creative skills in resume

How to Undoubtedly Show Your Creative Thinking When Crafting Your Resume

Here are the top ways to show your creative thinking skills on your resume. Find out relevant creative thinking keywords and phrases and build your resume today.

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What is creative thinking?

Why is creative thinking important on your resume, what skills and accomplishments help you highlight your creative thinking, creative thinking: key takeaways for your resume.

To be able to think creatively means to be able to think in new ways, to think outside the box. Creative thinking can be applied when solving a problem, resolving conflict, finding a way to work together, or simply drawing new conclusions from a set of data you’ve already considered. It’s the ability to look at something with new eyes and overcome your own thought patterns.

Creative thinking is not a skill necessary only for creative people, artists or engineers. Actually, employees in all kinds of industries are valued for their creative thinking skills, as they bring a new perspective to the company or team.

It is important to break the myth that creativity is a mystical inspiration with a divine source. People often think that being creative is a natural gift, but the truth is, it is only a predisposition, an aptitude if you will. Creative thinking is a skill and just like any other skill, you get better at it by practicing.

Let’s unpack what it means to be a creative thinker. Firstly, it is the ability to stay open-minded and make something new. It’s to look for unexpected and unorthodox resolutions when hitting a dead end. Secondly, it means being able to relate different pieces of information and break down issues in order to solve them in a way that has never been tried before.

Creative thinking is crucial not only in your professional career but also in life. It constitutes solving problems, being pioneering and open-minded, having resilience, viewing obstacles as challenges and not as problems.

It’s safe to say that a person, expressing those qualities and nuances of the skill, would be a very valuable asset to each employer. Companies want people who don’t back away from a problem, but rather tackle it in a courageous and new manner.

This is why it’s important to showcase your creative thinking on your resume.

As you already noticed, there are quite a few different skills that can prove you have creative thinking. The most relevant can be summed up as:

• Analytical thinking : being able to decompose a problem into its integral parts, to get to the root of the issue, gives you the chance to define it better. Coming up with a well-structured action plan is almost a 100% guarantee of success.
• Unorthodox problem-solving : show you can think outside the box by mentioning pioneering solutions or action plans you’ve offered throughout your professional life or education. Think of original ideas you’ve pitched that proved as excellent resolutions in tough situations.
• Open-mindedness : before even talking about analysis or problem-solving, comes being open-minded and not judgmental. Keeping a positive and open outlook allows you to consider different alternatives, lets you weigh in other perspectives, and helps you choose the best course of action. When was the last time you showed that you’re open-minded?

How to demonstrate creative thinking on your resume

• Think of times when you were faced with what looked like an unsolvable problem and the path you took that led to its resolution
• Share examples of original or unexpected ideas you’ve had that got you out of nail biter situations at work
• Describe a time when you kept an open mind and that helped you overcome a challenge
• Talk about a brainstorm session you held or participated in that totally blew everyone’s expectations
• Mention examples of a lateral thinking approach when you and your team solved a problem by adopting an indirect and creative approach
• Tell about a time when you turned a defect into an effect - creativity and invention go hand in hand with reusing and reinventing

It’s easy to say you’re creative, and much harder to prove it. We hear you.

Writing on your resume that “I’m a creative thinker who thrives on change” does sound great, but to persuade your future employer, you need to substantiate your creative thinking skills.

Explore your own experience by asking yourself the following questions:

• What is your problem-solving technique at work?
• Did you participate in any creative thinking workshops?
• What examples of your open mindedness can you think of?
• What is usually your approach when you’re trapped in a corner?

We’ve prepared some real life examples from other Enhancv users. Let’s get down to business.

Example 1: Demonstrate creative thinking in your work experience

Job Situation: Marketing manager applying for a new the role in a big creative agency

• • Grew the team from 2 people to 20+ digital marketing specialists, advertising experts, and content writers.
• • Employed multiple growth hacking strategies to make up for almost 0 marketing budget in the beginning.
• • Achieved a marketing ROI of 273% over a two-year period by using guerrilla marketing tactics for clients like Nike, Iamsterdam, Pllek
• • Managed execution of $1.8M in branding and sponsorships annually.

As you can see from the description, this marketing manager used only active verbs to illustrate their experience - “grew”, “employed”, “achieve” all speak of proactiveness and progress.

Also, they used a lot of quantitative measures - 20+ employees, 273% ROI, $1.8M budget. This brings an extra special touch in the description - rock solid proof and specifics.

Apart from that, key phrases such as “growth hacking strategies […] for almost 0 marketing budget” and “guerrilla marketing tactics” imply that this person has creative vision and knows how to employ unusual approaches. We’re left with the impression that they know how to make the most out of their opportunities and be forward-thinking.

Example 2: Resume summary

Job Situation: Marketing specialist applying for a Content marketing manager

This summary hits home for 3 different reasons: it gives background of the candidate’s experience, it underlines the hard skills they’re good at, and it highlights 2 important soft skills - they’re detail-oriented and creative.

Craft your summary carefully - usually it’s enough for an experienced talent specialist to tell if you fit the perfect candidate profile just by matching keywords from the job ad requirements with your resume bio.

Focus on the most relevant details!

Example 3: Achievements

Job Situation: UX/UI designer in the market for a new inspiring gig

“Achievements” is the section where you can write your own recommendation for yourself by showing off key moments from your career and combining that with your strengths.

In the example above, this U/UI designer showcased original creative thinking for achieving publicity and outreach - giving out high-quality freebies and international exposure in web design awards platform. How inventive, huh?

Example 4: Extracurricular activities & Courses

Job Situation: PR specialist describes her extracurricular activities

• • Designed the Creative Writing & Storytelling training program from the bottom up
• • Taught students aged 12-16 about creative writing methods and narrative styles
• • Held multiple workshops on how to think outside the box and develop one's imagination
• • Helped facilitate over 18 different training groups
• • Delivered interactive workshops on subjects such as giving constructive feedback, effective teamwork, creating mindmaps, 6 thinking hats

Job Situation: Software developer describes his coursework

An ideal way to show further your creative thinking is through one of the additional sections - such as volunteering, extracurricular activities, courses or training you’ve undergone. You may even add important projects that have helped you build, improve or shine with your creativity.

• Quantity and quality can go hand in hand: don’t just say what you did, use quantitative measures and results to support your words (%, $, count)
• Make sure to include relevant experience and examples to illustrate your creative thinking skills - be explicit in your description, don’t hint it but explain clearly
• Keep it short and sweet - use keywords and phrases to connect your experience with the job ad requirements, and don’t write walls of texts. Use bullet points and to-the-point sentences to prove how original and inventive you are.

About this report:

Data reflects analysis made on over 1M resume profiles and examples over the last 2 years from Enhancv.com.

While those skills are most commonly met on resumes, you should only use them as inspiration and customize your resume for the given job.

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40 Creative skills for your CV

Looking for a job and want lots of creative skills to include them on your CV?

In this article, we’re giving you 40 examples of creative skills for your CV, covering everything from web design to video editing.

We’ve even included example CV quotes, to give you some inspiration as you write your own CV.

CV templates 

Essential creative skills

Here are the top essential creative skills to include on your CV :

• Innovation – e.g. “Created an optimised user experience by overhauling our website design with UX and extensive prototyping.”
• Attention to detail – e.g. “Colour-coded website to reflect company branding and create an optimised customer experience.”
• Design software – e.g. “9+ years working in Adobe photoshop, creating custom posters, flyers, leaflets, and business cards.”
• Design – e.g. “Designed our customer feedback surveys to encourage personalised responses, helping us create market funnels based on customer behaviour.”
• Idea generation – e.g. “Innovated our new online advertising strategy and video campaign, resulting in an 845% increase in click-through in PPC advertising.”
• Planning – e.g. “Organised a 6-month long advertising campaign and influencer-marketing campaign, cultivating brand awareness and brand recognition online.”
• Visual Communication – e.g. “Organised visual strategy for the shop floor redecoration, opting for spacious aisles and a more customer-centric physical experience.”
• Creative writing – e.g. “Wrote company’s SEO blog and all LinkedIn content, increasing organic traffic and click-through.”
• Product development – e.g. “Developed sketches and 3D prototypes, collaborating with the design team to optimise user functionality.”
• Critical thinking – e.g. “Decided to move our team to a new CMS, changing our communication strategy to encourage idea generation and brainstorming.”

