Your skills at managing a particular job play a role as important as your work experience; and for those who have no experience, skills, like communication, leadership, etc., are the only way to land in a job. These important skills that should be mentioned on a job application, irrespective of the job you are applying for.
One of the most crucial sections of a job application is the ‘skills’ section. The ‘special skills’ section is specifically included by most companies not only to know what the employee brings on board, but also to get a feel of what the employee is like.
Stating skills relevant to your job will work in your favor and is likely to help you get that dream job. And that’s exactly what the company is looking for – your enthusiasm, willingness, and overall mentality regarding the post you’re applying for. Your actual job qualifications come into picture at a rather later stage, during the personal interview and in any tests.
NOTE:
The order in which you enlist your skills is important. The ones that you place first are assumed to be your best qualities. For example, if you are applying to a job where client interaction is required, put all communication skill in top order. If you’re applying for a job in research and development, your problem-solving skills come to the foreground. If you’re applying for testing, put up initiative as the first point. Explain how you have demonstrated each skill in the past with examples.
Bear in mind that the list below is definitely not exhaustive or fixed. You can add any extra relevant qualifications that you feel can give you a boost towards getting the job.
Communication Skills
Whatever be the nature of job, an organization is always on the lookout for people who have good communication skills. Because there is always some point in every job, where the company requires an efficient communicator in the workplace. Besides, if the company wants to hand out promotions, then a person with good communication skills will have an added advantage.
Communication skills has a slightly tricky issue. There will be two types of communications – with the client and within the office. There may also be jobs where you don’t have any contact with the client. Again, communication with a client may be formal or informal (but professional at all times) to strengthen company-client bonds. Depending on your post of interest, place either skill set above the other.
Team Skills
These days the practice of working alone has become old-fashioned and most companies prefer people to work in teams. Teamwork is the way to go today, as most organizational behavior experts believe that, working in a team increases self-efficiency, efficiency of colleagues and the organization as well. Hence, it is important to establish that you are a team player and can work with other people.
Problem Solving and Creative Skills
Often, the organization or your team may get stuck in a jam. In such cases, it is essential that the company have people who are good at problem solving and are capable of thinking out-of-the-box and creatively. New problems need new answers and companies need people who can bring fresh thinking to an organization.
Initiative
This is also one of the most important skills to put on a resume. What is the point of having an employee who is very talented, but is unwilling to take an initiative in activities? Hence, it is essential that you establish yourself as a person who revels in taking initiative and does so often.
Leadership Skills
Most companies, while hiring, think long term and try chalking a career path for employees applying for an executive job. One of the things that they consider is whether a candidate has leadership qualities. It is one of the most important skills, as the company may consider of handing you a higher post at the time of a promotion, in case you are able to justify the mentioned skills.
Self-Motivation
Companies today are looking for people who are self-motivated rather than people who need to be continually motivated. It is important that an employee understands the importance of his job and works hard. Self-motivation is one of the skills to list on a resume too.
Foreign Languages
Due to the global nature of businesses today, it is essential that a prospective employee knows how to fluently converse in a language apart from English. Today, your customers or suppliers may be in any part of the world, hence foreign language is an important skill to write on resume. Chinese language is one of the most marketable languages you can learn, as much of the work could be with the Chinese companies or franchise.
Computer Skills
One of the very important skills is the computer skills. Companies are looking for people who are computer literate, and hence its essential that a prospective employee has the necessary computer skills, be it MS Office or managing databases (DBMS).
There may be some skills which are relevant to the nature of job you might apply for. Some of them which could also be included in the resume are flexibility and an ability to work on numerical data. Above mentioned skills is just a basic list which should be possessed by an ideal employee.
