10 Crucial Skills You Need On Your Resume - Resume Writing Tips

Summary

In this video, career coach Brian from Life After Layoff shares essential skills for a competitive post-pandemic job market. He emphasizes adaptability, technical skills, analytics, problem-solving, teamwork, accountability, initiative, productivity, and a growth mindset as must-haves on resumes. Brian advises demonstrating these competencies rather than just listing them and suggests resources like 'Resume Rocket Fuel' for crafting an impactful resume.

Takeaways

• 📝 Update your resume regularly to reflect the changing job market and your evolving skills.
• 🧗‍♂️ Highlight adaptability on your resume, showcasing how you've navigated through changes like remote work.
• 💻 Emphasize technical skills that are current and relevant to the industry you're targeting.
• 📊 Include analytics skills, as the ability to interpret data is crucial in most modern job roles.
• 💡 Demonstrate problem-solving skills with specific examples to avoid sounding generic.
• 🤝 Showcase your collaboration and teamwork abilities, especially in cross-cultural and cross-functional settings.
• 🔑 Highlight accountability by showing instances where you took ownership of tasks and projects.
• 🚀 Be a self-starter by listing instances where you initiated new projects or learned new skills independently.
• 🛠 Focus on productivity, illustrating how you've improved efficiency and output in your roles.
• 🌱 Display a growth mindset by showing continuous learning and self-improvement efforts.
• 📄 Convey your thoughts concisely on your resume, using active voice and clear, focused language.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the video?

The main purpose of the video is to share skills that job seekers should consider including on their resumes to be taken seriously in the post-pandemic job market.

Who is the speaker in the video?

The speaker in the video is Brian from Life After Layoff, a corporate recruiter and career coach with over 20 years of experience.

Why is it important to update your resume regularly?

It is important to update your resume regularly, especially if it has been over a year, because the job market is constantly changing and employers are looking for up-to-date skills and experiences.

What is the first skill mentioned in the video that should be on a resume?

The first skill mentioned in the video is adaptability, which is crucial in the ever-changing job market.

Why is adaptability important in the current job market?

Adaptability is important because it demonstrates to employers that a candidate can adjust to new situations and work methods, such as the shift to remote work during the pandemic.

What is an example of a technical skill that should be updated on a resume?

An example of a technical skill that should be updated on a resume is proficiency in remote work technologies like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, especially for those who had to transition to working from home.

Why are analytics skills important in today's job market?

Analytics skills are important because almost every job is governed by some level of data, and the ability to interpret complex data sets and tell a story with them is crucial for performance and decision-making.

How should problem-solving skills be presented on a resume?

Problem-solving skills should be presented on a resume by attaching an actual accomplishment to them, demonstrating the ability to create solutions when there was no playbook to follow.

What does the speaker suggest about teamwork and collaboration in resumes?

The speaker suggests that teamwork and collaboration should be shown on resumes because most jobs today require working with cross-functional teams and across different cultures and time zones.

Why is accountability an important skill to include on a resume?

Accountability is important on a resume because it shows employers that a candidate can take ownership of their job responsibilities and be reliable.

What does being a self-starter mean in the context of a resume?

Being a self-starter means showing initiative to learn new skills or come up with new ideas without being prompted, which demonstrates a proactive attitude and the ability to take on new tasks or projects.

How can productivity be demonstrated on a resume?

Productivity can be demonstrated on a resume by showing improvements in speed or efficiency, ideally under high pressure, which reflects well on a candidate's ability to work effectively.

What is a growth mindset and why is it important to show on a resume?

A growth mindset is the motivation for continuous improvement and learning. It is important to show on a resume because hiring managers appreciate employees who are self-driven to better themselves and their skills.

Why is conciseness important when conveying thoughts on a resume?

Conciseness is important because it helps make a strong first impression on employers and makes it easier for recruiters to notice a candidate during the initial screening process.

What resources does the speaker offer to help with resume writing?

