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Shows you what you can put on your resume

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High School Resume: A Step-by-Step Guide | Cappex

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At its core, a resume is very simple, it’s a one-page document showcasing you. Whether you’re applying for your first job or your tenth, for a scholarship or college, the idea of the resume stays exactly the same. You want to give the reader an idea of who you are and your general qualities.

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It helps you to write a strong job description 

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It helps you to write a strong job description 

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Well-written job descriptions play a vital role in attracting qualified candidates to your company. Whether you're advertising online or placing a traditional newspaper ad, a job description is the first step in hiring a new employee. Keep reading to learn how to write a strong job description that's both concise and informative.

circling a classified ad job description

Writing a Job Description

Quality employers want to attract highly qualified applicants to their company. But how can you grab the attention of an applicant who's in demand? The key is knowing what information to include in a strong job description - and what information you should probably leave out.

Information to Include

Start with the basics of a job description. No matter what type of position you are advertising, the job description should include the following information:

Overview of the job: Provide a general description of the job's day-to-day and long-term responsibilities. How does it connect to the rest of the company? Who would a potential employee report to once they're hired?

A brief description of your company: Even if you're a nationally known brand, including a sentence or two about what your company does and why someone would want to work for you is a good way to attract attention to your job description.

Description of the required hours: You should obviously include whether it's a part-time or full-time position, but it's also important to list any specific requirements in regards to working nights, evenings, or weekends.

Duties and responsibilities: Listing the primary tasks associated with the position helps ensure that applicants don't apply unless they're interested in this specific type of work. Be sure to list any expectations you have for the job here; you don't want an employee later to balk about an expected task not being in their job description.

Required qualifications and experience: Be as specific as possible to avoid receiving applications from unqualified applicants. If the job requires a master's degree or several years of experience, indicate as much.

Desired skills: List what qualities you'd prefer in the hiring process, such as knowing a second language or willingness to travel, but aren't actual qualifications.

Compensation package: You don't necessarily need to provide an exact salary for the position, but a range of possible compensation may be a good idea when you're trying to attract the right person. Consider highlighting health insurance, retirement, or other benefits your company offers, such as the option to work from home.

How to apply: This might include filling out an online application or emailing a specific company representative a resume. Include a deadline for applications if necessary.

What Not to Include in a Job Description

The items to avoid in a job description can be as important as the items you do include. Clear wording can help you avoid early every pitfall in a job description. However, try not to include the following elements:

Unclear job title: Avoid vague, trendy, or clever titles in favor of a title that clearly describes the position. If you're looking for a customer service representative, don't list the job title as "client satisfaction officer." Make it easy for a potential employee to decide if he or she is interested.

Out-of-date information: It's tempting to copy and paste an old job description from a previous hiring process if the job hasn't changed too much. But make sure that all information, including direct reports, email addresses, dates, and addresses are updated. A new recruit may not be impressed if your description has several errors.

Discriminatory language: Don't specify that you'd prefer (or wouldn't prefer) people of a certain gender, sexual orientation, race, religious affiliation, marital status, or age. Not only is it against the law to discriminate against individuals in protected classes, you may miss out on wonderful candidates.

Workplace jargon: Avoid corporate buzzwords in your job description and focus on what they really mean. Instead of asking for a "team player," which is vague, consider saying "a candidate who enjoys collaborating others" or "a team member who contributes their own ideas toward a group project."

Negative comments: Don't list negative attributes of a possible hire (i.e. "We want someone who won't be on the phone all day" or "Don't apply if you can't handle working nights.")

Offers you can't follow up on: Offering to pay for extra college credits may attract your desired candidate, but if you can't actually make good on the offer, don't include it.

Sample Job Descriptions

Sometimes it's easier to write a job description when you've seen samples that work. Here are some examples of both printed and online job descriptions that may help you format your own.

Printed Job Descriptions

Before the popularity of the internet, the only way you'd find a job description used to be in the printed newspaper. It needed to be both short enough to fit, and contain enough information for potential applicants.

If you're writing a short job description for a newspaper or a publication with limited space, use this sample job description for an administrative assistant as a formatting guide:

Small, family-owned catering company seeks a full-time administrative assistant to work Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Duties will include answering phones, preparing payroll, processing invoices, managing inventory, and monitoring the work of two part-time student employees. Applicants must have at least five years of office management experience. Competitive compensation package includes health insurance, 401(k), and paid time off. Please send resume and cover letter to ajackson67@bakingmemories.com. Applications will be accepted until April 5.

Online Job Descriptions

The majority of jobs in the 21st Century are posted online to reach the most qualified applicants available. If you are publishing a job description online, space will be less of a consideration. Here, you can use bullets to highlight key points, as shown in this sample job description for a marketing manager:

Do you have an eye for fashion and experience differentiating a brand through creative copywriting? If so, let's talk!

Mia & Emma is a rapidly growing women's apparel company specializing in affordable, plus size clothing for women ages 25-40. We're seeking a full-time marketing manager for our Sacramento office.

Duties will include:

Creating media plans, marketing proposals, and related promotional materials

Overseeing web development and site updates

Developing a social media strategy to promote brand identity

Working with members of the media to ensure optimum exposure and value for product placements

Planning special events, including fall and spring fashion shows

Hiring and overseeing freelancers and contractors on an as needed basis

Candidates must have:

Bachelor's degree in marketing, business, communications, or a related field

Five years of professional work experience in a corporate or agency environment

Experience driving customer acquisition through lead generation programs

Familiarity with marketing automation tools (HubSpot preferred)

Strong project management, organizational, and problem-solving skills

Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet stringent deadlines

Availability for occasional travel

Compensation is commensurate with experience but includes a full benefits package and the option for partial telecommuting. Apply online at miaemma.com by June 7.

Revise and Edit

Revising and editing is a vital part of the writing process, even when you're preparing a job description. The more efficient your writing, the more effective your business communication will be. Seeking feedback from people who are familiar with the requirements of the position can help ensure that your job description will succeed in attracting top talent to your company.

Finding the Right Fit

Filling a job can be stressful for both the employer and the applicant. Everyone wants to make sure that the job is the right fit for all parties involved. After you've found some high-quality candidates, check out an article on potential interview weaknesses to look out for when selecting the perfect new employee. And after they're hired, keep the strong communication going with these solutions to poor communication in the workplace.

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Well-written job descriptions play a vital role in attracting qualified candidates to your company. Whether you're advertising online or placing a traditional newspaper ad, a job description is the first step in hiring a new employee. Keep reading to learn how to write a strong job description that's both concise and informative.

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How Students Can Find A Job With No Experience

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How Students Can Find A Job With No Experience

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Sometimes employers are looking for very specific qualities to match their culture and ethos” said Watkins. “Generally, though, there are a wide range of desired attributes, including teamwork, commercial awareness and interpersonal skills.
Being honest about your experience is vital but being apologetic about your lack of experience may hinder your chances of finding a job.

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Sometimes searching for a job can feel like a never-ending cycle. You need experience to get a job, but you need a job to get the experience in the first place.

Whether you're looking for a graduate job or an apprenticeship, or even a part-time job at university, landing your first job is rarely easy.

The University of Law 's Director of Employability, John Watkins, gives us some advice on how students can impress employers without having work experience.

Writing your resume

It's hard to know where to start when writing your resume, especially if you don't have a much work experience.

Before you start writing, outline the specific skills the company is looking for. These are some of the skills you will need to demonstrate in your resumé. However, you should also include more general transferable skills.

"Sometimes employers are looking for very specific qualities to match their culture and ethos" said Watkins. "Generally, though, there are a wide range of desired attributes, including teamwork, commercial awareness and interpersonal skills.

"In 2020, there may well need to be particular emphasis on adaptability or 'employ-agility' as we have started to call it at The University of Law. This is the ability to deal with a variety of challenges brought about by a total change to the norm."

Formatting your resume

Watkins explained that employers don't necessarily expect entry level resumés to be formatted in the traditional way (e.g. education followed by work experience, followed by hobbies etc.).

He said: "Whilst visual appeal is important, as there are many CVs to read and not much time to devote to each one, content is clearly the key".

Take time curating your resumé, formatting in a way that you think would make the most sense to an employer. This usually means starting with your education.

Find out how to write a great CV with no work experience.

Explaining your lack of work experience
Be honest and highlight your other skills
Being honest about your experience is vital but being apologetic about your lack of experience may hinder your chances of finding a job.

"There could be a whole host of reasons why you have minimal experience," said Watkins, "but it is what you can offer in the future that employers are looking at".

Although relevant work experience will be something that stands out to employers, other factors such as ambition, drive, energy, commitment to the role and an understanding of the employer will also help boost your chances of getting hired.
Gaining experience
If you are looking for work experience to boost your resumé, there are plenty of opportunities currently available, explained Watkins.

" Virtual events often have very high capacity and there are numerous short engagement opportunities with employers and learning providers.

"The University of Law Employability Service has run a Summer Commercial Awareness Challenge and a Virtual Leadership Experience, as well as putting on an extensive program of other events"

He added that "all of these add value and enhance employability".

Standing out to employers

Employers are looking to assess whether a student will perform well in their work environment, explained Watkins.

There are several things employers hope to find on a graduate's resumé:

Evidence of building relationships: Employers want you to be able to build strong relationships with clients and colleagues.

The ability to deal with challenges: Challenges such as meeting deadlines and overcoming problems arise often in a work environment.

Being able to deliver successful outcomes: You need to ensure employers that you can deliver work on time, to a high quality.

How can you demonstrate these qualities as a student? "These attributes can be highlighted through extra-curricular activities and hobbies" advised Watkins. The skills you have developed in these activities can be transferred to a working environment.

Watkins said: "Students should consider how they would draw upon previous experiences to show that they are suitable for the role in question.

"Relevant experience is great, but anything to do with people will always transfer across well and the personal disciplines of organization and time management can be found from many activities."

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How Students Can Find a Job with No Experience

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Sometimes searching for a job can feel like a never-ending cycle. You need experience to get a job, but you need a job to get the experience in the first place. Whether you're looking for a graduate job or an apprenticeship, or even a part-time job at university, landing your first job is rarely easy.

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Awards/Honors are very important because they show what your good at Academically or work accomplishments and set you apart from other people resume. 

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Awards/Honors are very important because they show what your good at Academically or work accomplishments and set you apart from other people resume. 

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Academic and work accomplishments

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Part of our resume writing series:

Honors, Awards, and Accomplishments

In a competitive academic and job market, many students or recent grads find themselves lost in the shuffle, especially when other applicants have similar academic or work histories. Academic and work accomplishments are what set you apart from the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other candidates vying for the same seat in college or that job you really want. Admissions directors and hiring managers know that past achievement usually predicts future performance. They also know that achievers are self-starters, motivated, and an asset to their school or company.

Remember, admissions directors and hiring managers have dozens of resumes to review on a daily basis. In that sea of paper, accomplishments are what capture and retain their interest, so to make certain that you get noticed, highlight your academic or work-related honors, awards, and accomplishments.
Applying to college or grad school? Search for your best fit here!
What is an accomplishment?

Accomplishments are relevant honors, achievements or awards that you earned for exceeding average standards in either academics, athletics, or in a work environment. Some examples of accomplishments are:

Scholarships

Honor Roll inclusion for high grades

Awards won for specific activities or subjects (i.e., Most Valuable Player (MVP), Fine Art Award)

Inclusion in student-related achievement publications (i.e., Who's Who in American High Schools)

Perfect attendance awards

Work related awards (i.e., Top Sales Performer)

Promotions to leadership positions in your job (i.e., Shift Supervisor)

Volunteer related awards (i.e., Volunteer of the Year)

As you can see, the key is to provide an admissions director with relevant academic honors and achievements that highlight your particular background. Be sure to include other honors and awards as you see fit.

What is not an accomplishment?

Any regular activity that does not include attainment of an award, scholarship, or other means of recognition should not be listed as an accomplishment since your ability to be extraordinary has not been measured by an organization.
Examples:

Performing daily tasks correctly

Promptness for meetings

Being congenial or friendly

Attending school on a daily basis

Describing your accomplishments

When describing honors, awards, or accomplishments on your resume, it is important to maximize the use of language and wording in order to get your point across in the strongest way. Keep the following tips in mind:

1. Avoid writing vague self-serving statements on your student resume by using quantifying data.

Weak: High School Senior with good grades

Strong: High School Senior consistently named to the Honor Roll, 2000-2004 Member of the National Honor Society

2. Avoid accomplishments that have nothing to do with your future career goal, your current job search, or those that do not enhance your candidacy.

