Resume Writing 101: What Are the Best Skills to Put in Your Resume?

Putting the right set of skills gives an applicant better chances of getting noticed by a company. 

Believe it or not, the average time an employer spends looking at a resume is only six to seven seconds. It’s an unbelievably short time that can raise the pressure for any applicant hoping to stand out and be chosen for a job vacancy. 

How does one get noticed in such a short amount of time? 

While it can be tempting to cram as much information as possible into a resume and hope for the best, applicants should be more strategic with the information they put. Job applicants can start by determining the best skills to put in a resume. 

How can this be done? Applicants should have an understanding of what hard and soft skills are, as well as what are the recommended skills that should appear. 

To help applicants who are stuck and unsure of what to put, The Business Manual has put together a guide to better explain how to go about putting the right and necessary skills in a resume. 

What are Hard Skills?

Hard skills are abilities that can be measured and help a person accomplish job-specific tasks. These are typically learned through education, training, and work experience and may involve the use of software or equipment. 

Some examples of hard skills are as follows:

• Analytical skills – research, data mining, forecasting
• Computer skills – MS Office, Google Workspace, programming skills 
• Design skills – Adobe Creative Suite, UX/UI design, layouting 
• Language skills – proficiency in foreign languages 
• Management skills – budgeting, office management skills, negotiating 
• Digital marketing skills – SEO/SEM, social media marketing and paid social media advertising, email marketing and automation
• Presentation skills – visual communication skills, reporting, data analysis
• Project management skills – project scheduling, financial modeling, performance tracking
• Technical skills – web (HTML, CSS, and Javascript), STEM skills, CRM platforms
• Writing skills – basic writing skills (grammar, punctuation, spelling, and vocabulary), business writing, creative writing 

What are Soft Skills? 

Soft skills, on the other hand, focus more on personal traits and attributes. Soft skills are not acquired and are considered transferable, which means these can be utilized whatever the job position may be. 

Some examples of soft skills are as follows:

• Conceptual skills – abstract thinking, cognitive skills, critical thinking 
• Communication skills – active listening, clear speech and writing, nonverbal communication
• Creative-thinking skills – artistic design, brainstorming, creative writing 
• Critical-thinking skills – inference, self-regulation, open-mindedness
• Decision-making skills – data-driven decision-making, rational decision, ethical decision-making 
• Interpersonal skills – ability to work under pressure, creativity, emotional intelligence
• Organizational skills – collaboration, delegation, time management
• Problem-solving skills – brainstorming, experimenting, troubleshooting
• Teamwork skills – conflict resolution, persuasion, rapport-building
• Time-management skills – goal setting, resource management, meeting deadlines

What are the Recommended Skills to Put in a Resume?  

The list of skills that can be placed in a resume are long and varied, and Zety recommends putting a mix of hard and soft skills. Applicants would want to show that they have a balanced skill set that is composed of strong personal and acquired skills. 

Certain skills, however, are best highlighted for specific jobs and professions. Applicants vying for a graphic designer opening, for example, should highlight any creativity-related skills that are crucial for the job. Another example would be highlighting people skills, active listening, and even problem-solving if a job seeker is looking to apply as a teacher. 

Tailoring a resume so that it fits what an employer is looking for is considered good practice for applicants, so it is important to ensure that the skills included in a resume answer what the employer needs. 

Applicants should likewise keep in mind the basic dos and don’ts of writing a resume, particularly how honesty will always be the best policy. A resume full of attention-grabbing skills will look good on paper, but if none of them are true, it will put the applicant’s integrity in question.