Top 10 Essential Professional Skills for Resume to Make an Impact

Guest Contributor -

Having a good resume that has plenty of skills is an important trump card for aspiring applicants to land a job. Not everyone who applies to a position ends up with jobs but some people are much better at crafting a good resume than others.

If you are skilled but it does not reflect on your resume, that becomes the biggest blockade for your professional success. Your resume should reflect your true potential and skills, and then some.

Below, we have listed some of the best skills that you should be looking into to add to your resume. Some of them are easy enough to learn but some may need assistance. Take up a course or two and try to add these 10 in-demand professional skills for resume building that can immediately capture attention.

10 In-demand professional skills to elevate your resume

Besides what the job posting asks for, there are certain unspoken skills and talents that become a ‘good to have’ on a resume. Recruiters are constantly looking for skills that are trending in the market today and hire only those who seem to be abreast of the new developments.

Here are some of the unique and in-demand professional skills that you should acquire and add to your resume to land better jobs right away:

1. Digital literacy

Digital literacy is perhaps the most basic requisite for any kind of job today in the world. Having the basic skills to navigate different kinds of technological devices and being able to find your way through the internet is non-negotiable today.

This is one of those skills that can vaguely include knowledge of different kinds of operating systems, different kinds of program and software suites, communication, and basic internet research to get work done.

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Pro tip: Most recruiters hire people who are well versed with the modern technological devices and softwares and adding special mention of any of these skills is definitely a plus. Some people may have these skills but fail to mention them and miss out on that extra edge.

2. Data analysis and interpretation

Data analysis is such a big movement today. Widely falling under the ‘Data Science’ and ‘Big Data’ concept, if you are someone who has knowledge or experience in working with huge chunks of data, then it is a plus! Data analysis and interpretation is of huge advantage when it comes to businesses and most companies depend on huge chunks of data that needs to be interpreted for managerial decisions.

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Pro tip: If data is your game and if you really want a bigger role, maybe getting a course on data analysis and interpretation or other related data certifications should help build your CV. 

3. Problem solving and critical thinking

Problem solving and critical thinking is a skill that may not be expressed or listed as one of the skills on resumes by most people when it actually should be. The reason - most jobs in the mid and top management level require employees to make decisions on an everyday level and require critical thinking skills. Problem solving is an important part of most jobs and therefore even if these skills seem trivial to put on a resume, you really should be considering it.

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Pro tip: Instead of just adding in the term ‘Problem solving and Critical thinking’ on the resume, quote examples or a specific role that you have played in the past that demonstrate these skills.

4. Adaptability and flexibility

Another bare basic skill that all recruiters are looking for today is the adaptability and flexibility quotient of an individual. Adapting to different work scenarios and perhaps various job roles that you may have to pick up or transcend is important in a professional setting. Being flexible enough to navigate the professional demands at work and being able to offer beyond a certain standard of work is every recruiters’ must have checklist criteria.

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Pro tip: Add a line under one of your previous jobs where you had to showcase adaptability and flexibility in a professional manner by perhaps working in different teams or different projects at a time or managing different teams to achieve deadlines etc. 

5. Emotional intelligence

IQ has been trumped by the importance of EQ in today’s world. EQ or emotional quotient (or intelligence) is one of the characteristics that every workplace requires today. Having the mental capacity to accomplish a job is important but having an emotional intelligence quotient helps keep the job by displaying various skills such as empathy, team work, dedication and personal growth at each level. This is why having EQ or Emotional intelligence is becoming a standard at the workplace and more and more recruiters are looking into it.

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Pro tip: Try to add examples from your previous work experiences where you have demonstrated skills that include emotional intelligence from your part such as managing workplace conflicts, managing large teams of diverse employees etc. 

6. Leadership and management

Leadership and management skills are not basic like some of the above skills we have mentioned. In fact, these skills are very hard to come by in employees. They come with plenty of experience and an inherent trait to lead and manage people naturally. But these skills can also be learned and therefore, you can choose to complete certified courses for leadership and people management. This is a great plus for your resume and can instantly grab attention.

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Pro tip: If you have work experience with relevant team management and project management history, you can list these under leadership and management skills to attract more focus. 

7. Communication skills

Communication skills might sound rhetoric and basic but the skills in itself, are not so common amongst todays’ employees. Poor communication skills often lead to workplace conflicts and lack of management and therefore highlighting your communication skills is important to let your prospective employers know that you value good communication and are willing to work with others for the same. This includes, but is not limited to - language proficiency, digital communication literacy, team and group communications, investor/vendor/customer relations.

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Pro tip: You can highlight the various jobs that require you to communicate effectively with different stakeholders such as customers, top management, investors, vendors etc. Language skills and phone skills are also important and can be listed. 

8. Creativity and innovation

Creativity and innovation is an inherent trait but employees who want to stand out when applying for jobs should use these skills to gain focus on your resume. Being creative and innovative when it comes to work can often be a huge plus, landing you better opportunities and gaining recognition more quickly. A simple way to include this in your resume by adding instances where your creativity and innovative thinking helped companies/teams/projects can become one of your best characteristics and can land you a job instantly.

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Pro tip: Pick out various creative resolutions or innovative solutions you may have provided to corporations or projects in the past and highlight these contributions to help recruiters see the creative and innovative side of you.

9. Project management

Another important professional skill that most recruiters and employers are looking for today is project management skills. Again, this is not something that everyone may have and is more oriented to experienced candidates but there are ways to incorporate this in resumes with lower experiences too. Project management courses are plenty online and you can try taking up these courses as they have incredible value. If you are Kaizen certified or 6-sigma certified, your value rises above those who have less project management experience.

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Pro tip: If you have real project lead experience, you should highlight instances that helped achieve project successes in the past and how you contributed as a lead. If you have low project management experience, including a Project management course in your resume can be life changing for project based roles. 

10. Continuous learning and adaptation

Continuous learning is an important part of all kinds of jobs. Lawyers, doctors, scientists and researchers already have this particular skill as part of their profession but unfortunately, not many other jobs consider this as an important aspect. In todays’ world, it is necessary to keep abreast of the latest trends, technologies and innovations and therefore, adding this as a skill or a professional trait can land you better focus and ultimately, better jobs.

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Pro tip: Mention any ongoing courses or other certified courses that you have been a part of and highlight your continuous learning trait in all previous experiences in your resume. 

Conclusion

These are some of the best, high demand skills that are absolutely great to have on your CV or resume. Not only are these skills much in demand today, they are also a great plus to whatever background or experience that you bring to the table.

Some of these skills are unique and therefore, have the potential to capture the attention of recruiters and help build your case. Having at least a few of these skills gives you a much better standing amongst the rest of the applicants and can certainly improve your chances of nailing that dream job you aspire to!