Five Top Skills to Include on Your Resume

The job-hunting process looks nothing like it did even just a few years ago. Sure, in 2018 and 2019 you may still have gone to Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and LinkedIn to post your resume. You may have scrolled through seemingly endless job postings, while sending out your resume to seemingly endless robotic inboxes. Yet, that's about where the similarities have stopped since then. Even if you got a bite on a resume, you would almost immediately be called for a quick phone screening, just to set up an in-person interview - and that's only if they were interested in considering you as a candidate.

Nowadays, while ZipRecruiter, LinkedIn, and Indeed still represent major players in the job-board and recruiting industries, the entire recruiting and hiring process has been flipped on its head. In early 2020, the entire world changed due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that had businesses shutting down or transitioning to remote operations. Quickly, it was shown that the remote workforce was not just viable, but actually very productive. On top of that, the pandemic triggered what has since been known as the great resignation.

The great resignation marked a large population of the workforce that chose to leave on their own accord in order to pursue early retirement or entrepreneurial and freelance ventures. This mass exodus left employers somewhat desperate for high quality working professionals.

With the rise in remote work and the work-from-home culture, more and more job-postings represent remote work or some type of hybrid work schedule. At the same time, the great resignation has put a lot of power in the hands of the employees right now.

In other words, it's an employee marketplace right now. Even so, you'll still need to know how to craft a stellar resume to make the most out of this and to land a job that will bring you both fair compensation and an awesome workplace culture.

"When you write your resume, you're not just writing about your past. You're writing to the future. You're positioning yourself for your next career move. A resume is not a historical career narrative. It's a marketing tool. The content on your resume needs to point to where you want to be, not simply where you are right now."

- Jessica Hernandez, Executive Resume Writer -

1. Verbal and Written Communication Skills

As we enter the final quarter of 2022, it's important to keep in mind the generational context. One of the top skills that organizations seek in roles almost universally are strong written and verbal communication skills. These skills are often referred to as soft skills, because they are somewhat intangible. Being a strong communicator involves listening well, finding ways to engage the audience, and a splash of charisma never hurts.

"Communication is so important. It's at the heart of everything we do as human beings. Almost every technology that exists is somehow related to better human connection and communication."

- Baris Zeren, CEO, BookYourData -

Communication skills are especially important in the context of remote work environments because teams are so often dispersed across such long distances. Poor communication habits lead to constant mishaps, a lot of redundant work, and most egregious of all, missed deadlines or unfinished projects.

It isn't all about work, though. Strong communication is also integral to the development of a powerful and productive workplace culture that is safe, diverse, inclusive, and equitable.

"Everyone needs to be able to communicate. If you can't go to your manager and say, 'I have a migraine, I need an extra day on this', then there's an issue there. People need to know they can be honest about what's going on in their life, without fear of retaliation or repercussions."

- Liza Kirsh, CMO, Dymapak -

2. Time Management Proficiency

In addition to communication, another universal skill that applies to almost any professional role, industry, or field is time management proficiency. Being able to properly schedule your work tasks so that you're never running behind, you complete projects on time, and that you never feel flustered or flabbergasted when a hurdle pops up will always help you stand out in the job pool amongst other candidates.

"Whether you're writing code or writing for Hollywood, being able to manage your time is crucial. Your teammates are likely relying on you to finish your work within the projected timeline, so they can do their part themselves."

- Dan Potter, Head of Digital, CRAFTD London -

The value of time management can especially be evidenced by small business owners and entrepreneurs. These professionals often don't have the luxury of having a separate project manager to keep track of deadlines and important due dates. Rather, they have to own their schedule and make sure they're allowing themselves enough time for each respective leg of the race, so to speak.

"Many leaders have worked hard their entire lives to build their own schedule. It ends up being worth the long hours and stress you once endured to build your time around yourself."

- Cesar Cruz, Co-Founder, Sebastian Cruz Couture -

3. Leadership Qualities and Experiences

Many organizations and professional roles will offer the modern worker a chance to take leadership over a project, a task or operation, or even a team in some higher-level roles. As such, highlighting previous leadership roles and experiences can be a great avenue to win the favor of recruiters, hiring managers, and HR professionals.

"It's great to have leaders at every level of the organization, all the way from the floor up. It's so rewarding seeing people develop and come into their own."

- Zach Goldstein, CEO, Public Rec -

There are many reasons that hiring managers and HR professionals look for leadership qualities in their candidates, but one of the main reasons is that it typically indicates a high level of accountability and ownership over both obligations and executions. Strong leaders aren't afraid to admit when they've made mistakes, can take feedback, and most importantly can learn from their trials, tribulations, and faults.

"It's important on the employee side, too, I believe. Leadership opportunities are great for building confidence, and for showing employees that the organization trusts them. Trust is really the key at the end of the day."

- Miles Beckett, CEO and Co-founder, Flossy Dental -

4. Collaboration Skills

With the remote workforce gaining so much traction and work-from-home environments likely here to stay for the long run, there has been a growing emphasis put on teamwork and collaboration throughout many professional communities.

"Showing that you can collaborate through your resume is huge right now. It's so important to finishing projects in a virtual capacity, and many modern organizations are embracing the remote future of the workforce."

- Chris Bridges, CEO, VITAL Card -

Collaboration is also crucial in working with clients and customers - so many working professionals need to be able to productively compromise and collaborate on ideas and projects if they're going to find any success in the modern economy whatsoever.

"There could be nothing worse than bringing someone onto the team you're really excited about, just to find out that they don't have a single collaborative bone in their body. It's detrimental to productivity and culture."

- Sean Doherty, General Manager, Box Genie -

5. Role Relevant Skills and Experiences

Finally, when it comes down to winning a job, hiring managers, HR professionals, and organizational leadership still want to see relevant skills and experiences on your resume. This should really be a no-brainer, but it's crucial that you have the skills, education, and experience necessary to truly find success in the roles that you apply for.

"You have to be real with yourself, your skillset, and your experience level. You'll find a lot more success with your job-hunt if you're true to who you are and what you've done. That doesn't mean you can't soar - it just means you need to know where the starting line is."

- Shaunak Amin, CEO and Co-Founder, SwagMagic -

To put it simply, if you don't have an ounce of software engineering experience, education, or knowledge, and you start applying for UX designer roles, your resume is not going to catch much traction and you likely won't win very many interviews.

Having the self-awareness and wherewithal to know which roles you'd best be suited can help you find much more success with your job hunt much more swiftly.

"Even if you don't have all the necessary qualifications but you meet most of the seemingly important ones, you can try submitting your resume. But if you're missing more than half the requirements, it'sprobably not worth tossing your hat in."

- Justin Olson, Chief Marketing Officer, Fast Pace Health -

Wrapping up on the Perfect Resume

There is no such thing as a perfect resume formula, but there is a perfect resume for you. Consider adding some of the top universal skills outlined above in addition to role-specific skills and experiences in order to bolster your resume and stand out amongst the other candidates.

"There is no one foolproof method. Instead, the answer is in combining the right skill set with searching popular online job boards, regular networking to make that magical personal connection that can make all the difference, maintaining a professional and visible online presence on social media, being knowledgeable about the company and the job for which you are applying, and learning the right techniques to master Zoom interviews, which have become increasingly prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic."

- Daniel Kurt, Author, Investopedia -