Don't use: Beauty contest "Miss Congeniality" winner

Use: Won Award at High School Science Fair, 2002

3. Be specific with details to capture and retain interest.

Weak: Won Award for Best Art.

Strong: Earned Excellence Award for Art Work (pen & ink drawings), 2008-2010

Weak: Helped customers in showroom.

Strong: Increased sales by $5,000 during summer by helping clients in showroom. This resulted in sales to 8 out of 10 customers.

Featuring honors, awards, and accomplishments on your resume

Accomplishments, no matter how stellar, will do little to enhance your chances of getting into school or getting a job, unless they are properly showcased in your student resume or entry-level resume. If you bury them within your daily duties or general academic information, they may not be seen. Remember, admissions directors and hiring managers have many resumes to review. If it's hard for them to find important information on your resume, they may pass on your candidacy.

You should emphasize your academic, work, or volunteer recognitions by creating a specific honors, awards, and accomplishments section of your resume. Make sure to provide the following details when including your accomplishments:

Date of recognition or award

Purpose of award and accomplishment it recognizes (i.e., Academic, athletic, job related)

Significance of award (i.e., What did you have to accomplish? Only one who received the award? )

Scope of the award (i.e.: National, regional, or local)

As you can see, there are a variety of ways to market and display your academic and career accomplishments.
Need help getting started on your college search? Search by location, major, admission difficulty, and more with Peterson's College Search.

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Career Planning: Resume Writing Tips - Honors, Awards, and Accomplishments

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In a competitive academic and job market, many students or recent grads find themselves lost in the shuffle, especially when other applicants have similar academic or work histories. Academic and work accomplishments are what set you apart from the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other candidates vying for the same seat in college or that job you really want.

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This to help write a better objective and has a sentence starter

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https://www.paycor.com/resource-center/articles/okr-7-tips-on-setting-your-objectives-and-key-results/

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If your organization has adopted the Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) methodology, congratulations! It's a tried and tested way to set and achieve goals. Now, here's the bad news: no goal-setting methodology can succeed without buy-in and alignment from every level of your organization.

It all starts with executives, who set overall objectives. These might be annual, quarterly or even monthly-it depends on your company. What matters is that the objectives are clearly communicated to managers, who are then responsible for setting their own goals and aligning their teams. Only then can employees define their own individual objectives for which they'll be held accountable.

OKRs Best Practices

Creating goals that inspire your people and produce results takes real skill. But it can be just as difficult for employees to find objectives that are measurable and align with the bigger picture of what your company is trying to achieve. If employees are new to OKRs, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. That's why we've collected these tips:

1. Keep it Simple
Focus on objectives you know you can achieve in the given timeframe. Many employees think they need to contribute to every department objective and end up spreading themselves too thin. Prioritize your objectives according to what the business needs most. Remember, there's no magic number for how many objectives you should have-it depends how complex they are, as well as the time and resources available.

2. Be Specific
When setting objectives, brainstorm different ways you can reach the end result. Draw out your action plan to be more specific on how to achieve your objective. For each key result, think about how performance can be evaluated. The more specific you are, the clearer expectations will be. Concise objectives mean you'll know exactly what's needed to complete your goals.

3. Cascade Your Objectives
A common problem for employees setting objectives is struggling to see how their jobs contribute to overall organizational goals and success. How does a payroll clerk help their company reach 10,000 users? The solution is to cascade your objectives: from an organization level, to the department level and finally to an individual level.

4. Make it Measurable
Key results need a unit of measurement. It doesn't matter what: it could be to write 10 blogs per month or to reach $10,000 in revenue. What you're trying to avoid is a situation where you're not sure whether a goal has really been reached or not. Managers and employees can meet 1:1 to add metrics to quantifiable goals.

5. Don't Worry About Stretch Goals
Goals should be attainable yet challenging. Sometimes managers worry that easy goals will be de-motivating. But are stretch goals are a good idea? It all depends how realistic they are. If you use bonuses to motivate employees, they won't be happy being set impossible challenges. Ambitious goals are great, but don't set employees up for failure.

6. Break Key Results into Smaller Goals
Create mini-goals within your key results. Knowing what you have to do to achieve your key results makes objectives more specific. These mini-goals act as milestones through your progress. When goals are too broad, it can be hard to maintain focus on achieving them-these steps along the way help you stay on track.

7. Celebrate and Recognize
Reward and recognize yourself and others when a milestone has been reached. Positive reinforcement helps sustain best practice. Don't wait until the very end of an objective to recognize effort-celebrate incremental progress too.Encourage all co-workers to share their OKRs publicly and create a support system within your team.

How Paycor Helps

Paycor builds HR solutions for leaders. With Paycor, you can modernize every aspect of people management, from the way you recruit, onboard and develop your team, to the way you pay and retain them. See how Paycor can help the leaders of your organization solve the problems of today and tomorrow.

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OKRs: 7 Tips on How to Set Your Objectives and Key Results

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If your organization has adopted the Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) methodology, congratulations! It's a tried and tested way to set and achieve goals. Now, here's the bad news: no goal-setting methodology can succeed without buy-in and alignment from every level of your organization. It all starts with executives, who set overall objectives.

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gives advise on how to optimize your soft skills and hard skills

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Listing skills on your resume is fairly easy.

Listing the right skills in the right way is a little bit trickier.

Are you mentioning the right skills for the job, or are you boring the HR manager with irrelevant information?

The hiring manager for the software development team couldn't care less about your expertise in marketing. What they're dying to know, though, is your skill level in Python and how you get along with the team.

In this guide, we're going to walk you through the process of putting skills on your resume from start to finish. We'll explain how to identify the right skills and how to list them in a way that catches the hiring manager's attention!

Here's what you're going to learn:

Hard Skills Vs Soft Skills - What's the Difference?

Why Should You List Your Skills on a Resume?

8 Best Skills to Put on a Resume

How to List Skills on a Resume

120+ Skills to Put on Your Resume (For 10+ Fields)

New to resume-making? Give our resumes 101 video a watch before diving into the article!

Hard Skills Vs Soft Skills - What's the Difference?

Skills are divided into hard skills and soft skills.

To create an effective job application, catch the hiring manager's attention, and land your next job, you should mention both hard and soft skills in your resume.

But what exactly is the difference?

Hard skills involve the technical knowledge or know-how one can gain through experience, training, or education. For example:

Machinery skills. E.g., operating a road roller, pallet-stalker, forklift, etc.

Software skills. Depending on the field, you need to know how to use different software, such as the Adobe Creative Suite for graphic designers or the Ableton Live Suite if you're a DJ.

Tools. Say you're a digital marketer. You'll need to know how to use tools like Stethoscope, Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Ahrefs, and the sorts.

Multilingualism. The more customers you can communicate with, the more valuable you are as an employee. Some sought-after languages today include German, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic.

Computer skills. If you're a web developer, your hard skills will likely include coding languages such as Python, C++, etc. Even if you're not though, most jobs will require that you have at least some basic computer knowledge in MS Office and G-Suite, emailing and presentations, etc.

Techniques. E.g. frequency analysis, Crystallization.

Mathematics. Many professions, such as accounting and finance, require mathematical skills.

Data analysis. Businesses are always looking for professionals who can gather and analyze data for various stakeholders, which makes data analysis a very in-demand hard skill.

...and just about any field-specific skill. While hard skills are essential to complete tasks in about any job, they're also teachable and easily measurable.

Soft skills, on the other hand, are attributes and habits that describe how you work individually or with others. They are typically not job-specific but rather transferable skills that indirectly help you adapt to the work environment and company culture.

Some examples of the most in-demand soft skills include:

Communication

Teamwork

Creativity

Problem-solving

Leadership

Organization

Adaptability

Openness

Like hard skills, you can also learn how to develop soft skills, although it's significantly harder.

While you can acquire computer skills through a technical course, you'll need to work much harder to develop, say, your communication skills.

In the workplace, for example, you'd need to practice active listening, learn how to notice nonverbal cues, and practice your oral communication skills as much as possible.

What's the Difference Between Hard Skills and Soft Skills

Here are the two main differences between hard skills and soft skills:

1. How you obtain them. You can obtain hard skills through work experience, education, training, and certification. Soft skills, on the other hand, can be gained through life experience, both on and off work.

2. How you use them. You apply hard skills directly to the job, whereas soft skills come into play indirectly and may often complement your hard skills. For example, you may be a communicative marketer or an office manager with great leadership qualities.

Why Should You List Skills on Your Resume?

The skills section is one of the 3 most important resume sections, with the other two being work experience and education sections.

If written correctly, the skills section looks something like this:

By now, you're probably thinking " how hard can this be, right? All I have to do is list all my skills and call it a day! "

Well, not exactly. The process of putting skills on your resume is a bit more nuanced than that, and we're going to tell you why.

Most companies nowadays use Applicant Tracking Systems to help them go through the hundreds and thousands of resumes they receive every day.

This software scans your resume for keywords relevant to the job you're applying for, and if it doesn't find them, the software automatically rejects the resume.

Say, for example, the job you're applying to requires an Expert level in Java. If you haven't mentioned Java as a skill on your resume, your resume can automatically get discarded.

In fact, 70%+ of resumes are rejected at this stage, never having even been seen by an HR professional.

And, even if the company doesn't use an ATS, there's a good chance that the HR manager is going to skim through your resume looking for the right skill set.

So, whether you're doing this for the ATS or the HR, it's important to mention the right skills.

Below, we're going to explain just how to do this in the best way possible.

But first, let's cover some of the best skills to mention in any resume, regardless of your profession.

8 Best Skills to Put on a Resume

Every profession requires some role-specific hard skills if you want to do it properly. An accountant, for example, needs to know math to do their job right, just like a photographer needs to know how to use photo editing software like Photoshop.

In most cases, it's easy to identify such skills and understand whether you're qualified enough for the job.

The right soft skills for a job may be harder to point out, but they're just as essential in today's job market - 93% of employers say " soft skills play a critical role in their decision about whom they want to hire. "

To give you an example, if you're a project manager, you will need to have excellent organizational skills in addition to your project management skills. Or, if you're a developer, you need to also be an apt problem solver.

You can find lists of field-related, relevant soft and hard skills later in the article, but for now, here are the top soft and hard skills valued by hiring managers in most professions:

#1. Communication skills

There are very few, if any, jobs out there that don't require at least some level of communication skills.

Whether you're a writer who needs to communicate a message to your readers, a marketing specialist who needs to communicate an advertising campaign to your client, or an office worker who must communicate with a colleague to complete a task, communication skills are vital.

Communication is a multi-faceted skill that includes several skills, such as:

Oral and written communication

Non-verbal communication

Active Listening

Presentation

Public-speaking

Negotiation

Persuasion

Discussion

#2. Computer skills

By 2016, over 70% of US jobs required medium-to-high-level digital skills.

This means that computer and technical skills are priceless assets even if your job isn't centered around technology. As such, computer skills are almost always a great addition to any resume.

Here are some valuable computer skills for every professional:

Office suites (MS Office, iWork)

Social media

Database management

Web (Internet savviness, basic HTML, CMS)

Troubleshooting

Equipment installation and configuration

Fast Typing

#3. Management skills

Management skills are usually associated with management positions, but in reality, that's not usually the case. Any type of professional can benefit from strong management skills.

In a nutshell, management skills involve being able to effectively handle people, resources, and processes, including your time, plans, projects, and so on.

Here are some of the most in-demand management skills:

People management

Project management

Time management

Risk management

Logistics

Action planning

Conflict Resolution

#4. Problem-solving skills

Problem-solving means you're able to identify problems successfully, find the root cause behind them, and come up with creative solutions.

Considering there isn't a single job where you won't face problems in one way or another, problem-solving skills are a great asset to have. When it comes to managerial, professional, and technical positions, problem-solving skills are essential.

