A job application is a serious matter that can make or break your chance at bagging the job. So, how does a recruiter shortlist candidates?
Apart from your work experience, the skills you put on your resume allow the recruiter to sort out the best candidate from the lot. This has even more importance if you are a fresher.
In this blog, we will take you through the skills for freshers to list in their resume that can help them get the recruiter’s attention.
Importance of adding skills in resume
Know that recruiters have piles of applications flying in and they spare 2-3 minutes max on each application. So your task is to lock the recruiter's attention on your resume.
The first suggestion before every job application or HR interview question is to do your research and read the job description thoroughly.
Going through the job description allows you to gauge the skills to put on a resume by aligning them to the recruiter’s requirements.
However, do make sure that you actually possess the skills or have plans to acquire knowledge on them. Lying on your resume will land you in trouble sooner or later.
What are the skills to put on a resume
Before starting with the skills to list on a resume, you need to understand that skills are divided into 2 major categories– Hard skills and Soft skills.
In simple terms, hard skills are the technical knowledge that helps you get your job done (for eg: if you are applying for a content writer job, SEO knowledge is your hard skill), whereas soft skills are the skills that help you navigate through the day to get the job done smoothly.
Relevant read: Hard skill Vs Soft skills (Difference explained)
Skills to put on a resume
In this section, we will mainly take you through the soft skills for resumes for freshers to list since the hard skills to highlight are subject to the job profile.
Following are the soft skills that freshers can list on their resumes irrespective of the job profile.
Adaptability
Being able to adapt to the new work culture, the rhythm in which the team works, etc.
Therefore, adaptability is one of the most important skills to put on a resume for freshers and experienced candidates equally.
Time management
When you enter the workforce, you will need to handle multiple projects at the same time. So, time management is an extremely important skill to put on a resume.
You can highlight events where you juggled multiple projects effectively to showcase your time management ability.
Attention to detail
One of the major differences between student life and professional life is the scope of error. When in college, as a student you can always rectify your mistake with no/light repercussions.
On the other hand, a simple mistake in a work environment can cause a loss in time, money, or even market reputation.
Therefore, it is important to be extra observant of details on the work front. So, you can establish your attention to detail skill by submitting an error-free resume to the recruiter.
Clear communication
Communication is another one of the important skills in a resume for freshers to list. On the work front, you will need to communicate a lot, not just with your team and your manager but also with other teams for collaboration. This makes the ability to communicate clearly a very important skill for every working professional, irrespective of experience.
Work ethic
Another important skill to list in a resume is work ethic. To begin with, work ethics basically includes your sense of responsibility, integrity, honesty, reliability, etc. You can cite a situation where you showcased a strong work ethic.
Self-motivated
Although you will be provided with on-boarding training on the day you join and even find help for the first week of joining, then onwards you will have to pick up and navigate through your tasks on your own. This makes self-motivation one of the important skills to put on a resume for freshers.
Team player
This is another important skill in a resume for freshers to add as you need to work with a team to achieve team goals. As a professional, you will be evaluated on the basis of personal and team goals together.
But even then, each and everyone’s contribution makes up the team’s performance and can affect the company by large. Thus it is extremely important to be able to work together with others in unison.
Quick decision making
Decision-making allows an employee to decide the next course of action after assessing the situation properly.
This provides a lot of scopes for employees to learn and prove their mettle at work. Thus making it one of the important skills in a resume for freshers to list.
Problem-solving ability
Similar to life, challenges and hurdles can crop up at work as well and how you tackle the situation helps not only to gain self-confidence but also earns the trust of your manager and teammates. Thus adding problem-solving skills in resumes for freshers to list can be extremely beneficial.
Apart from these skills in resume for freshers to list, go through the hard skills listed on the job description to present yourself as the best-suited candidate to the recruiter.
In addition to the skills to list in a resume, you can check out Naukri’s Resume builder to get a customized resume!
All the Best!