Graphic Design

Good with photoshop? Here are the top essential graphic design skills you should include on your CV :

• Photo editing – e.g . “Used InDesign to retouch professional headshots, promotional photographs and stock photographs.”
• Adobe – e.g. “ Used Adobe Creative Studio to create compelling visuals for our online store, creating mock-ups to demonstrate how clothing items would look when worn.”
• Typography – e.g. “Created company font and logo used for business stationary, all merchandise and all visual communication.”
• Photography – e.g. “Shot the advertising campaign over the course of 2 days, working with marketing team to create collaborative finished product.”
• Canva – g. “Created and branded all our Instagram infographics and posts using creative tools in Canva.”
• UI/UX Design – e.g. “Identified core tasks and analysed behavioural data to optimise the website and create a more user-friendly experience.”
• Print design – e.g . “Created printed flyers and point-of-sale graphics for our shop floor during promotional and seasonal periods.”
• Branding – e.g. “Designed all company branding, logo, colour themes and font, applying the styles across all of our social media channels and any online presence.”
• Digital literacy – e.g. “Trained design staff in UI/UX optimisation, in how to identify core goals and interpret behavioural data.”

Video editing

Here are some of the top essential video-editing skills to include on your CV:

• Final cut pro – e.g. “10+ years’ experience creating video campaigns in Final Cut Pro for various clients in the finance sector.”
• Visual marketing – e.g. “Headed up our marketing team to develop our brand identity and brand story, using visual marketing and word-of-mouth to increase brand recognition.”
• Self-motivation – e.g. “Managed several clients while working as a freelancer, completed all projects to deadline and retained 13 of 21 clients long-term.”
• Colour correcting – e.g. “ Colour-corrected 300 hours of black-and-white reels from the 1930s, showing how they’d look if filmed in colour.”
• Adobe creative suite – e.g. “ Created stills and short music videos using Adobe creative suite, winning a Webby award for one campaign for a client in the education sector.”
• Sound editing – e.g. “Cut and synchronised audio to video, mastering over 400 television programs for broadcast television.”
• Trends – e.g. “Picked up on specific trends while working on video campaigns for high-street fashion retailer, with one viral ad campaign gathering over 10 million YouTube views.”
• After effects – e.g. “Used After Effects to create grainy, vintage videos for a documentary series about Victorian Britain, with successful rendering.”
• Editing – e.g. “Finalised TV episodes, cut long scenes, took creative direction over storylines and presented the final product to our production team.”
• Collaboration – e.g. “Created and stylised music video according to client’s brief and instructions, with the music video reaching the top 50 in the UK charts.”

Here are the top essential web design skills to include on your CV:

• CMS skills – e.g. “Build a software designed to be integrated into WordPress, with over 500,00 downloads EOY.”
• JavaScript – e.g. “Consulted with engineer team to re-write JavaScript and remove unused JavaScript and increase website rapidity and functionality.”
• SASS/SCSS – e.g. “Simplified CSS operations using SASS, adding extensions and decreasing graphic rendering time.”
• Problem solving – e.g. “Worked with clients to help assist in any troubleshooting problems that occurred after the installation and launch of their website or themes.”
• CSS – e.g. “Changed website CSS to optimise buyer experience and decrease poor levels of visitor click-through.”
• SEO – e.g. “Optimised our web content with SEO keyword research, link-building and high-quality copywriting and written blog content.”
• Creative thinking – e.g. “Designed a user-centric customer shopping experience, allowing customers to select products according to their needs and budget.”
• Initiative – e.g. “Turned website homepage into lead magnets for returning customers to receive on the landing page, increasing email lists and encouraging customer loyalty.”
• WordPress – e.g. “Built and distributed over 500 WordPress themes, with accessible user-friendly features and bright, reader-friendly aesthetics.”

What are creative skills?

Creative skills pertain to any skills or qualities that relate to the creative industries. Creative skills can encompass anything from technical skills (such as proficiency in various design software e.g. Photoshop ) to soft skills such as self-motivation and critical thinking.

Creative skills don’t just relate to your work experience but can also include training programs you’ve completed. If you’ve successfully completed or even self-trained in any creative software, you can include these on your CV.

In general, most creative skills will demonstrate your innovation, self-motivation and critical thinking skills, as well as technical competences.

Why are creative skills important?

Having strong creative skills is key if you want to land roles in the following industries: web design, graphic design, social media management, videography, website design and fashion design.

Creative skills also demonstrate to a potential recruiter that you’re a self-starter who can offer an innovative dimension to their team. Even if you’re not applying to a creative role, having creative skills demonstrates that you’re detail-orientated and thorough in your work, capable of generating ideas and brainstorming.

With so many industries now focused on visual marketing and brand storytelling for their marketing campaigns, having creative skills will give your CV a competitive edge.

How to include creative skills on your CV

So, how do you include creative skills on your CV? You have two main options: you can include your creative skills in your main CV profile , or you can add them into the jobs section of your CV, in the same place where you list your roles and responsibilities.

In your CV profile

If you’re trying to establish yourself as a creative professional and applying to creative jobs, you should include your core creative skills in your CV profile.

Your CV profile is your one chance to make a good impression with a busy recruiter, so it’s a good idea to highlight your creative skills right away and make it clear that you have the relevant skills and work experience for the role.

While you’ll still be including your creative skills in your work experience section, tailoring your CV profile to the industry you want to work will prove to be key to landing an interview. In the image below, you can find an example of creative skills included in a CV profile:

In your jobs

If you’re not applying to a creative role (or if your professional profile isn’t that of a creative) you can include your creative skills in the work experience section of your CV, when you list your jobs.

This is a great way to demonstrate your versatility: creative skills are a major bonus in lots of industries, including marketing, social media management and advertising. Even if you’re not applying to a role in the creative industry, showing off your creative skills is advantageous.

Make sure to also list important achievements alongside your technical knowledge. If you’re listing technical knowledge, make sure to add how many years you’ve been using the software or technology. “ Adobe Creative Suite (8+ years)” is much more compelling to a recruiter than simply “Adobe” or “Adobe creative suite skills.”

In the image below, you can find an example of creative skills included in the jobs section of a CV:

What to avoid

When it comes to adding creative skills to your CV, don’t be generic. It’s important to be able to back up any claims you make about your skills, so make sure you’re able to give solid evidence of your skills in action.

Creative jobs might require the presentation of a portfolio, so you should be prepared to present some of your previous work during your interview. You can add “Portfolio available on request” if you list specific technical skills on your CV, such as video editing or graphic design.

Most importantly, only highlight the creative skills that are relevant to the job, and that you can back up with examples.

Creative Thinking Skills for Resume: Definition & Tips

Creative thinking skills refer to the ability to come up with unique and innovative ideas, solutions, and approaches to problems. It involves using your imagination, curiosity, and strategic thinking to find new ways of looking at a situation or challenge.

Importance of Creative Thinking Skills in Resume

The job market today is highly competitive and employers are looking for candidates who can bring something extra to the table. Creative thinking skills make you stand out as a candidate who can provide fresh ideas and insights to the company. They demonstrate your ability to think outside the box, problem-solve, and approach tasks creatively.

Including creative thinking skills in your resume can also help you in your career development. You can use them to take on new challenges, develop innovative solutions, and advance your career.

Brief overview of the article content

In this article, we will provide you with a comprehensive guide to creative thinking skills for resume writing. We will cover the importance of creativity in the workplace, different types of creative thinking, and how to showcase your creative thinking skills in your resume.

Some of the topics we will cover include:

• The benefits of creative thinking in the workplace
• The different types of creative thinking skills
• Ways to develop your creative thinking skills
• Tips on how to incorporate your creative thinking skills in your resume
• Examples of how to showcase your creative thinking skills in your resume

By the end of this article, you will have a clear understanding of what creative thinking skills are, why they are important, and how to showcase them effectively in your resume.

Understanding Creative Thinking

Creative thinking is an essential skill that allows individuals to think outside the box, generate innovative ideas, and see things from new perspectives. This skill is particularly relevant in today’s ever-changing business landscape, where companies are looking for employees who can solve complex problems and bring new ideas to the table.

Definition of Creativity

Creativity can be defined as the ability to generate innovative ideas and unique solutions to problems. This process typically involves breaking free from conventional ways of thinking and exploring new methods or approaches to an issue.

Characteristics of Creative Thinkers

Creative thinkers possess several unique characteristics that allow them to excel in their roles. Some of these attributes include:

Open-mindedness: Creative thinkers are open to new ideas and perspectives, which helps them generate innovative solutions.

Curiosity: They have a natural curiosity that makes them eager to explore new topics and ideas.

Flexibility: They are flexible thinkers who can adapt to changes and think on their feet.

Risk-taking: Creative thinkers are not afraid to take risks and try new things.

Collaboration: They are collaborative and enjoy working with others to come up with new ideas.

Different types of Creative Thinking Approaches

There are several different types of creative thinking approaches, including:

Divergent thinking: This approach involves generating a wide variety of ideas and then selecting the best one.

Lateral thinking: This approach involves looking at a problem or situation from a new perspective and coming up with an innovative solution.

Analogical thinking: This approach involves drawing connections between unrelated things to generate new ideas.

