Categories: Jobs

5 skills recruiters love to see on your resume

Michael Timmermann | November 15th, 2018

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Job recruiters may spend only a few seconds looking at your resume, but career experts say a well-crafted skills section could keep them reading a lot longer.

We’ve outlined the importance of the areas of expertise section in Clark’s Resume Guide — a step-by-step resource for job seekers.

Key skills to put on your resume

Laurie Berenson, professional resume writer and founder of Sterling Career Concepts, said this section is simply a list of keywords that highlight your specific skills and knowledge, customized to match the job description.

You should put the most important keywords in the first column on the left and at the top of each column reading across.

Don’t know which keywords to include? The pros at Uptowork, an online resume builder, say there are two types of skills: hard skills and soft skills. Here are examples of both:

Hard skills = Technical skills and abilities

Data Analysis
Copywriting
Foreign Languages
Accounting
Computer Languages
Mathematics
Graphic Design
Planning / Event Planning
SEO / SEM Marketing
Bookkeeping

Soft skills =”People skills” or “Social skills”

Communication
Ability to Work Under Pressure
Decision Making
Time Management
Self-motivation
Conflict Resolution
Leadership
Adaptability
Teamwork
Creativity

According to Uptowork, leadership and the ability to work on a team are the most desirable skills for a resume. More than 75% of employers searched for those skills among new college graduate hires.

Fewer employers will look for “technical skills,” so a great set of soft skills can help make your resume shine.

Uptowork reports that the top five universally desired career skills are: communication (written and verbal), leadership, planning and strategic thinking, analytical thinking and research, and teamwork or collaborative work.

But as we mentioned, you want to tailor your resume — including the skills list — to the job description.

Check out the infographic below from Uptowork for more tips to spruce up your skills section and follow Team Clark’s 9 secrets to resume success in 2018.