Skill Sets: What Are They?

When applying for jobs, employers require applicants to have a specific set of skills. Employers highly value a prospective employee’s skill sets.

To be successful in your line of work, you’ll need a sharp set of skills. These demonstrated abilities are typically assessed on job applications. By and large, employers look for job-seekers with a proven set of qualifications and skills.

If you’re searching for a job, you’ll want to showcase your skills and strengths on your resume and during your job interview. You want to demonstrate key abilities and describe your skills and expertise. Nowadays, even entry-level positions require a general skill set to be successful.

Desirable skills range from interpersonal abilities and emotional-intelligence to adaptability and problem-solving skills. Job-seekers who have developed both basic professional skills and specific skills for the job they’re interested in will stand out from the crowd and impress hiring managers.

What Is a Skill Set?

A skill set is a set of learned abilities necessary to succeed in a specific job or industry. Skill sets include all the necessary skills, talents, abilities, experience, and knowledge required to complete a job successfully.

Skill sets range from broad professional and personal qualities relating to productivity and work ethic to specialized, more job-specific abilities. Most professionals develop these skills through personal life experiences, hobbies, professional and creative endeavors, and schooling.

Having a skill set that is closely aligned to a company’s mission and goals is one of the top qualities of a good worker. Top talent employees are eager, confident in their work, have solutions-oriented mindsets, and work well under pressure.

Depending on your skills and the expertise you develop to perform workday tasks, you could find success in several potential careers.

Types of Skill Sets to Get You Hired

The most in-demand and desired skills fall into two categories: hard skills and soft skills.

Developed skill sets are typically composed of people skills, or soft skills, and teachable, technical knowledge, or hard skills.

Today, most of America’s highest-paying jobs require hybrid skills or a combination of both interpersonal and quantitative technical skills. To land your dream job, you’ll want to showcase these critical abilities on your resume. Hiring managers look for an even balance of hard and soft skills when interviewing qualified applicants.

Hard skills are measurable and teachable. These technical skills are often obtained through schooling, on-the-job training programs, or certification courses. Hard skills are job-specific, stemming from professional experience, and highly sought after for technical careers, like computer programming and mathematics.

In today’s modern job market, virtually everyone needs technical skills to do their jobs and lead a successful career. Some examples of hard skills include expert knowledge of computers, technical systems, management, marketing, analytics, writing, design, and accounting.

Soft skills include personality traits and interpersonal skills. Soft skills are more difficult to quantify but are in high-demand by job recruiters. These practical, everyday skills are also transferable, as they can be put to use in many different work settings and career fields.

When it comes to the most desirable soft skills, employers look for detail-oriented skills, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, conflict resolution, good communication, positive attitude, listening skills, empathy, and other life-skills.

While hard skills demonstrate what you are capable of doing, soft skills illustrate how you’ll perform and interact with clients and coworkers.

How to Use Skill Sets to Stand-Out and be Successful

Job seekers stand out to hiring managers and land high-paying and rewarding gigs when they reference their professional skills, experience, and abilities during the hiring process. Refined skills, valuable work experiences, and unique qualifications set applicants apart from other candidates.

When looking for a new place of employment, it’s always a good idea to list your most desirable skills and qualifications on job applications. Hiring managers look at the skills listed on your resume to determine if you’ll be a good fit for the position — so here’s your chance to shine.

The skills you include on your resume and in your cover letter should be relevant to the position you are applying to. While most soft skills are transferable, some job-specific technical skills are not.

Your resume is the perfect platform to showcase your skill set, especially those demonstrated abilities and hard skills that employers are seeking. Soft skills can also be included in the skills section of your resume, as they are in high demand in all fields, but can be highlighted even further in your cover letter.

Marketing your skill set doesn’t just stop after you’ve submitted your resume and cover letter. The job interview is the perfect opportunity to elaborate on your skills and highlight your key abilities and qualifications.

During the interview process, be honest about your strengths and tell stories to highlight your most desirable skills, especially when hiring managers ask problem-solving questions focused on your proficiency in conflict management.

Skill sets are valuable tools for both employers and job seekers — they help job-seekers get hired, and they assist hiring managers find the most qualified employees.

Examples of Desirable Skill Sets

Below are skills sets for several of the most popular careers in the country. Employers are looking for candidates with these demonstrated skills and abilities when hiring within these specialized industries.

Skill Sets for Healthcare Workers

Healthcare workers are required to have some of the most proficient and refined skill sets among working professionals. Doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals must be able to connect with patients while performing procedures and delving top-of-the-line care.

Some of the most essential skills for healthcare professionals include:

• Flexibility and time management

• Empathy

• Patient care, including urgent and emergency care

• Medical schooling and/or applicable certifications

• Clear communication, written and verbal

• Research and diagnosis

• High-level knowledge of medical machinery

• Leadership and problem-solving

• Attention to detail

• Math and science skills

Skill Sets for Office and Administration Careers

From receptionists and administrative assistants to office managers and executives, an office or administration career requires a specific set of skills. A variety of interpersonal skills coupled with several technical skills help office professionals run successful businesses and stay organized.

This skill set could include:

• Excellent written and verbal communication

• Microsoft Suite

• Expert organization

• Computer software and office equipment knowledge, as it pertains to the position

• Emotional intelligence

• Customer service and interpersonal skills

• Typing

• Filing, bookkeeping, and working knowledge of QuickBooks

• Time management

• Office management

Customer Service, Sales, and Retail Skill Sets

Working in sales and customer service can be lucrative yet demanding. Successful retail and sales professionals must possess a wide range of soft skills to sell products and foster positive relationships with clients and customers.