Importance of Creative Thinking in the Workplace

The importance of creative thinking in the workplace cannot be overstated. Creative thinkers are valuable assets to any company, as they can help solve complex problems, generate new ideas, and drive innovation. They are also more adaptable, flexible, and resilient, which makes them valuable during times of change.

Creative thinking skills can help employees in any role, from sales and marketing to finance and operations. In fact, companies that prioritize creativity and innovation tend to outperform their competitors, as they are better able to develop new products, strategies, and processes that meet the needs of their customers and organization as a whole.

In addition, the ability to think creatively can help employees stand out in the job market. Job seekers who can demonstrate their creative thinking skills on their resume or in an interview are often more appealing to employers, as they are seen as valuable problem-solvers who can add unique value to the company.

Creative thinking is a valuable skill that can help employees excel in their roles, drive business innovation, and stand out in the job market. By cultivating this skill, individuals can take their careers to new heights and help their organizations succeed in today’s fast-paced business world.

Benefits of Including Creative Thinking Skills in Resume

As the job market is highly competitive, job seekers need to stand out from the crowd. One way to achieve this is by including creative thinking skills in their resumes.

Increasing Employability

Employers look for candidates who possess certain qualities or skills that contribute to the success of their company. Creative thinking is one of them. By showcasing creative thinking skills in their resumes, job seekers increase their chances of being hired, especially in creative fields such as advertising, marketing, or design. But even in more traditional industries, such as finance or law, employers value creative thinking as it helps employees find solutions to complex problems, drive innovation, and work effectively under pressure.

Attracting Employers

A well-crafted resume that highlights creative thinking skills is more likely to catch the attention of potential employers. Creativity is a desirable quality that sets candidates apart from those who only list their work experience and academic degrees. Employers are interested in candidates who can think outside the box, bring fresh ideas to the table, and add value to their organization. By demonstrating their creative thinking skills, job seekers improve their chances of getting noticed and invited for an interview.

Enhancing Career Growth Opportunities

Creative thinking skills are not only beneficial for getting a job, but also for advancing one’s career. Professionals who can think creatively are more likely to come up with innovative solutions, suggest new strategies, and adapt to changes in their industry. These skills are invaluable for leadership positions, where decision-making, problem-solving, and innovation are essential. By having creative thinking skills in their resume, professionals show their potential for growth and development, positioning themselves for more challenging and better-paying job opportunities.

Providing a Competitive Edge over Other Candidates

Finally, including creative thinking skills in a resume can give job seekers a competitive edge over other candidates with similar qualifications. In a crowded hiring market, it’s not enough to have the right skills and experience. Candidates need to showcase their unique qualities, such as creativity, to stand out from the crowd. By doing so, they not only increase their chances of being hired but also demonstrate their commitment to personal and professional growth.

Creative thinking skills are becoming increasingly important for job seekers in all fields. By including them in their resumes, job seekers can increase their employability, attract potential employers, enhance their career growth opportunities, and provide a competitive edge over other candidates. Whether you’re a recent graduate or a seasoned professional, demonstrating your creative thinking skills in your resume is a smart move that can take your career to the next level.

Essential Creative Thinking Skills for Resume

A successful career in any field requires creative thinking skills, and employers are seeking candidates who can bring a unique perspective to the table. Creative thinking skills, such as transforming ideas into actionable plans, problem solving abilities, novel perspective and innovative thinking, effective communication, collaboration, and critical thinking and analytical abilities are vital for any candidate preparing their resume, as they showcase the ability to approach problems with a creative mindset.

Transforming Ideas into Actionable Plans

This particular skill demonstrates the ability to take an idea and bring it to fruition. It requires the capability to create clear and concise plans of action with specific details on how to execute them. Employers recognize this as a powerful asset and look for it in their candidates.

Problem Solving Abilities

Problem solving abilities are the cornerstone of success in any profession. These capabilities require a candidate to solve complex problems with a creative and analytical approach. By identifying the root cause of an issue and approaching it with a strategic plan, a candidate can demonstrate their ability to resolve challenges.

Novel Perspective and Innovative Thinking

Innovative thinking is about to presenting new and creative approaches to problem-solving. Candidates who can demonstrate this skill set will bring valuable new ideas to their team, which can lead to enhanced productivity and an increased competitive advantage.

Effective Communication and Collaboration

Effective communication and collaboration are essential to success in today’s workforce. Candidates who can listen, speak intelligently and work well with others will always impress their employers. Collaboration is vital for cross-functional teams, communication is vital for stakeholders, clients or customers. A successful candidate needs to demonstrate their expertise in both.

Critical Thinking and Analytical Abilities

Critical thinking is the ability to think independently and objectively about a situation. Candidates with this skill set are instrumental in identifying issues, analyzing data trends, deconstructing arguments and recognizing assumptions to assess their validity. As part of an analytical approach, critical thinking enables a candidate to have a deeper understanding of information, making informed decisions on any problem.

Possessing strong skills in creative thinking is a critical component in a candidate’s ability to stand out in today’s workforce. Employers seek candidates who demonstrate a creative mindset and the capability to address issues with an innovative approach. It’s essential for candidates to showcase this skill set on their resumes, as it can lead to more extensive employment opportunities and career growth.

Strategies to Develop Creative Thinking Skills

To develop Creative Thinking Skills, one needs to try engaging the mind in different exercises and thought processes. Those exercises should spark one’s creativity and ability to think creatively in new contexts. Below are some of the strategies that one can use to develop Creative Thinking Skills:

Brainstorming Techniques

Brainstorming is a technique where a group of people can generate as many ideas as possible, irrespective of its quality. A brainstorming session can help individuals to come up with ideas that they would never have thought of. To brainstorm effectively, one person could pose a problem or question to the group, and the goal is to generate as many ideas as possible without any judgment or evaluation. Every idea should be acknowledged and built upon. The focus should be on increasing the number of ideas.

Mind Mapping

Mind Mapping is a technique that allows one to visually organize and connect their ideas. It is a creative problem-solving tool used to brainstorm ideas and illustrate how they are connected. Mind Mapping is a great strategy to generate ideas, make connections between them, and organize them in a clear and easy-to-follow manner.

Cooperative Learning

Cooperative Learning is a technique where learners work together in small groups to achieve a common goal. Cooperative Learning can help individuals develop their creative thinking skills by exposing them to diverse perspectives, experiences, and ideas. It also helps people to learn and understand from each other, collaborate and communicate effectively, and work as a team.

Role-Playing

Role-Playing is a technique where learners assume a role or character, act out a scenario, and respond to a given situation. It is a technique used to understand and empathize with another’s perspective or a problem. Role-Playing can help individuals develop their creative thinking skills by exploring alternative solutions, develop empathy, and understand different viewpoints.

Idea Generation Games

Using Idea Generation Games, such as word association, random word generation, or asking “what if” questions, can help individuals develop their Creative Thinking Skills. These games aim to encourage individuals to think differently, explore different ideas, and consider multiple perspectives. They stimulate creativity by breaking down patterns of thinking and freeing the mind to new possibilities.

The development of creative thinking skills requires a diverse set of techniques that allow individuals to think outside the box, explore new perspectives, and develop meaningful solutions creatively. The Five strategies presented are just a few examples of how to achieve this goal. Through various exercises, individuals can tap into their innate creativity and see the world through a whole new lens. By applying these skills, creativity can transform and bring positive results for individuals and businesses alike.

Practical Tips to Highlight Creative Thinking Skills in Resume

To effectively highlight your creative thinking skills in your resume, there are several practical tips to follow.

Utilizing Creative Language

Using creative language can help your resume stand out from the crowd while demonstrating your creative thinking skills. Avoid using traditional, mundane language and instead incorporate vivid and descriptive language that showcases your ability to think outside the box.

Including Relevant Work Samples

Including relevant work samples can provide tangible evidence of your creative thinking skills. Showcase projects, ideas, or designs where your creativity was leveraged or produced a successful outcome. Include a brief explanation of how your creativity helped achieve the end result.

Highlighting Achievements and Accomplishments

Highlighting achievements and accomplishments is an effective way to showcase your creative thinking skills. List notable achievements where your creativity was an important factor. For instance, if you came up with an innovative marketing campaign that led to increased sales, make sure to highlight this on your resume.

Incorporating Buzzwords and Industry-Specific Terms

Incorporating buzzwords and industry-specific terms can help your resume get noticed by hiring managers and demonstrate your knowledge of the field. Use this as an opportunity to show your creativity in using industry-specific terminology or how you utilize buzzwords to capture attention.

Personalizing Resume According to Job Description

Personalizing your resume according to the job description is crucial to demonstrate that you have the specific creative thinking skills that the company requires. Tailor your resume to the specific job by identifying keywords and phrases used in the job description and incorporating them into your resume language.

By following these practical tips to highlight your creative thinking skills in your resume, you increase your chances of catching the attention of hiring managers and demonstrating your creative thinking abilities. Remember, creativity is always in demand in any field, and a well-crafted resume can help you land your dream job.

