How should soft skills be listed on a resume?

Tailor soft skills to the job by mirroring listing keywords and researching the role. Show them through quantified achievements in the experience and summary sections using action verbs; avoid standalone lists and keep wording ATS-friendly.

To bag a job in today’s highly competitive job market, you need to possess the right skillset.

Aren’t we all tired of hearing this line on every career-related site?

Well, as much as it is important to possess these skills, you also need to be able to reflect them effectively in your resume.

As you may know, there are two types of skills - hard skills and soft skills.

While it may be easy to list your hard skills directly in your resume, following the same approach while listing your soft skills can get a little tricky.

This is because, as much as employers value soft skills, they don’t just want to see a straight-up list of your soft skills.

Rather, you must demonstrate your soft skills in your resume through examples, with a proven track record through your past experiences, and so on.

Read on to get clarity on the following topics related to listing soft skills in your resume:

• What are soft skills?
• What are hard skills vs soft skills on a resume?
• What are 25 soft skills?
• How to list soft skills on resume?
• What are some examples of soft skills on resume?
• What are some soft skills training courses take you can take?

Source: WikiJob

Also read: What are some top employability skills?

What are Soft Skills

Soft skills are transferable skills that are useful and applicable in almost every job profile.

These skills determine how you work and your ability to meet the demands of a work position.

In technicality, soft skills are the skills that help you make the most out of your hard skills.

They are a part of your personality traits and can directly impact your work performance. That is why some employers value soft skills over hard skills.

This is especially true when it comes to industries like hospitality & service industries and job profiles like managers, sales representatives, customer service representatives, marketing agents, etc.

The following is a list of the top 25 soft skills that employers value:

Soft Skills For Resume	List
Accountability	Multitasking
Interpersonal	Communication
Collaboration & Team Work	Compliance
Creativity	Critical Thinking
Leadership	Problem-solving
Active Listening	Empathy
Positivity	Emotional Intelligence
Patience	Adaptability
Punctuality	Perseverance
Integrity	Delegation
Logical Reasoning	Self-awareness
Attention to Detail	Time Management
Self-motivation	-

Also read: What are conceptual skills?

Soft Skills vs Hard Skills

As opposed to soft skills, hard skills are the prowesses that we learn through education or training.

Some of the examples of hard skills are marketing skills, IT skills, coding, and so on.

So, when it comes to hard skills vs soft skills, which one do employers value more?

The answer in most cases is, both. An ideal candidate in the eyes of an employer has a combination of good soft skills and hard skills.

And while hard skills can be evaluated on paper, soft skills can only be evaluated in-person - when you interact or analyze how a person behaves in real-life scenarios.

That's why during interviews, recruiters ask situational and behavioral questions to gauge a candidate's soft skills.

Also read: What are analytical skills?

Source: ZipJob

Listing Skills on Resume

Now that you clearly understand what soft skills are and the types of soft skills that employers value, you must know how to showcase them smartly in your resume and cover letter.

So, how should you list soft skills on a resume?

Here are some steps that you can follow to do the same:

Make a Soft Skills List

Before you go on to write your resume or cover letter, consider making a list of your skills in the beginning.

Divide your skills into two obvious categories - hard skills and soft skills.

When you compile your soft skills this way, you don’t miss out on anything, and it becomes easy to choose the suitable soft skills you must include in your resume.

Also read: How to list professional communication skills on resume?

Refer to the Job Listing

Now, to choose which soft skills you need to include in your resume, refer to the job listing.

Read and pick up specific keywords that are used to list the requirements of the job profile.

For instance, if the recruiters have listed good communication skills and leadership skills under their requirements, include that keyword in your resume if that stands true to you.

Doing so will also help your resume become ATS (Applicant Tracking System) compliant.

ATS is a software used by the majority of recruiters to select the most relevant resumes for job vacancies.

Hiration Pro Tip: To ensure that the ATS picks up on the skills that you’ve listed in your resume, try to use the exact word used in the job listing to address the skill. For instance, if it says supervision instead of leadership, write that.

Research the Job Profile

Besides filtering out the soft skills that you are going to include in your resume based on the job listing, you can also research the job profile you are applying for.

Identify the crucial soft skills required to qualify as a potential candidate for the same and portray them in your resume or cover letter.

You can even prepare your interview answers based on this research and talk about instances where you utilized the required soft skills.

Back it Up

As stated earlier, simply listing out soft skills in the skills section of your resume won’t do much to impress employers.

Recruiters prefer to see examples and instances wherein you have demonstrated your soft skills.

You can do so by demonstrating your soft skills in the professional experience section. For example:

• Led a team of 20+ employees to complete a sales target of USD 10 Million
• Oversaw formulation of budgets, operations, and funding proposals for submitting the same to the Board of Directors
• Coordinated with logistic vendors to ensure effective ecosystem management

You can also reflect your soft skills in the summary or objective section of your resume like in the following examples:

“Meticulous and organized receptionist with 5+ years of experience in managing complex physical and digital filing systems and providing exceptional customer service. Adept at scheduling appointments and managing office inventory and supplies. Proficient in addressing calls and cultivating robust relationships with key stakeholders.”