The speaker offers 'Resume Rocket Fuel', a resource designed to teach resume writing strategies, and recommends visiting lifeafterlaff.com for additional tips and tools, as well as the 'Ultimate Job Seeker Bootcamp' course.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Essential Skills for a Post-Pandemic Resume

Brian from Life After Layoff introduces the video's focus on vital skills needed for a competitive resume in the post-pandemic job market. With over 20 years of experience as a corporate recruiter and career coach, Brian shares insights on how to update resumes to secure interviews. He emphasizes that a resume's purpose is to get noticed and land interviews, and suggests that if job applications are not yielding interviews, it's likely a resume issue. The video aims to provide a baseline of what employers seek, highlighting universal skills necessary for any job position. Brian also advises against merely listing keywords, urging job seekers to demonstrate core competencies to stand out.

05:02

🔍 Skills to Showcase on Your Resume for Job Success

The second paragraph delves into specific skills that should be included on a resume to impress potential employers. Adaptability is the first skill highlighted, with examples such as transitioning to remote work and using new technologies like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Technical skills are next, stressing the importance of keeping them current with industry standards. Analytics is a crucial skill, as most jobs require interpreting data to meet performance metrics. Problem-solving abilities are also sought after, but should be demonstrated with tangible examples rather than just listed. Collaboration and teamwork are essential in today's global work environment, and accountability is key, as shown by taking ownership of job responsibilities. Being a self-starter, demonstrating productivity, having a growth mindset, and the ability to convey thoughts concisely are additional skills that can enhance a resume. Brian offers resources like 'Resume Rocket Fuel' and his website for further guidance on resume writing and the job-seeking process.

Keywords

💡Adaptability

Adaptability refers to the ability to adjust to new conditions and environments. In the context of the video, it highlights the importance of being able to thrive in changing job markets, such as transitioning to remote work. For example, the script mentions adapting to remote work and using new technologies like Zoom or MS Teams.

💡Technical Skills

Technical skills are the abilities and knowledge needed to perform specific tasks, often related to technology and computer systems. The video emphasizes the need to keep technical skills up-to-date with industry standards to remain competitive in the job market, especially for roles like software developers.

💡Data Analytics

Data analytics involves analyzing raw data to make conclusions about that information. The video underscores the importance of being able to interpret complex data sets and tell a story with the data, as nearly every job now involves some level of performance metrics and data-driven decision-making.

💡Problem Solving

Problem-solving skills are the ability to find solutions to difficult or complex issues. The video suggests showcasing specific instances where you created solutions without a playbook, demonstrating this skill with measurable results linked to data analytics.

💡Collaboration

Collaboration is the action of working with others to produce or create something. In the video, it is mentioned as a crucial skill due to the global and cross-departmental nature of modern work environments, where teamwork and effective communication are essential.

💡Accountability

Accountability refers to being responsible for your actions and duties. The video advises showing areas of your job that you completely own and take accountability for, which can significantly appeal to potential employers looking for reliable candidates.

💡Self-Starter

A self-starter is someone who is proactive and takes initiative without needing external motivation. The video encourages demonstrating how you have taken initiative to learn new skills or improve processes at work, showing your drive and independence.

💡Productivity

Productivity measures how efficiently tasks and goals are completed. The video suggests emphasizing your ability to improve productivity, whether through faster task completion or high performance under pressure, as this reflects well on your work ethic.

💡Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. The video highlights the importance of showing continuous improvement and a willingness to learn new skills, which is attractive to employers seeking motivated and adaptable candidates.

💡Concise Communication

Concise communication is the ability to convey information clearly and briefly. The video stresses the importance of this skill for crafting an effective resume, suggesting that a well-optimized, concise resume can significantly increase your chances of getting noticed by recruiters.

Highlights

The video provides essential skills for a resume in the post-pandemic job market.

Brian from Life After Layoff shares insights from over 20 years as a corporate recruiter and career coach.

Adaptability is a key skill to showcase on resumes, especially in a changing job market.

Remote work and the ability to use technologies like Zoom or MS Teams are important skills to include.

Technical skills should be updated according to industry standards and job requirements.

Data analytics is a highly sought-after skill in modern job positions.

Problem-solving skills should be demonstrated with concrete examples and measurable results.

Collaboration and teamwork are crucial across various job functions and global environments.

Accountability for one's job responsibilities is an attractive trait for employers.

