When applying for a job, having the right skills can make a big difference to help you stand out from hundreds of other applicants. So, first of all, you want to be aware of the skills employers look for generally in any resume, at the least.
At the same time, choosing to highlight the right skills in a resume will make it far more aligned and potent for the job on offer.
For example, if you have strong communication skills, you may want to show them for job related to sales, customer service or leadership positions. You could then mention previous positions where you contributed to successful team projects or exceeded sales targets by effectively presenting products or team communication.
So, what skills do recruiters look for? Hard skills can help you get your resume noticed. But 61% of employers value soft skills just as much.
Keep reading further to find out the top 25 skills that employers look for in any candidate.
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[ Make your resume even more attractive with – 40+ Powerful Strengths in Resume for Freshers ]
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What are the Key Skills in Resume for Freshers
When writing a resume, the oft-repeated adage of “less is more” can apply. Recruiters often have dozens, if not hundreds, of resumes for any job opening.
That means they are looking for candidates who can quickly and effectively demonstrate their suitability for the position. One way to do this is by including specific examples of past experiences or achievements that relate directly to the job requirements.
In addition, recruiters also appreciate resumes that showcase problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently or as part of a team.
It’s important to remember that a resume should highlight your individual strengths and capabilities rather than simply listing out your past responsibilities or job titles.
Now let’s take a look at what recruiters prefer in terms of resumes or what is the most popular one:
According to Zety,
The most popular soft skills that people list on their resumes are communication (11%), leadership(9%), and time management (8%).
Hence, when listing soft skills on a resume, communication is always at the top of the list. Employers value individuals who can clearly convey their ideas and understand and respond to the needs of others.
Leadership also stands out as an important skill, as it demonstrates the ability to guide and motivate a team toward a common goal.
Time management skills show that a candidate can prioritize tasks and work efficiently in a fast-paced environment.
Of course, these are just some examples of valuable soft skills. Ultimately, it’s important to showcase a mixture of skills that aligns with the specific requirements of the position you’re applying for.
Let’s take a look at the examples in detail below!
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[ Know how to impress interviewers with – 15 Important Skills for an Interview that Boost your Interview Performance ]
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25 Top Skills in Resume for Freshers that Attract Employers
Smart hiring managers know the challenges if your hire does not have the apt skillset combination of the required hard and soft skills. It can take a heavy toll at the workplace!
So they’re looking for candidates with a few important qualities. You can showcase that you are valuable by listing skills that make your hiring manager feel you are the right fit!
1. Communication
Communication is one of, if not the most, important skills you need to have in order to live a successful life. This includes both written and verbal communication.
Strong communication skills are important in any job, as they allow you to communicate with co-workers, customers, and clients effectively.
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2. Teamwork
Companies always seek employees who are not only self-starters but also team players.
Skills such as communication, collaboration, leadership, and a positive attitude play a role in making a productive team. So it’s a no-brainer that recruiters highly value teamwork.
The skills of teamwork refers to your ability to work well with others in a team setting. Teamwork is important in any job, as it allows you to collaborate with others to achieve common goals.
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3. Problem-Solving
Problem-solving is another key skill that recruiters look for in resumes. This refers to your ability to identify and solve problems systematically and efficiently.
Problem-solving skills are important in any job, as they allow you to troubleshoot issues and find solutions.
The interesting thing however is, the skill of identifying the key problem or bottleneck is far more important than the skill of solving the problem!
The higher you go up in the career ladder, the higher is the importance of your ability to identify the problem rather than the ability to solve it!
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4. Time Management
Time management is another skill that is highly sought after by recruiters. This refers to your ability to manage your time effectively and efficiently. Time management skills are important in any job, as they allow you to complete tasks on time and meet deadlines.
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5. Organization
Organization skills are another set of key skills that recruiters look for in resumes. This refers to your ability to keep track of information and files, and to organize them in a way that is easy to understand and access. These skills are important in any job, as they allow you to stay organized and efficient.
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6. Computer Skills
In today’s day and age, computer skills are essential for almost any job. Technology is no more a support function. Rather, technology has become the heart of any business these days!
Recruiters will often look for basic computer skills such as Microsoft Office or Google Docs, as well as more advanced skills such as coding or graphic design. If you have strong computer skills, be sure to highlight them on your resume!
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7. Multitasking
Multitasking is another skill that recruiters highly value. This refers to your ability to handle multiple tasks at one time without getting overwhelmed or losing focus.
Multitasking is important in any modern job, as it allows you to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously and stay on top of deadlines.
