In the workplace, effective employees leverage versatile communication skills to accomplish daily tasks. These communication skills facilitate the exchange of information verbally, nonverbally, visually or through writing to achieve a desired outcome.
Communication skills are especially critical when remote colleagues or customers do not see body language and other in-person visual cues to help interpret your message. So, how do you highlight those essential communication skills on a resume? Here’s what to know.
[READ: Job Skills to List on Your Resume (And What to Exclude)]
What Are Communication Skills?
Simply put, communication skills are the ability to convey information and ideas effectively through written, verbal, nonverbal or visual mediums. People with strong communication skills in the workplace generally excel at the following:
— Crafting well-structured emails, reports or memos that convey the intended message clearly and concisely.
— Confidently engaging in one-on-one conversations, meetings or telephone dialogue.
— Interpreting body language, facial expressions and gestures that often supplement or even supersede spoken word.
— Effectively using visual aids like charts, diagrams, drawings or infographics to represent data and ideas.
Communication skills are essential because they foster clear understanding between team members, ensuring everyone is on the same page regarding tasks and expectations. Good communication also promotes team collaboration, builds relationships and trust among employees, reduces misunderstandings and can often lead to a more efficient workplace.
Key Communication Skills to Add to Your Resume
Communication skills go beyond just being able to speak and write effectively. They also include active listening, persuasion and the ability to adapt your communication style to different situations. Here are 10 must-have communication skills to show on your resume.
— Inclusivity.
— Empathetic listening.
— Remote collaboration.
— Analytical expression.
— Written communication.
— Verbal communication.
— Group communications.
— Training.
— Persuasion.
— Problem-solving.
[READ: 15 Resume Mistakes to Avoid.]
1. Inclusivity
Highlight how you support and collaborate with others who are different from you. For example, how have you led productive meetings for customers across time zones or unified business needs with others who have vastly different priorities, roles and even languages? Demonstrate your methods for including others to improve overall outcomes.
Example: “Led a diverse team of 10 individuals spanning different divisions and backgrounds. Successfully implemented an inclusive team communication strategy that fostered open dialogue and mutual respect, which resulted in a 20% increase in project completion efficiency.”
2. Empathetic Listening
Listening is often more important for success in business than talking. In your resume, reflect examples of how you understand and incorporate perspectives and viewpoints that differ from your own.
Example: “As a customer service representative at (Company), I was praised for my ability to empathize with customers. This skill was reflected in my consistently high feedback scores, averaging 4.8 out of 5 for customer satisfaction.”
3. Remote Collaboration
Remote interaction and meetings can make it tricker to achieve desired results, so capturing your comfort and success with virtual relationships is a must. Be sure to include how you have used communication tools such as Teams or Slack to support your value in virtual or remote work settings. It is also critical to show your comfort with video and conference call meetings and tools such as Zoom, Teams, GoToMeeting and Google Hangouts.
Example: “Successfully led a team of six members in five different time zones at (Company). Implemented daily stand-up meetings and weekly progress reports using collaborative software, leading to a 30% increase in on-time delivery.”
4. Analytical Expression
Your resume can be an opportunity to show how you use data insights to influence or guide teams and decisions. Give examples of how you communicated your analysis — in reports, meetings, using graphics or presentations. Show key questions you analyzed, how you shared your knowledge, and what benefits your company or clients gained to help you prove this skill.
Example: “Led a team of five in a market research project for a new product launch. Performed an in-depth analysis of customer feedback and buying patterns, then communicated the results in a concise report that significantly influenced the marketing strategy. Our efforts ultimately led to a 20% increase in sales upon product launch.”
5. Written Communication
Your resume is the first sample of your writing, so make sure it is well-written, well-edited, concise and coherent. In addition to demonstrating excellent resume writing, look for opportunities to describe any written communication in your experience and the impact of your work. Show both what you did and why it is of value.
The ways writing can impact results and daily operations are numerous. Capture how your written communication adds the most value to help a potential employer see how you could complement their team.
Example: “As a content writer at (Company), I crafted over 100 well-researched articles and blogs, contributing to a 10% increase in website traffic.”
6. Verbal Communication
While the interview process will test your verbal communication, there are many options to weave verbal communication strengths into your resume. Include everyday verbal communication needed to guide co-workers, managers, direct reports and customers.
Example: “As a marketing coordinator, I presented marketing strategies and campaign results to stakeholders during weekly meetings and negotiated with over 50 vendors for event sponsorships, resulting in a 30% increase in the company’s marketing reach.”
