These are the Important Skills to Have on Your Resume in 2022

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When it comes to hiring in 2022, employers are more ready than ever to get back to a sense of normalcy and fill roles at their organizations — and they’re seeking out employees with the right skills for the job. However, after two years of a pandemic leading to upheaval and changes to where and how we work, employers may be looking for certain skills to fit their new needs.

With that in mind, we’re exploring some of the skills that are important to have on a resume in 2022, and which resume qualities may help land you that dream role.

Tips for building a strong resume in 2022 — according to a career coach

If you haven’t built a resume for yourself in several years, it’s natural to need a bit of guidance — especially as the working world has shifted quite a bit in the past few years. Dr. Helen Ofosu, career coach and HR consultant, shared some tips to keep in mind when creating or refreshing your resume.

Be brief — but specific

As always, when building a resume you want to keep it short, simple and organized — and be sure to stick straight to the point. Being long-winded or padding your resume with less-than-relevant details won’t do you any favours on your job search.

“I think a resume that is specific goes a long way,” said Dr. Ofosu.

“It’s better to have a shorter resume there that’s well-substantiated than have something that’s longer and has a whole lot of fluff that nobody can tell if you can deliver or not,” she added.

See more: 16 great jobs for women in trades.

Be honest

Being honest with employers, and with yourself, goes a long way. By keeping your resume short, and highlighting things the employer needs and wants in an employee you can begin that honest relationship right from the start.

“The important thing is to make sure that the skills you’re highlighting on your resume match the skills that employers are looking for,” Dr. Ofosu said.

“You may have a bunch of skills that are exciting beyond what’s being asked for, but to make it easier for the teacher, consultant or hiring manager to focus on highlighting the things that you do that reflect what they need instead of also including a bunch of things that are not relevant,” she added.

Be inclusive

Inclusivity is important in every setting, however, with the world changing at a rapid pace, it is more important now than ever that you are changing with it.

Being open, inclusive and welcoming in the work space by recognizing others emotions may not be the first traits you think of when looking at your resume, but these values may help get you one step ahead of your fellow potential hires. This is especially true if you’re looking for a position that has a leadership component.

“If you’re looking for a leadership role, being able to highlight the fact that you’re somebody who understands and values workplace inclusion and mental health are two big factors. I know that a lot of leaders are kind of tripping over themselves on those issues, because they’re not that easy to come by,” Dr. Ofosu said.

Be you

Lastly, and most importantly, be yourself. There may always be a surrounding pressure during the application process to be someone you are not, but the right workplace will love you for you and the right job will come along when the time is right.

Soft skills examples to consider for your resume in 2022

With that said, what are some specific soft skills (AKA non-technical skills that impact how you may perform at work) that you may consider including on your resume this year? We’ve rounded up some examples of soft skills that are good to have on a resume if you possess them.

Problem solving and adaptability. As we’ve seen in the past few years, things can change dramatically in an instant. Being able to roll with the punches and identify, troubleshoot and find a solution for a problem is a key skill that applies to many fields — that employers may especially value in 2022 and beyond.
Communication. The key to any walk of life is good communication, and demonstrating to employers that you are a clear and concise communicator will definitely put you ahead of the crowd. Being able to understand the different forms of communication and put them to use are excellent assets — especially in the digital world.
Conflict resolution and leadership. It is no doubt that in a workplace of any size or location (including work-from-home situations), conflict may arise. Going off the idea that conflict often reduces productivity, being able to resolve these issues when they arise, taking the initiative and being a leader in these situations are skills many employers are looking for in a candidate.
Motivation. While this is always a highly important skill to have, in the digital world — especially when working from home — motivation is quite literally the key to success. Through learning and practicing the motivational skills, and the process, you may find more success in your application process.
Teamwork. Whether it’s online, or in the real world, teamwork is always an important soft skill to carry with you. In most fields, it is inevitable, and the faster you learn to work with others, the faster you will succeed — after all, teamwork makes the dream work.