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8. Customer Service skills
This may surprise you. You may think, how come customer service skills take a center stage, especially if you are applying for a job which is not customer-facing?
If you’re applying for a customer-facing position, then excellent customer service skills are a must! But, even for any other positions, those same skills can come in handy.
Recruiters will look for evidence of strong customer service skills such as patience, empathy, and the ability to resolve conflict. If you have strong customer service skills, be sure to highlight them on your resume!
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9. Sales Skills
Strong sales skills are a must if you’re applying for a sales position! However, essentially you are always selling yourself in any job or role. So they can be very important in almost any role you apply for.
Recruiters will look for evidence of strong sales skills such as persuasion, negotiation, and the ability to close deals. If you have strong sales skills, be sure to mention that with examples.
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10. Creativity
Creativity is another skill that is highly sought after by recruiters.
This refers to your ability to come up with new and innovative ideas and to think outside the box. Creativity is important in any job, as it allows you to find new solutions to problems and solve major bottlenecks for growth.
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11. Leadership
Even if you’re not applying for a leadership position, strong leadership skills are a must!
Recruiters will look for evidence of strong leadership skills such as motivation, decisiveness, and the ability to inspire others.
If you have strong leadership skills, it. is critical to bring them out on your resume!
12. Decision making
Decisions are difficult to make and the path toward a good decision is not always clear.
This refers to your ability to make decisions quickly and efficiently. Decision-making skills are important in any job, as they allow you to make decisions and move forward promptly even when you have limited information at hand!
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13. Empathy
Empathy is your ability to understand and feel the feelings of others.
Empathy is important in any job, as it allows you to build strong relationships with others and resolve conflicts when needed.
Essentially everyone wants to be heard! And you are helping your colleagues when they need to be heard the most!
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14. Self-motivation
This refers to your ability to motivate yourself and stay on task without direction from others.
Self-motivation is important in any job, as it allows you to stay focused and productive even when working independently. It is about the initiative that is expected to be shown by modern-day employees.
When teams are getting smaller and dealing with bigger challenging projects, sel-motivation becomes the need of the hour!
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15. Work ethic
This refers to your ability to work hard and consistently give your best effort. Work ethic is important in any job, as it shows that you are reliable and dedicated.
You will realize that the people you admired most had the best work ethics in their industry or career path!
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16. Positivity
This refers to staying positive and upbeat, even in difficult situations. Positivity is important in any job, as it allows you to maintain a good attitude and remain productive.
Positivity at the workplace is commonly associated with strong work productivity!
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17. Analytical skills
This refers to your ability to analyze data and information and come up with findings that are useful in your work. It is about the ability to see patterns that can lead you toward the best next step.
Analytical skills are important in any job, as they allow you to make well-informed decisions and solve problems efficiently.
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18. Teamwork
If you’re applying for a position that requires teamwork, then strong teamwork skills are a must!
Recruiters will look for evidence of strong teamwork skills such as cooperation, communication, and the ability to work well with others. If you have strong teamwork skills, highlight them on your resume!
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19. Adaptability
Adaptability is another key skill that recruiters look for in resumes. This refers to your ability to adapt to new situations and adjust to change.
Adaptability is important in any job, as it allows you to be flexible and respond quickly to changes.
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20. Risk Taking
When the modern-day workplace is constantly evolving and creating technologies and products that never existed before, the ability to take risks becomes central.
This is especially important in high-growth companies which are the most sought after workplaces these days.
Risk-taking is more of mental or emotional skill along with a certain acumen that tells you where and how can you take a specific risk, which may have a high upside and low downside!
This helps you deliver outcomes in your work, that seem extraordinary. Eventually, it can set you for an accelerated career growth path!
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21. Integrity
Integrity shows in the alignment of your vision, goals, thoughts, and actions! It makes you predictable and desirable for any employer!
Very few people show this alignment. This is why adding integrity as a skill in your resume can make all the difference.
In the long run, it is your integrity and ethics that become the most important traits that employers look for, especially in leadership roles
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22. Public speaking
Most people fear public speaking more than snakes. It can be daunting to open yourself up, especially in front of a large crowd.
Public speaking is your ability to speak clearly and confidently in front of groups of people. Public speaking is important in any job, as it shows your self-belief and ability to communicate.
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23. Agility
Agility is necessary for any job, especially those requiring you to work with different types of projects or clients.
It helps an individual adapt quickly to maintain their edge over the competition by changing aspects as needed without losing focus on what’s important at hand.
