Writing an entry-level resume can often feel like swimming upstream: you’re constantly battling the current, trying to stand out in a sea of competition.
Allow us to throw you a lifeline— our list of beginner skills for a resume. Learn exactly what competencies, abilities, and personality traits you should bring up to draw more attention to your next job application!
What Skills to Put on a Resume With No Experience?
Even if you’re after your very first job, you still have valuable transferable skills like communication, adaptability, digital literacy, or a growth mindset to offer to employers.
The first job beginner skills for your resume can come from other activities than formal employment, such as volunteering, research, internships, vocational training, or even your hobbies.
For example, you can mention that you’ve taught yourself how to use Canva or InShot to create better social media posts. Or bring up interpersonal skills like accountability, teamwork, and trust-building that you’ve developed as part of a volleyball team. Just give it some thought — you’ve definitely got some nice chops!
60 Beginner Skills to Put on Your Resume
To help you get your imagination going, here’s our big list of sample beginner skills for a resume with no experience. The beauty of this list? It can be adapted to pretty much any entry-level job like in retail, sales, hospitality, web development, or customer service!
Soft Skills Employers Love
Soft skills are considered more important than academic qualifications by two-thirds of employers when it comes to hiring. So, if you’re still in school or have an unfinished degree, you still have a great shot at getting an in-demand role.
…As long as you format your resume right. Instead of a standard chronological resume (which shows your glaring lack of experience), go for a functional resume format (which puts your skills in the limelight). Then be sure to bring up the following interpersonal abilities up top.
Sample Soft Skills for Entry-Level Resume
- Active listening
- Collaboration
- Resilience
- Creativity
- Flexibility
- Life-long learning
- Resilience
- Conflict resolution
- Taking ownership
- Task management
- Problem-solving
- Critical thinking
- Emotional intelligence
- Meta skills
Digital Literacy Skills
Digital literacy indicates your savviness with the technologies — aka your knowledge of how to use digital tools to communicate, collaborate, complete tasks, analyze data, or create content.
As a newbie job seeker, it is crucial to have digital skills since 92% of job ads mention them. But far fewer job applicants have them. A recent study found that only 48% of 18- to 24-year-olds know how to complete basic digital workplace tasks like configuring privacy settings, checking a payslip online, or using a digital app to improve productivity. So showing off the following technical skills can help you really stand out among others!
Sample Beginner Skills for a Resume
- Complex information processing
- Online document management
- Managing passwords with a password manager
- Email account management
- Presentation creation
- Organizing tabs and windows for multitasking
- Managing computer settings
- Basic programming skills
- High-level data analytics
- Participating in video calls
- Managing online calendars
- Online research skills
- Using digital workplace tools
- Applying online safety practices
- Navigating learning platforms
- Managing browser extensions
Work Readiness Skills
Work readiness skills are a fancy moniker for your abilities to slot well into a professional setting. Part interpersonal skills, part organizational skills, they incorporate your understanding of workplace etiquette, ability to follow instructions, build rapport with others, and otherwise perform according to the expectations.
Once again, not all job applicants excel in this area. Almost half of employers say that new hires lack communication, collaboration, and adaptability skills. Many companies are also questioning Gen Z’s work ethics.
To give your fresher resume an edge, show that you’re ‘workplace ready’ by bringing up the following competencies.
Sample Entry-Level Resume Skills
- Self-management
- Business acumen
- Dependability
- Initiative
- Positive attitude
- Professionalism
- Work ethic
- Digital etiquette
- Respectfulness
- Accountability
- Cultural awareness
- Stress management
- Tactfulness
- Respect for diversity
Essential People-Oriented Skills
Last but not least among the skills to put on a resume for the first job are people-oriented skills — your ability to interact effectively and harmoniously with others. In essence, people-oriented skills emphasize understanding and responding to other people’s needs, emotions, and perspectives, no matter how high the tensions are.
In many cases, they are equally, if not more important, than functional competencies. You can easily teach someone how to use the cash register or an online reservation system, but forcing someone to become less grumpy or snappy is way harder. Show that you have the right disposition for navigating workplace culture and customer interactions by including the next skills:
Sample Skills to Put on a Resume
- Patience
- Customer-centricity
- Relationship-building
- Persuasion
- Diplomacy
- Social perceptiveness
- Rapport building
- Trustworthiness
- Warmth
- Charisma
- Inclusivity
- Group facilitation
- Building consensus
- Peer support
- Coaching mindset
- Hospitality
Conclusion
Everyone starts somewhere. Your entry-level resume can still stand out, even without tons of experience and a laundry list of accomplishments, as long as you highlight the right skills. And you now have a great list of ideas. So procrastination no more! Head over to our free resume builder to create an impressive resume in three easy steps!
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