Being a self-starter and taking initiative can set candidates apart in the job market.

Productivity is a critical metric that should be reflected on a resume.

A growth mindset and continuous improvement are valued by hiring managers.

Conveying thoughts concisely on a resume is vital for making a strong first impression.

Using active voice and being clear and concise can improve resume quality.

Resume Rocket Fuel is a resource designed to improve resume writing strategies.

LifeAfterLayoff.com offers additional tips and tools for job seekers.

The Ultimate Job Seeker Bootcamp is another course to enhance interview and job application skills.

Transcripts

are you looking for a new job in this

post-pandemic job market and you're not

sure where to start well stick around

because in this video i'm going to share

with you some skills that you're going

to need to get on your resume if you

want to be taken seriously

hey everybody it's brian from life after

layoff and today i want to share with

you some skills that you really ought to

think about getting on your resume if

they're not on there already and as a

corporate recruiter and a career coach

with over 20 years of experience

interviewing and hiring thousands of

people into some of the world's largest

most well-known companies i've written

my fair share of resumes and i've seen

countless more so i know a thing or two

about how to write a resume it's going

to give you the best chance of getting

noticed and getting into that

interviewing process because that's

ultimately what the resume is for now if

you're somebody that's applying to job

after job and assuming that you're

reasonably qualified for the positions

that you're interviewing for if you're

not getting any interest on your resume

in other words you're not getting any

interviews it's almost always a resume

issue and as we've navigated through the

past couple years at the job market

things are drastically changing in how

we need to present ourselves as

candidates and what companies are

looking for so it's worth dusting off

the resume and taking a long hard look

about how well it actually sells you in

the application process if you're

somebody that hasn't written your resume

in the last year it's almost certainly

going to be out of date so the purpose

of this video is to give you a baseline

for what employers are looking for on

the open market and these are going to

be universal skills that you should have

regardless of the type of position that

you're looking for now it's worth

mentioning that simply writing these

terms into your resume as a quote

unquote keyword is not going to be

enough we need to ensure that we've

demonstrated these core competencies to

truly stand out from the competition so

without further ado let's get into some

of the skills that you should really

consider having on your resume the first

skill worth mentioning is adaptability

and if you survive this incredible job

market from 2020 till current you know

how adaptable you have needed to be in

order to stay afloat think about how

you've had to adapt and evolve and how

you approach work if you can show that

in your resume that'll be an incredibly

powerful indicator to the employer that

you can adapt with the times and let's

take remote work as an example a lot of

us were used to going into an office

every day and suddenly and seemingly

overnight we had to shift to becoming

remote workers and if you were somebody

that didn't work remote normally there's

definitely a change in the way that you

need to approach your work specifically

around communication which is pretty

obvious but also around the networking

and teamwork if you've never used a

technology like zoom or ms teams before

surely at this point you have so those

would be great skills to get on your

resume to show that you're not only

adaptable that you can also thrive in a

new way that we approach work which

leads us right into the next one who has

technical skills now the state of the

industry or the job type that you work

in

is going to necessitate which skills you

need to have on your resume if you're a

software developer and you're working

with an older programming language you

should understand where the industry has

moved and keep your skills up to date

accordingly because it simply doesn't

behoove you to have an older technology

listed on your resume if nobody uses it

anymore you're somebody that has stayed

in a job for a long period of time make

sure you're keeping up to date on what

other employers are asking for in the

market so that if you do find yourself

looking for a new job you're not way

behind the eight ball all right so the

next skill you really need to have on

your resume in today's day and age is

analytics and nearly every job that i

recruit data analytics are one of the

most common skills that come up from

hiring managers our jobs are all

dictated by metrics that we have to fill

and the ability to take complex sets of

data and be able to tell a story with

them is crucially important so if you're

wondering what kind of data needs to be

interpreted in your job think in terms

of how you're measured in your

performance appraisals so if you're

driving a forklift maybe it's the amount

of loads physically moved in a given

period of time or if you're a recruiter

we have days to fill metrics just about

every position in the workforce is

governed by some level of data and you

need to be able to interpret that so

make sure you show that skill on your

resume the next major skill to consider

is problem solving skills now be careful

with this one because people tend to

list this in their skill sets and it

