What Are Technical Or Hard Skills On Your Resume
When listing hard skills on your resume, include specific proficiencies and certifications. Front-end web developers, for instance, would report their level of expertise in HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and other technologies the company lists in its job posting. A financial controller, meanwhile, might claim a strong foundation in GAAP or SEC reporting, and an administrative professionals resume skills could advertise a CAP or MOS certification.
Here are some hard resume skills for 15 in-demand fields:
Lets Start With Why Resume Skills Are Important
Recruiters and hiring managers can see hundreds or even thousands of resumes each day. In their search to find the best candidates, they look first and foremost at skills and ask: Does this candidates skill set match the job requirements?
Additionally, many companies, including 99% of Fortune 500 companies, employ an applicant tracking system to streamline the hiring process. An ATS sorts and ranks resumes based on important keywords, primarily hard skills.
Thats why highlighting the right job skills on your resume is vital to getting the job. If its not immediately apparent that you have the right skills for the position, your resume could beand likely will bepassed over.
Talk To Professionals In The Field
If youre having a difficult time determining what skills an employer may want to see, consider contacting a professional already working in the industry or position similar to the one youre applying for. Find out what skills they consider most important, and identify which align with your own.
When creating a list of skills for your resume, only include those you know to be your strengths. If theres something youre still learning, dont feel pressured to include it because it appears in the job posting. If the employer mentions a skill you didnt include during the interview process, you can discuss how youre working to learn or improve for the role.
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Create A Dedicated Resume Skills Section
Your job description is full of job-related skills and keywords. But you can still give your best skills more prominence.
If you extract the essence from the job description above, youll end up with the following list of skills:
These are the best skills to put on this particular resume.
Why?
Because theyre relevant to the position youre applying for. They are your best skills. And theyre exactly what employers look for.
Now
Revisit the job posting to make sure you didnt miss any important skills the employer expects.
Double-check if youre using the right skills and experience keywords.
After all, collaboration and teamwork are synonyms. But if the job posting calls this skill teamwork, stick to it.
Remember: the ATS is smart. But not too smart.
If the list of skills on your resume seems longish , you can split it into two categories: soft skills list and hard skills list.
Youll find more information on different types of skills for a resume in the last section.
Expert Hint: Employers start to pay more attention to candidates soft skills than hard skills. Mainly because soft skills cannot be easily taught. Its part of the so-called hiring for attitude approach.
How To Talk About Skills
Now that you know what skills to add, well show you how to do it.
Be careful though, you dont want to just list your skills one-by-one in the skills section.
For one, you should be specific about what you can do. If you lead a team of sales representatives, dont just add leadership to the list, share more details.
Heres an example:
Right:
Leadership Skills
Leadership is a skill everyone might need and everyone can assume they possess. So, to stand out from the crowd, try to be specific.
Also, being explicit about your abilities isnt limited to general skills like communication skills, teamwork, or leadership. You should be doing the same for technical skills as well.
Instead of mentioning Microsoft Office in your list of skills, explain what it is exactly you can do. People wont assume youre good with Microsoft Access if you just type up proficient at Microsoft Office you have to be specific about each piece of software and provide further explanations. If you know how to make pivot tables and macros in Excel, say that.
So, heres what one of the job descriptions in your resumes experience section could include:
Sales Manager at MegAuto
Communication Skills
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Changing Times For Resumes
It goes without saying that resumes these days are delivered as email attachments, not printed out and mailed.
Although the two-page maximum still stands, many applicants use the web to the max when it comes to attachments. Video introductions, charts, graphs, and other illustrations can make you stand out, as long as they’re relevant and slickly made.
So What Does This All Actually Look Like
Heres an example of a good skills section for someone who is looking for work as a designer:
Visual Design:InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere, XD, Animate, Lightroom3D Modeling & 2D Drafting:Rhino, VRay, AutoCAD, Vectorworks, Autodesk Fusion 360Programming:Grasshopper, Processing, HTML, CSSInterests:Sailing, running, cooperative board games
And here is one that is less good:
InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, Quark, Rhino, Grasshopper, VRay, AutoCAD, After Effects, Premiere, XD, Vectorworks, Processing, Animate, Autodesk Fusion 360, HTML, CSS, Microsoft Office, typography, teamwork, creativity, multitasking, sailing, running, cooperative board games
The difference, as you can see, is all about pulling out relevant hard skills and breaking them up into relevant subheadings. Even though this section is short, it still needs to be easy to skim . Bullets and subheadings prompt the reader to start reading again. And as a bonus, they cue the reader on what broad skills the candidate has.
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Best Skills To Put On A Marketing Resume
As someone in the marketing field you’re likely very aware at how fast the world is changing, especially if youre into digital marketing. Hence, its important for you to highlight that youre keeping up with the latest trends.
