills, software skills, and/or language skills.
Ask For Feedback And Constructive Criticism
If you currently work with others who are already proficient in the hard skill you would like to improve, ask them for feedback and constructive criticism regarding your current performance and how you can improve. You can also ask them for recommendations as to how you could most effectively improve a particular skill and the steps they took to master their hard skills.
Also Check: How To Follow Up After Sending A Resume
How Many Skills Should You List For Your Resume Experience
ByJoe Beeswax | Submitted On March 22, 2010
Do you have too many skills on your resume or not enough? Can you list too many skills for your resume experience? What is the right number to list on your resume? There is a fine line of what are too many versus not enough. If you do not list enough skills on your resume you could be beat out by candidates who possess more. Listing too many can also have negative results.
Listing too many skills will make your resume unbelievable. Most people are good at a few things and most employers expect candidates to be good at a few things. This is why many employer job postings will include a skill they are wishing for in addition to what is required. The posting will read something to the effect of “graphics experience helpful” or “creativity a plus.” Employers will expect you to know and be proficient in the basics required for your profession.
Listing too many skills can dilute the power of your more relevant ones. When your resume includes too many not only can you create skepticism, but determining how much proficiency you have at which ones can be near impossible for an employer. Too many resume experience statements can often become in-distinctive and immeasurable and this can make your resume seem out of focus and be eliminated.
Find out more about resume writing and job interview questions.
Copyright 2009 by Joe Beeswax
Freely distribute this article but please leave article, author name, copyright info, and links intact.