usually comes across as being pretty

fluffy but what we want to do is try to

attach an actual accomplishment to our

problem solving so demonstrate the

problem solving in your resume if

possible think about times where you

didn't have a playbook to follow where

you had to kind of create your own

solutions those are the things that

employers are looking for and those

skills are in high demand so on your

resume instead of just saying that

you're a problem solver try to actually

show us when you problem solved if you

could link it to a measurable result

using data analytics even better the

next major skill that you need to be

able to show is collaboration or

teamwork and as we look at how we

approach our jobs nowadays it's a much

more global environment not uncommon for

people to be working cross-culturally

cross-continent across time zone and

across department in order to get

something done and i don't think there's

any job out there that doesn't rely on

some level of teamwork and collaboration

to be successful so try to show where

you were a good team player and how you

got other departments or other

cross-functional teams involved in your

problem-solving skills the next major

skill that you need to have on your

resume is accountability a very common

thing that i hear in my interviews is

people using the i and the me so if you

can show in your resume the aspects of

your job that you completely own and

take accountability for that will go a

long way towards satisfying an

employer's curiosity but be sure to link

how you did the work and not necessarily

your team the next skill you really need

to have on your resume is being a

self-starter show that you've taken the

initiative to learn a new skill without

being prompted to or come up with a new

business case or project that makes your

work life easier and if you could show

your willingness to take on new tasks

and maybe find things to fix that

weren't even broken to begin with it's

going to show that you're a self-starter

in the eyes of the employer but ideally

on your resume you want to try to

capture how you have identified and

acted on opportunities to improve

quality productivity or minimize risks

the next skill that you want to have on

your resume is productivity it seems

like in this day and age of data

analytics one of the most important

metrics is productivity how much work

you put out if you can show that you

have improved productivity and that

you're a very productive worker it's

going to reflect well on you especially

if you can get that on your resume in a

clear and concise way so think in terms

of improving speed or getting things

done quickly and ideally if we can work

under high pressure even better the next

major skill that you want on your resume

is a growth mindset because hiring

managers love it when an employee shows

a motivation for continuous improvement

so if you're somebody that has gone back

to school to enrich your skills maybe

gotten a certification that wasn't part

of your job or shows that you're looking

to better yourself as an employee

that is something that you would

absolutely want to have on your resume

and if you're somebody that's been out

of the workforce for a while it's

important to show employers that you

have the ability to learn those new

skills so on your resume make sure you

show us how you went out and captured

those new skills and the last skill i

want to talk about is your ability to

convey your thoughts in a very concise

manner when you think about it your

resume is the first impression that you

make on the employer and if they see

that you have listed out every single

thing on your resume and you seem to

have scattered thoughts what impression

do you think that's going to make on the

employer but not only that a poorly

optimized resume is also going to make

it much harder for you to get noticed by

the recruiter for that first round

interview so the ability to convey your

message in a very concise manner on your

resume is a crucial skill that you need

to have think about it in terms of

passive versus active voice we want to

make sure that we are telling the story

in as few words as possible it does take

some skill and honestly it's worth

sometimes having a second set of eyes on

it but that's a crucial skill that you

need to have if you want to increase

your chances of getting that first round

phone call and if you're somebody that

is struggling with this i actually do

have some resources that you should

check out the first one is called resume

rocket fuel it is designed to teach you

exactly how to write your resume that

will give you the best chance of getting

noticed by that recruiter but not only

that it also teaches you how to use your

resume strategically and that's the most

important part of it it also includes

some templates so if you're stuck and

just don't know where to get started i

highly suggest you check out resume

rocket fuel you can also check out my

website it's a lifeafterlaff.com it's

loaded with tips and tricks all from an

insider's perspective

and i also have some tools for you to be

able to sell yourself throughout the

rest of the interviewing process through

another course called the ultimate job

seeker bootcamp highly encourage you to

check those out hey if you found value

in this video i sure would appreciate a

thumbs up and maybe hit that subscribe

button because youtube algorithm really

does favor that engagement and in

supporting this channel it helps me

continue to bring you all this great

content appreciate you watching happy

resume writing and we will see you on

the next one