Core Competencies on a Resume With Examples, Tips, and Guide
- What Are Core Competencies on a Resume?
- Benefits of Including Core Competencies on Your Resume
- Types of Core Competencies To Include on Your Resume
- How To Identify Your Core Competencies
- How To List Core Competencies on Your Resume
- Examples of Core Competencies for Different Roles
- Common Mistakes To Avoid When Listing Core Competencies
- Additional Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions About Core Competencies on Resumes
In addition to work experience and a compelling summary, a resume must include core competencies. Below, discover what core competencies are and how to include them.
What Are Core Competencies on a Resume?
Core competencies refer to a broad combination of your knowledge, skills, and experience. They help you demonstrate expertise and value to employers and align your resume with the requirements in a job listing. When thinking about core competencies for your resume, consider what your most marketable hard and soft skills might be and how they reflect your fit for a position.
Benefits of Including Core Competencies on Your Resume
Adding a core competencies section on a resume or being cognizant of including competencies throughout your resume sections can have benefits such as:
- Enhancing readability for recruiters. Listing your more relevant competencies in a separate section on your resume lets recruiters and hiring managers quickly see your key strengths and what might make you a relevant candidate for a position.
- Improving ATS compatibility. When you’re aware of the desired professional competencies for a resume, you can integrate key phrases and information that help your resume pass ATS scans and increase your chance of getting an interview.
- Differentiating yourself from other candidates. Including top competencies for career success when they’re relevant to your skills and experience can help set you apart in a competitive job market and capture the attention of employers.
Types of Core Competencies To Include on Your Resume
Industry-specific competencies
These key competencies for job seekers are skills and qualifications specific to industries such as finance, health care, and information technology (IT). An industry-specific competency is one that would be unlikely to be used outside a job in just one industry. For example, IV skills are a health care competency, while balance sheet reporting is an accounting competency.
Functional competencies
Functional competencies are skills and knowledge that apply across various roles and industries. Examples include sales strategy, data analysis, and project management. One of the most commonly desired functional competencies is computer skills, as more than 92% of jobs require digital skills.
Leadership competencies
Core competencies for management roles can include change management, coaching, and general team leadership. These competencies demonstrate your ability to manage and lead people.
Personal effectiveness competencies
Some of the best core competencies for job applications include remote collaboration, critical thinking, and solution-finding. Around 95% of employers in a survey by The Association of American Colleges and Universities said critical thinking was an important skill.
How To Identify Your Core Competencies
To identify the core competencies that might be important for your resume, complete the following steps:
- Review employer job listings. Analyze these job descriptions to understand what competencies employers want to see in candidates. For example, if an employer lists JavaScript, Python, and HTML, you can surmise they also want programming, troubleshooting, and other development-based competencies.
- Conduct a self-assessment. Think about your own skills and where you’re most competent. Brainstorm a list, and if you’re not sure of a competency, look for an assessment or test online.
- Seek feedback. For competencies that can’t be tested, such as leadership skills, get feedback from peers, coworkers, and mentors about your abilities.
- Consider your past experience. Look at your past accomplishments to determine competencies. If you previously broke sales records in a role, you probably have sales-related competencies, for instance.
How To List Core Competencies on Your Resume
Once you have a list of core competencies, include them on your resume by:
- Creating a dedicated core competencies section. Create a list-based section with short bullet points that’s easy to scan and include the most relevant, strongest competencies related to a position.
- Integrating them throughout your resume. Build a narrative throughout your summary and work experience section that includes your key strengths. Pair action verbs and metrics when possible to quantify competencies or their impact. For example, a bullet point that says “led project teams to complete projects on time and within budget 93% of the time” indicates leadership and project management competencies.
- Prioritizing competencies based on job relevance. You may not be able to include every competency on a resume. Prioritize competencies that are most relevant to the position you’re applying for. Start with any competencies mentioned specifically in a job posting. Then include any that are hinted at or highly relevant to the job posting. If you have more room, include transferable competencies and any that you reasonably think would be relevant or impressive.
Examples of Core Competencies for Different Roles
Sales and marketing professionals
- Account management
- Contract negotiation
- Customer service
- Pipeline management
- Sales forecasting
- Team collaboration
IT and technical roles
- Attention to detail
- Automation and control testing
- Client relationship management
- Splunk proficiency
- System security planning
- Technical documentation
Management and leadership positions
- Client relationship management
- Financial planning
- Revenue generation
- Team coordination
- Sales and negotiating
Administrative and support roles
- Customer service
- Data entry
- Google Workspace
- Organization
- Team collaboration
- Time management
Common Mistakes To Avoid When Listing Core Competencies
Avoid these common mistakes when listing core competencies on a resume:
- Being too vague or generic. Demonstrating broad competencies, especially when it comes to competencies such as seeking solutions or leadership skills can be good. But make sure not to create a vague resume. Think about what the employer specifically needs for a position and address some of those details.
- Listing too many competencies. Limit your core competencies list to no more than 10 or 12 — less can be more here — to avoid stuffing your resume with irrelevant skills.
- Ignoring the rest of your resume. Ensure that all sections of your resume support each other and read well together. Your work experience should showcase and back up your core competency claims.
Additional Resources
Get templates and resume core competencies examples at ResumeTemplates.com. Consider starting with our functional resume examples. Discover how to add skills lists to your resume and how to list your work experience.
Frequently Asked Questions About Core Competencies on Resumes
You could include a core competencies section on your resume and title it as such. In lieu of a skills list, you could use this section, especially if you have knowledge and other competencies to list alongside specific skills.
When considering skills and competencies for a resume, it helps to understand that skills are specific capabilities that are learned while competencies are a broader combination of skills, knowledge, and behavior. For example, the ability to use Quickbooks is a financial skill. The ability to manage a general ledger is a competency.
Once you’ve reviewed examples of core competencies on resume samples and followed the tips above to integrate some into your resume, take time to proofread your work. Get a second or third set of eyes on it too, and ask for feedback from peers and mentors to ensure your resume is relevant and makes sense. Review your resume regularly to add new competencies that may be relevant.
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