The Success Series: Skills Will Surpass Degrees Hailstorm-Development

The Success Series: How Skills Surpass Degrees

In this chapter of The Success Series, we tackle a debated topic among professionals: why you should put skills on your resume above your degree. However, if you have a PhD. or Masters degree, you should include them as well, unless they make you overqualified for the job.

The Best Skills to Include on a Resume

Did you know that only around 21% of jobs in the U.S. require a college degree? Most employers prefer to see a combination of soft and hard skills on applications. In fact, communication and time management were among the top sought-after skills in 2020.

Hard Skills

Generally, hard skills refer to proficiencies and certifications. For instance, a web developer may list their level of expertise in HTML. On the other hand, a financial advisor may list their reporting background or when they became a CAP – Certified Accounting Professional.

Communication Skills

Communication is high on the priority list for many employers. How you communicate with the recruiter and interviewer can highlight your friendliness and active listening skills.

Leadership Skills

Managers that can focus on the bigger picture are desirable. Specifically, candidates that can motivate team members and act with integrity, are ideal.

Time Management Skills

Surprisingly, another key skill to highlight on your resume is time management. In short, meeting strict timelines and deadlines can help you stick out.

Collaboration Skills

Equally as important as time management, collaboration skills like clear communication and examples of successful teamwork, should be noted on your resume.

Multilingualism

If you know more than one language, your value will increase, as you will be able to communicate with more clients and customers. Even if the role doesn't require another language, it will help you stand out from your competitors.

Research Skills

Research skills may include analyzing and interpreting data; proficiency with relevant technology should be displayed prominently, especially for roles in data collection.

Soft Skills

In addition to hard skills, it’s important to include some of your top soft skills. Soft skills are valued by employers, and if they’re not prominently displayed, they’ll be looking for them during an interview with you.

Creativity

You can display your creativity on your resume in a variety of ways. Further, call out any unique solutions you've come up with.

Positivity

Contrary to what some believe, positivity doesn't mean "excessively cheerful or optimistic." In fact, employers prefer those who are resilient and determined, not those who are negative-minded.

Work Ethic

Having a good work ethic doesn't only include honesty. Coupled with punctuality and reliability, these are examples of what can be listed in your resume.

Adaptability

Employers value employees who can quickly adapt to change in environments, processes, and technologies.

Teamwork

Teamwork can include team leadership as well as successful partnerships and projects. Your ability to work well within a team should be displayed both on paper and in-person.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking skills include identification, research, inference, and determining relevance, among other things.

In Conclusion

Finally, as we close out this chapter of The Success Series, keep this in mind: employers are looking for a combination of both soft and hard skills on resumes. If you have technical expertise as well, be sure to list them. Later on, we’ll review technical skills and how to write your resume. Message us or let us know in the comments if you have questions or what you’d like to see next in The Success Series!

Resources & Further Reading

10 Best Skills to Include on a Resume (With Examples). (2021, January 14). Retrieved January 22, 2021, from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/best-resume-skills
Got a Diploma? Employers Would Rather See These Skills. (2020, May 11). Retrieved January 22, 2021, from https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7945-what-employers-want.html
Half, R. (2020, May 19). Skills to Include on Your Resume (With Examples!). Retrieved January 22, 2021, from https://www.roberthalf.com/blog/writing-a-resume/8-skills-that-will-make-your-receptionist-resume-pop
Proctor, C. (2019, November 19). Can You Exclude Some of Your Education from a Resume? (Examples). Retrieved January 22, 2021, from https://www.zipjob.com/blog/excluding-education-from-resume/

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