Time is money, and every employer has a bottom line to watch — which is why
they want to hire people with great time management skills (especially high
income skills). These skills are always in high demand because they’re essential
for keeping workflows moving smoothly and efficiently. Recruiters want people
with specific areas of expertise.
In this article, we’ll talk about seven time management skills you should add to
your resume to help you stand out to potential employers.
What are time management skills?
Time management skills help you make the most efficient use of your
time. These are usually considered to be soft skills, which are the personal
attributes and social skills that we need to interact with other people. Soft skills
include things like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Hard
skills include things like data analysis.
According to a LinkedIn study, 89 percent of employers say that when a hire
does not work out, it’s often due to a lack of soft skills. This is why more and
more recruiters are prioritizing soft skills over hard skills when hiring.
Soft skills like time management are high demand skills right now especially
because they are transferable. This means they can be applied to any job, across
all industries and positions.
7 important time management skills examples for your resume
When you’re adding skills to your resume, remember that you should always try
to show,not tell. In other words, don’t just list your skills, but try to back them up
with real-life time management skills examples showing when you applied them.
You also want to showcase what’s required, not overload the reader with
information or keyword stuff the resume.
Here are the seven time management skills that employers love to see the most.
- Prioritization
Setting priorities is perhaps the most essential time management skill of all. If
you don’t know which task has the highest priority, it’s very difficult to make
effective use of your time.
When you show potential employers that you know how to prioritize tasks, it
tells them that you can think about the big picture and understand what is most
important for the company’s success. It shows you have critical-thinking skills as
well.
Remember, when writing your resume, don’t tell readers that you’re “good at
prioritizing.” Instead, show them. You could say, for example:
“As a supervisor, I was responsible for managing a team of customer service
representatives. We were constantly bombarded with requests from customers,
and it was my job to prioritize those requests to keep our team on track. I
learned how to quickly assess what was most important and delegate accordingly.”
3 WAYS TO SHOW THIS SKILL ON YOUR RESUME:
- As seen in the example above, use action verbs such as manage,
prioritize, or assess to paint a clear picture and keep readers engaged. - Use numbers to show the results you achieved. For example, “By
prioritizing the most important customers, I helped my team increase
the ROI of outbound sales by 25 percent.” - Emphasize efficiency. Show potential employers that, despite having
many responsibilities, you can still meet deadlines and deliver great
results.
2. Setting goals
Setting clear goals makes it easier to determine how to best use your time so
you can achieve those goals. They also help you stay on track and avoid getting
overwhelmed.
If you are a social media manager, for example, you set goals by creating a
schedule for posting content. This helps you plan your time so you can focus on
the most important tasks.
If you are a project manager, you set goals by choosing a target completion date
for a project. Then you can work backwards and create a schedule or plan that
will ensure the project finishes on time.
Setting goals makes it easier to track your progress and see how far you’ve
come. It also allows you to make adjustments if necessary.
3 WAYS TO HIGHLIGHT GOAL SETTING SKILLS ON YOUR RESUME:
- Be specific – don’t just say your goal was to “grow sales this year.”
Instead say you set a goal to “increase sales by 10 percent over each
quarter throughout the year.” - Share an educational goal, such as learning a new tool or completing a
course. For example, “My goal was to learn to code, which I did by
taking an online coding course.” - Show how you set goals that are measurable and achievable. Maybe
you set a goal to increase web traffic to your company’s website by 20
percent over the course of 6 months – and you successfully reached
that goal.
3. Planning
Yes, prioritizing and setting goals are important skills. But you also need to be
able to put those ideas into motion – this is where planning comes in.
Examples of planning include creating a timeline, developing a strategy, or
allocating resources.
Putting this skill on your resume is fairly easy if you were in a leadership or
project management position. All you have to do is think about a time when you
helped put a new process in place. We analyzed over 10 million real job listing
and found that out of the skills most commonly requested on job descriptions,
14% had planning as a required skill.
But even if you didn’t lead such efforts, you can still try to think of times where
you had to plan events, meetings, or anything else where you had to take charge
and make sure everything ran smoothly.
Planning is a valuable skill in any job, so don’t be afraid to showcase it even if
you don’t have the word “manager” in your title.
3 TIPS FOR DISPLAYING PLANNING ABILITIES ON YOUR RESUME:
- Try to use action verbs that emphasize your planning skills, such as
coordinated, organized, and scheduled. - Include any relevant certifications or training in project management.
- Highlight successes you achieved that were the result of good planning
on your part.
4. Delegating
Delegating is the process of assigning responsibility for a task or project to
another person or group. When delegating, it is vital to ensure that the people
you delegate to have the necessary skills and expertise to complete the task.
Delegation is also a great example of interpersonal skills.
Delegating is an important time management skill for two reasons:
- It shows you are capable of managing others effectively.
- It allows you to free up your own time so that you can focus on other tasks.