Problem-solving is a set of skills that includes:

#5. Organizational skills

Organizational skills are a set of soft skills that help you keep track of information, materials, and even your time in such a way that you can tackle short and long-term tasks efficiently.

Organizational skills are among the top skills recruiters are looking for in 2022, primarily because they help employees be more productive, save companies time and money, and facilitate a more positive work environment.

Here is what organizational skills consist of:

#6. Leadership skills

Leadership includes both the ability to manage and inspire others. Managers are not always great leaders, but leaders almost always make good managers.

People who're good at leading are emotionally intelligent, good communicators, and natural-born influencers. They can motivate others to reach their full potential and work together towards common goals. This makes leadership another great skill to have for many professions out there.

Some important soft skills related to leadership include:

Relationship-building

Motivation

Creativity

Commitment

Strategic thinking

Coaching

#7. Customer service skills

A big part of jobs out there involve dealing with customers.

From customer support representatives to cashiers, customer service skills are a great asset to have in 2023. Particularly, that's because it encompasses a number of other valuable skills, such as:

#8. Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills refer to how well you can understand and get along with other people.

It goes without saying that they're extremely useful for team-oriented or customer-facing roles, as a big chunk of the work involves communicating with other people.

Such skills, however, are also useful for roles where you don't get to interact as much with people.

Take, for example, writers. To be a really good writer, you need to be able to:

Understand and communicate with your audience

Collaborate with your publishing team

Understand what people are like

Just like most other transferable skills on our list, interpersonal skills are multi-faceted. Here is what they consist of:

How to List Skills on a Resume (And Stand Out)

Now that you have a clear understanding of how important skills are - and how some are more relevant than others - let's talk about how you should list them on your resume.

There are several things you need to do to stand out:

#1. Tailor Your Skills to the Job

Relevance is key; the customer service skills you acquired working as a server during college won't come in too handy when you start work as, say, a data analyst.

So, the first thing you should remember is to only list skills that are useful for the job you are applying for. To find out what these skills are, you should scan the job listing.

Job ads usually list a set of requirements or skills they expect a good candidate to have. Make sure you don't leave any of those out on your resume.

For example, imagine you are applying for a line cook position in a restaurant:

"Here at 'ABCD' we are committed to creating a one-of-a-kind experience for our guests. Our French restaurant is looking for a professional line cook for the summer season to work directly under the supervision of our chef. Responsibilities include prepping and cleaning food, creating and cooking meals, and cleaning up the working area. Impeccable attention to detail in food cooking and presentation is needed."

The underlined bits in this job description are the role's responsibilities. By paying a closer look, you can understand that ABCD is looking for someone who:

Is committed to excellence and is highly professional

Works well under supervision, and with others

Can prep, clean, and cook food

Pays great attention to detail in cooking and presentation

Based on this, some of the skills you should definitely mention in your resume can include teamwork, attention to detail, communication, food prepping, and culinary skills.

As a given, you wouldn't mention anything that isn't directly related to the job. As a line cook, you're not going to be using a lot of tech, so you wouldn't include your computer skills in your resume (even though such skills are relevant for a ton of other jobs).

#2. Create a Skills Section

Once you've identified all the right skills to add to your resume, create a "Skills" section to list them under. This way, the hiring manager will be able to check whether you have the right skills more easily and the ATS software won't disqualify your resume.

Here's what you should remember while making this section:

Be specific. "Verbal and written communication" sounds significantly better than "communication."

Sort your skills by relevance. Order your skills based on how critical they are for the role. More important skills go on top, and the nice-to-have ones go on the bottom.

Don't lie or exaggerate. It goes without saying that you should never, ever, lie about your skills. The employer will know you lied the moment you have to work on a task that requires that very skill.

#3. Match Each Skill With Your Proficiency Level

For each skill that you list on your resume, use the competencies proficiency scale to show your proficiency level:

Beginner. You are just starting to learn or have not practiced the skill through experience (usually fresh graduates that only understand concepts through theories or classroom experience).

Intermediate. You have applied the skill in practice, and require assistance with it on rare or special occasions. You still have room to grow.

Advanced. You know your stuff! You don't need help with the skill anymore. You can also teach beginners how to use it.

Expert. You are a recognized authority on this skill, the go-to person if anyone has any questions. You have consistently proved to be excellent in this skill. You could even write a whole book about it!

#4. Back-Up Your Skills in Other Resume Sections

Listing your skills in a separate section will only get you so far. After all, everyone else is also doing exactly the same thing.

To take your resume from good to great, you want your most critical skills to "pop" from the get-go and to prove to the hiring manager that you actually possess them.

Here is where the resume summary and work experience sections come in.

The resume summary is a short, 2-3 sentence-long summary of your resume that, done right, shows hiring managers your strongest points as a candidate the moment they lay eyes on your resume.

Positioned right under your contact information section, this is the first place where you can mention that you possess one or two of the most role-critical skills listed in the job description.

Here's how the resume summary of the line cook example we mentioned above would look in practice:

Detail-oriented line cook with over 5 years of experience prepping and cooking over 200 Mediterranean cuisine recipes. Collaborative professional who puts the needs of the team first. In my last position, was able to help the chef handle rush hour work of over 100 tables with 100% accuracy and approval rate from our customers.

Once you've grabbed the hiring manager's attention by including your top skills on your resume summary, it's time to prove that you have them.

The best way to do that? List some accomplishments in your work experience section and explain how utilizing a particular skill helped you achieve them.

Here's how that would look like in practice:

Prepped and helped cook food for over 500 customers in the past two years, receiving high praise and positive recommendations for the restaurant continuously.

Helped restaurant to receive positive reviews for 3 years in a row from Gastronomica magazine for attention to detail and food aesthetics and presentation.

#5. Put Transferable Skills to Use

If you're an entry-level candidate or if you're switching careers, you should definitely put transferable skills to use. Transferable skills are not directly related to the job you are applying to but are still useful, as well as relevant to most jobs.

Let's say, for example, that you're going for a career change from sales to copywriting. You can benefit from listing at least some of the skills acquired in sales in your copywriter resume, such as:

Written communication. Both roles involve communication via text. A salesperson needs to send cold emails, while a copywriter has to write newsletter emails.

Persuasion. A copywriter needs to create copy that drives sales, while a salesperson needs to be persuasive in person.

Computer skills. Both jobs require some degree of computer knowledge. For a salesperson, that's using Customer Management Software, while for a copywriter, that's publishing content online.

150+ Must-Have Skills (for Every Field)

Are you still not sure which skills to mention in your resume? We've got you covered.

We compiled a list of some of the most relevant skills on the market in 2023, for all sorts of different fields!

If you happen to possess some of these skills, make sure to mention them in your resume. If not, it's never too late to learn something new!

#1. Soft Skills

Soft skills are essential for just about any job out there. While they're not necessarily critical to doing your job well, they ensure that you get along with your coworkers and foster a positive work environment.

When evaluating two candidates with equal hard skills, the hiring manager is always going to pick the one that has better soft skills.

So, it's very important to mention your soft skills in your resume.

Here are some of the most in-demand soft skills today:

#2. Marketing Skills

With new technologies developing faster than ever, it becomes essential to move beyond the basics of traditional marketing. Here are some of the most relevant marketing skills these days, including both cutting-edge online tools, as well as classic marketing skills:

#3. Management Skills

As a manager, you need to have the right mix of soft and hard skills.

Below are the management skills needed to not only get the job but to also enhance employee and company productivity in the long run.

#7. Accounting & Finance Skills

Goodbye, filing by hand. Hello, countless platforms and apps. Accountants and financial specialists should familiarize themselves with these skills in order to have a successful career:

#9. Web Development Skills

It seems like there's new technology popping up every other second now, a good enough reason for web developers to keep updating their skills.

That said, if you are proficient in HTML, CSS, and Java, you pretty much have a leg up on the competition. All other skills on this list derive from or build upon the three basic programming languages. You can learn or improve your web development skills here.

#10. Business Analytics

BAs are very in demand right now by businesses, and for a good reason! They perform an almost magical task of analyzing past and present data to give future predictions. To perform their magic, they need some analytical spells:

#11. Nursing & Healthcare Skills

More than any other profession, healthcare professionals need to stay constantly updated with new technologies, medicine, and techniques. The skills nursing requires are countless and specific, but the most basic ones boil down to:

Bonus Infographic: Skills to Put on a Resume

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you still have some questions about what skills you should put on your resume (and how)? Check out the answers below:

Key Takeaways

Let's sum up everything we've learned about putting skills in your resume:

You must have a section in your resume devoted entirely to your skills. This helps you pass through applicant tracking systems and get noticed by the HR manager.

The differences between hard skills and soft skills are in the way they are applied (directly vs. indirectly) and the way they are obtained (through education and practice vs. personality traits and experience)

On your resume, list only skills that are relevant to the job, scan the job listing for must-have skills and list those (if you have them), pair each skill with a responding proficiency level, back up your skills with other resume sections, and mention transferable and universal skills.

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101 Essential Skills to Put on a Resume in 2023 [For Most Jobs]

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Want your resume to stand out? Here are the 101+ skills to put on a resume (that are in high demand in 2023)! Learn more.

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List of the best job skills to acquire and put on a resume.

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List of the best job skills to acquire and put on a resume.

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As you carefully craft a resume that's tailored for the specific role you're applying for, know that the way you report your skills for a job can determine how far you advance in the hiring process. If you want your resume to show you have what it takes to justify an interview, you need to show off your job skills.

The skills on your resume can differentiate you from the competition so you can land the position you want. And if a hiring panel does decide to offer you the job, your resume skills section can easily influence the salary figure they settle on.

So, where do you start? Click on the links below to skip to the resume writing tips that interest you most. Or start from the top and read through to the end for a comprehensive review of the job skills for a resume any professional should consider.

What are the best job skills on a resume?

It's no secret that many hiring managers spend only a short amount of time looking at a resume before deciding whether to pass on a job candidate or add them to the shortlist. What you may not know is, employers today are looking for both hard and soft skills for a job. Read any job posting, for example, and you might see the following requests:

Computer proficiency

Leadership experience

Communication skills

Organizational know-how

People skills

Collaboration talent

Problem-solving abilities

These skills and attributes, and others we discuss in this post, are essential for today's workplace. Hard skills are the technical skills required to accomplish the tasks and responsibilities associated with the job. They're acquired through practice, education and training. They're measurable and easy to advertise: You either have the desired technical skills and experience, or you don't. Your work history and certifications will speak to them.

Soft skills, or interpersonal skills, reflect one's personality and personal attributes. They can relate to an ability to fit into a company's work culture, handle stress, communicate clearly or play well with others, for example. They may be "soft," but they're important skills for a resume: When job candidates possess comparable experience levels and technical skills, soft skills can tip the balance.

See later sections for tips on how to showcase soft and hard skills on your resume. But let's talk first about which job skills employers are looking for.

How to match your resume skills to the job description

Many companies use an applicant tracking system (ATS), which acts as an electronic filter, to collect, scan, sort and rank resumes to narrow applicant pools to the most qualified candidates. That's why you need to customize your resume and cover letter using keywords and phrases that match the job listing (so long as you possess the skills you're listing, of course).

If an employer is looking for a graphic designer with mastery in Adobe Creative Suite, for example, you wouldn't just claim "experience with software for creative professionals." List the software by name, give your expertise level, and - if you have it - highlight your Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) certification. Likewise, if an employer is searching for an accountant with "experience processing daily invoices and credit," then use similar language in your resume. Simply listing "gathering receipts" as a duty won't likely score well with an ATS.

Repeat common words and phrases from other postings of the same role, too. But remember, every job description is different. Tailor the keywords and skills on your resume and in your cover letter for each position.

What are examples of soft skills for a resume?

Make no mistake, the soft skills on your resume can be of as much interest to a hiring manager as the technical skills you offer. Smart managers know that an experienced, highly trained new hire who doesn't fit into the office culture, communicates poorly with clients and colleagues, or freezes under deadline pressures can take a heavy toll on the workplace. Your resume - and, later, how you present at the interview - should assure the employer that you not only can do the job, but you'll help the team thrive.

Unsure which soft skills can send that message? Remember, every job application should get a tailored resume. So review the duties of the position you're applying for, and determine which of your personal strengths would help you be a success at the job and in the work environment.

