Skills to Put on Resume: 5 “Must-Haves” You’re Probably Missing…

According to a survey by CareerBuilder, only 41% of job seekers listed their skillset first on a resume. 

How you think your CV should look like is different from what employers look for in a resume. You may think colors and images show your creativity, but the HR department may see it as unprofessional.

Another big mistake is sending out a resume that’s too long and lists everything from your high school activities to your current job responsibilities. Your CV should be one-page only and list only the most relevant things.

Read on to learn which skills to put on resume that’ll convince employers and recruiters you’re the right person for the job.

1. Key Skills

When you list your skills for resume, you should put the key skills for the job first. They should be a balanced mix of your soft, hard, technical, and job-related skills without overlapping.

This section of the CV should be a concise summary of your most valuable skills to attract the recruiter’s attention.

2. Soft Skills

Are you good with people and know exactly how to react and communicate in every situation? Then you have great soft skills. Many recruiters specifically look at these resume skills to assess whether the applicant is a good fit for the company culture and the job position.

Soft skills can also be personality traits, listening skills, creative thinking, conflict resolution, teamwork, and time management. These are all factors for doing a good job.

3. Hard Skills

Your hard skills section of resume should list your technical skills needed for the job such as programming, accounting, IT, administration, spreadsheets, legal, healthcare, research, or translation.

Hard skills are typically acquired through courses, internships, formal education, and on-the-job experience. 

If you’re not sure how to position all your skills on a one-page CV, enlist the help of resume services to do the work professionally.

4. Technical Skills

Your technical list of skills should outline your ability to work with computers, software, and communications technology. No matter the job role, you’ll need these skills to do it well.

Some of the many technical skills include:

• Email communication
• Online collaboration tools
• Data analysis
• Project management
• Digital marketing and media
• Web design
• Programming
• Client relations
• Graphic design

Each skill has its own set of sub-skills you can add to the list if they match the job description.

5. Job Description Keywords

Recruiters receive hundreds of resumes for a single job posting and standing out from the crowd is hard. You can perfect the resume skills list, but if the scanning software doesn’t find a match for the job posting, you’re out.

This is because you haven’t optimized your resume with the appropriate keywords. If the job posting lists specific skills, use the same wording in your CV. For example, if the job requirement is “proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite”, don’t write “experience with graphic design software”.

Now You Know Which Skills to Put on Resume to Get the Job!

Finding the job of your dreams is just a resume away, but many job seekers don’t realize the importance of a well-written CV. Recruiters don’t have the time to read several pages of your life accomplishments and just scan the document to sift through the best candidates.

If you want to stand out and get their attention, you should list the most important skills to put on resume and wow them with your expertise.

Did you take a year off work and just returning to the workforce? Check out this article to see how you should explain the gap in your resume.