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Top 20 Must-Have Skills to Put on Your Resume

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In your job search journey, your resume is probably one of the most documents that would increase your chances of cracking your dream job. A resume acts as a bridge between you and your recruiter. We can’t stress enough the fact that you would need a well-written and professional resume as a self-advertising document. If you rightly highlight your skills, work experience, certifications you earned, education history, and training, your resume would stand out in the competitive job market. 

It’s on the basis of your resume, you get shortlisted for the further hiring rounds. Before you, your resume reaches the recruiter’s table. So, it’s important that you keep your resume updated all the time. Nowadays, it’s also advised that you keep altering your resume according to the JDs of the role that you are applying for. You can highlight the skills mentioned in the JD as it would increase the chances of getting your resume noticed. 

Before we tell you what skills you can add to your resume to boost your chances of getting noticed, we will let you know a few key resume statistics that you must know. 

7 Key Resume Statistics That You Must Be Aware Of 

1. As per a report in Glassdoor, each corporate job offer attracts no less than 250 resumes. It is estimated that only six to ten candidates will be called for interviews out of the resumes received. We all know that one lucky candidate is selected for the job.

2. You have exactly 7.4 seconds of fame to attract the recruiter’s attention, according to a report in The Ladders. The recruiter only spends anywhere between 6 to 10 seconds to scan your resume. 

3. According to Forbes, 90% of employers use Application Tracking Systems (ATS) to scan a candidate’s resume.  

4. If you are wondering about the ideal length of your resume, it should lie anywhere between 475 to 600 words. If your resume is too long, your resume would be seen as 43% less hireable. 

5. An average resume only consists of half of the keywords and skill so it wouldn’t help you make the cut for the job. We would suggest this as an alarming sign and update your resume with relevant keywords to get your dream job. 

6. As per research, 68% of job seekers who use professional resume services for their resume get a job within 90 days of their rigorous job search. So if you are struggling to write a professional resume, you can avail of Shine’s resume writing services. 

7. More than 60% of job seekers have one-page resumes, according to Novoresume’s Job-Seekers survey.

Now that you have understood the importance of a well-written resume via these statistics, we will guide you with the top skills that you can add to your resume. 

Employers look to hire candidates who have the right mix of two different types of skills: Soft skills and hard skills. Some of them are:

  • Hard Skills: Hard skills are technical knowledge that you have gained through any life experience, including in your career or education.
  • Soft Skills: Soft skills are peculiar habits and traits that shape how you work on your own and with others.

What are the skills that you can include in your resume?


There are a lot of soft & hard skills that you can include in your resume, so to help you out in identifying which are those skills that you can list on your resume. Here are the details:

1. Communication Skills:

Communication skills are the strength you use when giving and receiving a different kind of information. If we talk about communication skills, it involves observing, speaking, listening, public speaking, written communication and empathizing etc. Having strong communication skills is essential to growing in every industry.

2. Leadership skills:

Leadership skills are the skills which are required for a candidate to organize other people to reach a shared goal. Whether you’re leading a project or in a management position, leadership skills require you to motivate others to complete tasks according to the scheduled time. The skills involved in it are risk-taking, team building, flexibility etc.

3. Problem- solving skills:

Problem- solving skills are qualities that help you to identify the source of a problem and quickly find an effective solution. The skill is highly admired in any role for every industry. Solving problems in your role might require job-specific technical skills. Some of the skills involved in it are like collaboration, research, patience, communication, etc.

4. Time Management Skills:

Time management skills grant you to complete projects and tasks before deadlines while also maintaining work-life balance. A deep understanding of your team, individual and company goals can provide a starting point when deciding how to manage things accordingly. Some of the related tasks are focus, goal setting, organization, delegating tasks etc.

5. Interpersonal Skills:

Interpersonal skills are the skills that you rely on when you interact and communicate with others. It covers a variety of master plans where cooperation is essential and developing interpersonal skills is necessary to work efficiently with others, solve problems and lead teams. Some of the skills involved in it are flexibility, leadership, patience etc.

6. Active listening skills:

Active listening is the ability to spotlight ultimately on a speaker, understand their message, comprehend the information and respond politely. Active listeners use non-verbal and verbal approaches to show and keep their attention on the speaker. Evolving and using active listening skills can show your team-workers that you are engaged and have an interest in the project. Some of the skills related to it are Punctuality, organization, note-taking etc.

7. Transferable Skills:

Transferable skills are the qualities that are useful to any employer as you switch your careers. Generally soft skills, these might include things like organization, teamwork, flexibility, or other qualities employers seek in strong candidates. Some of the related skills are teamwork, creativity, ambition, empathy etc.

8. Teamwork:

Most jobs will sometimes need you to work with other people in some position, and employers want to be familiar with that you can do well in team surroundings. Some jobs will award this skill more than others.

9. Creativity:

Thinking outside of the box and coming up with imaginative solutions can be a genuine asset in any role. Perhaps you’re superior at thinking about something in a method that hasn’t been done previous to Creativity can be exposed on your resume through a difficulty you solved or through a creative skill like writing or design.

10. Attention to detail:

On the job, you need to ensure you pursue all instructions in order to total your work. This can be particularly significant when you work with others. Paying attention to detail will be desirable at any role you have. Think times when you wedged a potential mistake due to your attention to detail.

11. Responsibility:

Part of being a superior employee is taking responsibility for your duties and even owning up to mistakes. Most managers don’t desire to have to ensure it for their employees to make sure every part of their job is getting done. Responsibility means doing what you are required to do to complete your tasks.

12. Computer Skills:

Computer skills associate the capability to learn and operate various technologies. Hardware skills allow you to operate a computer and can be as simple as knowing how to turn devices on and off. In contrast, software skills help you to use computer programs and applications efficiently. There are some software skills that employers consider as an essential part of employment like knowing the precise coding language or using spreadsheets, etc.

13. Customer service skills:

Customer service skills are attributed, and practices that help you address customer needs to create a positive experience. The skills involved in it rely on problem-solving, interpersonal skills, active listening, reliability etc.

14. Data Analysis:

Big Data is in trend right now, and there are a lot of jobs out there where you will be called ahead to examine metrics and extrapolate a sensible use from it, making it a tremendously precious skill to put on your resume.

15. Project Management:

Many jobs will need project management skills. The aptitude for managing your task flow and absolute assignments on time is a division of project management. Possibly you have used project management software in the earlier period or have completed a project early these all show superior project management.

16. Marketing:

Marketing engages in selling and promoting products and services. Even if you’re not a dealer per se, many companies may wish for this hard skill. Knowing the stresses and advantages of your company’s products and services and talking or writing about them can be priceless to many diverse jobs.

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