Consider these 15 soft skills and personal attributes, and why employers value them:

1. Adaptability - Whether you're a new hire learning the ropes, a long-time staff member adjusting to shifting company priorities, or a manager adopting transformative technologies in the workplace, you're going to face some disruption in your career. Companies want employees who can quickly acclimate to different environments and are open to new processes and technologies.

2. Attention to detail - Mistakes are expensive to businesses in terms of time and money. To show prospective employers that you are careful and deliberate in all you do, submit a tailored, proofread resume and cover letter with work history highlights that exemplify diligence and conscientiousness.

3. Collaboration - How well you work with others, both team members and across departments, is going to be critical to your career success. Give examples in your work history - or if you're a new college grad, examples from your labs, seminars and coursework - that demonstrate successful teamwork and partnerships.

4. Communication - No matter the industry, no matter the position, verbal, writing and presentation skills are an increasingly important soft skill in the workplace. Employers are looking for candidates who can interact with different audiences, from interns to the C-suite, without resorting to jargon, and can present to an audience with confidence.

5. Creativity - Businesses grow with the infusion of fresh ideas and new approaches to old problems. Hiring managers will give a careful look at someone whose resume skills show they think creatively, challenge the status quo and offer novel solutions.

6. Customer service - A company's prosperity - and an employee's career prospects - is tied to good customer service. Employers want staff to be dedicated to meeting the expectations of both internal stakeholders and external clients.

7. Decision making - Most savvy managers want to give staff a measure of autonomy so leadership can focus on the bigger picture (they also know it can improve employee happiness and performance). That's why they value employees who can assess a situation and determine the next steps to take, rather than continually ask for guidance.

8. Empathy - Understanding the emotions of others is important if you want to effectively engage with coworkers, managers, direct reports, customers and clients. Whether for a senior leadership or staff-level role, the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes is a valuable trait.

9. Leadership - Even when they're not hiring for a managerial role, employers look for candidates who can inspire and motivate team members, and act with integrity, fairness and a strategic mindset. Where possible, highlight the professional experience and skills on your resume that show you can lead.

10. Multitasking - Today's workplace is in many ways busier and more complicated than in the past. A strong resume will demonstrate a job candidate's ability to juggle projects and competing priorities.

11. Positivity - No, this doesn't mean "excessively cheerful or optimistic." Rather, show that you approach difficulties with a can-do attitude. Resilience and determination, not a negative mindset, are what gets a job done. Employers want that.

12. Problem solving - What job doesn't involve challenges and problems? And what employer wants to handhold staff when those challenges and problems arise? An ability to resolve conflicts and come up with creative solutions to challenges big and small are prized skills on a resume.

13. Self-motivation - No boss wants to keep lighting a fire under their workers. Give instances of how you've taken the initiative to solve problems and get the job done.

14. Time management - Whatever role you're seeking, time management is a prime skill to include on your resume. Employers want to know you have the discipline to tune out distractions, meet deadlines and get the most out of the workday.

15. Work ethic - Honesty, punctuality, responsibility and reliability are all integral to a strong work ethic. Draw out those qualities in the examples you give in your professional history and resume skills sections.

What are technical or hard skills on your resume?

When listing hard skills on your resume, include specific proficiencies and certifications. Front-end web developers, for instance, would report their level of expertise in HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and other technologies the company lists in its job posting. A financial controller, meanwhile, might claim a strong foundation in GAAP or SEC reporting, and an administrative professional's resume skills could advertise a CAP or MOS certification.

Here are some hard resume skills for 15 in-demand fields:

1. Accounting or bookkeeping - Basic abilities include invoicing, collections, payments, account reconciliation and proficiency in software such as QuickBooks, FreshBooks and Xero.

2. Data analysis - Businesses need professionals who can gather and interpret technical data for various stakeholders. Hard skills in this area range from a thorough knowledge of relational database theory and practice to strong writing and verbal skills.

3. Data privacy - Cybersecurity is top of mind for any organization that deals with sensitive or proprietary client information. Specific in-demand skills will depend on the position and field.

4. Enterprise resource planning - ERP systems such as Oracle, NetSuite and SAP help employers manage their business and automate functions. Professionals in this area will want to talk up their coding expertise and project management skills.

5. Human resources - Companies rely on HR specialists to assess and hire job candidates, help onboard new employees and develop retention efforts. These professionals might also handle employee engagement, create wellness initiatives and develop training and team-building programs. If this is your area, you'd want to promote your strong communication and project management skills on your resume.

6. Mathematics - It's not just the accounting world that requires workers to figure percentages, calculate margins and create accurate data charts. A marketing professional and a copy editor, for instance, will likely work with survey results from time to time. For roles that need a more extensive mathematics background, see the business systems consultant role listed in our blog post on financial consulting jobs.

7. Multilingualism - The more customers and clients you can serve, the greater value you are to an employer. Sought-after second languages depend on the industry and city, but Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, French and German are among the most in demand. Even if you're applying for a position that doesn't require interacting with an international clientele, fluency in another language is an important asset to mention. Unique skills on your resume will make you stand out among the competition.

8. Process automation - Businesses can save resources and improve accuracy by using smart software and artificial intelligence to take over rote tasks. At the same time, companies rely on humans to set up and oversee those systems. Spotlighting your professional experience in this area, or completion of one of the many certification programs, can make you markedly more appealing to employers.

9. Product design - Form and function are rolled into one in this field, which optimizes both user friendliness and visual appeal. Even if you have a degree in product design, you'd want to talk up your specific skills on your resume.

10. Project management - In your work history and resume skills sections, show your familiarity with the software and best practices required for seeing a project through from beginning to end. (A Project Manager Professional [PMP] certification, offered by the Project Management Institute, would display a highly desired endorsement of your skills.)

11. Research skills - Whether for eDiscovery, competitor intelligence or internal data collection, employers are looking for job candidates who know how to use the right research tools and methodologies. Hard research skills on your resume might include experience interviewing, planning and scheduling, and analyzing and interpreting collected data to help stakeholders reach a solution. Proficiency with relevant technologies should also be given on your resume.

12. Software proficiency - Almost every office job today requires at least a baseline knowledge of Microsoft Office and G Suite apps for word processing, spreadsheets, email, presentations and collaboration. Many roles will require a far deeper knowledge of technologies. Jobs in the IT and creative fields are obvious examples, but tech proficiency is highly valued in many other sectors and roles. Consider the legal field: 62% of lawyers said in a Robert Half survey that their hiring decisions are influenced more by job candidates' technical abilities than their soft skills.

13. Search engine optimization - SEO and its cousin, search engine marketing (SEM), are key aspects of any role that deals with online content - from writers and editors to publicists and HR professionals. SEO/SEM hard skills for a resume would include work experience with (or knowledge of) Google Analytics and Keyword Planner, keyword optimization, content creation, data analysis tools, and HTML/CSS and JavaScript.

14. Typing skills - Medical coders, transcribers, schedulers, clerks, data entry specialists and administrative professionals should have fast and accurate keyboarding abilities. How fast is fast? That depends on the industry and the job, but the job description should give you a clue. To check your speed and accuracy, go to one of the many free typing speed testing websites. Then for consistency, check them again on a different website.

15. Writing and editing - Just as polished verbal and presentation skills are prized people skills in today's workplace, strong writing and editing are highly valued hard skills in almost any field. Clearly written, persuasive cross-departmental written memos, emails and other internal communication keep an organization humming. And no organization wants any external-facing content - website text, press releases, printed matter or even company emails - marred by incorrect grammar and diction or poor sentence structure and organization.

Keep in mind that your resume should provide examples of how you've used the hard skills that are most relevant to the job you're seeking. Whenever possible, note specific, quantifiable achievements for each position you've held. If you're a digital marketer, give conversion and click-through rates. If you're a project manager, showcase projects that came in on time and on budget - and report their impact. As we discuss below, you want to demonstrate you're a results-driven professional.

How to discover skills the company values

You need to use the job description to customize your resume skills and work history sections. But don't stop there. Research the employer to gain insight into the workplace culture and company values. You may discover additional qualities that would be prized by the employer.

If you know someone who works at the company, or has in the past, reach out to ask about the workplace culture and what the employer considers important in its workers. Also check websites such as Glassdoor and Fairygodboss for company reviews by employees and former employees. (You might even get an idea there about the employer's interviewing process.)

The company's website can tell you a lot, too. Reading the About Us page is typically a good place to begin.

For instance, in a section called "Living our values," IBM includes the following:

Dedication to every client's success

Innovation that matters - for our company and for the world

Trust and responsibility in all relationships

If you were applying for a job at IBM, you would want to consider what soft skills you possess that fit this framework - customer service, attentiveness, initiative and loyalty - and weave them into your resume.

Here at Robert Half, we focus on and promote our four LEAD principles. They are:

Leadership by Example

Ethics First

An Openness to New Ideas

Dedication to Excellence

If you're applying for a job at Robert Half, you might highlight skills that speak to your leadership, drive and diligence, as well as your confidence and ability to collaborate.

Bottom line: Pay close attention to how the company says it operates and the workplace environment it promotes, and emphasize your most pertinent strengths.

How to create a resume skills section

When you write a resume, it's important to organize the content so it's succinct and easy to read. A three-column, three-row highlights section near the top of your resume, just above your professional experience, is a helpful way to list the nine soft and technical skills that speak directly to the posting's required qualifications. It's also a good place to add keywords you've identified.

You don't need more than a couple words here to show what you bring to the table. This should be a bulleted list a reader can quickly scan. Complete sentences will come in your work history.

Here are some examples of what professionals from different industries could list in this section:

1. Accounting jobs

Accountants are expected to crunch numbers, but also to make data-driven conclusions and communicate them to people outside of their department. You might include skills in these areas:
Send us your resume for roles in accounting, from clerks to accountants to controllers.
2. Customer service jobs

When customers have issues or concerns about a company, they turn to customer service departments to get their problems solved. Dealing with the public in these roles often requires skills in these areas:

3. Business analyst jobs

A business analyst wears many hats: data specialist, finance professional and problem solver. Skills for the resume of a business analyst might include:

4. Marketing jobs
Job hunting in the marketing arena? Check out our available marketing and creative jobs now!
Marketing jobs can run the gamut from social media or email marketing specialist to product manager and brand manager. But in general, candidates applying for marketing jobs need to show a mix of soft and hard skills that reflect the creative yet analytical nature of the career. Some examples include:

5. Web developer jobs

Web developers need both the tech skills to accomplish their tasks and the soft skills to work with clients and internal stakeholders. Whether you're looking at a front-end or back-end position, you'd want to carefully review the tech stack that the job posting describes, then tailor your resume to address the employer's needs and work environment. Some soft and hard skills for a web developer's resume might include:

6. Graphic design jobs

Graphic designers need to possess a combination of creative flair and technical mastery. In addition to creating a digital portfolio that wows, you could mention these hard and soft skills on your resume:

If you're in a specialized field, such as legal or technology, another option would be to create a skills column on the side of your first page. This would give you more space to list all skills, divided by technical and interpersonal, that pertain to the job you're applying for.

The important thing is to make the skills section an attention-grabbing part of your resume. Not every employer uses an ATS, so you want this section to stand out to the reader.

Ways to weave in your skills for a job

Keep in mind that skills should be highlighted in your work history and other resume sections, such as volunteer activities or professional certifications. There, you'd be less likely to name a specific skill than to show it - for example, you "led a team project" to successful completion, not you "have leadership skills" or "project management skills."

Here, you would also give concrete examples of the impact you made at your current or past employer. Impressive skills on your resume will get you careful consideration. Impressive results on your resume can get you the interview - and possibly the job offer.

Here are some tips and examples on how to present your resume skills:

Communication - Focus on your verbal, writing and presentation skills, but also your collaborative and customer service skills. In your work history, show how your track record of strong communication with your colleagues, manager, clients or customers delivered solid results.

Wrote a monthly email newsletter to customers that increased website traffic by 35%

Presented in eight company webinars that reached an audience average of 5,000 per session

Multitasking - It might be more challenging to show quantifiable results for multitasking. But you can still give the employer an idea of the competing tasks and situations you've handled regularly - and how you did so calmly and efficiently.