7. Group Communications
These examples include your contributions in small groups, productivity and status check meetings, and formal presentations. List whether your experience is primarily in person or if you frequently communicate via phone, video or more formally hosted meetings. Be sure to include if (and how frequently) you present your insights and analysis verbally. In addition to highlighting the types of interactions, also show the positive impacts from your contribution.
Example: “As a project manager, I led a cross-functional team of 15 members on a complex project that spanned six months. By facilitating weekly team meetings and developing clear group communication strategies, we completed the project one week before the deadline and stayed within budget.”
8. Training
Do you train or play a role in the development of others? Whether you’ve done so formally as a trainer or informally as a mentor, communicating in a way that helps others to grow, develop and perform better at work is of interest to potential employers.
Example: “As team lead at (Company), I developed and implemented a training program for recruits that improved the productivity of new hires by 30% and reduced their time to proficiency by 25%.”
9. Persuasion
Your resume is an ideal place to show how your skills of persuasion make you an asset. For example, were you able to change a previously accepted practice or institute a new process that had a positive impact? Did you play a role in improving work culture or recruiting talented new employees? Did you convince management to invest in a new productivity tool even though it was not approved initially in the budget?
Example: “Successfully negotiated a new contract with a key supplier, achieving a 20% reduction in costs while maintaining product quality.”
10. Problem-Solving
Use your resume to show how you approach problem-solving and how this skill helps you solve business problems. Include how you assess issues, collaborate with others, build consensus and ultimately get to a result.
Example: “As a customer service representative at (Company), I initiated a detailed analysis of a client’s issue, identified its root cause and worked with the tech team to devise a solution. This approach resolved the client’s immediate issue and led to the development of a troubleshooting protocol that reduced similar complaints by 30%.”
[See: Red Flag Phrases to Leave Off Your Resume.]
Actionable Tips for Improving Your Communication Skills
Follow these tips to sharpen your communication skills and impress your future employer.
Use the Art of Storytelling
Storytelling isn’t just for bedtime tales or campfires. It can also be an effective tool for enhancing your communication skills at work. When you share a story, you paint a vivid picture with words, which makes your message more engaging, relatable and easy to understand.
“Stories are memorable and can create a deeper connection with the audience, making messages impactful,” says Maria Tomas-Keegan, CEO and career coach at Transition and Thrive With Maria. “Next time you’re giving a presentation or explaining a concept, weave in a personal story or analogy. It can be as simple as comparing a work project to a personal experience or using a metaphor that paints a clearer picture.”
Participate in a Lunch-and-Learn Series
Organize or participate in a lunch-and-learn series where you talk about the work you do. Not only will your colleagues gain a better understanding of your role within the company, but it’ll also provide an opportunity for you to polish your public speaking skills.
“You have expertise that others within the company may want to learn more about,” says Neil Thompson, public speaking coach and founder of training platform Teach The Geek. “And if a lunch-and-learn event doesn’t exist at your workplace, create it and invite others to talk about what they do.”
Be Nondirective
Adopt a nondirective approach to be a better communicator in the workplace, says William Sipling, director of workforce transformation and chief brand storyteller at Hubstaff, which helps businesses reach productivity goals.
According to Sipling, a nondirective communication approach is common in counseling and therapy, and it’s an approach that focuses on information gathering and active listening. “It’s not heavy on advice-giving because it assumes the person you’re talking with is an expert on what they’re bringing to you,” he emphasizes.
“When I work with senior or experienced subject matter experts, I start from a nondirective standpoint. I help them use their experience to uncover a solution and take them out of functional fixedness into a new, potentially solutions-oriented environment,” Sipling says.
Be Proactive and Pay Attention to Patterns
In fast-paced workplace environments like hospitals, tasks and responsibilities can often vary from day to day, creating an element of unpredictability. But there’s generally a level of predictability in nonverbal cues and patterns in every workplace, says Jenny Morehead, CEO of Flex HR, a human resource outsourcing and consulting firm.
By recognizing and effectively communicating these patterns to team members, you can anticipate what lies ahead and prepare accordingly. Morehead suggests using phrases such as, “We’ve seen this pattern before, so here is how we’re going to handle it” to provide a clear plan of action.
Ask Clarifying Questions
“Active listening doesn’t mean staying quiet while the other person is talking and then you jump in as soon as they’re done. It means digesting what they’re saying, focusing, pondering it and asking questions for more understanding,” says Kristie Stocker, a success coach and leadership consultant with 20 years of experience in marketing and communication.
If you’re confused about something the other person is saying, Stocker suggests using the sentence, “So what you’re saying is …” to give them a chance to clarify their response. Doing so demonstrates you’re fully invested in the conversation and not simply nodding along without genuinely understanding what’s being said.
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10 Communication Skills for Your Resume originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 10/16/23: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
