Your resume is a summary of your professional experience. And part of that summary includes the skills you\u2019ve gained through work and school. However, since your resume is often no more than two pages, you may not have room to include your entire skill set, no matter how relevant or impressive your skills are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are the top skills you should consider including in your resume and tips on picking your top skills<\/strong> to highlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are three kinds of skills you should consider including on your resume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hard skills<\/a> are generally technical and often specific to a role or industry. <\/strong>Coding, database management, or speaking a foreign language are hard skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The problem with hard skills, though, is that if you lack them, you likely won\u2019t get the job. If you have zero programming experience, you likely won\u2019t get past the application stage for a software development position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But as a rule, anyone can learn hard skills, and you don\u2019t necessarily have to go to school for a degree. You can take a certification class<\/a>, attend a boot camp, or even watch videos to teach yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soft skills<\/a> are the skills and abilities that you use in almost every job. Problem-solving, collaboration, and ability are all soft skills.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Though you may not immediately think of soft skills when it comes to the top skills to include on your resume, soft skills are often more in demand from employers than hard skills. That\u2019s likely because, unlike hard skills, teaching soft skills to new staff isn\u2019t as straightforward as teaching them hard skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fortunately, there are many ways you can improve your soft skills. Between practicing the skills you want to develop (empathy) and classes you can take (writing), enhancing your soft skills is easier than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there are your transferable skills<\/a>. Though you may not list your transferable skills as often as your hard and soft skills, including transferable skills on your resume<\/a> can help you get the job when you\u2019re changing careers or when your skills aren\u2019t an exact match to what the employer is looking for.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, a job posting may say you need experience with Google Docs, but you\u2019ve never worked with it. However, mentioning that you\u2019re a fast learner, adaptable, and have extensive experience with Microsoft Word are all transferable skills that can help you make the leap from Word to Docs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since there\u2019s only so much space on your resume, you can\u2019t include all your skills. So, which ones do you focus on? Hard or soft? Or transferable?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trick question! Your resume should include a mix of hard, soft, and, when applicable, transferable skills!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And because you tailor your application to the job<\/a>, you can mix and match which skills you include on your resume. There are two things you can do to help you decide which skills to mention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, determine which skills are most important to the company. Comb through the job posting and pick out the skill-related keywords. If you have those skills, include them on your resume. If you don\u2019t, see if you have transferable skills that closely match what the company is looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, take some time to figure out which of your skills are the top ones you want to highlight to an employer. But don\u2019t include a list of random skills that, while impressive, won\u2019t help you get the job. Make sure they are relevant to the position, even if they aren\u2019t listed as a keyword in the job posting. For example, being bilingual could be helpful in a customer service role, even if it\u2019s not in the job posting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though hard skills are often specific to the role and industry, there are some \u201cgeneral” hard skills that can help you get any job. These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though hard skills are necessary for many jobs, don\u2019t overlook your soft skills. In fact, studies have shown<\/a> that possessing soft skills (like problem-solving and teamwork<\/a>) are more likely to help you land the job! Here are some of the top soft skills to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The transferable skills you include on your resume will be specific to the skills you have and the job you\u2019re applying to. Though many transferable skills are soft, you might be surprised to see some hard skills on this list:<\/p>\n\n\n\n3 Types of Skills You Should Have on Your Resume<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Hard Skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Soft Skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Transferable Skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Best Skills to Put on Your Resume<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Examples of Skills for Your Resume<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Hard Skills (Examples)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Soft Skills (Examples)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Transferable Skills (Examples)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n