Resume strengths are all about highlighting your top qualifications so that recruiters can recognize them. Here’s how you can make sure your resume strengths are in order.
How to List Resume Strengths on Your Resume
Resume Strengths
If you want to make sure that your resume is as high quality as possible, then it’s important that you master every element of the resume, including your resume strengths. This means highlighting your key abilities and qualifications for a recruiter. No matter what your strengths are, you should discuss them both throughout your job application, from your resume to your cover letter and in the answers to interview questions. Here’s everything you need to know about resume strengths.
List of Strengths to Consider on Your Resume
There are thousands of potential strengths out there, but many of them are best for very specific jobs rather than being valuable for a wide variety of jobs. Here are some examples of strengths that many job seekers can benefit from, as they’re skills that are beneficial across a number of different industries:
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Problem-solving
- Strong work ethic
- Critical thinking
- Decision-making
- Dependability
- Interpersonal skills
- Time management
- Analytical skills
- Open-mindedness
Note that these strengths are all soft skills, as these tend to be the most transferable skills. It’s important to include these soft skills alongside hard skills which relate to the specific job on your resume. For example, knowledge of particular software is a hard skill that is as important to a prospective employer as soft skills like your ability to talk to your team members.
Which Strengths Should I List on a Resume?
Now that you have a number of different resume strengths that might be a great addition to your skills section, how can you narrow them down? When going through the resume writing process, here are a few ways to create the best skills for your resume:
-
Strengths with certifications
If you have certifications for any strengths, then you’ll want to gravitate toward those over strengths that you have no certifications for. For example, if you’re working in an industry that requires computer skills, list specific skills that you’ve been certified for, like certain programming languages or proficiency with particular programs. The more you can bring up third-party acceptance of your skills, the more likely it will be that the hiring manager will accept those skills as competencies that you’re great at.
-
Strengths you’ve won awards for
If you’ve ever won an award or been recognized for your skills, then you’ll want to consider including these recognitions to your resume. For example, if once got an award for having been the most punctual employee in your district, you might want to include punctuality on your list of skills, and mention the award in your work history section. You can also create a separate resume section for a list of awards, or list them in your work history section.
-
Strengths employers have noted from you
Even if you didn’t get formal awards for a strength, employers might still have noted that you had these skills in the past. For example, you may have seen that employers regularly noted that you were great at communicating with customers or motivating your team members. These are personal strengths that those employers would likely mention if they were recommending you to someone new. Look back through your work experience and see what types of strengths employers routinely talked about.
-
Strengths that reflect job requirements
Lastly, it’s always important that you look at how your strengths reflect the specific job description you’re targeting. Every job search is going to be different, and you need to include strengths that reflect the job requirements of specific jobs as well as resume examples that you see within your industry. One of the best ways to do some research when it comes to listing your strengths is to look at resume examples for your specific industry and your specific job. Listing these strengths can be an important part of looking like the best job seeker for a specific job.
