Best Skills for a Resume

Should you always add a skill section to your resume? The answer is yes. Creating a digestible, straightforward skill list helps a recruiter to determine whether you’re a good fit for the position. It also helps you stand out from other candidates. In this article, we will cover:

• The best skills to include
• How to build the skill section with a resume builder
• Critical mistakes to avoid when listing skills
• How to make yourself more credible

Best Skills for a Resume

First of all, your resume should always cover both the hard skills and the soft skills required by the position. Could can check out cover letter templates for the style. It is best practice to list the most relatable skills on the top and less relatable ones on the bottom. Additionally, you should also put your most proficient skills down first.

Hard Skills

Hard skills are skills mandatory for the job. Without these skills, you won’t even pass the resume selection period, let alone an interview. Some hard skills to list are:

• General computer skills, such as MS Office or the Windows operation system
• Technical skills, such as programming languages or knowledge about specific software required by the position
• Office skills, such as writing or accounting skills
• Marketing skills
• Foreign languages

Soft Skills

Soft skills are more abstract and tell a recruiter how competent and comprehensive you’re as a candidate.

Examples of soft skills include:

• Communication skills
• Leadership and project management skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Positive personal traits and ethics

Using a Resume Creator

Begin with a free resume generator and choose a template you like. Make sure your template comes with a skill section.

Next, list all the skills in a separate document and put them into groups. Copy and paste the content into your online resume to see if everything fits. Sometimes you’ll need to choose to only keep the core skills to keep your resume compact.

When you’re done arranging and organizing, export your resume into a pdf file. You can always come back to the resume builder and make edits in the future.

What to Avoid

Don’t bombard your recruiter with skills.

For one, most companies nowadays want experts more than someone who knows a little bit of everything. Secondly, the more skills you include, the more distractions you bring. A recruiter or hiring manager goes through hundreds of applications every day. You’re more likely to get an interview if you provide them the information they need while making their job easier.

Also, avoid fancy visualizations of skill levels unless you’re applying for a creative role. Most recruiters aren’t interested in reading through your skill proficiency if you made them into star ratings or worse — a color-coded bar chart.

Some Final Tips

In conclusion, include, and only include the best skills for a resume. If a recruiter only plans to spend 10 seconds on your application, you better make sure they can find what they need at first glance.

Therefore, it’s best to use a resume creator when you build the skills in a resume. Make sure to include both hard and soft skills. Finally, to make yourself more credible, add any relevant certifications you’ve acquired.