Key Skills to Include on Job Applications

After reviewing thousands of executive resumes throughout my career, I've noticed a clear pattern: candidates often over-emphasize technical qualifications while undervaluing what truly sets them apart - their soft skills. Data from 'Finances Online' confirms what I've observed firsthand: an overwhelming 91% of recruiters prioritize soft skills on resumes, with 16% considering them MORE important than hard skills. As an executive search specialist, I can tell you that at senior levels, technical competence is assumed. What differentiates exceptional leaders is their mastery of these five critical soft skills ⬇️ 1. Time management: Don't just claim you're organized. Highlight specific instances where your planning abilities delivered measurable results under pressure. 2. Communication: Demonstrate how your communication style has influenced stakeholders, resolved conflicts, or driven organizational change. 3. Adaptability: In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, showcase how you've successfully navigated uncertainty and embraced new challenges. 4. Problem-solving: Illustrate your analytical approach with concrete examples of complex problems you've solved and their business impact. 5. Teamwork: Highlight collaborative achievements that demonstrate your ability to build consensus and leverage diverse perspectives. The key distinction between average and exceptional candidates? The latter don't merely list these attributes—they provide compelling evidence through specific accomplishments. Are you ready to transform your resume from a list of duties into a powerful narrative of leadership and impact? Check out my newsletter for more insights here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju #executiverecruiter #eliterecruiter #jobmarket2025 #profoliosai #resume #jobstrategy #leadershipdevelopment

A mistake found in most student resumes: A skills section packed with soft skills — but no proof you've actually used them. Here are some of the usual suspects: • Teamwork • Leadership • Communication All good skills, and many roles ask for them. But here’s the problem: anyone can claim them. Without clear evidence of how you’ve applied them (and the impact they had) they won’t help you stand out. Generally speaking, your skills section should focus on hard, verifiable skills: • Technical tools (e.g., Python, Adobe Illustrator) • Certifications (e.g., Excel Certification) • Languages (e.g., Spanish Fluency) And even then, those skills should appear in your bullet points — with context and outcomes. If the skills section is the only place where they’re mentioned, you’re expecting the recruiter to blindly believe you actually have them. Don’t do that. Give them proof. Here’s how: • Choose the skill(s) you want to highlight • Identify the experience(s) where you've used them • Show how you used the skill to create positive results Let's give you a couple of examples: Instead of simply listing "Teamwork" in your skills section, craft a bullet that showcases how you've used that skill: • Revised the chapter’s student engagement plan in partnership with the chapter president, faculty advisor, and events chair, resulting in... Instead of simply listing "Excel" in your skills section, craft a bullet that showcases how you've used that skill: • Conducted investment analysis using Excel by compiling data on historical returns and risk metrics, creating charts and pivot tables to compare asset performance to... And so on. Bottom line: If these skills only appear in your skills section, you leave the recruiter guessing if you actually have the skills or if you've simply included them for keyword alignment. You don't want to leave them guessing. You want to show exactly how and where you've used your skills and to what end. Skills without context create doubt. Skills with context build credibility.

As a recruiter, I’ve reviewed countless resumes, and one thing is clear: the most successful candidates know how to sell their skills effectively. A well-crafted resume isn’t just a list of jobs; it’s a story of your accomplishments and capabilities. Here are some key words and phrases that can make your resume shine: 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗯𝘀: Words like led, managed, optimized, and spearheaded show that you take initiative and get results. 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 & 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲: Whether it’s project management, data analysis, or sales strategy, highlight what you’re great at—be specific! 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆-𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺𝘀: Use relevant jargon that speaks to your field. Agile, SEO, or UX/UI Design can make your resume more relevant to the role. 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 & 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀: Numbers matter! Use words like increased, boosted, or generated to show your impact—especially when you can back it up with data. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 & 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Whether you mentored, directed, or coordinated teams, showcasing these experiences highlights your ability to lead and collaborate effectively. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺-𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴: Employers love candidates who can innovate, resolve, and streamline processes—demonstrating your value in solving complex challenges is key. 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀: Things like adaptability, communication, and emotional intelligence can make all the difference in the workplace. Be sure to showcase them where appropriate! 𝗧𝗶𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀: Take a look at the job description before you submit your resume. Tailoring your resume to the specific role with the right keywords can make all the difference—especially for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)! Don’t underestimate the power of a well-written resume. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀! #Recruiting #JobSearch #ResumeTips #CareerAdvice #Hiring #JobSeeker #CareerGrowth #JobTips

