When crafting your resume, highlighting your strong communication skills is essential. Here are some top skills to consider and examples of how to showcase them on your resume.
- Active Listening: Demonstrate your ability to be receptive and engage in the conversation. For example:
Successfully facilitated team meetings by actively listening to colleagues and providing constructive feedback. - Verbal Communication: Showcase your ability to express ideas clearly and effectively. For example:
Presented quarterly reports to the executive board, effectively communicating the sales team’s achievements. - Written Communication: Emphasize your capacity to create clear, concise written documents. An example may be:
Developed and maintained monthly newsletter for the marketing department, reaching over 500 employees. - Empathy: Understanding others helps foster strong professional relationships. For example:
Addressed customer concerns with compassion, resulting in significant improvements in client satisfaction. - Teamwork and Collaboration: Focus on moments where you contributed to successful team projects. For instance:
Collaborated with cross-functional teams to develop and execute a new product launch, achieving a 30% increase in sales. - Adaptability: Showcase your flexibility and ability to handle change effectively. Here’s an example:
Adapted communication style to accommodate remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring a seamless transition for the team. - Conflict Resolution: Resolving conflicts efficiently benefits everyone. For example:
Mediated disagreements between team members, helping to create a more collaborative and harmonious work environment.
Verbal Communication Skills
Public Speaking
Mastering public speaking can be a game changer for your resume. Employers appreciate candidates who can confidently present information to groups. To showcase your public speaking skills, mention specific experiences where you have delivered presentations or speeches. For example:
- Delivered a presentation on sustainable business practices to a team of 30 colleagues
- Facilitated a workshop on effective communication for new employees
Foreign Language Proficiency
Being proficient in one or more foreign languages can set you apart from other candidates. It indicates your ability to communicate with a diverse range of people, which is valuable in a globalized workplace. To highlight your language skills, list the languages you’re proficient in along with your level of fluency. For instance:
- Fluent in Spanish and French
- Intermediate proficiency in Mandarin and German
Related: How to Include Language Skills on Your Resume (Examples)
Active Listening
Active listening is an essential verbal communication skill that demonstrates your ability to understand and engage with others effectively. Employers value employees who can listen attentively and respond thoughtfully in discussions. To emphasize your active listening skills, provide examples of situations where you’ve made a difference through attentive listening. Examples might include:
- Resolved a customer complaint by actively listening to their concerns and implementing a solution
- Improved team dynamics by being attentive during meetings and encouraging open communication among team members
Written Communication Skills
Professional Writing
In the professional world, written communication is a must-have skill. Your resume should showcase your ability to articulate thoughts and ideas with clarity and precision in different formats (reports, emails, proposals, etc.). To highlight this skill on your resume, use phrases like:
- Developed and edited company newsletters, enhancing employee engagement
- Created detailed project proposals, securing client approval and project funding
- Drafted and revised technical documentation, ensuring user-friendly clarity and accuracy
Business Correspondence
Effective business correspondence involves crafting clear and concise emails, memos, and letters tailored to various audiences. Showcasing this skill on your resume can demonstrate your expertise in professional etiquette and the ability to adapt your writing style to different scenarios. Here are some examples:
- Collaborated with international teams, sending clear and concise email correspondence to prevent miscommunications
- Generated persuasive sales emails that contributed to a 15% increase in client conversion rates
- Wrote concise and informative weekly memos to upper management, providing updates on project progress
Interpersonal Communication Skills
Conflict Resolution
When listing your conflict resolution skills on your resume, be specific about the techniques you employ:
- Skilled in using active listening to pinpoint underlying issues and complaints.
- Experienced in mediating disagreements between colleagues to find a mutual agreement.
- Proficient in providing constructive feedback and reinforcing positive communication behaviors.
Collaborative Teamwork
Highlight your ability to work effectively with others by showcasing the following abilities:
- Proven track record of successful group projects and team initiatives.