Smoothly and calmly prioritized multiple web design projects for a team of 20 people in a fast-paced environment

Managed competing editorial deadlines for the company's annual report and corporate citizenship report, while delivering weekly new content to the organization's email marketing team that improved click rates by 20%

Leadership - You don't have to be in a managerial role to show leadership. Taking charge on an important deliverable of a larger team project, working in an entrepreneurial manner independent of a team, burrowing deep into a problem above and beyond expectations to reach a solution all demonstrate leadership and an ability to inspire colleagues. Outside of your official duties, stepping up for volunteer roles within the company can also create opportunity to demonstrate leadership by action.

Led a 10-person task force that worked together to reduce firm operating expenses by 15%

Organized and chaired a six-member employee volunteer task force that researched corporate philanthropic practices and recommended new beneficiaries for senior management consideration

Problem solving - Show the essential role you've played for current and past managers by spotlighting examples of when you'd double-down on resolving longstanding team problems or show creativity when faced with a challenge.

Implemented new consolidation procedures for monthly and quarterly close, reducing closing time by 30%

Closed 92% of desktop support tickets on the first call without escalation

Dependability - Hiring managers want people on their teams who'll do what they say they're going to do. Dependability can be particularly important if you're working with outside clients, when missing a deadline can mean lost business and a damaged reputation.

Completed all projects on time or before deadline, leading to a promotion to account manager after 12 months of service

Twice awarded CEO's "Perfect Attendance" commendation at the company's annual employee recognition event

Technology - The technology skills on your resume should be relevant to the job you're pursuing. If you're looking for an administrative assistant role, you don't need to fit in that coursework in data logic you took before switching majors. And if you're a UX designer or computer programmer, there won't be much call to advertise your familiarity with Word or Google docs.

Created monthly PowerPoint presentations to support supervising manager's report of social media/email campaigns, client engagement and conversion rate to executive team

Provided training to other support staffs after managers recognized the success of the presentations

Optimized more than 300 blog posts, increasing organic traffic by 33% and conversion rate by 15%

What shouldn't you do with job skills on your resume?

We've said it all above in one place or another. But now that you have a sense of what you should be doing, here's a recap of things to avoid doing with your resume:

Don't exaggerate or lie about your skills - or anything else. Never give in to the temptation to inflate a job title, add a certification or skills you don't have, or embellish a job tenure that didn't last as long as you say it did. Making false claims or stretching the truth isn't worth the risk. Most companies conduct background checks and call references, and falsehoods will severely damage your trustworthiness - and likely cost you the job.

Don't leave out numbers. As we've discussed, don't be vague. No matter what position you're applying for, you should try to quantify your value. Did you reduce expenses for your company, increase sales or reach new target markets? Did you respond to customer inquiries or process orders X% faster than the previous year? All of those accomplishments involve numbers that you can use in your resume.
It's time to put your job skills to work for you!
Don't misuse words. Check your resume for wordiness. If you feel like a section is short, it can be tempting to get flowery with your language, but "owing to the fact that" is nowhere near as good as "because." Also avoid using business jargon or clichés like "synergize" or "outside the box."

Don't forget to proofread. Before you send in your resume, go over it with a fine-toothed comb for spelling, grammar and formatting mistakes. Then ask someone who understands your job-search goals to look it over. Review a printed copy: Sometimes it's easier to catch errors on paper than on a computer screen.

Your resume, and the skills on your resume, should be an accurate, truthful report of you, your work history and your abilities. But help out the hiring manager and recruiters by crafting it in a way that directly addresses their needs. That means, be thoughtful and be meticulous. The time and work you put into that will pay off when interview invitations come in.

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Job Skills to Include on Your Resume (With Examples!)

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As you carefully craft a resume that's tailored for the specific role you're applying for, know that the way you report your skills for a job can determine how far you advance in the hiring process. If you want your resume to show you have what it takes to justify an interview, you need to show off your job skills.

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"Even without a formal or informal leadership role within your extracurricular, you still likely picked up some transferable skills, such as teamwork and collaboration, organizational skills, time management, communication, and project management.."

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When you're writing a resume, your education and past jobs are far from the only things that matter. The truth is, the past experiences and skills that employers care about can come from a number of places. And particularly when you're a current student or an entry-level candidate, extracurricular activities can be a great addition to your resume.

Extracurriculars are any structured, ongoing activity you took part in during school, but not as an academic requirement. They are often (but not always) affiliated with or run by the school you attended. And your participation in these activities (especially in a leadership role) can set you up to succeed in your future jobs.

When You Should List Extracurriculars on a Resume

According to Muse career coach and founder of Flourish Careers Jennifer Smith, who has recruited, coached, and hired early-career candidates across a number of industries and jobs, there are two main situations when you should include extracurriculars on your resume:

When you're a current student or recent graduate and the extracurricular (or your role in the organization) showcases leadership or is specifically relevant to the job or industry you're applying to

When you're a current student or recent graduate and you don't have a lot of internship or paid work experience

Once you're more than five years past graduation, your extracurriculars probably don't belong on your resume anymore-unless they're especially relevant to the industry or role you're applying to and you don't have more recent, relevant experience, Smith says. This would most likely come up if you're looking to make a career change or pivot.

Why You Should List Extracurriculars on a Resume

Early in your career, particularly when you don't have much or any professional experience, employers want to see that you have transferable skills. These are abilities and knowledge that can be applied in multiple contexts-for instance, both an extracurricular activity and an office environment. In other words, extracurriculars can prove you're a great candidate for a job even if you haven't already held a similar-or any!-job.

If you held a leadership position within an extracurricular-whether you were the president of a student group, programming chair for your sorority chapter, or treasurer for your intramural sports club-that experience is especially valuable on an early-career resume. Smith, who used to lead a team that hired university students for internships and entry-level jobs, has often seen companies seek out students who had led clubs and societies, knowing they would bring valuable traits and transferable skills to the workplace.

For example, if you ran large club meetings, you likely have some communication and presentation skills. Or maybe you were responsible for advertising or outreach and you gained some marketing skills. These roles also show that you've taken on responsibilities-a core requirement for any job.

If you didn't hold an official position in an activity, but you were in charge of an event, campaign, or some other aspect of the organization's management, that can also go on your resume as relevant experience. Maybe you designed the club's website and want to get a design role, or you put together a charity event and want to go into fundraising.

Even without a formal or informal leadership role within your extracurricular, you still likely picked up some transferable skills, such as teamwork and collaboration, organizational skills, time management, communication, and project management, Smith says. If you were a highly active member, especially over a longer period of time, this shows dedication and work ethic as well.

Your extracurricular activity might also show that you are passionate about the industry you're trying to join and may be more knowledgeable and prepared than your peers. "For example, a member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) who is applying for an entry-level engineering role" should include that membership on their resume, Smith says, as evidence that you've put time into preparing for this career path, possibly attending industry conferences or taking part in other career development activities.

What Types of Extracurriculars Can Go on a Resume (Examples)

Not sure what type of extracurriculars might go on your resume? Here are some examples to get you started:

Academic clubs or societies related to a specific discipline (for example, the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA))

Arts organizations (such as a drama club, marching band, or a cappella group)

Community and civic activities (for example, Students for Environmental Action)

Greek life (as long as your sorority or fraternity hasn't been in trouble for inappropriate behavior)

Media or publications (such as the student newspaper or campus radio station)

Multicultural organizations (such as a Black student association, Muslim student group, or Pride group)

Political groups (but use your discretion here-if it's especially controversial or you know the company you're applying to holds opposing views, these activities might be best left off)

Sports teams

Student government

Tutoring

Volunteer activities or organizations (such as Habitat for Humanity)

Other clubs (even if you joined a group "just for fun" you might've still picked up skills doing it!)

Which Extracurriculars Belong on Your Resume

Before deciding to add extracurriculars to your resume, identify the skills you need for the job you want, Smith says. You can do this by reviewing the job description or setting up an informational interview with someone who works in a role or industry you want to work in-or even at the specific company you have your eye on. For each application, take into account the company you're applying to, as well. What values do they have? Are they all about teamwork? Do they value creativity? Do they want people who will take initiative to solve any problems they spot?

Then think about what you've done in your extracurriculars and what skills and qualities you developed or demonstrated. "Pinpoint the skills [you gained] that will serve you best in your new path," Smith says. These skills, the circumstances in which you used them, and extracurriculars attached are what belong on your resume.

Let's say you want to go into sales. The juggling skills you gained from three years of Circus Club might not be very helpful in landing your first full-time job, but the time you sold 50 tickets to the "Circus Skills Expo"-more than anyone else-might catch a recruiter's eye.

Similarly, if you played a sport, the number of goals you scored probably matters less to a prospective employer than how well you work with a team, the time management skills you gained balancing your practice schedule with classes and studying, or your work ethic-unless you're going into a sports-related role.

Doing some research on the specific companies you're applying to can help you highlight the right aspects of your extracurricular experiences. For instance, Smith says, "I often saw big-name companies specifically seek out student athletes because they know the competitive spirit will be a good fit with their company."

Where to List Your Extracurriculars on a Resume

Where your extracurriculars go on your resume depends on what your role and scope of responsibility was in the organization, how relevant it is to the job you want, and whether you have other work experience to include on your resume, Smith says.

These are three common options:

Your experience section: An extracurricular belongs in your experience section when you either had responsibilities and a time commitment similar to that of a part- or full-time job, or when your achievements showcase skills and experience that are directly relevant to the role you're applying to. A stage manager for a drama ensemble play might spend 20+ hours a week coordinating multiple teams and making sure everything needed is ready by opening night. Or perhaps a video editor for a film club edited multiple student films using the same or similar software and technical skills to the ones that the content creation role they're applying for uses.

Your education section: Smith suggests including an extracurricular within your education section when you had minor responsibilities but it's related to the industry you want to work in. For example, maybe you were a member of a business honor society and want to work in finance.

A dedicated section: If you have multiple extracurriculars that are relevant to the job you're applying for, you might consider including an "Extracurricular Activities" section to highlight them a bit more than your education section might. Or a "Leadership Experience" section might be appropriate for someone who held leadership positions in multiple organizations, Smith says.

How to List Your Extracurriculars on a Resume

Regardless of where you choose to list your extracurriculars, you should generally include the name of the organization, your role within it ("member" or any positions held), and the dates you participated. Particularly when you want to use your extracurriculars to demonstrate your skills and experiences, you should also include major responsibilities, accomplishments, or any awards won in the form of bullet points.

How would this look in practice? In your experience section or within a dedicated section, an extracurricular activity entry can be listed just like a job or internship. In this example, the person wants to demonstrate leadership and management skills as well as their ability to adapt to changing circumstances:

Vice President, Young Educators of America at Duke University | Fall 2019-Spring 2020
Chapter Secretary, Fall 2018-Spring 2019
Member, Fall 2016-Spring 2018

Ran twice-weekly tutoring program with an average of 30 tutors and 80 local high school students, advertising program at three area schools, booking rooms, matching students with tutors for appropriate subjects ahead of time, overseeing sessions, managing conflicts, and collecting feedback on tutor performance

Pivoted program to operate entirely online during COVID-19 pandemic, adjusting tutoring practices for remote sessions and increasing session availability to help students struggling with remote learning

Even without a leadership position, you still want to show what you did as a member with strong, quantified bullet points that highlight the skills you want an employer to see. A college musician who wants to highlight their time-management and teamwork skills might say something like:

Member, Lehigh University Jazz Ensemble | 2017-2020

Attended two-hour practices four times weekly and played up to eight shows a month on campus and across the state

Organized weekly rehearsals for 10-person trumpet section to help one another with new pieces, give feedback on individual performances, and identify any problems with our group's playing

Within your education section, an extracurricular could be a single bullet point that might look like this:

Bachelor of Science in Mathematics | University of Connecticut | 2015-2019
Major Track: Applied Mathematics

Member of Pi Mu Epsilon Mathematics Honor Society | 2017-2019: Participated in weekly meetings, listened to monthly talks by researchers, and attended national conferences to learn more about new mathematical theories and speak with applied mathematics professionals

Regina Borsellino is a NYC-based editor at The Muse covering job search and career advice, particularly resume best practices, interviewing, remote work, and personal and professional development. Before joining The Muse, Regina was an editor for InvestorPlace, where she also wrote about topics such as investing and biotech companies. She holds a BA in English language and literature from the University of Maryland and an MFA in creative writing from American University. Find her on LinkedIn and Twitter.

