6 examples of resume skills that stand out to employers

When you’re applying for a new job, your resume serves not only as an explanation of your experience and qualifications but also as a first impression. And, as they say, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. But how do you set yourself apart from the competition using just your resume? Below, we’ll go over the types of resume skills that will help you stand out and provide resume skills examples to show how you can incorporate these skills into your application materials.

Finding the right skills to emphasize in your resume

Being successful in the job market is not simply about how many skills you list on your resume. In fact, when it comes to applying for jobs, quality is better than quantity. Fortunately, employers list right in their job postings all the skills they want a new employee to have. When you’re creating a resume for a particular job, make sure you customize it to highlight the job skills included in the job description and list of qualifications. 

For example, a job posting might list the following qualification: “Work collaboratively with a team to brainstorm creative, well-researched solutions to complex problems.” Within this single, short sentence is a wealth of information about which skills you should highlight in your resume. The qualification explicitly mentions collaboration, teamwork, and problem-solving and gestures toward critical thinking and analytical skills. Pinpointing these keywords and incorporating them into your resume can help show your potential employer you’re exactly the right fit for the position.

“Being successful on the job market is not simply about how many skills you list on your resume. In fact, when it comes to applying for jobs, quality is better than quantity.”

Handy hard skills that are sure to impress

Hard skills are the things that typically come to mind when you think about your previous work experience. Hard skills can be learned and clearly demonstrated. Hard skills include specialized knowledge you’ve gained through education, training, or previous employment; abilities that can be exhibited, like speaking a foreign language or programming in Python; or familiarity with job-specific software, equipment, or jargon. Basically, hard skills let your potential employer know you have the experience necessary to perform the duties of the job competently. 

Here are three hard skills that can apply to a wide range of job duties:

Computer competence

There was a time when you could get away with being computer illiterate and still find a job easily, but those days are long gone. Computer use is essential to the vast majority of jobs from architects to retail sales associates. The specific computer skills you should list on your resume will differ depending on the type of job for which you’re applying, but here are some common examples of hard computer skills:

• Proficiency with software like Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, and Google Workspace
• Familiarity with online productivity applications like Slack, Zoom, JIRA, and Salesforce
• Ability to use common operating systems like Microsoft Windows and Mac OS

Technical skills

While computer competence covers a basic understanding of mostly easy-to-learn and easy-to-use systems and software, technical skills are more specialized. Technical skills can include abilities that might use but are not wholly reliant on computers, like writing, administering medical care, or the ability to play a musical instrument. Here are some examples of in-demand technical skills for your resume:

• Ability to write code in popular programming languages like Python, JavaScript, SQL, or C++
• Healthcare recordkeeping knowledge like medical billing, medical coding, and medical records software
• Experience with data science and statistical software like Alteryx, RapidMiner, or SAS Visual Analytics
• Content development skills like writing, editing, design, and being social media-savvy

Management experience

You don’t necessarily need to have managed a large team in order to add management experience and skills to your resume. Management experience covers a whole range of expertise, training, and practical knowledge. And if you know how to highlight these skills, you’ll certainly leave an impression on your potential employer. Here are some ways to incorporate management skills into your resume:

• Project management experience and familiarity with tools like GanttPRO, Monday.com, and Asana
• Ability to develop, oversee, and execute a budget
• Leadership skills like delegating tasks, providing feedback, facilitating meetings, resolving conflicts, and motivating a team
• Ability to take large goals and divide them into duration-specific, achievable tasks

Employer’s most sought-after soft skills

Soft skills are less about proving your experience and more about describing your positive character traits, natural aptitudes, and practiced work ethic. Soft skills demonstrate to a potential employer that you have the right attitude and disposition for a job. Below, we list three in-demand soft skills and related aptitudes to help you tailor your resume and stand out from the crowd of applicants.

Attention to detail

It’s likely you’ve encountered this qualification in many job postings. With these three words, employers gesture toward a whole category of behaviors and character traits that suggest a potential employee will be productive. Attention to detail comprises the following:

• You are well-organized and able to quickly find the things you need to do your job efficiently
• You can focus on the task at hand without getting easily distracted
• You can recognize and log errors, bugs, or mistakes, so you can fix them or bring them to the attention of someone who can

Critical thinking

An often used but ill-defined term in job postings, “critical thinking” covers everything from interpretive skills to the ability to evaluate tasks, projects, and products. If you want to highlight particular critical thinking skills, here are some ways to illustrate your analytical abilities:

• You can conduct research and evaluate the quality and credibility of your sources
• You can do interpretation work, making reasonable and accurate inferences based on the information you are given
• You can self-reflect, learn from past mistakes and build upon the things you’ve done well

Communication

Unless you’re a professional hermit, you’d be hard-pressed to find a job that doesn’t require you to communicate with coworkers at some point. Workplaces are a community, and for any community to function well, community members need to communicate efficiently, respectfully, and clearly. Consider the following communication skills to add to your resume:

• Verbal communication: You respectfully share ideas, clearly and assertively delegate tasks, and actively collaborate with and listen to your colleagues.
• Written communications: Your emails are friendly and professional, you use appropriate channels to communicate work-related messages, and you can summarize and share information using clear, accessible language.
• Visual communication: You can present information in a thoughtful and persuasive format, you can refine data into easily digestible graphs or illustrations, and you can use images to communicate an idea or feeling.

While these resume skill examples can apply to a diverse range of jobs, it’s important to always read a job posting carefully and tailor your resume to the skills, duties, and qualifications listed therein. Employers want to feel confident that you fully understand the needs of the position, can competently handle the responsibilities, and can cultivate new skills while on the job. 

Creating a resume that highlights relevant, position-specific skills is the best way to leave your potential employer with an excellent first impression. When you’re ready to share your resume, make sure to upload it to CareerBuilder so you can make yourself visible to potential employers and start applying for jobs. 

More tips for crafting standout resumes:

Transferrable skills aren’t always easy to identify, let alone define. Learn how to highlight transferrable skills on your resume and in job interviews.

Want to enter the job market but your resume is out of date? Read these strategies for updating your resume.

Now that you know what to put on your resume, consider these five things you should leave off your resume.