Soft Skills Definition, List 50+ Examples for Your Resume

Soft Skills Definition, List 50+ Examples for Your Resume It should come as no surpriseHiring managers look for people who can get the job done and work as part of a team.Thats why your soft skills matter.But what are they exactly? And how to put them on a resume?Read on!This article will show you:What soft skills are and why theyre in high demand at work.Lists of top soft skills divided into easy-to-understand subsets with explanations.How to identify your top soft skills for a job and how to put them on a resume.Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. Its fast and easy to use. Plus, youll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.Sample resume made with our builderSee more templates and create your resume here.One of our users, Nikos, had this to say:[I used] a nice template I found on Zety. My resume is now one page long, not three. With the same stuff.Create your resume nowLooking for information on other types of skills? Weve got you cov ered:Analytical SkillsComputer SkillsManagement SkillsMarketing SkillsProject Management SkillsTechnical Skills1What Are Soft Skills Why Theyre Important?Let's start with the basicsHeres a definition of soft skills:Soft skills is a term referring to a set of transferable skills that are highly appreciated by employers. They comprise common sense, interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, character traits as well as communication skills among others. Soft skills either can't be acquired or are notoriously hard to acquire through traditional education.Now, lets break this down.The definition says theyre transferable. What does this mean?In fact, we have a detailed guide to transferable skills, so I'll just outline the main idea here.In short, transferable skills arent job-specific. You have them regardless of the job youre doing.For example, if youre a great communicator youll remain one whatever you do.NowThis segues us smoothly into another part of the definition.Employers appr eciate them. But why?Lets put it this way:If an employer has a choice between:a highly-skilled candidate whos also emotionally intelligent, communicative, and instantly likable, andan equally skilled candidate whos totally anti-social.Guess who the employer will want to give a job to.See the point?With the advent of hiring for attitude, employers focus on soft skills more than ever.Why so?Soft skills in the workplace are the driving force behind any companys success.Its thanks to soft skills that team members are able to effectively collaborate with each other and achieve synergistic results.Truth isYou can teach people to use new software, or perform certain job-specific tasks rather quickly.But you cant teach them common sense. Or change their character.This is also how soft skills differ from hard skills.Hard skills are teachable and testable. You can learn them on the job, at school, or through various courses and certifications.Soft skills are your interpersonal skills (a.k.a. people skills) the bulk of which depends on your personality and the environment you grew up in.You can't test whether or not people will get along with each other.They either will or won't.Pro Tip: Check out if your employability skills are up to par. Make every employer wants to fight for you!You can show off your soft skills in a job interview right from the start. How? Learn how to tell the recruiter about yourself, and make a great first impression.2Soft Skills: List and ExamplesOne of the most common misconceptions about soft skills is that theyre only useful for customer-facing positions.While its true that customer service jobs do require well-developed soft skillsAlmost any other position that involves contact with another human calls for similar skills too.Since such skills encompass various abilities and qualities, it may be useful to have a list that would help you identify which soft skills you already have, and which ones you need to work on.But before we move on to ou r detailed listsJust know that a recent iCIMS study has identified the following soft skills as some of the most valued by recruiting professionals:Problem-solvingTime-managementOrganizationCommunicationCollaborationNowLets take a closer look at each soft skill mentioned above and... add some more.You can use the lists below as a master list thatll help you identify your best skills for a resume.Problem-Solving SkillsIf people had no problems, the existence of businesses would make no sense. Problem-solving skills, along with time-management and organizational skills could easily become the unofficial Holy Trinity of soft skills.AnalyzingBenchmark developmentBrainstormingDrawing conclusionsExperimentingInnovationInsightProject designSolution designTest developmentTroubleshootingTime-management SkillsTime management skills are crucial to working efficiently and effectively. Heres a look at what this skill subset can refer to:Assessment and evaluationDelegationGoal settingManaging app ointmentsMeeting deadlinesMultitaskingPrioritizingResource managementSchedulingOrganizational SkillsThey say entropy is the natural state of things. This could be true, but only up to a point. The point at which your organizational skills come into play.CollaborationDelegationMental organizationalPhysical organization skillsPlanningPrioritizingTime managementWork-life balanceCommunication SkillsGood communication skills are a vital subset of soft skills. Employers value effective communicators able to express themselves clearly, who listen to what others have to say.Active listeningBody languageBrevityClear speech and writingConfidenceCross-cultural communicationFriendlinessNegotiatingNonverbal communicationOpennessOral communication skillsPresentingPublic speakingStorytellingWritten communication skillsTeamwork SkillsThis subset is crucial to your success in the workplace. Strong teamwork skills in combination with the other types of soft skills turn you into an A-player.Communicat ionConflict resolutionDecision-makingInfluencingListeningOrganizational skillsPersuasionPlanning skillsProblem-solvingRapport-buildingReliabilityRespectfulnessToleranceInterpersonal SkillsThe most important subset of your soft skills comprises your people skills or interpersonal skills. These skills help you establish good relationships