More from Regina Borsellino

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When and How to Add Extracurriculars to Your Resume

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When you're writing a resume, your education and past jobs are far from the only things that matter. The truth is, the past experiences and skills that employers care about can come from a number of places. And particularly when you're a current student or an entry-level candidate, extracurricular activities can be a great addition to your resume.

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Leadership It's important to list leadership skills on a resume to show employers you can take initiative to complete tasks and motivate others to do their best work.

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Leadership It's important to list leadership skills on a resume to show employers you can take initiative to complete tasks and motivate others to do their best work.

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https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/leadership-skills-on-resume#:~:text=It's%20important%20to%20list%20leadership%20skills%20on%20a%20resume%20to,behavior%20for%20other%20team%20members.

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1. Career Guide

2. Resumes & Cover Letters

3. How To List Leadership Skills on Your Resume in 5 Steps

Leadership skills are attributes that help you inspire others to execute tasks while working toward shared goals. These traits help leaders increase productivity and efficiency within teams or departments and improve a company's overall performance. If you're applying for leadership positions, you can include your leadership skills in your resume to show employers you can guide employees to success. In this article, we explain why it's important to list leadership skills on a resume, define various types of leadership skills, describe how to include them on your resume and provide a template and examples.

Related: Leadership Skills: Definitions and Examples

Why is it important to list leadership skills on a resume?

Leadership skills can be important in various roles throughout a company, such as management positions. It's important to list leadership skills on a resume to show employers you can take initiative to complete tasks and motivate others to do their best work. Employers often want to hire people who can prioritize tasks effectively, resolve issues quickly and model workplace behavior for other team members.

Related: How To Demonstrate Leadership Skills at Work

Types of leadership skills to list on a resume

There are many types of leadership skills you can list on your resume. Here are some common ones:

Communication

Through effective communication, leaders can help teams or departments understand their roles in a project in order to operate more efficiently and achieve a shared goal. Listening and responding to questions or concerns from team members can also help leaders learn how to better support team members. In addition, leaders can use communication skills to recognize others for their contributions or achievements, which can improve morale and motivate employees to continue performing well.

Read more: How To Highlight Communication Skills in a Resume

Organization

Many leaders handle multiple projects simultaneously, so it's helpful if they know how to prioritize tasks to make sure they're completing the most important ones first. Leaders may also have many duties, such as overseeing employees, developing new ideas or ensuring adherence with deadlines. Organizational skills like time management and attention to detail can help leaders manage these various jobs effectively.

Problem-solving

Effective leaders can use their problem-solving skills to quickly resolve potential conflicts in the workplace and achieve actionable results. For example, leaders may solve problems by having team meetings to research and brainstorm solutions. This can help create camaraderie among team members, which may help teams work together more efficiently in the future.

Relationship-building

Leadership involves building relationships with other team members. Leaders can build these productive relationships by actively listening to others, giving them praise, offering constructive feedback and creating a safe and positive work culture. When leaders collaborate with others as part of a team, they can connect with team members and motivate them to work together to accomplish goals.

Conflict resolution

Resolving conflicts in a timely manner can lead to increased productivity and morale, which makes this skill important for leaders. Leaders use conflict resolution techniques to listen to employees' concerns and understand conflicts from different points of view. They usually work with all involved parties to find solutions that address everyone's needs.

Delegation

Because leaders often work on many initiatives, it's helpful to understand how to delegate tasks to keep projects running smoothly. Delegation involves planning, scheduling and organizing projects, as well as assigning team members to specific roles. It's beneficial when leaders understand each team member's strengths so that they can assign tasks effectively and keep employees productive.

Related: 20 Leadership Qualities That Make a Great Leader

How to include leadership skills on a resume

You can follow these steps to incorporate leadership skills into your resume:

1. Study the job posting

Before you apply for a position, it's important to read through the job description carefully so you understand what leadership skills the employer considers valuable. Many companies use an applicant tracking system to review resumes for specific words or phrases they've listed in the job description. Using these same keywords on your own resume might improve your chances of getting your resume to a hiring manager.

2. Consider your past experience

Think about your past work experience and recall some situations where you've shown leadership skills. It's important to have specific examples in order to show employers you can lead employees successfully in a future role. If you're unsure what leadership skills you possess, ask a trusted friend or coworker about your greatest strengths as a leader.

3. Craft a powerful summary

Discussing your leadership skills in the professional summary of your resume can help you communicate your strengths to a hiring manager. In a few sentences, describe your professional experience and highlight some of the leadership skills that make you a qualified candidate for the position. If you've received an award or other recognition for your leadership skills in the past, you can also mention these in your summary.

4. Showcase your achievements

In the work experience section, list several examples of job responsibilities or situations related to your leadership skills. You can quantify your achievements with facts, figures or statistics to show the full impact of your leadership in previous positions. Try to use compelling verbs to describe your experiences, such as:

5. List relevant skills

The skills portion of your resume is an excellent place to include your leadership skills so that employers can find them easily. Leadership skills typically include soft skills, which refer to personality traits or habits regarding how you work by yourself and with others. However, you can also list hard skills, or technical skills, related to leadership as well. For example, if you're applying for a leadership position in business, you might list strategic planning as a skill because it's both a leadership skill and a hard skill.

Read more: Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills

Template for a resume with leadership skills

Here's a template for a resume that highlights leadership skills:

Professional summary
[Briefly describe your leadership experience and relevant leadership skills in one to three sentences.]

Work experience
[Job title]
[Name of company]
[Location]
[Start date and end date]

[Job responsibility or achievement]

[Job responsibility or achievement]

[Job responsibility or achievement]

Education
[Name of school]
[Name of degree or diploma]

Example of leadership skills on a resume

Here are some examples of how to include leadership skills in various parts of your resume:

Summary

Here's an example of a resume summary that describes a candidate's leadership skills:

Highly organized and results-focused leader with eight years of experience coaching and mentoring teams of 5 to 15 employees. Proven record of spearheading projects to increase operational efficiency and improve collaboration among interdepartmental teams. Possesses exceptional communication and problem-solving skills.

Experience

Here's an example of an experience section on a resume that includes leadership skills:

Oversee a team of 13 employees, communicating effectively to set priorities and expectations for each shift

Resolve issues quickly by listening to concerns and collaborating with assistant managers to find solutions

Created an incentive program that led to a 15% increase in employee retention

Coach and mentor floor staff through weekly team meetings and monthly staff-building exercises

Skills

Here's an example of a list of leadership skills on a resume:

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How To List Leadership Skills on Your Resume in 5 Steps

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Career Guide Resumes & Cover Letters How To List Leadership Skills on Your Resume in 5 Steps Leadership skills are attributes that help you inspire others to execute tasks while working toward shared goals. These traits help leaders increase productivity and efficiency within teams or departments and improve a company's overall performance.

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Targeted Resume Template (Example & How to Write One)

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Targeted Resume Template (Example & How to Write One)

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What is a targeted resume?

A targeted resume is a resume tailored to a specific job opening. It's a standard resume with skills and work experience customized to fit a particular position. A targeted cover letter should go with each resume for maximum effect.

How do you write a targeted resume?
It's not hard.
But it's soooo important.

Failure to target a resume can get you rejected. That's according to more than half of all recruiters.

You should target every resume you write. It's the only way out of the internet black hole.

But-
It takes so long!
Not really. After the first time you'll target resumes like wildfire.
This guide will show you:

How to write a targeted resume.

Targeted resume templates and examples you can use.

Why customizing your resume is key to getting hired.

How to target the different sections of your resume.

Targeted Resume Template - Examples

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It's fast and easy to use. Plus, you'll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.
Create your resume now
Sample resume made with our builder-See more templates and create your resume here.

One of our users, Nikos, had this to say:

[I used] a nice template I found on Zety. My resume is now one page long, not three. With the same stuff.

Why You Should Target Every Resume

Why target every resume?
Because you want the job.
Picture this:

You apply to 150 jobs in a week. Wow! What a sense of accomplishment!

But-

You don't hear back from any.

What went wrong?
You didn't write a targeted resume.
The hiring teams assumed you were spamming them. (Spoiler alert: you were!)

That's why each and every resume should be customized.

Sounds agonizing?

It's not. Scroll down to see how to do it once. Then see how to do it fast.

Pro Tip: You'll send less resumes when you target. But one targeted resume is worth ten cookie-cutter resumes. Slowing down saves time and gets more calls.

Targeting a Resume - Step-by-step
"I'm pulling out my hair." Slow down.
It's not hard.

You can target a resume in two steps.

1. Read the job ad. Note the most important skills and duties.

2. Stuff your resume with achievements. They should show you've aced those skills and duties.

Put targeted accomplishments in your resume summary (or career objective), experience section, education, and other resume sections.

For specifics, see the targeted resume samples below.

Pro Tip: The most important parts of a targeted resume are the company name and job title. Match those, and at least they'll read your resume.
Now, here's how to target your resume, section-by-section:
1

Read the Job Ad Carefully

To target a resume-

Know the target.
Hint: It's the job description.
Check out this real-world job posting. We'll highlight the important parts.

Job Description

LLJ construction is seeking a full-time construction project manager.

Participates in client meetings and provides superior client service.

Oversees construction projects.

Manages infrastructure projects including planning, design, requirements gathering, bidding, and construction management.

Develops project budgets.

Selects and manages contractors.

Builds and manages teams of consultants and contractors.

Negotiates contracts with team members and contractors.

Maintains client relationships.

Assists in conflict resolution...

There's our target.
It's the skills, duties, job title, and company name.

We know what they want.

Now let's hit it like Robin Hood.

Pro Tip: There's a lot more to the above job description, but the most important skills and duties are near the top. Writing a targeted resume starts with priorities.

The job posting is packed with resume keywords. Use them in your targeted resume to impress a human hiring manager. See our guide: Resume Keywords To Use: Step-by-Step Guide

Uh-oh.

The hiring manager lost interest.
Why?
You didn't target your resume summary.

You need to hit the target in the first six seconds or they're gone like Kaizer Soze.

How to Target a Resume Summary:

1. Mention the company by name.

2. Use the same job title as the job description.

3. Include 1-3 skills they really want.

4. Add your greatest 2-3 accomplishments that prove you own those skills.

5. If they mention required years of experience, show you have them.

See how that works in these targeted resume examples:

Targeted Resume Examples [Summary]

Pretend you're targeting a graphic designer job that needs 2+ years of experience. It's for a company called Passalaqua Media.

They want skills in layout, production, infographics, brochures, logos, and advertisements.

Graphic designer with 3+ years of experience. Seeking position as designer for Passalaqua Media. Skilled in layout and production. At XYZ designs, worked on an infographic project that received the 2018 BigCommerce Design award. Developed 250+ graphic design projects (brochures, infographics, logos, advertisements) that raised client transactions by 20%.

Bullseye.
That's a targeted resume sample because it mentions everything the job ad wants.

But watch how you can botch it:

Highly-skilled graphic design professional seeking full-time designer position. Experienced in web design, creating print work, and laying out design jobs for client work. Received the 2018 BigCommerce Design award. Handled regular graphic design projects, including websites, marketing materials, and client artwork.

Oops.
Still an impressive resume summary, right? But not targeted.

Items in missed the mark.

Pro Tip: See those numbers like 20% and 250+? They add a yardstick to your targeted skills. They say, "not only do I have what you want, but it's huge."
"Wow, she's already done this job!" Aim for that reaction.
To write a targeted resume experience section:

1. Find the duties and skills in the job posting.

2. Brainstorm times you've done those things well.

3. Think about the result of your good work.

4. Tack on dollar figures, percentages, and other numbers.

5. Make your job titles the same as the one in the job ad.

These targeted resume examples show how:

Targeted Resume Examples [Experience]

This targeted resume experience section is for a manufacturing engineer position.

Duties and skills are develop and implement manufacturing process improvements, Lean manufacturing, work with cross-functional teams, determine requirements, and Pokayoke.

Manufacturing Engineer

Baratheon NISDC

2014 - 2019

Developed and implemented manufacturing processes improvements for 2 departments that raised efficiency by 28%.

