List of the Best Core Competencies Resume Examples

Core competencies are the skills that you feel you would bring to a job. These are your qualifications. When you include them on your resume, you’ll be able to make your application stand out to applicant tracking systems and hiring managers.

Your list of the best core competencies should stand out as bullet points. Avoid using sentence structures when discussing these qualifications. Make your competencies be short, specific, and easy to read.

You want a list of your core competences on your resume because it will catch the attention of those who review your application. It will also include the keywords that tracking systems use to screen out candidates that are considered under-qualified for the position.

Here are some of the core competencies that are sought after in today’s corporate world.

1. Teamwork

You should be able to work independently when needed. Many employers are wanting people who are team-minded as well, able to contribute collaboratively, in addition to being responsible enough to work independently.

2. Responsibility

Employers want to know that you can be given a task and trusted to complete it to a specific quality standard. They want to hire people who have a reputation for showing up on time, helping others when they can, while knowing how to manage themselves to stay productive.

3. Career Orientated

In a hot jobs market, some applicants don’t even bother showing up for a job interview. If you’re applying for a job where the employer is going to invest resources into you, they’ll want to know that you’re in it for a long-term investment instead of a short-term paycheck.

4. Decision Making

Tough decisions must be made in the corporate world. Are you the type of person who delegates this responsibility? Or do you step up to make a choice, even if history determines you made the wrong one? Employers are looking for people today who are willing to take smart risks that advance the culture of the company.

5. Communication

Employers are also looking for people who know how to communicate in positive ways, even if the feedback that must be given is negative. Make sure to note what tools you are familiar with to help get through any tech-based keyword searches that might be in place with an applicant tracking system.

6. Leadership

How do you perceive yourself as a leader? That’s what employers want to know today. Talk about how you’ve lead people in the past, then do your homework about the company to tell them how you’ll lead teams in the future.

7. Commercialization

Businesses are able to provide jobs because they earn profits. That means you must know how to commercialize the goods or services that are provided through your position. Talk about how you see the market and what you can do to help this company make a bigger impact to earn a larger share in the future.

8. Integrity

You might call this item “trustworthiness” or “ethics.” The essence of integrity is making sure that you are doing the right thing, even if no one is around to hold you accountable. Your pursuits must be directed toward the mission and vision of the company. You must keep your promises, make things right when you make a mistake, and own your choices.

9. Results

There are two ways to judge the competency of an employee today, using generic terms: effort and results. Having great productivity habits means nothing if you are unable to produce positive results for an employer. Talk about how you focus on results, create them, and how you keep building an emphasis on this core competency to gain some traction with a hiring manager.

10. Problem Solving

Employers want people who are going to be able to sit down, think out a problem, and then eventually come up with a viable solution. They don’t want people who run to their supervisor or manager every time they encounter adversity to seek out advice. Discuss how you approach a complex problem, how you solve these issues, and give some previous professional examples if they exist.

11. Tech Skills

There’s no getting around the fact that technology has entered the workplace. We are in the midst of a digital revolution. List your top tech skills on your resume to ensure you’re able to be noticed by reviewers. That might mean including social media marketing, SQL work, coding classes, hardware knowledge, mobile browsing, or anything else tech-related which may be relevant for the position you’re wanting.

12. Research Skills

Talk about what you could do for the company by doing some research on it before you submit your application. Informational research is a core competency for many positions today. Discuss the resources you use for research, how you maximize each search, and specific techniques that are used to pull information out from the database of the Internet.

13. Adaptability

Are you the type of person who is most productive when you have a constant routine at work to follow? Or are you able to be adaptable, flexing your skills when needed to push your productivity levels? Being adaptable also means being able to work with a diverse group of people and know how to handle change when it comes.

14. Planning

Employers want people who know how to prioritize their tasks for the day. It goes beyond the to-do lists or being able to create a calendar or schedule. You must be able to plan specific tasks that are able to create wanted objectives for the employer. You must know how to allocate, then use, the resources that are made available to you to produce results.

15. Motivational Support

If you’re looking at a managerial role, then this is a core competency you must include. You must know how to recognize, then reward people for their achievements. You express pride in your team and encourage people to recognize the hard work they’ve done. You also identity and tackle any morale problems which might come up.

16. Focus

Employers want people who are able to align their personal goals with the strategic direction of the company. They want to know that you understand how your job relates to the mission being followed. There is also a desire to develop goals and create actionable steps which help to fulfill the vision.

Including core competencies should not extend the length of your resume. You don’t need to include every single key point listed here. List the ones that are your greatest strengths instead, then list the competencies which you expect are needed for the position you want. That combination will help your resume become noticed more often when applying for a new job.