Examples of Creative Thinking Skills in Action

Real-life examples of creative thinking skills, 1. healthcare.

In the healthcare industry, creative thinking can be applied in various ways. For instance, when developing new treatments or medicines, healthcare professionals need to analyze complex data and think critically about how to create a drug that will have minimal side effects while still being effective in treating specific health conditions. Creative thinking is also essential when developing new medical devices that need to be user-friendly and effective.

2. Marketing

Marketing is an industry where creative thinking is at the forefront. Marketing professionals use creative thinking to create campaigns and strategies that will resonate with their target audience, increase brand awareness, and drive sales. Creating an engaging and memorable ad campaign requires thinking outside the box and using innovative techniques to grab people’s attention.

3. Engineering

Engineering is an industry where innovation and creativity are key. Engineers use creative thinking to improve existing products and services or to design new ones. For example, when building a new bridge, engineers need to think creatively about how to make it structurally sound, aesthetically pleasing, and cost-effective.

Case Studies and Success Stories

Tesla is a successful business that has revolutionized the car industry with its electric cars. Tesla’s founder, Elon Musk, has a reputation for promoting creative thinking and innovation within his company. One example of this is the Tesla Roadster, which was the first highway-capable all-electric vehicle. Tesla has also been at the forefront of developing self-driving cars, using cutting-edge technology to create advanced sensors and controls that allow for autonomous driving.

Airbnb is another example of a successful company that relies on creative thinking. The idea of renting out your home or apartment to strangers was a radical concept when it was first introduced. However, Airbnb’s founders used creative thinking to disrupt the hotel industry and create a new form of travel accommodation. Creative thinking has also been essential for Airbnb’s expansion into other areas, such as experiences and adventures.

Apple is a company that has built its reputation on innovation and creativity. Apple’s products, such as the iPhone and iPad, have transformed the tech industry and become household names. Apple’s designers and engineers use creative thinking to develop new products and features that meet customer needs while also being aesthetically pleasing and intuitive to use.

How to Demonstrate Creative Thinking Skills in Interviews

In a competitive job market, showcasing creative thinking skills in an interview can set you apart from other candidates. This section will discuss common interview questions about creative thinking, tips to showcase your abilities, and dos and don’ts during interviews.

Common Interview Questions about Creative Thinking

Employers often ask interview questions that assess a candidate’s creative thinking abilities. Here are some common questions you may encounter:

• Describe a time when you solved a problem in a creative way.
• How do you develop and implement innovative ideas?
• Can you give an example of a project where you applied creative thinking to achieve a successful outcome?

These questions aim to determine whether you possess the skills and mindset to generate unique ideas and solve problems creatively.

Tips to Showcase Creative Thinking Abilities

To demonstrate your creative thinking skills during an interview, consider the following tips:

Provide specific examples.  Use real-world examples of how you applied creative thinking to solve problems or find solutions. This could be a project you worked on in school or a particularly challenging task at a previous job. Specific examples help the interviewer visualize your skills in action.

Describe your thought process.  Walk the interviewer through your approach to solving a problem. Explain how you generated ideas, considered multiple solutions, and evaluated outcomes. This demonstrates your ability to think critically and analytically.

Be confident and passionate.  Creative thinking often requires taking risks and stepping outside of the box. Show that you’re not afraid to think differently and share your unique ideas. Display confidence and enthusiasm for creative problem-solving.

Dos and Don’ts During Interviews

When demonstrating your creative thinking abilities in an interview, keep these dos and don’ts in mind:

• Do listen carefully to the interviewer’s questions and respond thoughtfully.
• Do use specific examples to illustrate your creative thinking abilities.
• Do ask questions to show your interest in the position and company.
• Do provide insight into how you think and approach problems.
• Don’t ramble or go off-topic in your responses.
• Don’t exaggerate or fabricate examples of your creative thinking.
• Don’t dismiss or criticize the ideas of others.
• Don’t be hesitant to think creatively or share unique ideas.

Displaying your creative thinking skills during an interview can be a key factor in getting the job you want. Use specific examples to showcase your abilities, describe your thought process, and be confident and passionate. Remember to listen carefully, avoid rambling, and be open to considering unique solutions during the interview process. Good luck!

Challenges and Solutions: Overcoming Creative Thinking Hurdles

As with any valuable skill, there are challenges to implementing creative thinking successfully in the workplace. Here are a few common obstacles and some strategies for overcoming them:

Common Challenges Faced while Implementing Creative Thinking in the Workplace

1. fear of failure.

Fear of failure is one of the most common barriers to creative thinking. This fear can prevent individuals from taking risks or pursuing unconventional ideas. This can stifle creativity in the workplace and limit the potential for innovation.

2. Lack of Time

In a fast-paced work environment, it can be challenging to find time for creative thinking. Daily deadlines and urgent tasks can make it challenging to prioritize brainstorming and idea generation.

3. Comfort with the Status Quo

Sometimes, employees may become comfortable with the way things are done, making it difficult for them to embrace new, creative ideas. They may be resistant to change or prefer to stick with what has worked in the past.

Strategies to Overcome Hurdles

1. create a safe space.

To combat the fear of failure, it’s important to create a safe space for creative thinking. Encourage employees to share their ideas without judgment, and emphasize that not every idea has to be perfect or will be implemented.

2. Make Time for Creative Thinking

Schedule time for creative brainstorming sessions or carve out blocks of time for individuals to work on creative projects. Prioritize creative thinking as part of the daily workflow, and hold individuals accountable for allocating the necessary time.

3. Celebrate Successes

When creative ideas are successfully implemented, celebrate these victories. This will help foster a culture of innovation and provide motivation for employees to continue pursuing creative solutions.

4. Encourage Outside Perspectives

Bringing in external perspectives, whether through consultants or new team members, can provide fresh ideas and alternative viewpoints. This can help break down the comfort with the status quo and encourage employees to embrace new ideas.

By understanding and addressing these challenges, organizations can overcome hurdles to creative thinking and unlock the full potential of their employees. With a focus on innovation and a commitment to embracing new ideas, businesses can drive growth and success.

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What’s creative thinking?

Creative thinking versus critical thinking

Creative thinking skills

How to develop creative thinking skills

4 creative thinking examples to include on your resume

Sharpen your creativity

Creative thinking is the key to unlocking innovation and problem-solving excellence. 

In the whirlwind of everyday professional challenges, we’ve all encountered moments when fresh ideas feel elusive. If you’ve found yourself struggling to inspire your team or spinning out during a brainstorming session , it may be a sign you need to develop your creative skills. Plus, creative problem solving looks excellent on a resume .

As a leader or team member, your ability to think outside the box can ignite a spark of ingenuity that propels your team to new heights. Fan the flames of growth and learn how to improve your creative thinking (and highlight your new skills in your next job application).

What’s creative thinking? 

Creative thinking is the dynamic process of transforming your ideas into actions. The skillset equips you to think differently and approach challenges from innovative angles.

At its core, creative thinking empowers you to break free from the constraints of the status quo and dream up fresh, original ideas. It breathes life into your decisions, encouraging you to embrace your imaginative instincts. 

By daring to challenge traditional approaches, your creativity opens doors to uncharted innovations and groundbreaking solutions.

Creative thinking versus critical thinking 

Although creative and critical thinking are both used in problem-solving , the two skills are marked by key differences. 

Creative thinking is the catalyst for generating innovative ideas and crafting novel approaches to the challenges around them. With an open mind and a wild imagination, creative thinkers produce and explore unconventional solutions to the problems that stand in their way.

Critical thinking analyzes available information with an unbiased and rational approach. It involves questioning perceptions, ensuring that decisions are devoid of bias and reasoning remains grounded in sound judgment. 

Creative thinking skills 

When you look at creative thinking as a set of particular abilities, it becomes easier to develop and perfect. These creative skill examples can help you thrive inside and outside of the workplace:

1. Open-mindedness

When you’re open-minded, you can readily adapt to new information and look for fresh problem-solving approaches. You’re receptive to the opinions and ideas of others because you view them as constructive rather than criticizing . This openness also encourages you to freely share your creative ideas without fearing judgement.

2. Curiosity

You might find that you tap into creative potential the most when you’re challenging convention and posing new ways of thinking. Analyzing processes and asking yourself how you can improve them is an exciting way to make more efficient systems.

Whether you’re new to a job or have worked at the company for years, you may wonder why procedures are what they are — lean into this curiosity to develop new and better ways to work. 

3. Ability to brainstorm

There are numerous ways to solve a problem, and brainstorming helps to get them onto paper so you can weigh their pros and cons. This way of lateral thinking encourages you to view solutions as multifaceted rather than a single, straightforward answer.