Led a Lean manufacturing initiative for 3 departments that slashed costs 35% and cut lead times 20%.

Worked with cross-functional teams to determine requirements for fixturing and process parameters.

Maintained zero defect rate through building Pokayoke into all designs.

Exceeded manufacturing targets for quality, cost, and time by a minimum of 15% in all quarters.

Dead center.
That targeted resume experience section hits the right spots. The percents and other metrics drive the point home.

But here's a wide shot:

Mechanical Engineer

Baratheon NISDC

2014 - 2019

Provided engineering support for all client products.

Analyzed and resolved technical problems in the manufacturing process.

Worked with multiple departments to transition products from R&D to Manufacturing.

Developed validation protocols, performed product testing, and used statistical techniques to evaluate results.

Whiff.
You seem like a competent engineer. But-
"He's just not a good fit."
None of those skills are in the job description. And it's missing achievement.

Pro Tip: You don't just write a targeted resume to use the right resume keywords. Yes, you want to impress the hiring software. But your real goal is to convince a human being.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

When you're done, Zety's resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.
4
Target Your Education Section

Should you target your education?
Yes.
Even schooling can help in a targeted resume.

Do it like the other sections-with tailored achievements.

Targeted Resume Examples [Education]

Let's say the job needs a marketing specialist skilled in e-marketing, podcasts, and sporting goods marketing.

2012-2015 MBA

University of Arizona

Created an e-marketing campaign that raised $67,000 for the lacrosse team.

Built and ran the student STEM podcast.

Conducted a marketing internship for a local sporting goods company.

But don't do it like this:

Swing and a miss!

Pro Tip: When is a targeted resume not advantageous? When you've got a mind-blowing work history that doesn't fit the job you're applying for at all.

If it's in your resume, it should fit the job.

Tailor your resume's extra sections like this:

Targeted Resume Examples ["Other" Sections]

These targeted resume "bonus" sections are for a medical assistant job. Required skills are patient education and physical fitness.
He shoots, he scores!
But here's a fail:
Nice try.
Again, it isn't awful. But it's not targeted.

Does all this tailoring feel like too much effort?

Let's see how to speed it up.

Pro Tip: You don't have to customize every part of a targeted resume. They didn't say you had to be an AMSA member, but it helps!
"Wow! He has every skill we need!"
Your skills should reflect the job ad.

So-

Don't list every single skill. They won't read them all.

Just list the first 4-6 they mention.

Then add a couple so you're not pandering.

Targeted Resume Examples [Skills]

Let's say the job ad wants skills in account reconciliation, financial statements, IT, asset management. It also wants soft skills like communication and time management.
Touchdown!
But avoid this:

Skills: Payroll, P&L, GAAP, month-end close, financial statements, tax accounting

Soft Skills: Interpersonal skills, critical thinking, business knowledge, attention to detail

Maybe next time.
Pro Tip: You don't have to tailor every single skill. Leave a few untargeted, like "payroll" and "interpersonal skills" above. Otherwise they may smell something fishy.
"This will take forever!" Nope.
After you lay the groundwork, you'll do it lightning-fast.

The first step? Write a generic, non-targeted resume.

Get these things right:

Store that as a resume template.

When you apply for a job, swap out parts from your "master list."
Don't have a master list?
That's next.

Pro Tip: Whenever you apply to a job, make a copy of your generic resume. Replace all the targeted parts in the new copy and leave your targeted resume template intact.
"What's a master list?"
It's a list of all your skills and achievements.

It can be 4-6 pages long.

Take some time to brainstorm it. Add every skill and everything impressive in your career.
But here's the trick:
Match your generic resume to the job ad by adding bullets from your master list.

After the first few times, you'll write a targeted resume in 10 minutes.

Use a Resume Scanner

Want to check your work? After you tailor your resume, check it in the Jobscan resume scanner. It's a free ATS resume scan that shows your tailored resume score.

Pro Tip: Once you've got a targeted resume template, you should be able to apply to a new job every hour. That's eight jobs a day or 160 a month in full-time job search mode.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaway

Summary: How to write a targeted resume:

Write a generic resume.

Write a master list of your skills and career achievements.

Find the most important skills, duties, and other requirements in the job ad.

Stock your professional profile, experience, education, and other resume sections with accomplishments and skills that match the ad.

What's your best career achievement? Do you still have questions about how to write a targeted resume? Give us a shout in the comments. We'd love to talk!

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Targeted Resume Template (Example & How to Write One)

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What is a targeted resume? A targeted resume is a resume tailored to a specific job opening. It's a standard resume with skills and work experience customized to fit a particular position. A targeted cover letter should go with each resume for maximum effect. How do you write a targeted resume?

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It's time for your first job hunt!

You need to write a resume, which can be nerve-wracking if you don't have any real-life work experience.

You don't know where to start, what to include, or which resume format to choose.

On top of that, most advice you find online isn't relevant because it focuses on emphasizing professional background.

Chances are, you're straight out of college with no experience to speak of.

Or maybe you're a high-school student applying for a part-time job.

Whichever the case may be, you're probably having trouble filling in the blank space on your resume that's supposed to be the work experience section.

Worry not, though. In this guide, we're going to help you create an AMAZING resume, no work experience is needed.

How to format your resume with no work experience

4 sections to replace work experience (that help you stand out)

2 no-work experience resume samples (guaranteed to land you the job)

How to Format Your Resume [with No Work Experience + Examples]

A resume format is the layout of your resume.

The ideal resume format usually depends on how much work experience you have.

But what happens when you have none?

For a no-experience resume, we recommend that you use the reverse-chronological format.

It's the most popular format amongst applicants and a recruiter favorite.

The sections in your reverse-chronological resume will be:

1. Header: Contact Information and Resume Statement

2. Education

3. Internships, extracurricular activities, projects, volunteer work (These sections will replace your work experience)

4. Skills

In this article, we'll walk you through each of these sections, and explain how to write them in a way that you stand out from the crowd.

Ready?

Let's dive in.

Start With Your Resume Header

Your resume header includes your contact information and your resume statement.

Below, we'll show you how to write both of these elements and how to include them in your header section.

Put Down Your Contact Information

Just like the name suggests, the first thing you add to your header is your personal and contact information.

It's the easiest part to get right, just keep it short and to the point.

In your contact information section, mention the following:

First and Last Name

Phone Number

E-mail Address

A link to a professional profile (e.g. LinkedIn) or personal webpage (if you have one)

Make sure to use a professional-sounding E-mail.

I.e. something along the lines of "FirstName.LastName@gmail.com."

You're sure to leave a wrong impression if you use an email you created back in preschool ( "hotshot999@hotmail.com").

Make sure to double-check, triple-check your contact information. After all, the recruiter can't contact you if you have a typo in your phone number.

(Optional) Write Your Resume Objective

A resume objective is a short heading statement in your resume, where you describe your professional goals and aspirations.

Fun fact - hiring managers look at your resume for 5-6 seconds max.

Yep, that's right. In most cases, the hiring manager is literally drowning in resumes. So, they have a couple of seconds to skim each one.

Well, this section is your chance to catch their attention (and let them know you've got what it takes).

A resume objective is usually 3-4 sentences max and includes information on:

What your field of study is;

What your skills and experiences are (ones that are relevant to the job);

Why you're applying for this position and/or this company.

As with contact information, you don't need to label your resume objective with a title. Just write it underneath your contact information section.

Here's an example of what a resume objective looks like:

" Recent Communications graduate looking to apply for the role of Secretary at XYZ inc. Extremely organized with good writing and multitasking skills. Practical experience in management gained through several university projects, which involved coordinating tasks between different team members and ensuring that everyone was in sync with the latest information. "

Emphasize Your Education

In your average resume, the first section would be work experience.

Since you don't have any, though, you'll want to omit that and replace it with the education section.

This way, you bring a lot more attention to your education, which is one of your main selling points.

What should you include in the Education section?

List the following features in this order:

1. Name of the degree

2. Name of the institution

3. Years attended

4. Location of the institution (optional)

5. GPA (optional)

6. Honors (optional)

7. Relevant coursework (optional)

8. Exchange programs (optional)

As a general rule, if you studied in a prestigious university, you can add the name of the institution before the degree. This way, you will catch the recruiter's attention faster.

All clear?

Good!

Now, let's go through some real-life examples:

BA in Computer Science Tufts University Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts 10/2015 - 06/2018 Magna Cum Laude

3.87 GPA

Exchange Program in Greenville, NY

University of the Arts London BA in Interior Design 10/2017 - Ongoing

Westwood High Boston, Massachusetts Class of 2018

Education Section Q&A

Still have some questions about the education section? Worry not, we're about to give you all the answers!
Do I include my GPA?
The answer here is a "maybe." We'd recommend including a GPA if it's higher than 3.5. Anything lower than that, and you might be underselling yourself. Keep in mind, though, that most employers don't care about your grades.
Should I include my coursework?
Yep, but just as long as it's relevant. If you have no work experience, including courses can help establish your expertise in a field. Feel free to skip out on any basic courses, though. No one cares about your Maths 101 course.
Do I mention my degree if I dropped out?
If you studied for more than 2-3 years, yes. A half-finished degree is still better than no degree. If you dropped out after a semester, though, that doesn't really mean much.
Do I mention my high school degree?
Only if it's your only degree. If you have any higher education, your high school degree will only take up space.

4 Sections to Replace Work Experience [With Examples]

Now that you've listed your education, it's time to fill that work experience gap in your resume.

You aren't still worried about your lack of experience, right?

Because here are four sections you can use instead:

1) Internships

Have you done an internship that is relevant to the position you are applying for?

Now's the time to mention it.

Here is how you add an internship to your resume:

First, place the Internship section right after the education section.

Title it: Internships

Second, write your internship title and role. Be specific.

If your internship was in the marketing department, instead of just "Intern", say "Marketing Intern".

Third, put down the company name, location, and duration of the internship - in that order.

Marketing Intern Full Picture New York, NY 09/2019 - 12/2019

Easy and straightforward, right?

One more step:

Last, add a list of responsibilities you had as an intern in bullet point form.

If you have any tangible achievements, even better! Write those in as well.

Finally, tailor both the responsibilities and achievements to the role you're applying for.

Here's how that looks in practice:

You used to be an Advertising Intern.
Scenario 1
You're applying for the position of Social Media Assistant.

Here's how you would put down your internship entry:
Internships Marketing Intern Full Picture Company New York, NY 09/2019 - 12/2019

Analyzed various social media platforms for trending content

Managed company social media accounts

Posted interested content on company Facebook page, increasing engagement by 25%

The listed responsibilities and achievements are directly connected to the Social Media Assistant job requirements.
Scenario 2
You're applying for a Content Writer position. Take a look at the same entry now:
Internships Marketing Intern Full Picture Company New York, NY 09/2019 - 12/2019
Assisted the Marketing Manager in writing press releases and new blog posts, which increased web traffic by 25%.

Notice how the internship title remains the same.

But in this case you're applying for a Content Writer position, so you are highlighting your writing experience instead.

For more examples, check out our full guides to an internship resume and how to write a cover letter for an internship.

2) Extracurricular activities

Still have a ton of empty space in your resume?

Extracurricular activities are always a great addition!

Whether they're related to the job you're applying for or not, they still show one thing:

You're hard-working and motivated.

Imagine you're the HR manager, and you can pick between these 2 candidates:

1. Josh Johnson. Studied at Massachusetts State. 4.0 GPA, but that's all he did in college - no extracurricular activities, internships, or anything else.

2. Suzie Activeson. Also studied at Massachusetts state. 3.2 GPA. Vice-president of the business club. Served as a student government senator for 2 semesters. Organized several events as part of the marketing club.

Sure, Josh is probably qualified, but we don't know anything about him, other than that he studied a lot.

Suzie, on the other hand, can manage a team (business club VP), organize events (marketing club), and is passionate about making a change (student government).

So, which one would you pick?

Exactly!

Now, let's explain how to list extracurricular activities on your resume:

1. Title of the section: Extracurricular Activities

2. Name of the organization and/or team

3. Your role in the organization

4. Time period

5. Noteworthy awards or achievements

Extracurricular Activities Public Speaking Club Vice-President 09/2018 - 09/2019

Organized 10+ public speaking lectures

Brought in speakers from all over the state

Conducted public speaking workshops

3) Volunteering Experience

Volunteering shows dedication and passion to apply yourself.

