Top 5 Skills to Add to Your CV
The necessary skills that employers love to see on a CV
Time to Shine
How confident do you feel about an interview? Right here, right now. It is a question the Revolancer team would like to ask you. We want to get you ready for that next opportunity, so we’ve compiled a list of top five skills to add to your CV. Feeling the winter blues? Try How to Get Back on Track.
Contemporary education is an important factor in gaining employment, but it is not the only one. The job market requires you to stand out in many ways, so by developing a range of useful and practical abilities you will shine among your competition. Through self-development and practice of different abilities, you can improve your employability and gain priceless experience for a lifetime. Gaining these skills will help you both in your career and relationships with others. So, grab a notebook to write these down and let your best self flourish!
1. Communication
Without the ability to articulate your thoughts and ideas you wouldn’t be able to share them with anyone. Communication is key to pretty much anything. If you’re working on a team project your group effort goes smoother with good communication. If you’re negotiating a prize, being able to express your terms is crucial. In any and every situation being a good communicator counts.
Developing confidence in this skill takes plenty of practice and time. First of all, you have to know the language. Secondly, you have to give it your all. Make sure you stay yourself while voicing your opinions and insights. Be a good listener, so you can be a great speaker. Practice makes perfect, so improve your resume by communicating with clarity and passion.
2. Presentation
They say ‘the first impression matters’ and we agree. It is as true in personal relationships as it is in a recruitment setting. The layout and substance of your CV will influence the likelihood of being employed. That’s why as in person, you want to be great at presenting yourself through different means.
Think of what makes you stand out. Reflect on your strengths and use them. Become aware of your weaknesses and work on them. With effort come results. Whether through a presentation, CV or interview, articulate your uniqueness and present yourself in the best light. Talent is important, that’s true, but the top players in the game stay on top through practice and consistency. Make it count!
3. Teamwork
How well did you do on your team projects in the past? Working in a team is as much of a soft skill as it is a hard one. It requires self-awareness and diligence in communication. You are likely to work with others in the future, so becoming better at it is a must.
Whenever a new project comes your way, you have to ensure everyone knows the goal you aim to achieve. Purposeful action and planning in advance do count. Beware of your ego stepping in and recognise that you cannot do everything on your own. Learn to work with others through open communication and kind understanding. Everyone wants to do their best, so let them!
4. Organisation
Each business has a business plan, and so each individual should have their life plan. At least to a degree that allows action and progress. Being able to manage yourself is a fundamental skill to develop. Your upcoming employer wants you to work well within a schedule and it will be useful to make it true.
Develop a habit of doing your best each day. Organise your days in a way that empowers you and whenever you make a commitment see it through. By becoming an organised person, you will gain more time for your dreams, better results at work, and higher chances of winning in the job market.
5. Time Management
Tied under the organisational side of your abilities, time management is an invaluable skill to master. The irony of good time management is that with such ability one saves more time for anything they want to do. Use a schedule to your advantage and have more time to yourself.
There are many tools and techniques that can allow you to improve your time management. Your resume will reflect it, once you’ve gained the experience of good practice. Each of us carries within a biological clock and thrives when that clock is in sync. It is the same for any business or a well-planned endeavour. So practice timely operations and make your time count!
Better at Being Yourself
Ultimately the development of any skill is a uniquely personal process. Everyone is different and their resume will be one of a kind, no matter the list of skills they possess. Some might be better in management, some might be better in communication. The bottom line is, however, that all of the above can be practised and implemented.
Your upcoming interview will be as much about your experience as it will be about you. Most of the hard skills can be trained on the job and more often than not that’s the space where new employees gain them. When it comes to soft skills, they can be easily learned in any environment. They only require practice and time. The world’s economy is constantly changing and so is the job market. New employment opportunities are created daily and although you might not be able to study these new fields just yet, you can develop the soft skills already and use them to place yourself on top of the recruitment lists.
Before You Go
If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to know more, check out How do High Performing People Plan their Day. And if you’d like to become a freelancer, register on Revolancer today and get your next job there!
Freelance marketplace: Revolancer