4. Experimentation

Creative people experiment with various ways of solving a problem before deciding on the best way to take action. Emulate this mindset in your projects and tasks. For instance, if you work in web design, you might try several page layouts before deciding on a final visual identity for your client.

5. Networking

Speaking with people from different professional backgrounds is an excellent way to stimulate creative thinking and develop new perspectives. When you network with professionals with diverse skill sets and experiences, they might influence you to look at the world differently or suggest an innovative way to tackle a problem.

6. Observation

It’s important to know when to take the backseat and listen in. Observing how others tackle complex issues might inspire you to make changes within your team. Always keep an eye out for opportunities to learn from more experienced peers and innovative colleagues.

7. Organization

Although some individuals claim to thrive in clutter, keeping your work organized creates an environment where you can work freely without distraction. This involves keeping your workspace tidy, creating clear to-do lists, and using visual maps to express your plans and processes.

8. Communication

Proper communication empowers you to share valuable insight and ideas with your teammates. You need strong verbal and written skills to pitch and describe your thoughts and actively listen to others’ feedback and advice.

9. Analysis

Before you can dream up a creative approach to an obstacle, you must fully understand the problem at hand. Without proper analysis, your solution may contain flaws, or you could miss important details of your problem. Practice sifting through every detail of the issue and pinpointing the causes. 

10. Problem-solving

No matter your industry, problem-solving is always a valuable skill. Consider how to tackle a problem without asking the advice of others to see what creative solutions arise. This way, you can see what inventive ideas you can come up with before external opinions influence you.

Although some of your coworkers may seem to have a natural talent for creativity and creative thinking, it’s a skill anyone can develop and improve. Here are seven ways to advance your innovative problem-solving:

Reading is an effective way to exercise your mind, increase your vocabulary, and expose yourself to new ways of thinking. Whether your book is on a problem you’re facing at work or a new and exciting subject, reading is an excellent opportunity to learn. That’s right: simply cracking open a book can help you grow . 

Keep a notepad nearby and write down thoughts and ideas as they arise. Writing helps you to process information, and you can revisit your musing whenever you need to get your creative juices flowing. If you’ve never tried journaling before, it’s an excellent way to process your thoughts and feelings in a safe and private space. 

3. Exercise

Exercising improves your sleep and ability to cope with stress, making it easier to stay alert and contribute fresh ideas at work. 

4. Listen to music

Music can affect your mood and place you in the mindset to solve problems. If you’re struggling with creative writing or creating a visual piece of work, listening to music could push you toward expressing yourself more meaningfully. 

5. Ask for feedback

Collaboration and teamwork are key when developing creative solutions in the workplace. You can ask teammates or superiors for feedback on your ideas to gain insight into potential flaws in your reasoning and streamline your solutions.

6. Find a mentor or coach

Having an experienced person to bounce ideas off is a catalyst for creativity. A mentor or coach who’s dealt with similar obstacles can provide insight into what worked and what didn’t, saving you valuable brainstorming time. 

7. Change your approach

If you’ve been approaching your tasks the same way, adjusting your processes may bring a fresh perspective and stimulate change. Ask yourself why you tackle work from a similar angle each time and consider more creative ways to conduct your day-to-day operations.

4 creative thinking examples to include on your resume 

Employers want to add creative people to their teams because solving problems takes a lot of ingenuity. Use these four examples and bullet points for inspiration when listing creative thinking skills on your resume.

On a graphic designer’s resume:

• Collaborated on rebranding [company’s] visual identity and social media content strategy
• Developed unique and innovative branding material for [company A] , [company B] , and [company C]

On a copywriter’s resume:

• Revised [company’s] website and blog content to be more engaging, exciting, and SEO-focused
• Contributed original and innovative articles on [topic] to [publication A] and [publication B]

On a public relations specialist’s resume:

• Increased [company’s] brand awareness by planning [event] to launch [product]
• Collaborated with [brand] on [product’s] creative marketing strategy to reach a wider audience

On a teacher’s resume:

• Developed a novel approach to teaching [subject or class] to students with various learning styles and needs
• Introduced [extracurricular] , the first of its kind in [the school board] , to engage students in [activity]

Sharpen your creativity 

Critical and creative thinking broaden your perspective and allow you to devise unique solutions to everyday problems. You can develop your creative skills by changing your environment, learning from others, and adjusting your approach to work. 

Regardless of how you choose to spark creativity at work, don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and confidently contribute your ideas. You never know — you might just come up with the next big company innovation.

Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

How to develop critical thinking skills

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Creative Ways to Illustrate Design Skills on Your Resume (25+ Examples)

This in-depth guide from recruiters covers everything you need to know about creating a resume that highlights your creativity and design skills, including essential skills and sample bullet points.

2 years ago   •   8 min read

There’s more to showcasing design skills on your job application than simply handing in a well-designed resume. Hiring managers are looking for candidates who are creative, versatile, and skilled in their area of expertise .

So, how do you prove all that with a single piece of paper? Keep scrolling for:

• Sample creativity and design bullet points for different industries
• Essential hard skills that highlight creativity
• Design-focused action verbs to illustrate soft skills
• How to format your design resume
• Tried and tested examples from real design resumes

Let's dive right in!

How to say you’re creative on a resume

• Start with the job description . Think about what kind of design skills are needed for the role — print, digital, branding, creative direction, etc.
• Do some background research on the company . Try to get a feel for their corporate brand, style, and creative direction.
• Prepare a digital portfolio . This doesn’t need to include every piece you’ve ever completed — limit it to your best and most relevant work.
• Link to your portfolio in your resume header . You can also highlight selected projects in a separate projects section .
• Include 3-6 bullet points for each job in your work experience section , focusing on accomplishments that reflect responsibilities listed in the job ad.
• Focus on the impact of your work , not just the work itself. Use concrete metrics like revenue generated, time saved, and number of projects completed.
• Stick to a clean, simple resume template. The best place to show off your creativity is in your portfolio — not in your resume itself.

Here are examples of some of our favorite bullet points we've seen on resumes for emphasizing your design skills and creativity.

Bullet points to highlight design skills

Your work experience section is the most essential part of your resume and the part that hiring managers pay the most attention to. Here are some examples of bullet points that show your creativity and design skills in action:

• Conceptualized, designed, and developed marketing pages and custom features of e-commerce website, directly contributed to over 140% increase in revenue year over year.
• Designed custom email templates for monthly newsletters and marketing emails, Improved click through rate by 150%.
• Used Google Analytics to track and increase the success of websites by 15%.

Product design

• Conducted 25+ user-testing focus groups leading to 3 new product features in 6 months.
• Led application design sessions with client teams on 20+ projects to develop functional and technical requirements.

UX / UI design

• Revamped website flows and navigation menus, reducing the frequency of misdirected customer service queries by 30% and increasing traffic to previously neglected pages.
• Conducted evaluative testing with 10+ participants using InVision and UserTesting.com; synthesized and designed against findings which reduced bounce rate for primary user flow by 30%.

Branding and advertising

• Created 20+ advertisements for theaters and restaurants for use in print and online advertising.
• Designed and developed branding for 50+ companies, creating logo designs, business cards, stationery, marketing materials, websites, imagery layouts, and electronic books to acquire business productivity/growth.

Graphic design

• Created 10+ graphics, slide templates, and PPT materials for meetings and appropriate mock-ups for clients.
• Planned, created, and developed 20+ graphic materials for conferences, including signages, tent cards, name badges, various handouts, gifts, email and form headers, microsites, flyers, t-shirts, and other program books.

Game design

• Created over 500 game character models with the character effects team requirements.
• Expertly manipulated game characters to interact with the digital environment using Maya.

Film and photography

• Photographed 20+ clients for headshots, holiday cards, and glamor shots.
• Assisted in production of over 50 films and 10 web series throughout the period of 5 years in a variety of roles including production, art design, camera assistance, lighting and script assistance.

Fashion design

• Designed and merchandised 100 styles, 4 seasons per year, using knits, linens, and wovens.
• Created marketing campaigns for 16+ lookbooks, 31+ website updates, 15 monthly newsletters, and collection launches in the first month.

Architecture and interior design

• Created detailed landscape designs for 14 commercial properties, including 23 outdoor seating areas and 120 signages, increasing customer engagement by 39%.
• Guided 200+ clients through the kitchen design process, from on-site measurements and design revisions.

Design leadership

• Created and designed three brand expansions in 2 years.
• Directed and managed 15 assistant designers, graphic designers, and product development staff.
• Strategically oversaw the daily graphic design content from concept to the finished project, regularly working on graphic, layout, and production materials, gaining a 100% success rate on all projects and deliverables.
• Received the 2017 Standout Award for designs that secured a $250,000 contract with an international client.
• Scheduled 10+ meetings per month with clients to discuss project progress and review samples.
• Attended 5+ conferences to maintain brand awareness and industry design trends.
• Monitored the progress on projects and met 100% compliance to publisher standards and schedule.