And there's nothing recruiters love more than a committed employee.

Whether you spend your free time in a soup kitchen, or you helped collect trash in the countryside, you can mention it in your resume!

But how do you list volunteering experience?

Well, it follows the same logic as your internship and extracurriculars:

1. Title of the section: Volunteering Experience

2. Name of the organization

3. Location

4. Time period

5. Relevant tasks and achievements (bullet points)

Volunteering Experience Grand Archive Library Volunteer Washington, D.C 08/2017 - 02/2019

Performed secretarial activities, such as sorting mail, filing documents, answering phone calls, and taking messages.

Led a poetry reading event twice a month.

4) Projects

In this section, you can add any relevant projects you were part of during your time in school or at an internship.

Your capstone project, graduation thesis, or research project go here.

No need for work experience!

You can also mention any other type of project you've worked on in school, including:

Business project for a real-life client

Mock website you created in Web Design 101

Fake magazine you created as a capstone project

Market research you did as part of your graduation thesis

Software you developed in Software Engineering class

...And so on!

Here's how you put them down:

1. Title of the section: Projects

2. Project name

3. Project type

4. Related organization

5. Time period

6. Relevant responsibilities and achievements (optional)

And now, for some practical examples. Here's what a journalism student project could look like:

Online Privacy and Social Media: a Journalistic Study of Facebook and Cambridge Analytica Journalism Capstone Project Harvard University 09/2018 - 11/2018

And here's a law school example:

U-Visa In-House Pro Bono Project Columbia Law School 11/2018 - 03/2019
Completed a full petition for U nonimmigrant status, interviewed legal persons and drafted affidavits.

If you have anything physical to back up your project with, feel free to include a link.

For example, if you're a developer, you could include a link to your GitHub profile.

Stand out with your Skills

There are two types of skills you can include on your no-experience resume:

Soft skills and hard skills.

What's the difference?

Soft skills are attributes or habits that describe how you work. They are not specific to a job, but indirectly help you adapt to the work environment.

Here are some of the most popular ones: teamwork, responsibility, leadership, creativity, etc.

Hard skills, on the other hand, refer to specific tools, technical knowledge and training and other work-specific skills. They apply directly to the job.

Technical writing, C++, financial accounting, etc. are all examples of hard skills.

So, which of these skills should you include?

That depends on a lot of factors, but as someone with no work experience, you should opt more for hard skills.

See, you could write all the cool buzzwords like "Critical Thinking" and "Leadership," but the recruiter won't believe you.

Fun fact - that's what 90% of students do.

Instead, you should focus on skills that make you stand out, and in most cases, those are hard skills.

So, how do you decide which hard skills to mention? Easy! Just check the job ad you're applying for.

Let's say you're applying for an entry-level creative internship, and you find these requirements in the job description:

Video editing experience (Premiere, After Effects)

UI design experience

Photo editing experience (Photoshop)

Photography experience

Experience with Adobe Illustrator

You'd transfer this into your skills section:

Premiere & After Effects - Expert

Photoshop - Expert

UI Design - Intermediate

Adobe Illustrator - Intermediate

Photography - Intermediate

Not sure which skills to mention? Check out our article on 150+ must-have skills for all sorts of professions!

Other Sections You Could Include in a No-Experience Resume

A resume without experience does have one advantage: extra space.

You can use this space to create other sections that highlight how awesome you are!

Here are some sections you could include:

Hobbies and Interests. Add flair to your resume by showing your genuine passion and interest in the industry.

Languages. Do you know a second language? Or even a third? Awesome! Most companies these days are pretty international and appreciate an extra language skill or two. Be mindful not to over-exaggerate your proficiency, though. Only knowing how to ask "¿Donde está la biblioteca?" doesn't warrant a Spanish entry on your resume.

Awards & Certifications. Do you have any fancy pieces of paper that show you're smart? Maybe it's an award for a terrific essay in a competition, or a certificate from an online course. Whichever the case may be, awards and certifications show that you're a winner, so definitely include them in their own respective section.

Need Inspiration? 2 No Work Experience Resume Samples

Do you still have questions or don't know where to begin?

That's when a resume sample comes in handy.

It provides you with a predetermined format.

It also helps you picture how your no-experience resume is supposed to look like.

As Picasso put it: Good artists copy; great artists steal!

Here are 2 no work experience resume samples you can borrow ideas from:

Create a Matching Cover Letter

All done with your resume?

It's not over yet. You need to write a cover letter to go with it.

A cover letter is a single-page letter that accompanies your resume and is part of your job application.

Look at it this way: your resume describes your experiences, and your cover letter explains (in simple words) how they're relevant to the job.

Now, here's a quick infographic on what to include in a cover letter:

Finally, as with everything else in your resume, make sure to keep your cover letter relevant, short, and concise.

The hiring manager doesn't have time to read an autobiography, they'll only review your cover letter for a few minutes.

There's a lot more to creating a good cover letter than what we just explained.
For a complete, all-you-need-to-know walk-through, check out our Complete Guide on How to Write a Cover Letter!

Key Takeaways

...and that's a wrap!

At this point, you should know everything there is to know about writing a killer no-experience resume.

Just to keep things fresh, though, let's quickly go through everything we've learned so far:

When creating your no-experience resume, use the reverse-chronological format.

You can create a killer no-experience resume by emphasizing your education instead. Include relevant internships, soft & hard skills, and projects.

Other sections you can include on your resume are hobbies & interests, languages, certifications, or achievements.

Keep all the content on your resume clear, precise, and relevant. Use bullet points for all your descriptions.

After you're done with your resume, you want to write an awesome cover letter that goes with it. The cover letter is a one-page letter that tells the story behind your resume content and reemphasizes why you're a great fit for the job.

Related Resume Examples
Recommended Readings:

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How to Write a Resume with No Experience [21+ Examples]

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It's time for your first job hunt! You need to write a resume, which can be nerve-wracking if you don't have any real-life work experience. You don't know where to start, what to include, or which resume format to choose. On top of that, most advice you find online isn't relevant because it focuses on emphasizing professional background.

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Tip: Make sure your skills align with what they are looking for in the job by adding words you see in the job description

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Tip: Make sure your skills align with what they are looking for in the job by adding words you see in the job description

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Fun Fact: Some jobs have software that go through resumes digitally by looking for key words, then the employers only see the top choices

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In today's job market, knowing how to use keywords in your resume effectively is a crucial part of landing your dream job. No matter how experienced you are, if your resume can't make it past the scanning software used to screen applicants, you'll never get a chance to dazzle the hiring manager in person. Ensuring you have the right keywords in your resume is a worthwhile endeavor. It'll help both automated and human screeners understand what you have to offer. Let's take a closer look.

Using Keywords in Your Resume

About Keywords in Your Resume

ATS (Applicant Tracking System) software evaluates resumes based on specific keywords that an employer is looking for. The software then presents the hiring manager with a ranked list of candidates based on who has the most keywords in their resume. The candidates at the top of the list are the ones most often called in for an interview.

ATS software serves several important purposes. It helps to eliminate candidates with irrelevant experience, saves hiring managers the hassle of reviewing hundreds of resumes for one opening. The software can also prevent accusations of bias in the hiring process.

As you're writing your resume, you can increase your chances of being granted an interview by including keywords throughout the document. You can include keywords in your professional summary, core competencies, work experience, and education sections. Each word only needs to be used once to be effective, so there's no need to force unnecessary repetition.

Choosing Appropriate Keywords

Unfortunately, there is no single set of keywords you can use to ensure that your resume passes an ATS screening. Keywords are targeted to specific industries, specific roles and positions, and the specific needs of a particular company.

To search for keywords that are appropriate for your job search, find four to six job postings of interest and highlight any words or phrases that appear in multiple listings. You can get a good idea of what keywords to include by looking for relevant terms in four different areas: technical skills, soft skills, communication skills, and certifications and licenses.

Technical Skills

Technical skills refer to the specific computer programs and platforms, programming languages or other tools you'd use in a particular job. For example:

HTML

Safety Compliance Certification (OSHA)

Ruby (and Ruby on Rails)

HVAC Certification

JavaScript

Welding Certification

Python

Network Cabling

Microsoft Azure

Fiber Optic Installation

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

CAD Software

Asana

CNC Programming

Salesforce

EDM Processes

AWeber

Construction Management

Trello

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Premiere Pro

Google Analytics

Google AdWords

WordPress

When listing technical skills on your resume, keep in mind that you should have a solid working knowledge of any specific program you're included. Don't include anything that you've only used once or twice.

Including Microsoft Word and Microsoft Office on your resume is unnecessary unless you're applying for an entry-level clerical job where this is specifically listed in the job description. For more experienced workers, proficiency is assumed.

Soft Skills

Soft skills are personal attributes that the employer desires in a new hire. For example:

Conflict Resolution

Crisis Management

Critical Thinking

Customer Service

Effective Communication

Mentoring

Project Management

Multi-Tasking

Organization

Problem Solving

Adaptability

Collaboration

Time Management

Creativity

Highlighting soft skills on your resume is always a good idea, but is particularly important when you're a recent graduate, returning to the workforce after an extended absence, or trying to switch career fields.

Using soft skills keywords as you describe your experience helps highlight transferable skills to your potential employer. Here's more on the Best Skills to List on a Resume.

Communication Skills

An ability to express your ideas and function on a team is important to a broad range of roles. So, if any of these communication skills line up with your experience, you might want to consider them. And, certainly, if you're applying for a job that mentions communication skills in the job description, some of these keywords might be beneficial.

Written Communication

Verbal Communication

Nonverbal Communication

Customer Service

Call Center

Active Listening

Team Management

Copywriting

Sales Presentations

Proofreading

Advertising Copy

Press Releases

Graphic Design

Job-Specific Keywords

Of course, each job application and resume will have to be tailor-made for your industry. But, let's take a look at a sampling of industry-specific keywords. Perhaps a few of them will be appropriate for your resume.

Human Resources

If you are applying for a job at a human resources firm or within the HR department of a company, these keywords may be relevant:

Employee Relations

Onboarding

Human Resources Information Software (HRIS)

Performance Management

Team-Building

Scheduling

Project Management

Worker's Compensation

Accounting

Whether you are applying for an entry-level position as an accounts payable clerk, or you are considering more of a management role within an accounting department, these keywords may be worth including:

Payroll

Accounts Payable

Accounts Receivable

Bookkeeping

ADP

Audits

Billing

Excel

Reconciliations

Sales Tax

Corporate Tax

Office Management

Office administrators and other support staff are oftentimes valued for the following skills and expertise:

Task Management

Quality Control

Attention to Detail

Inventory Management

Typing Speed

Shipping and Logistics

Customer Service

Verbal Communication

Team Management

Certifications and Licenses

Certifications and licenses are the degrees and diplomas you've earned as well as any continuing education classes or professional licenses that are relevant to the position. Many professional training programs offer a certificate upon completion. Examples of keywords in this area include:

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

AWS Certified Solutions Architect

Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication

Associate of Science in Healthcare Management

Microsoft Certified Professional Developer

Google Developers Certification

PMI Project Management Professional (PMP)

Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE)

Society for Human Resource Management Certification (SHRM)

Certified Nursing Assistant

Commercial Driver's License (include the class of license)

Mandatory Reporter Training

CPR Certification

When listing certifications and licenses on your resume, include the expiration date if applicable.

Monitoring the Effectiveness of Resume Keywords

You'll know that you've chosen appropriate keywords for your resume when you start seeing an increase in interview requests. If you find yourself going several weeks without any positive feedback, it may be time to revisit your keyword choices. You might want to consider mixing in some appropriate action words too.

Remember, your resume isn't set in stone. Make adjustments as the need arises to ensure you have an interview-winning resume and cover letter. And, when the big day arrives, here are some Smart Questions to Ask in an Interview.

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Using Resume Keywords Effectively (With Examples by Industry)

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In today's job market, knowing how to use keywords in your resume effectively is a crucial part of landing your dream job. No matter how experienced you are, if your resume can't make it past the scanning software used to screen applicants, you'll never get a chance to dazzle the hiring manager in person.