Top 5 Soft Skills You Should List on Your Resume

Soft skills are crucial for success in any job. Whether you’re just starting or are a big-shot CEO, your soft skills will be just as important as your technical knowledge. The list of soft skills is endless and it can be difficult to build a portfolio showcasing your best soft skills on a resume. Here’s a list of the top five soft skills you should add to your resume. 

What are Soft Skills?

Soft skills refer to a set of personal attributes and traits that describe how an individual interacts with others and navigates their environment. These skills are often divided into categories such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and adaptability. They are often labeled as “soft” because they are not directly related to a specific job or task, but rather to how a person approaches and interacts with their work and colleagues. Effective soft skills can be critical for career success and are highly valued by employers.

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5 Soft Skills on a Resume Recruiters are Looking for

Strong Communication Skills

Strong communication skills are essential for any job as they enable individuals to effectively convey their ideas and understand the perspectives of others. This includes both verbal and written communication, as well as the ability to listen actively and respond appropriately. When listing communication skills on a resume, try to provide specific examples, such as leading a team project, giving presentations, or writing reports.

Teamwork and Collaboration

The ability to work effectively with others is valuable as a soft skill as it allows individuals to contribute to a cohesive and productive team. This includes the ability to collaborate with team members, share ideas, and provide and receive constructive feedback. Teamwork skills can be demonstrated on a resume through examples of successful group projects, leadership roles in extracurricular activities, or volunteer work that required collaboration.

Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking

Problem-solving and critical thinking skills are vital for success in any field, as they enable individuals to analyze information, find creative solutions to problems, and make informed decisions. When listing these soft skills on a resume, it can be helpful to provide specific examples of how you have applied them in the past, such as identifying and resolving an issue in a previous job or implementing a new process to improve efficiency.

Adaptability and Flexibility

If a professional adapts to change and works well in a dynamic environment, his/her skills are highly valuable. This includes the ability to learn quickly, handle uncertainty, and adapt to new tasks or roles as and when required. Examples of adaptability on a resume can be provided through experiences such as working in a fast-paced environment, leading projects with constantly shifting priorities, or successfully navigating a major organizational change.

A Strong Work Ethic and a Positive Attitude

Employers value individuals who have a strong work ethic and a positive attitude as they are reliable, dedicated, and able to maintain an optimistic outlook in challenging situations. This includes the ability to work independently, meet deadlines, and stay positive even under pressure. These skills are demonstrated on a resume using examples of taking initiative, working on multiple projects at once, or leading a team through a difficult project.

It’s worth mentioning that these are general overviews; different roles and industries might vary a bit in terms of the soft skills emphasized above. Other skills like soft skills like creativity, leadership, time management, and conflict resolution can be equally valuable.  

How to List Soft Skills on a Resume

Here are a few tips for listing the best soft skills on a resume:

Use Specific Examples

When listing a soft skill on your resume, it can be helpful to provide a specific example of how you have applied that skill in the past. This can help demonstrate your level of proficiency and give the hiring manager a concrete understanding of your abilities.

Use Keywords

Many companies use automated systems to scan resumes for certain keywords. It can thus be helpful to use the same language used in the job listing when describing your soft skills.

Tailor Your Skills to the Job

When applying for a job, it’s important to tailor your resume to the specific position and industry. Make sure to highlight the skills that are most relevant to the job.

Use Action Verbs

Use action verbs to describe your skills and experiences. This makes your resume more dynamic and powerfully showcases your abilities. Examples of action verbs include ‘led’, ‘managed’, ‘coordinated’, and ‘collaborated’.

Be Honest

Don’t exaggerate or misrepresent your skills; you want to demonstrate your strengths honestly and truthfully.

Include Soft Skills in Your Summary or Objective Statement

This can be a great way to give the hiring manager a quick overview of your relevant soft skills right at the top of your resume.

Listing soft skills on a resume is a great way to showcase your abilities and strengths as a candidate. Hence, it’s important to use specific examples and keywords, tailor them to the job, use action verbs, be honest, and include them in a summary or objective statement. Highlighting your soft skills can demonstrate to your potential employers your ability to effectively communicate, work in a team, solve problems, adapt to change, and maintain a positive attitude. Now that you’ve got the soft skills part of the resume covered, skill up on some hard-core knowledge, too, using these amazing online courses offered by Emeritus, and take a new step in your career. 

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