Key Skills in Resume for Freshers

Getting a job nowadays is not easy because there are many people competing for the same positions. Your resume is like a reliable friend that assists you on this tough journey.

It helps you get an interview and land the job you desire. Making a good resume can be tricky. Sometimes, you want to include all the important skills, but you struggle with the length.

It’s challenging to find the right balance between quality and quantity and leave a lasting impression on the employer. The hiring managers are interested in your skills and will assess you based on the ones mentioned in your resume.

What is a skill?

In layman’s terms, skill is your ability to perform a specific action. Skill is often acquired with practice. It is your ability to use the knowledge gained from education to execute a specific task and make your life easy. Skill is your competence and your expertise to perform a certain work assigned to you effectively.

You must include a skill section in your resume. There is no defined skill set for a resume. There are certain must-have skills for your resume that every employer is looking for in his employee. Since there is a lack of experience, skills in resume for freshers is the most important section. You must decide carefully on what skills to include in your resume.

Types of Skills for Fresher Resume

A person has endless skills to add to his resume. But as mentioned above, there are certain must-have skills for your resume. These must-have skills for a resume are divided into two categories: hard skills and soft skills. The candidate must spend some time deciding on the skills that will be most effective for the current job opening. You should be aware that the current employer is looking for a person with both hard and soft skills.

Your resume, particularly how effectively you have mentioned your skills, keeping in mind the relevance, increases your chance of getting called for the interview. It can determine how far along you advance in the hiring process. Your resume skills can also influence your package.

Hard skills

Hard skills are also known as technical skills that may be required to accomplish a particular task as a part of your job. These skills will determine your responsibilities for the post. Hard skills are fully acquired through education or practice, or training. You either have these skills, or you don’t. These skills are specific to a particular job. For example, software development skills would include computer programming and languages. This again is a hard skill acquired through a degree or diploma course.

Soft skills

An employer is looking to hire a person and not a machine, or else he would have hired a robot. Soft skills are people skills. These skills determine your personality and personal attributes. Your soft skills are as important as your hard skills as they determine how well you will be able to fit into the company and how well you will be able to adapt to its culture and work ethic. When a candidate has comparable experience levels and technical skills, your soft skills can be an extra cherry on top.

What are the Best Skills to put on your CV?

Since the recruitment managers are loaded with applications, we all know that it’s highly crucial for the applicants to make themselves stand out by making their resumes unique and interesting. A recruiter will spend at max only 2-3 minutes on a resume and decide whether to weed out the candidate or to shortlist him for the interview.

Soft skills on your resume are as necessary as your hard skills. Hence, keep in mind to include both of them in your resume in a particular order of their relevance. Computer skills, leadership experience, communication skills, interpersonal skills, problem-solving talent, and organizational skills are some of the skills to add to your resume to make it more appealing.

Soft Skills for Resume for Freshers

Your soft skills improve or reduce your chances of being recruited. It interests your hiring manager as much as any other skills. They want to know you as a person or whether you’ll be able to fit well into the institution.

Smart managers know that a person will have poor communication and no team spirit will create pressure on the entire team and environment of the office culture, and this may take a heavy toll on the workplace.

Your resume, skills, and performance in the interview will help the employer be assured that you will not only do your job well but also add to the team and help it thrive. So before adding the soft skill set for your resume, review the duties of the position you are applying for and pick only the relevant skills.

Here are ten soft skills and personal attributes that you can add to your resume:

1. Adaptability 

This skill is as important for a fresher as it is for an experienced individual. Whether you’re trying to kickstart your career or trying to shift company priorities, you will face some problems. There can be a number of situations in your work life where you will face a lot of disruptions. Companies want employees who can easily adjust and adapt to the changing scenarios around them.

2. Attention to detail

We are human beings, and one trait that makes our nature is making mistakes and learning from them. Even though mistakes are bound to happen, mistakes in businesses make you pay in time and money. One way to showcase this trait to your probable employer is by submitting an error-ridden resume and cover letter. A tailored resume that exemplifies your diligence is a perfect way to make an excellent first impression.

3. Collaboration

Your interpersonal skills will come in handy if you are going to work in a team. How well a rapport you share with the members of your own team and the members of other departments will be an essential soft skill to have. You can cite examples from your college life when you were an active participant in a project or incidents where you have demonstrated successful partnership.

4. Communication

Communication is the most sought-after key skill. The importance of this skill transcends industries and positions. Verbal writing and presentation skills are important skills to have. Employers look for people who can present in front of an audience with confidence.

5. Creativity

One can never deny the importance of a fresh new idea to solve a problem at hand. You need to be creative with your problem-solving skills. Employers are looking for people who can bring in new approaches to old problems. They look for candidates who actively challenge the status quo and offer novel solutions.

6. Customer service

The success of a company is measured in the effectiveness of its customer service. Employers want their staff to be on time, whether it’s about the submission of a project on time or merely coming to the office on time. Employers want someone dedicated and someone who can meet the client’s expectations.

7. Decision making

Allowing a person to make their own decisions gives them a certain level of autonomy and a little confidence to the employee that his boss believes in his sagacity. The managers must allow their employees to assess a situation and determine the next steps and not rely on their superior’s guidance at every step.

8. Empathy

Empathy is a valuable trait as it allows the candidate to put himself in other’s shoes and relate to their feelings. It is crucial if you want to engage with them and share a good rapport effectively.

9. Leadership

No matter the position, leadership is a must-have trait in any candidate. A person with leadership skills can inspire and motivate his team. He acts with integrity and fairness. It’s always a good choice to highlight this skill on your resume and cite instances where you have to lead a team or a group. Also, you can give the results and back them up with solid numbers.

10. Multitasking

Today we are working in a hustle. Present-day offices are way busier than in the past. A strong resume that demonstrates that you can multitask can hold you in good stead.