- Soft skills: collaboration, intuitive, creativity, problem-solving, multitasking, curiosity, innovation, networking, quantitative thinking, forward-thinking
- Hard skills: content marketing, WordPress, mobile marketing, social media, email marketing, lead nurturing, SEO, Mailchimp, Adobe Photoshop, video production
Check out this well researched resume example from an online marketing specialist for inspiration.
Soft Skills To Put On A Resume
Soft skills, also known as ‘”people skills” are subjective,thats why its harder to quantify. For instance, an applicants definition of “good communication skills” might notmatch equal what an employer is looking for. Public speaking, communication,patience, decision making and conflict resolution are all soft skills.
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Identify Your Key Skills
Make a list of your strongest skills. Ideally, these are workplace skills however, donât rule out personality traits, academic skills, or skills from volunteer work and side hustles.
Having trouble? Try mulling over these prompts.
-
What types of things do you do every day? What tools or talents help you perform those tasks?
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What are you better at than most other people?
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What skills have you used to make an impact in your past jobs?
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What hard skills do you most enjoy using at work?
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What sort of traits do people compliment you on?
You can also try taking some free career assessments for inspiration.
Volunteer To Help With Tasks Within Your Organization To Gain Experience
There are often several opportunities to learn right in your own company. For example, if you do not already participate in your organization’s social media efforts, volunteer to help out in this department if possible. This can help increase your understanding of social media in general and show your willingness to learn.
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Where To Place Skills On Your Resume
Have you noticed how some resume skills sections have the skills listed asa separate column on the right-hand side, while others list it below theirprofessional summary?
Theres no such thing as right and wrong placement, it justdepends on your goal. That said, the recruiters and resume experts I talked tohave varying but equally logical opinions on this subject.
What Is Relevant Qualification
Relevant qualification is the qualification that makes an applicant eligible for the job. Relevant qualification does not refer to your academic degrees and/or certifications alone.
It also includes the information on your resume that shows the recruiter why you, as an applicant, are the best choice for the job. Relevant qualification includes your skills, education, and experience.
Relevant experience is important to employers. According to a report, 65% of employers prefer candidates that have relevant experience.
Your employment history is one of the yardsticks you’ll be measured by, so its worth putting the time into learning how to write about your relevant experience on your resume.
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A Language You Only Studied In High School
Sure, you took French in high school for a few years, but are you really at a level where you feel comfortable holding everyday conversations with native speakers, or reading in that language? If the answer is âno,â it doesnât belong on your resume.
âIt doesn’t matter that you have basic or intermediate understanding of a language. Unless you have mastery of it, and can actually use it for work, leave it out,â suggests Meneghello.
In a worst-case scenario, your recruiter or hiring manager could be fluent and try to engage you in conversation â if they call your bluff, you can bet that you wonât be invited to move forward in the hiring process.
Why Resumes Are Important For Job Seekers
Your resume, along with a cover letter, is an essential part of the hiring process, and is a base requirement to be considered for a position.
A good resume is the first part of your application any hiring manager will see, so its important that it conveys your qualifications accurately and convincingly.
Your resume should offer employers a digestible overview of your relevant skills, employment history, education background, and accomplishments. Based on this information, they can make an informed decision about whether or not they want to interview or hire you.
But writing a resume from scratch can be time-consuming. To simplify the process, try using our online resume builder. Just type in your information and our software will help you assemble a perfectly formatted resume that is sure to impress any hiring manager.
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Improving Oral Communication Skills
Over-communication is one area of improvement that is relatively simple to overcome. The more simple the message, the more likely the message is to be accurately received. Keep your message short, clear, and concise.
Another method of improving oral communication is by engaging your audience. By not only talking, but also by creating a conversation, you can better communicate your ideas and concepts as well as hear new ideas, questions, or various input.
Lastly, be a listener. To improve your skills and communicate effectively, you first and foremost must be a good listener. By genuinely listening to what others have to say, you are able to provide more thoughtful answers and comments.