with your coworkers and others.Ability to work under pressureAdaptabilityCommunicationConflict resolutionCreativityDecision makingDependabilityEmotional intelligenceMediationPatienceProblem-solvingRelationship buildingResponsibilitySelf-motivationTeamwork/CollaborationCritical thinking skillsCritical thinking skills, also referred to as common sense, allow you to take a step back and judge a situation from a distance. Theyre indispensable skills in any kind of position.AnalyzingEvaluatingExplanationInferenceInterpretingOpen-mindednessProblem-solvingSelf-regulationConceptual SkillsWith the help of conceptual skills you can visualize complex interdepen dencies, see the big picture, and find optimal solutions. These skills come in handy to people in managerial positions in particular.Abstract thinkingCognitive skillsContextualizingCreative thinkingCritical thinkingDecision makingInnovatingLogical thinkingMotivatingOrganizational skillsPresentingProblem-solvingCreative Thinking SkillsCreative thinking skills include a wide array of soft skills and abilities that let you see ordinary things from an extraordinary perspective. They help you find innovative solutions to various problems.Active listeningArtistic designBrainstormingCommunicationCreative writingOpen-mindednessProblem-solvingDecision-Making SkillsThis is a great subset of skills for project management. Decisions have to be made, and the biggest challenge is to keep your cool and make the best one. Heres a list of different types of decision-making skills:Consensus decision-makingConsumer decision makingData-driven decision-makingEthical decision makingRational decisionShare d decision-makingTeam decision-makingTo sum up:The lists could go on almost indefinitely.ButYou dont have that much space on your resume, do you?So its crucial to know how to identify and present your top skills on a resume.Well, you're about to find out in the next section.Writing a resume requires you to pay attention to many things big and small. Dont let anything slip your attention, read our guide on what to put on a resume.3Soft Skills for a Resume: How to Pick List ThemNow that you know what soft skills areIts time to see which of them to put on your resume.And the answer isWell, it depends.Yup.Different positions have different requirements, so the skills youll want to put on your resume will vary from one position to another.This is exactly why its crucial for your resume to be tailored to the position youre pursuing.Heres how to choose the best soft skills for a resume in six simple steps:1. Identify what soft skills employers want.Its easy to do this. All you need to do is take a long hard look at the job offer they posted, and note down all the skills the employer looks for.2. Make a master list of all your soft skills.Youre free to use the lists above to get inspired. Peek into our detailed guide on resume skills to identify the ones you have.3. Compare your list to the job offer.This is how you can identify the right soft skills to put on your resume. Remember: focus on the ones youre great at. Leave out all the rest.4. Use the resume experience section to show your soft skills.The trick is to work them into your resume experience bullet points. Theyll look much more powerful if you find a way to quantify them.5. Put your soft skills in your resume profile.Show off your skills at the top of your resume. Put some in your career objective or resume summary statement.6. List your soft skills in a dedicated skills section.You can give more prominence to your top skills by putting them in a separate resume section labeled Skills.Pro Tip: Your resume isnt the only place where you can highlight your relevant skills. Write a cover letter that will put your top skills in the spotlight.Now look at the examples below to see what this looks like in practice:Soft SkillsResume Objective ExampleCollaborative and dynamic business analyst with 7+ years of professional experience. Eager to support XYZ Inc. with top problem-solving and analytical skills to support the companys strategic initiatives. In previous roles increased sales by 20% through identifying a major bottleneck and improving business processes.Pro Tip: See if the job offer identifies the character traits the employer desires. Have them? Great! Put them here. Your resume profile is a great place for resume keywords.Job Description on a ResumeSoft SkillsEffectively communicated the scope, schedule, and budget of projects to 10+ customers and contractors.Led a team of 5 sales representatives and mentored 20+ new hires.RememberAlways try to quantify your experience described in bullet points.This way you show your real-life impact and turn your boring responsibilities into full-blown achievements for a resume.Pro Tip: If you want to double the impact of every bullet point in your resume job description, start each one with a powerful resume action word.ResumeSoft Skills Section ExampleAdaptabilityCollaborationCommunicationOrganizationProblem-solvingTime managementPro Tip: To make sure your resume goes past the ATS scan, use the wording that mimics the job ad. For example, if the job ad lists collaboration rather than teamwork, go for collaboration.Putting the right skills on your resume will give your resume a serious boost. But you can do so much more to up your chances! Learn how to make a resume that will stand out from the crowd.When making a resume in our builder, drag drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building your resume here.Create my resume nowWhen youre done, Zetys resume builder will score you r resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.Key TakeawaysHeres all you need to know about soft skills:Soft skills consist of a set of personal traits and transferable skills that allow you to work effectively in a group.In contrast to other types of skills, soft skills are hard to learn in a traditional way and are an integral part of your personality.Top soft skills that employers look for are problem-solving, teamwork, and communication skills among others.Always highlight the right soft skills on your resume, and tailor your resume to the job offer.Dont forget to mention your soft skills in a cover letter.Do you have any questions? Would you like to share your advice? Reach out to us using the comments below. Wed love to hear from you!