The faster the pace of the workplace, the more important your agility becomes!
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24. Execution Skills
Execution skills are so important and carefully observed these days, that it has almost become a buzzword in resumes these days.
This is why it is important to use examples to prove your execution skills in your resume.
Nowadays, every company needs someone who knows how to organize their work to ensure things get done on time and within budget without running into too much trouble along the way.
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25. System thinking
System thinking refers to your ability to analyze a complex system or scenario, and break it down into effective actionable steps!
These days corporates are moving fast and employees are flooded with an overload of everchanging data. This is where an employee with system thinking skills can come up with effective execution steps.
Naturally, if you show these skills in your resume, you can quickly stand out for any employer out there!
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How to List Skills in a Resume?
There are a few different ways to list skills on your resume, but in general, you want to make sure to include the following:
- The skill name
- The level of proficiency (beginner, intermediate, advanced)
- How you acquired the skill (through formal education or training, self-taught, on the job training)
- What type of work or activity you use the skill in (professional role, personal hobby/interest, volunteer activity)
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9 examples of how to list skills in your resume
- Advanced computer skills (proficient in Microsoft Office Suite) -Self-taught; acquired through online tutorials and practice
- Professional writing – Through formal education; took multiple college-level writing courses.
- Active listening – On-the-job training; through regular interaction with customers/clients
- Customer service -Through formal education and professional experience
- Leadership – Led a team of 10 people that worked together to reduce our firm’s operating expenses by 15%.
- Problem-solving – Reduced the time it took to complete these tasks by 30% after implementing new consolidation procedures for monthly close.
- Problem-solving – Closed 90% of desktop support tickets after implementing new procedures.
- Dependability – Promoted to account manager after only 12 months of working at the company.
- Technology – Recognized for the success of the presentation, was asked to train other support staff.
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How do you describe skills in a resume?
It can be difficult to describe your skills on a resume. How do you encapsulate your years of experience in a way that is showcasing your relevant skills in an easy-to-understand way to employers?
One way to approach this is by thinking about the top five skills that are most important to you and that best represent what you can offer an employer.
Using examples to describe them can bring credibility to your claims about your skills.
For example, if one of your strengths is your ability to learn new things quickly, then you might want to highlight your “learning agility” as one of your key skills. Or if customer service is your passion, then you might want to focus on your “customer service acumen”.
Think about the keywords or phrases that best capture what makes you unique and special and use those words.
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5 Tips to effectively write Skills in Resume for Freshers
By following these tips, you can be sure that your resume will stand out from the rest and give you the best chance possible of landing the job.
- Start by including a list of your skills and strengths at the top of your resume. This will help to give the reader a snapshot of your abilities quickly.
- Next, provide specific examples demonstrating how you have put these skills into practice. This will help to show the reader that you have the experience and qualifications they are looking for.
- Make sure to use keywords throughout your resume so that it is easy for the recruiter to find what they are looking for.
- Always tailor your resume to the specific job opening that you are applying for. This means highlighting the skills and experiences that are most relevant to that particular position.
- And last but not least, make sure to proofread your resume before you submit it. This will help to ensure that there are no errors or typos that could hurt your chances of getting called in for an interview.
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Three places to list your skills in your resume
Here are 3 places you can place your skills in your resume:
1. Skills Sections
When listing your skills, be sure to include both hard and soft skills. Hard skills are those that can be easily measured or quantified, such as typing speed, proficiency in a foreign language, or ability to use specific software. Soft skills are more difficult to quantify but include things like teamwork skills, communication skills, and leadership experience.
2. Work experience
When describing your work experience, be sure to focus on the skills you used in that role. For example, if you were a cashier at a grocery store, you would list things like customer service skills, cash handling experience, and inventory management.
3. Summary section
The summary section is a great place to list your most relevant skills and experience. Be sure to focus on the skills that are most relevant to the job you’re applying for.
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So, which skills will you add to your resume?
This is just a snapshot of the skills that are important for you to highlight on your resume when you’re applying for jobs.
They impress employers if carefully and effectively described in your resume.
However, you can take a few more steps to make your resume impeccable and super impressive!
Check these articles for the same –
1. Resume Summary for Freshers – How to Make it Impactful
2. Resume Objective for Fresher – How to write it impressively
3. About Me in Resume for Fresher (31 Strong Examples)
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Once, your resume gets shortlisted, you will receive many interview calls. So, time for you to exploit our “Fresher Interview Questions and Answers” section!
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