Looking for a job in 2021 isn’t going to be easy. The future of the job market is uncertain due to COVID-19, and it’s harder than ever to compete for work.
For job seekers to land an interview, they need to focus on skills that set them apart from other candidates and show employers that they have exactly what they’re looking for.
But which skills do you highlight to help you compete in today’s job market?
We analyzed every skill listed by every Resume Genius user in 2020 to get insight into the abilities real people are leveraging on their resumes to find work in this challenging job climate. Without further delay, here are the most in-demand job skills for 2020 that will continue to be valuable into 2021:
Top In-Demand Skills for Your Resume
According to our data, the six most popular skills job seekers used on their resumes in 2020 are:
- Conflict resolution
- Communication skills
- Brand management
- Customer service skills
- Inventory control
- Data entry
With the huge expansion of online retailers like Amazon in 2020, it’s clear that skills like inventory control, virtual customer service, and data entry will continue to be in high demand in 2021 and beyond.
Not only that, but being able to communicate effectively with others — whether online or in person — continues to be a highly valuable skill due to its use across industries.
However, the most important skills for your resume always depend on the industry you work in. So we broke down the six most important job skills for some key industries today, including:
Top 5 teacher skills
Are you pursuing a career in education but struggle to control a classroom? If that’s the case, you may want to keep your career options open. According to our data, over 20% of teachers listed “classroom management” as the most important skill on their resume.
After all, if you can’t control a classroom no one is going to learn anything — no matter how good your lesson plans are. That’s only become clearer with the widespread adoption of remote learning this past year.
In addition to classroom management, more pen-to-paper skills like student assessment and curriculum development also ranked high in importance by teachers. Here are some additional popular skills for teachers in 2021:
Additional job skills for teachers
- Instructional techniques
- Student assessment
- Conflict resolution
- Education administration
- Course design
If you’re seeking employment as a teacher in 2021, be sure to include some of these job skills on your resume to show your ability to adapt and work in a rapidly-evolving environment.
Top 5 customer service representative skills
Whether online or in-person, it’s no surprise that the most important skills for customer service representatives in 2021 continue to revolve around improving customer experience.
But “customer communications” in particular is key, with 17% of industry professionals listing it on their resumes. With more business being done online, being able to keep clients on the phone, field their questions, and clearly communicate solutions is more important than ever before.
Other top skills for customer service representatives include:
Additional job skills for customer service representatives
- Conflict resolution
- Customer service
- Customer retention
- Contract compliance
- Relationship management
Top 5 receptionist skills
Unsurprisingly, being able to communicate with customers and keep information organized will continue to be essential skills for receptionists in 2021.
This is great news for anyone seeking work as a receptionist, as these skills are conducive to both working from home and in-person.
For more context, here are some more top job skills for receptionists:
Additional job skills for receptionists
- Customer service
- Conflict resolution
- Customer satisfaction
- Confidential correspondence
- Workflow prioritization
Include these skills on your receptionist resume in 2021 to help improve your application and catch the attention of hiring managers.
Top 5 administrator skills
Whether organizations are operated online or in-person, talented office administrators will continue to be essential in making sure everything runs smoothly for a business.
However, if you can’t keep on top of everything an executive might need, then maybe a role as an administrator isn’t for you. That’s because more than 12% of office administrators listed executive support as a top skill on their resume, making it one of the most important skills going into 2021.
With many businesses struggling, it’s essential that you show them you have the skills to save them time and money by helping their executives operate more efficiently.
To really address their concerns, here are some other in-demand job skills to include on your administrator resume:
Additional job skills for administrators
- Customer service
- Data entry
- Back office operations
- Records management
- Operating policies & procedures
Top 5 nurse skills
From battling on the front lines of a pandemic to helping retirees, it’s no surprise that nursing is one of the most in-demand industries going into 2021.
But if you want to make sure you land a job as a nurse, you need to highlight your skills in emergency response and patient safety. That’s because — according to our data — these were two of the most in-demand nursing skills this year.
It’s no wonder too, as general patient care and emergency response are two of the most basic job skills needed by nurses, regardless of specialization.
Here are some more of the most in-demand job skills for nurses in 2021:
Additional job skills for nurses
- Acute care facility
- Clinical services
- Customer service
- Ambulatory care
- Treatment planning
Top 5 software developer skills
With more businesses moving online, software developers are in greater demand than ever.
However, employers aren’t looking for any old software developers. With a volatile economy looming, companies need an advantage to eke out their competitors.
This suggests that companies are looking for developers who not only have the basic skills needed to develop applications, but can also innovate new concepts.
If you’re looking for jobs in software development this year, emphasize your ability to think creatively about problems and develop new solutions.
Additionally, highlight some more of these in-demand software development skills for 2021 (if you have them):
Additional job skills for software developers
- Programming
- Advanced technology
- Cross-functional team
- End user support
- Computer aided engineering
Develop the right skills for 2021
Job hunting this year isn’t easy. But by focusing your resume on the skills that employers are looking for right now, you can stand out and hopefully land more interviews.
Start by highlighting the general skills that are in demand across a variety of industries, such as communication, data entry, and customer service in your resume skills section. Then, focus on skills that employers are looking for in your industry.
And don’t forget to look through the job description for the position you want and take note of the specific skills employers are looking for. Including skills from the job description in your resume is a great way to make you look like a perfect fit for the position. If you’re not finding relevant skills in job advertisements, as a last resort try looking at resume samples from other candidates in your industry.
