Students & Alumni

Employers

Faculty & Staff

Parents

eRecruiting

Optimal Resume

SIGI 3

Top 10 skills/qualities employer seek

Use your resume to show prospective employers that you have the skills they’re looking for in candidates:

• Communication skills (verbal and written)
• Teamwork skills
• Initiative
• Interpersonal skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Analytical skills
• Flexibility/adaptability
• Computer skills
• Technical skills
• Detail-oriented
• Organizational skills
• Leadership skills
• Self-confidence

Source: Job Outlook 2008, National Association of Colleges and Employers

Transferable Skills

As you begin your job search, it is important that you know your own qualifications. Over the years you have developed many skills from coursework, extracurricular activities, and your total life experiences. If you’ve researched topics and written, edited, and presented papers for classes, you’ve used skills which are not limited to any one academic discipline or knowledge area but are transferable to many occupations. A prospective employer expects you to be able to apply the skills you have learned in college to the work environment.

Marketable job skills can be broken down into five basic categories or skills sets that job-seekers can use in showing applicable skills from one job/career to the next. Below is a list of five broad skill areas, which are divided into ore specific job skills.

Communication: the skillful expression, transmission, and interpretation of knowledge and ideas.

Research and planning: the search for specific knowledge and the ability to conceptualize future needs and solutions for meeting those needs.

Human relations: the use of interpersonal skills for resolving conflict, relating to, and helping people.

Organization, management, and leadership: the ability to supervise, direct, and guide individuals and groups in the completion of tasks and fulfillment of goals.

Work survival: the day-to-day skills that assist in promoting effective production and work satisfaction.

Transferable skill sets for job-seekers (PDF)

Adapted from Dynamic Cover Letters for New Graduates, by Katharine Hansen. www.quintcareers.com