- Ability to adapt communication style based on team dynamics and members’ strengths.
- Skilled in brainstorming, group problem-solving, and co-creating ideas with diverse team members.
Empathy
Showcase your ability to understand and relate to others’ feelings and emotions by including these skills in your resume:
- Empathetic and compassionate attitude to foster a positive work environment.
- Demonstrated ability to provide emotional support and encouragement to team members in stressful situations.
Digital Communication Skills
Social Media
Nowadays, social media plays an important role in promoting a company’s brand and engaging with customers. Highlight your experience in leveraging social media platforms to advocate brand values and enhance customer relationships. Include these skills in your resume with statements like:
- Managed corporate social media accounts to establish a consistent brand voice and engage with customers.
- Successfully increased follower count and engagement on various platforms by creating relevant content.
Online Meeting Management
Effectively managing online meetings is a skill that demonstrates your ability to keep participants engaged and ensure productive outcomes. Emphasize your ability to plan, host, and facilitate virtual meetings using platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Here are some examples of how to put those skills on your resume:
- Experienced in scheduling and hosting virtual meetings, ensuring timely starts and focused discussions.
- Skilled in facilitating online meetings with participants from diverse backgrounds, fostering collaboration and decision-making.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some strong examples of communication skills to include on a resume?
Consider showcasing a range of communication skills, such as active listening, clear writing, public speaking, and negotiation. For example:
- Active listening: “Consistently praised for effectively capturing project requirements through attentive listening in client meetings.”
- Clear writing: “Developed company-wide email guidelines to ensure clarity and professionalism in written communication.”
- Public speaking: “Delivered engaging and informative presentations at industry conferences, demonstrating strong public speaking skills.”
- Negotiation: “Successfully negotiated contracts with suppliers, resulting in a 12% reduction in supply chain costs.”
How can I effectively showcase teamwork and collaboration abilities on my resume?
To emphasize your teamwork and collaboration skills, think about the projects you’ve participated in and your role in those projects. Examples:
- Successfully worked on cross-functional teams to complete projects on time and under budget.
- Collaborated with colleagues to innovate and implement improvements, increasing department efficiency by 15%.
- Facilitated open and constructive conversations within a diverse team environment, fostering trust and accountability.
What are some tips for highlighting written communication skills in a resume?
When showcasing written communication skills, focus on the outcomes your writing has achieved. For example:
- Crafted client proposals that consistently resulted in increased contract value and successful project launches.
- Edited and proofread internal communications, ensuring consistent tone and style across departments.
- Authored monthly newsletter with a growing subscriber base, receiving positive feedback for engaging and informative content.
Which techniques can demonstrate strong verbal communication abilities on a resume?
To illustrate your verbal communication skills, highlight situations where your speaking abilities played a critical role. Examples:
- Delivered persuasive sales pitches, resulting in a 20% increase in closed deals.
- Articulated complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders, facilitating successful project rollouts.
- Mediated conflicts between team members, fostering a positive work environment and promoting effective problem-solving.
How can one emphasize active listening skills when creating a professional resume?
To showcase your active listening skills, emphasize your ability to understand and respond to others’ ideas and concerns. Think about instances where your attentive listening has positively impacted projects. For example:
- Acted as a key liaison between departments, ensuring clear communication and understanding of project goals and tasks.
- Routinely sought input and feedback from team members, incorporating ideas into project plans and processes.
- Demonstrated a diplomatic approach in meetings and discussions, fostering open communication and maintaining team harmony.
What are some strategies to showcase problem-solving and leadership skills on a resume?
To highlight problem-solving and leadership skills, focus on examples where your actions led to positive outcomes. You might include:
- Successfully led a team through a challenging project turnaround, implementing targeted solutions to deliver on-time and within budget.
- Mentored junior employees, providing guidance and support that contributed to their successful progression within the company.
- Identified inefficiencies in work processes and implemented process improvements, resulting in a 25% increase in productivity.