With millions of Americans looking for work, it's important that job seekers include a variety of skills on their resume that will help them stand out from other candidates. Carilyn Penrod, director of career services at Brown Mackie College, told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that while a good resume will include a job seeker's relevant technical training and work experience, it should also reflect their soft skills. "The main items I look for in interviewee, apart from hard skills, are self confidence, eye contact and a firm handshake," Penrod told the news agency. Penrod said soft skills, combined with integrity, appropriate dress and good grammar, can help a candidate appear to be more professional. "Listening skills matter, too. Is the candidate paying attention to what I'm saying? Is the candidate providing thoughtful responses?" she added. While listing soft skills on a resume is a good way to introduce them to a potential employer, Penrod said job seekers must be able to provide examples how they have helped a candidate' past performance. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there were approximately 3.7 million job openings in the U.S. as of April 2012. |