5 Skills to Show on Your Resume

Nancy Anderson
Posted by in Career Advice


Writing a resume is tough for many people, particularly those who are naturally humble. However, if you want your resume to help you find a good job, it must show that you have a suitable set of skills. Here are five skills your resume should highlight, along with tips for convincing employers that you have mastered them.

1. Adaptability

Almost all jobs require workers to adapt to new situations. Even jobs that seem simple are likely to change due to the introduction of new technologies or market trends. Adaptability is one of the key skills to showcase when writing a resume, but it can also be one of the most difficult to prove.

One good way to show your adaptability is to include jobs from various sectors on your resume and explain how the skills you learned in one role helped you succeed in another. For example, perhaps your experience working in retail helped you to develop communication skills that you used in your corporate sales job to smash through your sales targets.

2. Analytical Skills

The ability to think analytically is very important in today's data-driven world. Think of times when you used data to help you make the correct decision. Explain what analytical skills you used and what the result was.

3. Taking the Initiative

Employers love employees who are proactive and take initiative. When writing a resume, include examples of times when you acted proactively to quickly resolve a problem, rather than waiting for someone to tell you what to do. Be prepared to talk more about the situation during the job interview.

4. Empathy

Empathy is an essential skill for anyone who works in a customer-facing role. Consumers today expect excellent service from the businesses they deal with and they are quick to complain if they do not get it. As a result, employers want workers who can demonstrate empathy and work with customers to resolve problems.

Empathy is also a useful skill to demonstrate if you are writing a resume for a management role. Mangers who have emotional intelligence are often good at delegating tasks according to people's skills and supporting the people working under them. As well as describing how you helped your company to succeed, include examples of times you helped coworkers excel in spite of difficult circumstances. This will help you to come across as a team player and could secure you an interview for your dream job.

5. Resilience

Employers want to see that applicants can thrive even in difficult situations. When writing a resume, explain how you cope with difficult changes in the workplace, such as a company merger.

Focusing on skills when writing a resume can show employers that you are the right candidate for the job. Be sure to include examples of these five skills each time you write a resume.


Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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  • Eleanora J.
    Eleanora J.

    THANKS for the tip very helpful it would apply to me and so many different ways and analyzing different scenarios that will apply too the job title. Eleanora Jackson i'm a great team player.

  • Marilyn Howell
    Marilyn Howell

    Thank you

  • jerry w.
    jerry w.

    I found this information very helpful

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