How to Write a Resume Core Competencies Section

The core competencies, also known as your core qualifications, a list of your skills, abilities, and competencies that make you a good candidate and choice for a position. This section on your resume includes your knowledge, certifications, skills, and personality traits that can attract prospective employers. Within this section, you can highlight your transferable skills, both hard and soft skills, which you acquired through previous experience while also including any accomplishments that show your abilities and qualifications.

A summary of your qualifications is an effective and efficient way to provide valuable information about your capabilities and demonstrate that you would be a desirable addition to an organization. There are two main reasons to include a core competencies section in your resume:

1. Recruiters and hiring managers are often rushed. They review a large amount of information, applications, and documents within a short amount of time. This gives you a limited opportunity to make a lasting impression and inspire them to take action by reading the rest of your application and ultimately contact you. Listing your central abilities in one section demands attention and gives potential employers the opportunity to review your qualifications quickly. It is a thoughtful way to show you value time and it will also allow them to see all of your qualifications for the job at a glance.
2. Many employers use the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). ATS is software that reads and analyzes resumes for content and target keywords identified by employers. A core competencies section can help you tailor your resume and include keywords from the job description to help your resume pass ATS scans and make it to the hiring manager.

Consider these steps when developing the resume core competencies section:

1. Develop a list of your strongest skills and qualities. It’s best to include anywhere from 10 to 30 key qualifications or skills that are relevant to the position you are seeking. Include skills at which you excel and certifications that differentiate you from other candidates. Be sure to include a diverse list to show your unique abilities and indicate that you are a multifaceted and adaptable employee.
2. Be brief but descriptive. Try to use only a couple of descriptive words per skill to conserve space. You can use bullet points or other methods such as vertical lines and numbers to help with organization. Choose descriptive language directly related to job duties and requirements listed in the job description.
3. Adapt the list per application. Consult each job listing and description and identify keywords. Then you can tailor the language and description within your resume to mirror the language used in the description. This will help focus your list and get your resume read beyond the ATS scans. Your core competencies should be highlighting your skills and abilities for the specific position. Selective and quality word choice is key.
4. Choose a placement. There are several different areas within your resume you can decide to place the core competencies section. To focus attention on the core competencies section you can place it:
   • Below the resume objective
   • Above or below the qualifications section
   • Adjacent to the experiences section
   • Above the references section

Here are some typical skills and qualifications you can find in the core competencies section of a resume. You can use this as a guide to help you develop your own list suited to your individual abilities, character traits, and certifications.

• Strong leadership: Reveal that you can guide and strengthen a team.
• Organization and scheduling: Organization skills show that you are good at developing and adhering to timelines and completing projects on deadline.
• Critical Thinking: Show that you can evaluate problems and find appropriate solutions.
• Teamwork: Show that you can work effectively with others to achieve goals and enhance each other’s abilities through support.
• Detail-oriented: This shows that you pay attention to details to complete tasks effectively.
• Responsibility: Show that you can be depended on to complete your tasks.
• Adaptability: Displays that you can easily adjust to new situations and make accommodations when needed to help you be effective at your job.
• Ambition: Highlight that you are goal-oriented and take pride in a job well done by producing quality work.
• Data-driven decision making: Display that your decisions are based on facts and information gathered to help reach the best outcome possible. It shows you to be a logical employee that does not let emotion cloud important decisions.
• Life-long learner: Reinforce that you constantly seek ways to improve and you seek knowledge on a consistent basis.
• Customer service: Show that you seek to help others find what they need and you create an experience that produces customer loyalty to help businesses evolve and grow.
• Integrity: Indicate that you adhere to a high standard of work and ethical behavior which serves to be a model to others and an integral part of a positive work environment.
• Communication: Convey that you are an active listener and can effectively communicate your ideas in a respectful manner. This makes you a valuable co-worker and employee who values the opinions and perspectives of others while seeking to share your own knowledge and experience.