Essential hard skills for your resume that highlight your creativity and design

Design skills fall into a few different categories. Always check the job ad for details of exactly what skills the position requires, but in general, here are some of the most in demand:

General design skills

• Font Selection
• Storyboarding
• Design Strategy

Print design

• Illustration
• Concept Art
• Color Theory
• Composition
• Background Drawing

Digital design

• Front-end Development
• User Experience (UX)
• User Interface Design
• Prototyping
• Wireframing
• Photography
• Video Production
• Video Editing
• Fashion Design
• Interior Design
• Motion Graphics

Design software

• After Effects
• Adobe Premiere Pro
• Adobe InDesign
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Illustrator
• Dreamweaver
• Affinity Designer
• Brand Development
• Corporate Identity
• Advertising
• Logo Design
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Digital Marketing
• Google Analytics
• Social Media
• Copywriting
• Packaging Design

Creative leadership

• Art Direction
• Film Direction
• Design Thinking
• User-centered Design
• Service Design
• Design Research

An easy way to check if you’ve shown hiring managers your design and creative skills is to upload your resume to the tool below - It’ll tell you if your resume highlights the right hard and soft skills that showcase your creativity and design skills.

Don't list soft skills; use design-focused action verbs instead

Unlike the hard skills listed above, you can’t list skills like creativity or imagination in your skills section . Instead, use your work experience section to point to examples of when you’ve used those skills in the workplace. Try starting your accomplishments with action verbs like:

• Conceptualized
• Illustrated
• Streamlined

How to format your design resume (or, when it's okay to get creative)

The best way to show off your design skills is to create an eye-catching, unique, design-heavy resume, right?

Wrong. A simple resume format is always your best option, even if you're applying for creative roles. But if you're itching to show off your design expertise, here's where it's okay to get a little creative with your resume format — and where it isn't.

Be creative with these elements

Choose a font that reflects your style — but make sure you stick to the standard (pre-installed) options. Downloaded fonts won't always appear correctly on other computers, and hiring managers can't be impressed by your resume if it doesn't make it past the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) .

Use white space liberally. Not only does it look visually appealing, it also makes your resume much easier to skim.

Make your section titles stand out. Bold, italics, underline, section breaks, and capitals are all good ways of doing this.

Reflect your personal branding. Using a resume template that reflects your personal style or incorporating a small element that makes you stand out can be a simple but powerful way to give recruiters a sense of your approach to design.

Go easy on these elements

Use color in limited amounts. Choosing a single color for your section titles or resume header is fine, but keep in mind that this formatting may be stripped by ATS.

Using columns is fine. While a single-column layout is more traditional, 2-column resumes are still perfectly acceptable, even to the most traditional recruiters. Just steer clear of using tables to organize your resume, since this doesn't always translate well across different file types.

Stay traditional with these elements

Avoid images, infographics, and other non-text elements. These can't be read by ATS and are harder to skim.

Don't give in to gimmicks. Presenting your resume via a QR code , as a solvable puzzle, or on a t-shirt might all seem like cool ideas, but hiring managers don't want to be entertained by your resume — they want to be able to read it.

List your work experience in chronological order , with your most recent position at the top. Functional or simplified resumes may look cool, but they obfuscate the most important part of your resume — your work experience.

Save your resume as a PDF. This is especially critical if you've incorporated any "extra" design elements, since it preserves your formatting and ensures that your resume looks the same to a recruiter as it does to you.

Design-focused resume templates

Ready to get started? Here are some examples from real design resumes handpicked by recruiters.

Listing creativity and design skills on your resume

Don’t try to pack too much into your skills section — stick to 10-15 of the most relevant skills (matching your industry or the job description). If you have a lot of different skills, use subheadings to keep them organized and make your resume easier to skim.

Here’s a sample skills section for a graphic designer resume that you can copy and paste:

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - Techniques: MS Project, Digital Design, Website Graphics, Visual Design - Technical Skills / Software: Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft 365, PC and Mac Platforms - Certifications: Graphic Designer Bootcamp (2016), Passed Resume Worded examinations

If you’re not sure what skills to include in your skills section, search for the job using the tool below and it’ll instantly give you a list of creative and design skills relevant to the role. For example, you can search for Graphic Designer to get skills  that hiring managers in the graphic design industry want to see.

Using metrics to highlight your work

Including numbers, metrics, or other concrete results in your bullet points is the best way to highlight what you actually accomplished — it tells the hiring manager how good you are (so you don't have to).

Linking a digital portfolio

You can link to your portfolio:

• In your resume header
• In a separate projects section
• On your LinkedIn profile

Highlighting creative projects

If you lack traditional work experience in a specific design area, it's easier than you think to make up for that. Including one or two personal or academic projects in a resume projects section shows recruiters what you can do and emphasizes that you're committed to this particular career path.

Tailoring your resume and portfolio

You should tailor your resume for any position, but for design roles, it’s especially important to research the company you’re applying to beforehand. Take some time to get a sense of their house style, brand, and direction, and curate your portfolio to showcase a few of your most relevant samples.

For more advice on how to personalize your resume, you can upload your resume and a copy of the job description to Targeted Resume . The free AI-powered program will then analyze the posting and identify any key skills missing from your resume.

Key takeaways

If nothing else, keep in mind these do’s and don’ts for resumes that need to showcase creativity and design skills.

• Highlight design accomplishments and soft skills in your bullet points
• List technical skills in your skills section
• Include a link to a portfolio that showcases your work
• Add any design-related degrees or short courses to your education section
• Mention any relevant awards, projects, or other activities
• Write a graphic designer resume summary
• Tailor your resume for each company you apply to
• Get too creative with your resume itself — it should be well-designed but simple

Spread the word

Saying you're flexible or adaptable on a resume (without bending over backward), highlight an executive mba with these resume tips, keep reading, how to show bilingualism on your resume (with examples), oops what to do if there’s a mistake on your resume, getting the basics right: resume line spacing, subscribe to our newsletter.

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100 Good Skills to Put on a Resume [Complete Guide]

Jeff Gillis 0 Comments

By Jeff Gillis

Updated 6/4/2022.

When you’re adding skills to a resume, you don’t just want to focus on what you’re good at. Instead, relevancy has to be part of the equation. After all, every job you’re trying to land requires a very specific skill set, one that you need to show that you have.

Choosing the skills to put on a resume when you’re applying to a role isn’t something you should do haphazardly. Instead, you want to use the job description, company mission, and company values as a guide, creating a sense of alignment.

Additionally, it never hurts to have a handy list of skills by your side, making it easier to explore your options. So, if you’re on the hunt for good skills to put on a resume, here’s what you need to know.

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills

There are two basic types of skillsets that a job seeker can have and include on their resume: hard skills or soft skills.

Hard skills are the skills or abilities for a resume that are easily quantifiable…that can be learned through classroom work, apprenticeships, or other forms of learning. These include things like operating tools, computer programming, speaking foreign languages, or different kinds of technical prowess.

Soft skills are more subjective and harder to quantify and are often grouped together by what we know as “people skills.” Some examples of soft skills include communication, relationship building, self-awareness, and patience.

Which Skills Are More Important?

The debate rages on about which of these two types of skills is more important.

According to executive consultant and Forbes contributor Naz Beheshti , “…There is an ongoing debate about the relative importance of soft and hard skills that imply a competition between the two. However, they are both necessary and complementary to one another.”

On the one hand, job seekers with proficiency in a specific hard skill may get hired more quickly. Many employers want to hire people that can deliver value with fewer resources (ex., the need for training, etc.), making hard skills their priority.

However, we are also seeing that many hiring managers are choosing to hire candidates with highly developed soft skills.

In the end, as Indeed puts it, “soft skills are necessary to create a positive and functional work environment.” Plus, hiring managers feel that they can always train the candidate in the hard skill that is required to complete the job, but soft skills are often skills that cannot necessarily be taught.

So, what does this mean for you? Mainly that you can’t simply just pick one or the other and cross your fingers. Instead, the best strategy is to take a balanced approach and make sure that your resume contains both hard and soft skills.

How Do You Choose the Skills to List on a Resume?

Here’s the deal; there’s a good chance you know what you’re good at in a professional sense. Often, you can use your experience, duties, training, and education as a guide, giving you a strong foundation. Then, it’s about diving a bit deeper, looking at traits that could help you stand out, and comparing it all to the job description.

By using a simple process, you can make progress faster. Here’s a quick way to get started.

1. Make a List of the Skills You Know You Have

As mentioned above, the easiest way to get a grip on your current skills is to reflect on your academic and professional experiences. Consider the tasks you’ve taken on, the training you’ve completed, and the courses you had in school. In most cases, that’ll give you some solid ideas about your hard skills.

After that, it’s time for soft skills. Here, you want to think of traits or capabilities that help you engage with others and navigate professional relationships. Often, these are reflections of your personality, so use that as a jumping-off point.

