Resume Help: List of Skills and Talents

General Skills & Talents

1. Numeracy
2. Communication skills
3. Technology skills
4. Employability skills
5. Listening and critical thinking skills
6. Pre-requisite courses for your field of choice
7. Leadership
8. Community service
9. Teamwork
10. Writing skills
11. Flexibility
12. Future planning
13. Problem-solving
14. Attention to detail and accuracy
15. Time management
16. Planning and organization skills
17. Quality control and quality assurance skills
18. Financial management skills
19. Systems design and development skills
20. Systems analysis skills
21. Interpersonal skills
22. Evaluation skills
23. Information and data analysis skills
24. Organizational and operational skills
25. Dependability and reliability
26. Analytical thinking
27. Computer literacy in your field of choice
28. Physical stamina, coordination, manual dexterity, speed of data entry or other required physical characteristics of a particular position or industry
29. Leadership and supervisory skills
30. Executive and management skills
31. Communications skills
32. Customer service skills
33. Negotiation skills
34. Teaching or training skills
35. Education and training skills
36. Top-level management skills
37. Operations management
38. Logistics and supply chain management skills
39. Distribution and inventory control skills
40. Business analysis/sales/marketing
41. Customer service/client service skillsets
42. Marketing and sales/business development
43. International business
44. Finance and accounting skills

Job Specific Skills & Talents

1. Development of personal networks and support systems in your field of choice
2. Music, art, design, or other creative endeavors involving one or more of the following: composition, performance, direction, or production/execution (including layout and design) in support of an employer's objective.
3. Knowledge and expertise in an area that is not traditionally associated with a particular job function; knowledge and expertise that can be used to benefit the employer
4. Appreciation of fine art, theatre or another artistic medium in your field of choice
5. Industry (your industry is the one you are applying to) knowledge, preferably advanced
6. Scrum Master certification (without this, you will not be seriously considered for many software development jobs)
7. ITIL certification (without this, you will not be seriously considered in the IT field)
8. PMP certification (without this, you will not be seriously considered for many project management jobs)
9. CIPM certification (without this, you will not be seriously considered for many pharmacy jobs)
10. CCPA certification (without this, you will not be seriously considered for many accounting or management consulting jobs)
11. Salesforce Platform Developer certification (without this, you will not be seriously considered for many marketing jobs)
12. Business Analyst certification (you might have to join an organization and get a sponsor to help pay for this one; without it, you won't get any serious consideration for business analysis or project management positions)
13. SAP Certified Application Professional – Financials with SAP NetWeaver 7.0 (without this, you will not get serious consideration for SAP jobs)
14. Master's Degree in Management (from a top-level university or accredited school)
15. MBA or similar from an accredited school or university
16. Licensure as a Certified Public Accountant in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand or the U.K., with at least five years of experience under your belt
17. Chartered Physiotherapist in Australia/New Zealand
18. Online courses you have attended such as Coursera, edX, Udemy, etc.
19. Employers' direct experience with your work or coursework/degree program
20. Certifications or licenses from EEOC, DOL, EPA etc.
21. Environmental certification in your field of choice
22. Other relevant qualifications or certification
23. Languages other than English (e.g., Chinese, French)
24. Religious training and/or community service; memberships in religious organizations are strongly preferred for some positions and may lead to additional consideration for others
25. Military service (any level of military experience is a plus in the United States)
26. Training in ISO 9001 & 9002 (Quality Assurance), ISO 14001 (Environmental), ISO 27001 (Information Security) and similar standards in use in your field of choice
27. Training in B Corporation certification (for the top-level positions in the software industry)
28. Personal development training or courses you have taken in community clubs, recreational activities, etc.
29. Previous experience at the top level in your field of choice
30. Marketing, PR/Communications or other related experience (with proper background due to the nature of the work)
31. Prior work experience at a Fortune 500 company; if this is possible for you to enjoy, it can be extremely helpful for future employment opportunities
32. Top-level networking industry contacts (experiential or indirect) that can steer you towards a specific job function or employer
33. Community service-based experience (community service organizations are preferred for many jobs)
34. Emotional intelligence training and development; emotional intelligence is a critical trait for many positions
35. Mental toughness; mental toughness is a critical trait for many positions
36. Deferring gratification (work hard now and you will be rewarded later; this is very helpful for people who like to save up, work hard, and bank their money for later)
37. Self-awareness training; the ability to realize when something in your life needs to change and then make it happen
38. Goal-setting training; the ability to set goals, work towards them and maintain motivation over time
39. Positive thinking training; the ability to focus on what is working in your life instead of the things that are not
40. Government and ministerial-level job contacts; for many high level political and governmental positions, it is essential to have contact with the government or ministerial level
41. Country manager contacts; for international positions, experience at this level in your field is a plus
42. Essential language skills; fluency in a language (besides English!) with cultural nuances and communication nuances is essential for many roles
43. Past experience working abroad; for many positions, the ability to work abroad is an important qualification
44. Past international experience; international experience is a plus for many high level positions
45. "Risk-taking" mindset training; the ability to take calculated risks when necessary
46. Top-level expert skills training; top level job specialists and/or certifications are more likely to be considered for certain jobs now than 20 years ago due to specific skill requirements that employers now demand
47. GMAT , GRE, LSAT or other standardized test training and/or experience; tests are a part of the hiring process in some fields
48. Exams to become a bar member in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand or the U.K. (for attorneys); passing these exams is not only hard but requires years of studying and practice
49. Professional certifications for teachers, accountants, interior designers and others with professional certifications
50. Performance metrics to show how you have performed against your goals in your field of choice
51. Bibliographies listing books you have read (nothing beats reading)
52. Former personal assistant
53. Academic training/training from a top-level university or accredited school
54. The score on the Wonderlic Test (It's not required but if you have a high score, it will give you more consideration in certain jobs); used for certain positions in government and corporate America
55. Past experience working at the high end of your field
56. Past experiences in international fields where you had to travel extensively and adapt quickly to new cultures, unfamiliar environments and languages; this can be useful for people who like to travel extensively (international experience of any kind is helpful in any job)
57. Academic rigour - university transcripts and grades during high school and college (for hiring managers), and the scores on standardized exams such as the SAT, ACT, GMAT, LSAT or GRE (for employers/hiring managers)
58. Involvement in extracurricular activities (for employers)
59. Professional organization memberships that can lead to you being hired for a particular job function
60. Personal statements written for applications to particular positions or jobs; these statements are read by hiring managers and recruiters to determine if you are a good fit for certain jobs
61. Numerical and logical reasoning training; this is helpful for many positions in finance and information technology