How Do I Figure Out The Right Combination Of Skills To Include On My Resume For A Particular Job Application
Check the answer key! That is, print out the job description of the role youre interested in and take a highlighter to it , marking any skills you see listed that you have. Then, make sure these skills are listed on your resume. For example, heres a job description with some of the key skills bolded:
Email Marketing Manager
- Manage email marketing strategy and calendar
- Monitor, analyze, and report on campaign performance
- Improve campaign success throughconversion optimization, A/B testing, segmentation,and more
- Collaborate with the design and editorial teams to maintain consistent brand and voice across platforms
- Work cross-functionally with sales, product, product marketing, and data teams
Requirements
- 3+ years in email marketing
- Experience withcontent management systems and email service providers such as MailChimp or Constant Contact
- Experience withGoogle Analytics, HTML, CSS, Photoshop, Microsoft Excel, and SEOa plus
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Team player with strong interpersonal, relationship-building, and stakeholder management skills
- Excellent problem solving and time management skills
And heres a list of skills you might include in your skills section if you were applying to the job:
Conversion optimization, A/B testing, segmentation, MailChimp, Constant Contact, Google Analytics, HTML, CSS, Photoshop, Microsoft Excel, SEO
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Examples Of Skills To Put On A Resume
While you can often easily determine hard skills to list based on details in the job description, selecting relevant soft skills is not always as clear. To help narrow down which soft skills to put on a resume, review the various duties of the position and determine which of your personal strengths will help you successfully complete those tasks.
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Here are several examples of popular soft and hard skills employers may be seeking:
Hard Or Soft Skills: Which Is Moreimportant In A Great Resume
Logic suggests hard skills are more important. The answerisnt so simple.
In a tough economy, applicants with hard skills are hiredquicker because employers think they can do the job with little or no training.
In a niche or competitive market, applicants withsought-after skills are prioritized. This happened before when iOS apps weregaining popularity and companies scrambled to fight over limited talent supply.Its happening again now that Facebook, Google, and other tech companies arefighting over candidates with machine learning expertise.
In industries where the supply of talent is plenty,employers prefer applicants with developed soft skills, arguing that soft skillsarent easily learned.
Dont forget, employers dont recruit on practical ability alone, they also consider cultural fit, says Sarah Dowzell of Natural HR.
of all the 50,000 skills listed on their network shows that majority of employers prefer candidates with a combination of hard and soft skills, most desirable of which is creativity.
Findings from the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report also shows that “soft skills” like critical thinking, originality, collaboration, and originality are going to be demand the more we advance in technology.
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Add A Highlights Section
Modern resumes are built to be value-oriented, which requires providing information that is more achievement-based as opposed to task-based. If youve had multiple roles with varying achievements, select the top four you are most proud of and incorporate them into a Career Highlights section.
Try to avoid adding more than four as this section is meant to be the highlights of your achievements, and you dont want to create sections with long lists of bullets, creating a very boring way to read content.
Faqs About Skills On Resumes
What is a good list of skills that are relevant to put on a resume?
Use a combination of hard and soft skills such as:
1. Communication skills like public speaking, writing, written communication, and active listening.
2. Technical skills like IT skills, engineering skills, programming languages, web development, search engine optimization and industry-specific technology.
3. Analytical skills like critical thinking, problem solving, and research.
4. Transferable skills if youâre changing careers like leadership and time management.
5. Negotiation skills related to management, compromise, and adaptability.
How many skills should I put on a resume?
As many as you can!
You want to include all the skills the employer is looking forâas long as you can honestly claim to have each skill. Incorporate your skills throughout your resume, not just in a skills section.
Within your dedicated skills section, limit yourself to 9 to 12 key talents. Use bullet points, text bars, or columns to keep this section organized and easy to read.
What should I call a skills section?
At ZipJob, we like to use a âcore competenciesâ or âcore proficienciesâ section. Under that heading, include your most impressive technical and hard skills.
Depending on your field, you may also need a âTechnical Skillsâ section.
We donât recommend using headings like âSkills and Abilitiesâ or âSpecial Skills.â
Where to put skills on a resume?
Everywhere!
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Demonstrate An Impressively Rare Skill Set
One of the best ways to send a hiring manager to sleep is to include the same resume skills as every other candidate. When they read the words communication skills for the tenth time, they will mentally pigeon-hole you with all the rest of the average candidates.
If they think that you are average because you have included the same average skills as everyone else, it will be incredibly hard to shift that perception if you are lucky enough to be invited to an interview.
Read Through The Job Description And Visit The Company Website
Job descriptions are valuable when it comes to writing the best resume as they usually have a “Requirements” or “Key Skills” section where the companies list the skills they expect their candidates to have. However, companies will also often list necessary skills in the descriptions of the company and the position. By carefully examining the job description, you can find the most relevant skills to put on your resume. You will want to look for skills-related keywords or phrases, such as “knowledge of JavaScript.”
For example, a job description for an administration clerk requires “attending to all queries in a timely and effective manner.” From this, a candidate can deduce that time management and communication skills are essential requirements for the job. Another job description for a motor technician requires successful candidates to “prepare all reports and forms required in conjunction with work assignments,” meaning that the candidate should have administrative skills as well as attention to detail.
For information on the company’s culture, and thus the soft skills you would need, check out their website. You can also search for a careers page, LinkedIn, or other social media platforms. You will then be able to include the most relevant soft skills tailored to the specific company.
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