Dear Grads! I often speak to graduates who struggle to highlight their relevant skills and exprience when teying to enter the job market. I've summarized five impactful examples to include on a resume to stand out with "little working experience" whether you're in engineering, other STEM fields or any other field - it's relevant. 1️⃣ Relevant Academic Projects Highlight specific projects completed during your degree, especially if they demonstrate hands-on experience, problem-solving, or collaboration. Include the objectives, technologies used, and your contributions. Example: Designed and developed a robotic arm prototype for a project, using Arduino and CAD software to improve manufacturing efficiency by 20%. 2️⃣ Internship or Co-op Experience If you’ve interned or completed a co-op in a related field, emphasize your responsibilities, achievements, and the impact of your work. Example: Optimized assembly line processes during a 3-month internship at XYZ Manufacturing, reducing downtime by 15% through Lean Six Sigma principles. 3️⃣ Certifications and Skills List certifications or technical skills relevant to your field, such as CAD software, programming languages, or safety standards. Example: Certified in SolidWorks and MATLAB with hands-on experience in finite element analysis and data visualization. 4️⃣ Leadership and Teamwork Roles Mention leadership roles in student organizations, professional societies, or team projects that demonstrate your ability to lead and collaborate effectively. Example: Led a team of 5 engineering students in designing a solar-powered water purification system, managing timelines and securing project funding. 5️⃣ Awards and Recognitions Showcase academic awards, scholarships, or competition wins that reflect your excellence and dedication. Example: Recipient of the XYZ Scholarship for academic excellence, awarded to the top 5% of students in the program. Tailor these examples to the job you’re applying for, focusing on keywords and accomplishments relevant to the role! What tips do you want to see more of? ✅️ Like this post if you found it useful ♻️ Follow Zanele Nkomo for more useful tips. Visit my website zanelenkomo.com

I’ve seen 3,000+ Product Manager resumes. Here are the PM skills, attributes and experiences I look for: 👇 Of course, to truly maximize your response rate, you should 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 for every individual application. But in general, you want your “baseline” PM resume to catch the attention of 𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲. That is why you need to include the main PM skills and attributes. Here are the ones I look for: 𝟭. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 - Product Ideation - Product Design - Product Improvement - Problem Solving - UX / UI Principles - User Research - Customer Empathy 𝟮. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 & 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - Leadership - Team Management - Execution - E2E Implementation - Stakeholder Management 𝟯. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 & 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 - Strategy - Vision - Planning - Competitive Analysis - Market Analysis - Decision Making - Prioritization - Goal Setting 𝟰. 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 & 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 - Business Acumen - Marketing - GTM Principles - Entrepreneurial - Partner Management - Negotiation 𝟱. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 - Project Management - Agile & Scrum - Risk Management - Roadmap Management 𝟲. 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 & 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 - Technical Acumen - Analytical Skills  - Data Analysis - Experimentation - Process Design - System Design ☝️ As you can see, I arranged these into related groups. Go through your resume and see if you have 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 + 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹 bullets to match each group (or individual element) above. If you don’t know where to start, go through each of the elements above one by one and write out a separate bullet for each. Additionally, there a few aspects we want demonstrate throughout the entire resume: ✅ Communication ✅ Collaboration ✅ Presentation ✅ Storytelling Remember also to: 👉 include 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 (#, $) in all of your bullets 👉 put the most impactful bullets up top 👉 keep the resume short (1 page) 👉 focus on the reader's problem 👉 cut the fluff __________________ If you want a shortcut on finding your next PM role, check out my 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿. Link is in the comments! 🚀 __________________ If you enjoyed this post: 1. Follow me Alex Rechevskiy for practical PM craft & career content 2. Repost to share with your network 3. Let me know in the comments how many pages your resume is