Are Soft Skills Recession-Proof Skills?

Are Soft Skills Recession-Proof Skills?

...and do they belong in the resume?

I've been noticing soft skills being talked about a lot lately in the media. There's been a big push for job-seekers to emphasize them in their applications. While I absolutely agree that soft skills are critical to succeed at work, I feel a bit conflicted. I wonder if the resume is really the place for them?

Here's the thing: Soft skills are subjective. Anyone can say that they have great interpersonal skills. I can call myself a team player with amazing time management skills. Everyone can say those things. They don't mean anything unless you can show proof.

With this in mind, how might we effectively infuse important soft skills into a resume?

It's actually pretty easy! Here’s the framework I use with clients.

1. Identify Key Skills

   Read through the job posting and pick out 9-12 transferable skills to highlight. You can do this by reading through the posting closely to spot skills-based keywords.

   Here's a snippet of an exercise in my workforce development training program. Counselors have to spot 12 transferable skills in the job posting to elevate in their resume:

    

2. Professionalize Them

   The next step is to make the skills sound more professional, and add them to an Areas of Expertise section in the resume. It might look something like this:

   

3. Show, Don't Tell

   The best resumes that I see (and write) go one step further. They reference an example of a time when that skill was actually used. And they feature a two-line resume bullet about it.

   Here are a few examples…

   Instead of “Communications Skills," write a bullet like this:

   Leveraged knowledge of impactful communications strategies to revamp internal engagement program for 20,000+ employees.

   Instead of “Exceptional Team Player”

   Partnered with senior staff and colleagues to introduce new programs which increased member engagement by 23%.

   See the difference?

   So what kinds of soft skills do employers want to see?

Abilities like taking initiative, prioritizing projects, and collaborating with colleagues are super important in any role. And they are absolutely skills that employers want. The key is to show employers what results these skills led to.