“Detail-oriented general manager armed with 3+ years of experience in managing restaurant operations at high-end establishments. Highly skilled in leading a team of high-performing professionals including chefs and servers to ensure quality standards of food & services are met. Adept at managing the inventory & supply and warrant compliance with food safety policies and guidelines while deescalating customer-centric situations for smooth business operations.”

Use Action Verbs

Like in the given examples, try to use action verbs that successfully show your soft skills without having to spell them out in your resume.

Here are some action verbs that can help to highlight your soft skills in the professional experience and summary section of your resume:

• Led
• Coordinated
• Oversaw
• Organized
• Spearheaded
• Communicated
• Strategized
• Resolved

Also read: What are action verbs and power verbs in a resume?

Soft Skills Examples for Resume

To give you more clarity on how you can demonstrate soft skills on resume, here are some examples:

Communication

• Liaised with various advertising agencies and consulting firms to manage production for live shoots
• Effectively communicated the organizational regulations and SOPs to the recruits as part of facilitating their onboarding process
• Managed communications with E-Cells across India and ensured allocation of common resources and skills

Leadership

• Led and monitored the performance of 8+ team members to ensure efficiency in meeting individual and group targets
• Supervised the onboarding of 30+ recruits in 6 months to acclimate employees to their roles and company policies
• Oversaw filing and record-keeping system precisely for all financial transactions adhering to the regulatory guidelines

Teamwork

• Coordinated with 10+ vendors to ensure optimal quality of components during creation and maintenance of systems
• Collaborated with the data engineering team of 5 to create 10+ useful plugins for improving user's experience by 22%
• Coordinated with the management to develop & maintain relationships with 20+ employment and recruitment agencies

Problem-solving

• Formulated design solutions for 10+ software products to optimize efficiency and reduce development costs by 15%
• Developed high-quality user functionality for 20+ applications to meet user and business requirements
• Devised technical solutions for 20+ software configuration faults as part of optimizing the end product

Also read: What skills to put in your resume?

Soft Skills Courses List

These days there are plenty of online courses (free and paid) that can help you polish or acquire new soft skills.

Given below are some of the online courses you can consider taking:

• Teamwork Skills (communicating effectively in groups) - University of Colorado Boulder
• Creative Thinking (techniques and tools for success) - Imperial College London
• Managing Emotions in Times of Uncertainty & Stress: Yale University
• Learning How to Learn (powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects) - Deep Teaching Solutions
• Agile Leadership: University of Colorado System
• Emotional Intelligence - University of Michigan
• Business English Communication Skills - University of Washington
• Writing Professional Email and Memos (project-centered course) - University System of Georgia
• Mindware (critical thinking for the information age - University of Michigan
• Interviewing and Resume Writing in English - University of Maryland

Also Read: List of essential soft skills to advance in your career

Key Points

• Rather than directly listing out your soft skills, try to demonstrate them in your resume through examples.
• Soft skills are transferable skills that are useful and applicable in almost every job profile and help you make the most out of your hard skills.
• Making a list of your soft skills before writing your resume or cover letter will streamline the process.
• Refer to the job listing and research the job profile to choose the right soft skills that you must include in your resume.
• Demonstrate your soft skills in the summary and professional experience section of your resume by using power verbs.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• What are soft skills?

  Soft skills are transferable skills that are useful and applicable in almost every job profile. They determine how you work and help you make the most out of your hard skills.

• How are soft skills different from hard skills?

  Hard skills are learned through education or training, while soft skills relate to how you work and behave. Employers value both and look for a combination of good soft skills and hard skills.

• How should you list soft skills on a resume?

  Make a soft skills list, refer to the job listing, research the job profile, back it up with examples, and use action verbs. Demonstrate skills through past experiences rather than only listing them.

• Should you list soft skills directly or show them with examples?

  Show them with examples and a proven track record from past experiences. Recruiters prefer to see examples and instances wherein you have demonstrated your soft skills.

• Where should you highlight soft skills on a resume?

  Show soft skills in the professional experience section and in your summary or objective. Use action verbs to highlight them without spelling them out.

• How do you choose which soft skills to include?

  Refer to the job listing and pick keywords from the requirements. You can also research the job profile to identify the crucial soft skills for the role.

• How can you make your soft skills ATS-compliant?

  Use the exact words from the job listing for skills to help the ATS pick them up. ATS is a software used by the majority of recruiters to select the most relevant resumes for job vacancies.

• What are examples of soft skills employers value?

  Examples include Accountability, Communication, Leadership, Problem-solving, Adaptability, Time Management, and Emotional Intelligence. These transferable skills apply in almost every job profile.

• What action verbs help demonstrate soft skills?

  Use verbs like Led, Coordinated, Oversaw, Organized, Spearheaded, Communicated, Strategized, and Resolved. They highlight achievements that signal soft skills.

• Are there online courses that help improve soft skills?

  Yes, there are online courses to build soft skills. Options include Teamwork Skills (communicating effectively in groups), Creative Thinking (techniques and tools for success), and Emotional Intelligence.