How to Find More Skills and Talents to Add to Resume

• Lengthen the skills and talents on your resume by including those that are less related to the position for which you're applying. For example, if your resume is targeted for a job in accounting, but you know how to create video content and edit photos, include both skill sets.
• Consider including skills that will help you stand out from the competition. Maybe your account of managing a winter clothing drive for orphans at Christmas will make you more appealing than someone with only conventional skills like computer programming.
• Another way to add skills to your resume is to quantify them as much as possible. For example, instead of including a skill like "Time Management", include a skill like "Time Management: Controlled my schedule to meet deadlines".

How to Further Elaborate on Each Skill Pointer

• Flesh out your skills and talents by using different keywords. For example, if you're a professional cook, instead of saying you're a "cook", say you're a "culinary artist".
• When presenting your skills, think about what the employer wants. If you're trying to be a chef, and the employer is looking for someone to cook for a restaurant, be sure that your skills are linked to what's relevant for the job. For example, instead of saying that you're an expert at cooking, say that you're an expert at cooking with local ingredients.
• When writing your resume, make sure to put skills in an interesting way. For example, instead of saying "I'm an expert at Microsoft Excel", say "I'm the epitome of efficiency in Excel and can handle tasks from data entry to graphing". The latter sounds more interesting than the former.
• Write the skills in your resume in a positive tone. For example, instead of saying "I've always been a diligent student", say "I have excellent grades and I'm always on time".
• Although you want to include skills that are applicable to jobs you're applying for, focus on skills that make you shine. The employer will view you as a potential employee.
• Include an anecdote about your skills and why they're important for the position that you're aiming for. This helps the employer imagine you in the position.
• Try not to make your resume all about your skills. Include weaknesses, too. This shows the employer that you're not vain enough to hide imperfections or expect perfection from yourself or others.
• When adding skills, use action verbs (i.e., "improved", "wrote", etc.) to make your resume more interesting and appealing.