August 24, 2022

With so many job candidates – and so little time for HR managers, recruiters and hiring managers to weed out candidates – your resume must stand out from the crowd. One of the best ways is to highlight your most marketable skills on your resume and cover letter so employers can quickly see what you have to offer as a candidate. While there are specific skills needed for each industry and job, there are also core competencies that span across all professions. These are key employability skills essential to being an effective employee.

 

Here are some of the most valued skills a job candidate should emphasize:

 

Communication

The importance of your communication skills should never be underestimated when applying for a job. While writing aptitude is important, the ability to understand and be understood, coupled with the willingness and ability to listen, are key skills employers look for.

 

So how do you communicate that you’re a great communicator? In your resume, cover letter, application materials and interview, draw attention to how your prior experiences exemplify your communication skills. That could mean playing up your past abilities and communicating effectively with superiors, colleagues, and clients in person and digitally. Highlight these skills and demonstrate them during your interview and you’ll make a solid first impression.

 

Collaboration and Teamwork

Teamwork and collaboration are very important to any organization and being a team-player is an excellent to skill to have. Employers look for resumes and candidates that have demonstrated working on projects with others, leading teams, and collaborating with management.

 

While it’s fine for your resume to focus on some key individual achievements, be prepared to discuss group projects you’ve taken part in either as a leader or in a support role. Employers also see collaboration and teamwork as important since those skills can promote unity in the workplace. Teamwork can improve productivity, promote work synergy, and create camaraderie among team members.

Leadership

 

What does it mean to be a leader? By combining critical thinking, teamwork, work ethic, and communication skills, you can become a great leader in your workplace.

Leadership skills are one of the soft skills that many employers look for in candidates and that can be helpful at all levels of your career. From managing a team to contributing to a project, leadership skills help you motivate others and ensure tasks are completed promptly. Common leadership skills to put on your resume include active listening, dependability, giving and receiving feedback, patience and accountability.

Analytical Skills

Analytical skills refer to the ability to manage challenging situations at work productively and positively. Employees need to be able to confront a problem, think it through, and decisively apply solutions.

 

The level of analytical skills required will vary depending on the job and the industry, but employers consider these to be essential for nearly all occupations. Employees are expected to organize, plan, and prioritize effectively without much supervision. Communication, decision making, and research skills are common problem-solving skills to include on your resume.

 


Inter-Connect is a free permanent, temporary and temp-to-hire placement service agency that partners with companies throughout the Illinois, Missouri and Iowa Tri-State region. We’re experts in staffing who enable our job candidates to confidentially connect with the right opportunity and advance your career. To learn more, contact us today.


 

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