2. “Mine” the Job Descriptions for Must-Have Skills

The next step is to take a look at the job description for the position you are applying for and make a list of the required skills it includes. Then, compare it to your capabilities. Are any of the skills on both of the lists you just created? If so, these are must-haves for your resume.

Now, notice if there are any skills on the job description that you don’t have. If there aren’t any, great!

But if there are…don’t panic. There are things you can do, which we’ll dig into shortly.

If you’re dealing with a vague job description, you aren’t stuck either. Here is a link to a ton of job descriptions that can give you an idea of the skills needed.

3. Tailor Your Skills to the Company/Position

As you may have read in our other blog articles, it is always very important to “tailor” your resume to the company and position you want to land. For an in-depth look into how to make that happen, check out our Tailoring Method article. 

If you want a quick overview, the idea is to focus on capabilities the company wants to find. Every job requires a unique skill set, and you want to show you have it. As a result, it is absolutely essential that skills from the job description make an appearance on your resume.

However, you also want to dig deeper. Spend some more time researching the company, including going through all of their various web properties, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages.

Why? Because they will leave clues about the types of people they hire. That gives you more ideas about the best skills to put on a resume to land a job there, particularly when it comes to soft skills you may not find in a job description.

100 Resume Skills Examples

If you’re struggling with coming up with a list of skills based on your past experience, it can be easier if you have existing resume skills lists to work with. You don’t have to think up every possible skill; you can simply review the list and find the matches.

Here is a list of resume skills examples, divided into hard skills and soft skills, that you can use when applying for a job.

Hard Skills for a Resume

• Advanced Bookkeeping
• Appointment Setting
• Automotive Repair
• Cold Calling
• Computer Programming
• Conversion Testing
• Copywriting
• Customer Engagement
• Customer Service
• Data Analysis
• Digital Marketing
• Electrical Engineering
• Environmental Cleanup
• Forklift Operating
• Graphic Design
• Heavy Machinery Operation
• Installation
• Landscaping
• Mathematics
• Medical Coding
• Paid Online Traffic
• Patient Care
• Photo Editing
• Picking and Packing
• Project Management
• Schedule Management
• Search Engine Optimization
• Server Maintenance
• Social Media
• Spanish Fluency
• Statistical Analysis
• Systems Analysis
• Technical Support
• Telecommunications Systems
• Travel Booking
• Video Editing
• Website Design
• Word Processing

Soft Skills for a Resume

• Accountability
• Active Listening
• Adaptability
• Brainstorming
• Business Etiquette
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Conflict Resolution
• Contextualizing
• Critical Thinking
• Decision Making
• Emotional Intelligence
• Flexibility
• Goal-Setting
• Handling Pressure
• Influencing
• Insightfulness
• Interpreting
• Negotiation
• Open-Mindedness
• Organization
• Prioritization
• Problem Solving
• Relationship Building
• Reliability
• Resource Management
• Responsibility
• Self-Confidence
• Strategical Thinking
• Strong Work Ethic
• Time Management

What If I Don’t Have the Required Skill?

Whether you need to possess a specific skill depends on the job and the skill in question. Usually, here’s where you have to be honest with yourself. If the skills required are part of the core competencies of doing the job, you may want to reconsider your application.

For example, if a golf course posts a job posting for a golf pro, you probably shouldn’t apply if you’ve never swung a golf club.

However, you will come across situations where what you bring to the table is close. In this case, moving forward might be okay.

You need to be able to demonstrate, using examples from your past, that you are capable of doing the required skill, even if you haven’t specially done it. So, go over your work history with a fine-tooth comb and try to come up with a few examples of you doing something in the right ballpark.

They are going to ask about it in your interview, so don’t think you can just wing it, and everything will be fine.

Also, many job descriptions have “nice-to-have” skills on the list. If you happen to possess them, great. But if not, don’t assume you shouldn’t apply if you have the must-have skills. In the end, those capabilities aren’t outright requirements, so don’t screen yourself out based on them.

How To List Skills on a Resume

There are a few different schools of thought when it comes to deciding where to put (or how to list) the skills on your resume.

According to our friends over at online resume-builder Zety.com , “…skills are so very, very important that they should show up all over your resume. Not just in the resume skills section.” In other words, it is imperative that there are elements of your skills throughout your resume, including your resume objective/summary and experience sections.

In addition, there isn’t one right answer for where to include your skill section because that depends on the industry, company, and position you’re trying to land. For example, for a job where technical competencies are of the utmost importance, it is often beneficial to list the skills closer to the top of the resume, right underneath the resume objective or resume summary statement.

However, if through your research you determine that the hiring manager will put more weight into your experience, you may want to lead with your experience. Then, put the skills section further down your resume.

At the end of the day, the selection of the skills themselves is the most important thing. After all, most hiring managers will easily find your skill section regardless of where it is on your resume.

What About Skills for My Job Application?

When you’re looking for skills to put on a job application, you do have to treat it a little differently than skills for a resume. Usually, you’re working with a finite amount of space on an application, not just in an overall sense but in each applicable section.

Since that’s the case, you need to lean heavily on the job description. Look for any capabilities that are listed as must-haves or that are repeated through the job ad. Then, make sure those skills are featured prominently in several areas, including in work history descriptions and skills areas.

If you have to answer essay questions, discuss those skills there, too, whenever possible. Use any other relevant capability as a supplement, treating it as supporting information instead of the primary point you’re sharing.

However, if an essay question asks about a skill that’s not in the job description, feel free to dig in a bit. It’s a capability that’s clearly on the hiring manager’s mind, so touch on it occasionally to show you shine in that area.

Putting It All Together

If you were wondering, “What are some good skills to put on a resume?” you should now have a solid answer. The most important thing to remember is to select skills that are relevant to the position you are interviewing for and, more important than that, skills that your company puts a tremendous amount of value in.

Once you get your skills straightened out, you should make sure that the rest of your resume is congruent with the skills you just selected, namely, that your experience shows that you both used those skills in a work environment and developed the skill with on-the-job tasks.

Co-founder and CTO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Jeff is a featured contributor delivering advice on job search, job interviews and career advancement, having published more than 50 pieces of unique content on the site , with his work being featured in top publications such as INC , ZDnet , MSN and more.

Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

About The Author

Jeff gillis.

Co-founder and CTO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Jeff is a featured contributor delivering advice on job search, job interviews and career advancement, having published more than 50 pieces of unique content on the site , with his work being featured in top publications such as INC , ZDnet , MSN and more. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

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More From Forbes

The top 10 skills to put on a resume in 2024, from research.

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Every two or three years, refresh the skills on your resume or they will quickly become outdated

Are you still listing "Microsoft Office proficiency," "dynamic team-player," or "hard worker" on your resume?

If you've caught yourself agreeing with the above statement, then, chances are, your resume is out of date. That may come as shocking news, but here's what's even more shocking:

Although there are close to nine million job openings in the United States, there are an estimated 6.3 million unemployed , which means there are more jobs than workers—a ratio of 1.4. With such a vast number of opportunities available, it seems incredulous that so many are still out of work, but this can be explained by a multitude of factors, one major factor being the costly skills gap.

Employers, desirous of filling a position, are struggling to hire for their role because the labour market—the job applicants for the position—do not have the required skills, or worst of all, they actually do possess these competencies but fail to effectively demonstrate or make reference to them within their resume and application. Both sides lose in the process, inflation continues to rise, and the situation for job seekers continues to spiral.

It's evident that the workforce is evolving; and so is the skills demand.

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, skills to include in your resume.

In consideration of this, the World Economic Forum compiled a list of core skills on the rise, gathered from their extensive research survey conducted in 2023. These skills were specifically cited by employers as increasing in priority. This means that if you include these—and examples of where and how you've displayed them, while quantifying your achievements—on your resume, you gain a striking advantage.

The top 10 skills highlighted, which you can put on your resume, are:

1. Creative Thinking

Employers need workers who are willing to think outside the box and are confident enough to voice their ideas and suggestions. While presently, this may not always be welcomed and well received, there appears to be an ongoing shift in leaders who are recognizing the importance of emotional intelligence, and providing safe open spaces for workers to challenge the status quo and input their perspectives. As this shift continues, your creativity will be of high value in the workplace and can be instrumental in ensuring cost-effective and time-efficient solutions, regardless of your specific role.

2. Analytical Thinking

Are you confident with analyzing vast amounts of data from various sources analyzing them to arrive at your own conclusions and make data-driven decisions? If you've applied this skill in previous roles, include examples of this on your resume. What's more, if you've used any specific data analysis tools or have any certifications relating to this skill, you might be able to score more points with the hiring manager.

