The difference between landing a job offer or rejection can come down to skills — that single line at the bottom of your resume might feel like an afterthought, but those skills can help you negotiate a higher salary and stand out in a competitive job market.
New technologies and pandemic-related disruptions are reshaping the skills companies look for in the ideal candidate.
The majority of hiring managers (88%) place a higher value on hard skills than soft skills or work history when vetting resumes, according to new research from ResumeGenius, which surveyed over 800 managers.
Information technology (IT) skills, such as blockchain, AI and cybersecurity, are the most in-demand hard skills that employers are hiring for.
Here are the top 3 in-demand hard skills employers want to see on your resume, according to Resume Genius:
- IT skills
- Software development
- Data analysis
Hard skills have always been an important consideration in hiring decisions, but they've become "an even bigger priority" for companies since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 and the AI hype that followed, says Eva Chan, a certified professional resume writer and senior digital PR writer at Resume Genius.
This is even true of non-tech industries: Chan says she's noticed more open roles in education, marketing and retail, for example, asking applicants to be familiar with AI or work with different software programs.
The most important thing to keep in mind when including hard skills on your resume, or mentioning them in a job interview, Chan says, is to be specific and provide clear examples.
So instead of writing "coding" under skills, for example, you should include the specific types of coding you've done for work, like HTML or Javascript.
Or, if you're explaining your experience with project management (another in-demand hard skill) on your resume, you can write: "Led a 15-person team in a year-long project and completed it 50 days ahead of the deadline," or whatever the specific metrics are, Chan suggests.
You don't need to include every skill on Resume Genius's list on your application to be successful in your job search. To be a nurse, for example, you don't necessarily need to have a deep understanding of software development.
Still, it's smart to think about what skills are in demand for the jobs you're interested in by paying close attention to the language in job descriptions, reading companies' career pages or connecting with people in those roles and asking them which skills they've found to be most helpful in their position.
"Including hard skills on your resume ultimately tells any employer that you're adaptable, open and able to learn new skills quickly," says Chan. "That's easily one of the most attractive qualities you can find in a prospective employee."
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