The skills needed for a career in customer service, sales, and retail include:

• Quality customer service

• Time management and flexibility

• Excellent teamwork and collaboration

• Team management

• Emotional intelligence

• Cashier skills

• Excellent verbal communication skills

• Ability to work well under pressure

• Adaptability

• High attention to detail

Skill Sets for Accountants

Accountants manage people’s livelihoods and finances, so they need to be experts in their field. Successful accountants must have soft skills to interact and communicate with clients and extensive hard skills, including schooling and certifications.

The skills needed for a rewarding career in accounting include:

• Advanced Excel knowledge

• Expertise in data analysis

• High-level business skills

• Flexibility

• Good communication, written and verbal

• Quality customer service

• Specialized experience in related financial fields

• Problem-solving and analytical skills

• Mathematical reasoning

• Critical thinking

Skill Sets for Project Management Occupations

The best managers can lead their team with ease and efficiency and ensure all aspects of a business run smoothly. For that reason, project management occupations rely heavily on a developed set of soft skills.

A project management skill set might include:

• Excellent written and verbal communication

• Efficient problem-solving and decision-making

• Strategic thinking

• Leadership

• Organization

• Finance and budget management

• Performance tracking

• Ability to work independently and in a team

• Business knowledge

• Staff hiring and office management

Information Technology Skill Sets

Information technology skill sets are in high-demand. Expert computer skills and proficiency in web development are some of the many hard skills necessary to succeed in the IT industry.

Information technology skill sets include:

• JavaScript, HTML, CSS

• Cybersecurity

• Critical thinking and problem solving

• Expert knowledge of computers, wireless modems, and routers

• Strong written and verbal communication

• Efficient decision making

• Front and back end development

• IT setup

• Computer programming

• Website development and management

Skill Sets for Careers in Education

It takes a very special person to be a teacher. In addition to excellent interpersonal skills, schools look for strong leadership and communication skills when hiring educators.

To lead a successful and rewarding career in education, you’ll need these skills:

• Public speaking

• Classroom management and leadership

• Flexibility and time management

• Activating listening and strong written and verbal communication

• Empathy

• Problem-solving

• Instructional skills

• High-level computer and technology knowledge

• Organization

• Patience

Advertising and Marketing Skill Sets

Advertising and marketing roles require a high level of efficiency and creativity. Strong communication skills coupled with measurable hard skills will pave the way towards a rewarding career in advertising and marketing.

This skill set might include:

• Creativity

• High-level business writing

• Collaboration and Communication

• Negotiation and Networking

• Social media management

• Search engine optimization

• Sales management

• Data visualization and graphic design

• Project management

• Pay-per-click advertising model

Skill Sets for Technical Jobs

Individuals employed in technical occupations, like engineers, need several skill sets to succeed. While some soft skills are necessary, the majority of key skills are technical, like advanced knowledge in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Desired technical skills include:

• Budgeting

• STEM skills (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)

• Troubleshooting and problem solving

• Design and prototyping knowledge

• Excellent computer skills

• High-level technical writing skills

• Customer support

• Coding and configuration

• Knowledge of standard operating skills

• Project management

Identifying Your Qualifications and Skills

The first step in identifying your professional skill set is to determine your greatest professional strengths.

Hard skills are pretty easily identified, as they require schooling or specialty training. These abilities directly relate to your studies, certifications, and on-the-job skills training. For example, if you studied computer programming in college, this can be included in your set of skills.

Soft skills are a bit harder to identify but can be easily pinpointed through assessing your professional strengths and life-skills.

Ask yourself what aspects of your job you enjoy the most, how you typically interact with coworkers, clients, and even friends, and determine what projects or tasks you receive the most positive feedback and praise on.

Managers, for instance, coordinate employees, finances, and resources to meet company goals. Therefore, we can identify managers as having superb leadership and organizational skills.

If you’re stuck or you’re not sure what skills you should put on your resume, check out the examples above for some guidance.

Tips to Develop Your Skill Set

If you’re looking to expand your skill set or maybe even change career paths, don’t worry, there are plenty of ways to develop your professional set of skills.

One of the simplest ways to build your skills is by simply going to work. On-the-job experience is essential to refining your skills and becoming an expert in your field.

Not only will you gain hard skills from work experience and on-site training, but you’ll also refine your interpersonal and communication skills through working with colleagues and clients.

To completely change career paths, you’ll need to develop your abilities and gain employable skills.

Going back to school to study the field you’re most interested in, enrolling in continuing education courses, completing training classes and certifications, and shadowing or interning with an established industry professional are great ways to gain working skills.

Final Thoughts

Refined skill sets lead to rewarding and profitable jobs. Whether you’re looking for a career in graphic design, education, or engineering, a desirable set of skills is essential for professional success and growth.

Identifying and developing your professional skills and knowledge will help you land your dream job and, later, lead to career-development and overall workplace satisfaction.

By using your demonstrated hard and soft skills on your resume, in your cover letter, and throughout the hiring process, you’ll be on your way to career success in no time.

Author

Elsie Boskamp

Elsie is an experienced writer, reporter, and content creator. As a leader in her field, Elsie is best known for her work as a Reporter for The Southampton Press, but she can also be credited with contributions to Long Island Pulse Magazine and Hamptons Online. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Stony Brook University and currently resides in Franklin, Tennessee.