3. Technological Literacy

Technological literacy refers to the understanding and practical usage of digital tools in an ethical manner. While of course, traditional Microsoft office applications that are commonly used such as Word and PowerPoint have their place, gaining an advanced understanding of Excel, Power BI, or other cutting edge or more recent tools including Microsoft's own Copilot, can help you stand out as a relevant candidate and makes you more of an attractive catch.

4. Curiosity And Lifelong Learning

An attitude of curiosity is very much needed in workers today, because without a continuous desire for lifelong learning, your skill set will become stale and you will be unable to adapt effectively. This means you will hold less value to employers and will be less likely to be promoted or given a pay raise. Curiosity and lifelong learning are elements of the growth mindset, and help you to achieve your full potential.

Update yourself on cutting-edge technology and include the names of these software tools in your ... [+] resume

5. Resilience, Flexibility And Agility

Resilience and flexibility came fifth on the World Economic Forum's list, and LinkedIn's 2024 Most In-Demand Skills report showcased how adaptability (agility) is the "skill of the moment" for 2024, reiterating how valuable this skill-set is. Employers want to see examples of times you've effectively navigated change and persevered through difficulties. What steps did you take to be resilient and agile in your work practices?

6. Systems Thinking

Systems thinking is a unique way to approach problem-solving by assessing how different problems have relationships to each other as part of a wider, interrelated system. It's a holistic approach that considers interdependencies, and can be useful in roles such as project management, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, change management, and leadership in large organizational structures.

7. AI And Big Data

An understanding of AI (artificial intelligence), large language models, and big data (large, complex data sets) can be helpful in enabling employers to tackle one of their biggest challenges for the year ahead—implementing AI within their workflows and products.

8. Motivation And Self-Awareness

Motivation and self awareness are critical skills for remote and hybrid workers, as you will need to have sufficient drive to manage your workload and your time management. You also need to be self-aware enough to recognise where your performance could improve and what steps you can take to cooperate with your employer and enable high performance levels.

Perhaps you might not explicitly mention these skills in your resume, but you could allude to specific examples of where you took initiative through your own self-awareness to undertake training or upskilling. Or you might mention how you manage your workload and prioritize tasks and meetings efficiently.

9. Talent Management

Considering the widening labor and skills gap in 2024, it's no wonder that employers are seeking more professionals with expertise in talent management—not only talent attraction and recruitment, but in talent development, performance management, and continuous training. This is not a skill set restricted to human resources professionals alone. If you want to work in leadership or management, you should, at least broadly, have talent management under your belt.

10. Service Orientation And Customer Service

Coming in at 10th in The World Economic Forum's list of skills on the rise, customer service remains a key concern and priority for employers. Artificial intelligence can replace many of the most basic front-facing customer service roles such as answering FAQs and resolving general inquiries. But building relationships with customers, particularly at the B2B level, remains a skill that robots cannot perform, as this requires deeper levels of understanding, trust, and human expertise.

To adapt to industry and global workplace shifts, employers need professionals like you who are nimble to significant market changes, have an attitude of continuous learning, and improve their skills regularly to stay on trend, so they can be more efficient and productive. They won't know if you have these skills or not unless you show them. Don't take it for granted that you can demonstrate these skills in your interview. Without adequate mention of them at the screening stage, there may be no interview at all.

Talent management is a skill that is in demand, beyond the human resources profession

Still considering whether or not to include "Dynamic team-player" as a skill on your resume?

Better replace it with one of these skills instead.

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9 Essential Interpersonal Skills To Add Your Résumé

A s you assess yourself and your work at the end of 2017 (either through formal evaluations or more general musings on your career), you’ll likely need to articulate your strong suits and weaknesses.

The importance of learning how to describe yourself starts at the very beginning of any job application process. First, you talk yourself up in private. (That’s what gives you the confidence to apply for a job in the first place.) Next, you figure out how to describe this in writing, in a cover letter or a résumé. Then, if you’re lucky, you get to explain everything in full during an interview.

“Since recruiters tend to look at résumés for less than 10 seconds, I believe most focus should rest on the candidate’s accomplishments and their top three to five most complex skills that relate to the job,” says Shannon Breuer, the president at Wiley Group . “Those who load their resume mostly with interpersonal skills tend to lose the attention of the reader because it’s hard to assess the level of skills without accomplishments and results to validate them. Also, many new hires are expected to increasingly have a base of technical or specific industry skills, so not having them becomes a red flag.”

Instead of randomly picking adjectives that sound impressive, think about the specific job, industry, requirements, and what skills might be important to perform well. Then, be honest about where your talents are and jot down examples of times you lived up to this professional ideal; that will make it easier to explain it concisely later in interviews.

Here are nine great attributes to start with:

Empathetic or compassionate

Breuer tells Refinery29 that this is a big one for people in service roles. Contrary to the saying, the customer is not always right — but they do always want to feel heard.

Being able to keep your cool at work when someone irritates or has a different to you is vital, and this comes back to empathy. If you’re looking to manage a team in your next role too, showing that you possess these interpersonal skills will make it clear that you’re ready to support stuff as well as move up the job ladder.

Collaborative team member

Vicki Choi, the director of HR at Course Hero , says this is a very important one for candidates. “Including interpersonal skills on your résumé is a great way to stand out and demonstrate that you align with our core values,” she notes. If a position you are interested in involves a lot of teamwork, showcase your ability to go from working independently to brainstorming or implementing group projects.

Job site Indeed says common team questions to prepare for include: How do you feel about working in a team? Tell us about a time you showed strong teamwork skills. Have you ever worked with managers or teammates you didn’t get along with? How did you manage this?

Organised and detail-oriented

Going for an accounting or project management role? Play this up, Breuer says. But remember: You don’t want to lie (especially if the truth can be figured out very easily). If organization isn’t your strong suit, talk about another skill; don’t play up your love of colour-coding if you’ll have too steep a learning curve later.

If this isn’t your thing, perhaps you’re more of an “ideas person”. Consider how you thrive and pull off projects from that perspective, and note how you’re working towards improving your organizational skills.

Creative problem solver

Add this one if you’re good at getting unstuck, Choi says. Generating solutions to problems can be just as important as doing a job well in the first place.

In every job, a problem is bound to arise sooner or later. If you can learn to tackle problems without it causing tons of stress and involving lots of other members of staff, your managers will likely look highly upon this. Showing you can be productive in solving issues will be in asset to employers in multiple industries.

Tough negotiator

Point this out if you are looking for a job in sales or want to manage accounts and a budget, Breuer says. You may assume it is a foregone conclusion but there are plenty of people who are too embarrassed to ask for what they want or need. That’s a no-go in jobs like these.

Don’t forget to prepare to negotiate yourself once you get to the stage of receiving an offer – your salary depends on it.

Communicates honestly

Being honest doesn’t mean telling people where they can go if they make you angry, or blurting out every thought that comes to mind. It does mean being willing to talk through any hurdles, even when they’re uncomfortable. Work isn’t always a cakewalk. Many managers want to hire someone who doesn’t shrivel up at the first sign of a difficult conversation.

In a survey of over 1,000 employees, work platform Atlassian found that employees are 80% more likely to have high emotional wellbeing in the workplace when the environment encourages honest feedback, personal openness, and mutual respect. So, if you’re going for a managerial position, demonstrating that you can foster this kind of environment will pay off.

Inspires others

Choi is a fan of this skill. You may not consider yourself to be an optimist or know how to get people to shine when they’re feeling down, but being good at building others up is an excellent skill for people who work in teams or are seeking managerial positions. So that means, it’s ideal for almost anyone.

Come to your interview armed with examples of how you’ve supported teams you’ve worked in previously, whether it’s boosting morale, finding a solution to a problem, or collaborating.

Be transparent

Choi says she specifically looks for candidates who are “willing to be transparent about their successes, failures and progress”. That can come up at the very beginning of an interview — think of the “ What’s your greatest weakness? ” question, for example. If your answer is, “I’m too much of a perfectionist”, it might come off as though you’re hiding away from your real weaknesses. It’s best to give an answer that’s honest, framed in a way that shows you’re actively working on this weakness you’re aware of.

In the same vein, if you are proud of certain accomplishments, share them. Explain why these are your strengths and how they will benefit you in the role you’re applying for. If you are still working toward a few goals, explain what you are doing to get there.

Dynamic speaker

Breuer says job seekers applying to lead large sales teams or looking for a public relations role should include this on their résumé. Or, anything that involves presenting ideas, like being a teacher or lecturer.

If you are great at giving presentations, point that out. (And make sure to document your history of doing so in case the topic comes up in an interview.) Public speaking is difficult for many people. If you love doing it and are good at it, you can make yourself look like an even better hire.

The interview process is also a great place to demonstrate your ability to speak clearly. Try not to let imposter syndrome stop you from shining your light, and you can do this by rehearsing some of the possible answers you might expect to give, just as you would a presentation.

This article was originally published in January 2017 and has been updated.