In the last article, I explained how to get your resume noticed by employers, and while I was explaining all the strategies you should use that will guarantee an interview invite, I explained the importance of mentioning good skills in your resume. This is now a time to dive deeper into the subject and explain to you what are good skills to put on a resume.

Let’s now explore more what are typically good skills that are most often repeated in almost all the time and in all the industries.

What Precisely Are Good Skills to Put On Your Resume?

There are two types of skills: Hard Skills and Soft Skills. Let’s find the difference and then move on to what you need for your resume.

Hard skills refer to the knowledge and abilities that you need to perform your day-to-day job duties efficiently and effectively, such as knowledge of AutoCAD, Python, Primavera, etc. On the other hand, soft skills are the personal characteristics that make employees truly successful at work, such as people skills, empathy, team management, etc.

As you can see hard skills are basically a combination of technical and non-technical expertise in your field. This is why going forward in the article; I will use the term technical skills or non-technical skills more often which essentially refers to hard skills.

In different industry sectors and types of organizations, requirements for technical skills differ. Therefore, it is imperative that you include technical skills in your resume that are relevant to your field and you should know what skills will make the most impact if you mention them in your resume.

Here is the catch where most job applicants fail and get stuck. Almost all the time the required technical skills are already mentioned in the job description. In this case, it is a lot easier to use ATS tools such as NextJobPro to scan job descriptions and use the suggested skills in your resume. Incorporating these skills in your resume tells employers that you are the best match for their needs.

Hard skills are learned on the job through structured training, and they are critical for your success in your professional career.

It is important to keep in mind that every job requires a different set of skills. Some might focus on improving machine learning, others may create schematics, and still, others might use worksheets to organize and monitor their finances. Regardless of the situation, it's how you showcase or advertise those technical skills that will get you noticed and considered for an interview, where you will also defend those very same skills.

Sometimes all you need to get noticed is a concise list of technical skills. It may, however, be necessary for you to expand on your skills and expertise or expand the scope of your experience based on the nature of the skill.

Hard Skills Examples

As I said the requirement for hard skills varies from industry to industry, however, there are some skills that are universal and are applicable to almost every industry. Here is the list of such skills that you should learn in 2022.

Microsoft Office

It is an application suite that enables users to perform specific tasks (such as creating and editing documents) on a computer. There are several applications included in the suite, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, and OneNote.

Email Writing and Management

In this case, you will need aptitudes for creating meaningful correspondence electronically with professional and personal connections via well-crafted and organized mail filters, folders, and mail merge.

Google Drive

The service lets users save or store documents online and access them through any of their devices, as well as access any stored documents, sheets, forms, or slides.

Professional Writing and Editing

Writing in any form is covered here, including Search Engine Optimization, journalism, technical writing, and ghostwriting.

Spreadsheets

One of the most basic technical skills that everyone should have is the use of spreadsheets because it is required in almost every field. You can use Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice, perform comparative evaluations, generate pivot charts, use macros, and create database links, among other things.

Social Media Expertise

In the online world, social media is one of the most effective revenue-generating channels. Social media skills, such as using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, to create engaging posts, giveaway events, and customer interaction strategies, are highly sought after.

Quickbooks

A good understanding of billing systems, expenditure monitoring, payable accounts, review and reports, billing, staff timesheets, and cash flow analysis is also required.

Graphics and Design

A design firm can benefit greatly from extensive knowledge of Adobe programs, CorelDraw, Acrobat, and Free Hand.

Web Development

Among these are skills such as HTML, CSS, Javascript, WordPress, and Content Management Systems (CMS).

Enterprise Systems

As part of this, you will have to sort and process bills, manage auto payments, manage customer relationships, and manage business processes.

Research

It is important to highlight one's skills in reference verification, intellectual property rights, connectivity, collaboration, community involvement, SEO, and Google search when seeking a research-related position.

Programming

Among them are skills such as Python, C++, and Javascript (which are the 3 top tech skills according to industry data).

Troubleshooting

It is an agent or officer's responsibility to be able to appraise and have strong analytical skills, as well as to conduct evaluations, solve conflicts, think rationally, work collaboratively, and be able to communicate effectively.

Project Management

The ability to manage projects, set priorities, negotiate, divide labor, plan and prepare, manage portfolios, and other similar activities fall under these skills.

Video Creation

It is a valuable technical skill to be able to create, write, edit, compress, and upload videos, whether they are for the animation or motion picture industry.

Presentation

Speaking fluently is necessary as well as creating slideshows and using PowerPoint as an illustration tool.

What Technical Skills Should You Include In Your Resume?

As with weapons or explosives, technical skills can be compared to weapons; the more you have in your arsenal, the better, and one extra skill can give you a competitive edge.

In your resume, you should highlight your technical skills that are relevant to the field you work in. However, depending on your field of operation and industry, recruiters and employers will require a variety of technical skills.

On your resume, make sure you include these technical skills:

Data Management

There will be a shortage of applicants with data management skills as more businesses move online.

Cloud computing platforms such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Commvault, Ataccama, Oracle Product Hub, DataStax, Google BigQuery, and HPE are among the most important technical data management skills you should have on your resume.

Business Analysis

The decision-making process of a large organization requires the assistance of experienced business experts. Due to this, business analysis is one of today's most sought-after technical skills.

Business analyst resume skills typically include Amazon AWS, Microsoft Access, Oracle JDBC, Transact-SQL, Eclipse IDE, Apache Groovy, C#, Python, Ruby, Data analytics, and Data modeling.

Accounting

You need different skills if you work in small or medium businesses, for the government, or if you are a chartered accountant.

No matter what accounting position you choose, the following accounting skills are most commonly required: QuickBooks, Sage 50 Accounting, Intrax ProcedureNet, Microsoft Dynamics, SAP, ERP systems, cost and trend analysis, GAAP knowledge, and FASB knowledge.

Project Management

A project management skill shows employers that you are a competent candidate who can manage a group and divide tasks among members.

A project manager must have proficiency in technical reporting, skills in scheduling software, information technology knowledge, and database management.

Engineering

Due to the fact that engineering is a broad field, your technical skills will vary according to your area of expertise. It is desirable for all engineers to possess basic computer science, CAD software, statistical modeling, system design, calculus, technical reporting, as well as MathWorks MATLAB, Visual Basic, and Trimble SketchUp Pro skills.

Reasons Why Mentioning Technical Skills Are Essential For An ATS Compliant Resume

A common way for big businesses to manage their applicant pipeline is through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). This is the system that parses your resume right after you send your application. This is why it is important that you format your resume correctly ensuring employers' ATS software parses it correctly. If ATS software can parse your resume correctly, we call your resume ATS Compliant. ATS Compliant resumes include relevant keywords, professional skills, and work experience that matches the job description.

The best way to find the right keywords and skills that will pass the ATS and guarantees an interview invite is to use the NextJobPro ATS scan tool. It is a free tool that you can add to your arsenal.

In Summary

If you want that your application for the new job is answered, you must ensure your resume reflects that you are the best candidate for the job. Remember, the hiring manager hasn’t met you yet and your resume should speak loud and clear. The best way to do so is by tailoring your resume with the skills from the job description. This helps you pass the ATS and human review as well.

In the article, you got a comprehensive list of technical skills that are most common in almost all industries. Now when you know what are good skills to put on a resume and how to get them from the job description using the NextJobPro ATS tool, it is your time to shine and go get your dream job.