Add delegating to your resume by highlighting the successes you achieved by
assigning tasks to others. Also explain how this benefited your company or
organization.
3 TIPS FOR FEATURING DELEGATION SKILLS ON YOUR RESUME:
- Create a more powerful impact by using action verbs like managed, directed, supervised, or assigned.
- Include any experience you have managing a team. This shows that you are able to lead others and get the best out of them.
- Use numbers. Instead of saying, “I supervised a team,” say, “I supervised a team of 8 people.”
5. Technical skills
In today’s world, any discussion of time management skills must include using
technology. Technology can save time by improving communication,
streamlining processes, and freeing up employees for other tasks.
This means that it’s critical to show prospective employers that you are
comfortable with using technology, and other analytical skills, to save time and
increase productivity.
Your resume should always include your experiences with specific time
management software or tools.
Examples of this technology include project management software, marketing
automation platforms, data analytics software, e-commerce platforms, mobile
apps, CRM software, and more.
3 WAYS TO FEATURE TECH KNOW-HOW ON YOUR RESUME:
- Whenever possible, show how you used a tool to achieve a specific
result. For example, “I used Smartsheet software to reduce workflow by
10 percent.” - List certifications, special training, and other credentials.
- If tech knowledge seems like a make-or-break for a potential employer,
include a simple list of relevant tools you know how to use.
6. Documentation and training
It’s vitally important for businesses to document, or create a written record
of, their processes. These documents can then guide current employees or train
new ones. Documenting can save a lot of time and frustration down the road.
Out of those 10 million real job listings we analyzed, we found that 14% had
documentation as a required skill.
Examples of documents include manuals, video tutorials, online courses,
flowcharts, training webinars, and more.
3 STRATEGIES FOR SHOWING OFF DOCUMENTING AND TRAINING SKILLS ON YOUR RESUME:
- Be detailed about any training experience you have. For example, say,
“I trained all new machinists on equipment safety and production
work.” - Focus on the measurable results you achieved. An example would be,
“As an office manager, I created materials to train new employees on
company policies and procedures, which resulted in making the
onboarding process 32 percent more efficient.” - List any certifications, special training, or other classroom credentials
you may have.
7. Decision making
You might be asking, “How is decision-making a time management skill?” The
answer is that quick and efficient decisions save time that would otherwise be
wasted on deliberating over options. Making effective decisions also shows
hiring managers that you have effective problem solving skills as well.
On your resume, try to highlight specific decisions you made that resulted in a
positive outcome and explain why they were successful.
In addition, good decisions always involve problem solving, or the ability to
quickly see what needs fixing. So, as a bonus, feel free to add problem solving
skills to your resume as well!
3 MORE TIPS FOR ADDING DECISION-MAKING SKILLS TO YOUR RESUME:
- Show how you utilized data and analytics to inform your decisions.
- Highlight the impact your decisions had on the company’s bottom line.
For example, “As a financial analyst, I decided to switch the company
over to QuickBooks, which saved 20 percent on accounting costs.” - If applicable, mention that you made your decisions in a fast-paced or
high-pressure environment. This shows that you work well under pressure.
How to improve your time management skills at work
There are a few key things you can do to improve your time management skills
while you’re at your job.
- Set priorities and stick to them.
- Make a to-do list and use it as a guide for your daily activities.
- Delegate tasks when possible.
- Stay organized and keep your workspace clean.
- Avoid procrastination at all costs!
- Practice time management techniques regularly.
Following these tips will not only help you become more efficient and productive in the workplace, but they’ll provide you with important soft skills you can add to your resume.
How to add time management skills to your resume
Wondering how to highlight skills on your resume? To show your time
management skills on your resume, list them in your work experience and skills
sections. Only do this if they match the job description. For example, if the job
stresses time management and lists it as a keyword.
EXAMPLE OF A BULLETED SKILLS SECTION:
- Prioritization
- Deadline management
- Task scheduling
- Delegation
This helps your resume align with applicant tracking systems (ATS) that scan for
specific keywords. In your work experience, quantify your achievements. For
example, “Developed a strategy that improved team efficiency by 20%.” Use
action verbs, like “coordinated” and “organized.” They show you can manage
time in practical situations.
This approach shows employers how you use these skills. It also ensures your
resume ranks well with ATS.
You can easily identify these skills with Jobscan’s free Resume Builder tool. You
can select which skills to add from the automated suggestions and add them to
your resume with just one click using our bullet point generator. It takes just
seconds to perfectly optimize your resume.
What are the best tools to improve time management skills?
There are so many apps, tools, sites, and more designed to help you with
managing your time management skills. Here are some of the most popular
ones to try, categorized for you to know exactly how they can help.
Project management software
Platforms like Trello, Asana, and Monday.com allow you to break down complex
tasks into manageable steps, assign deadlines, and monitor progress in real
time. These tools are excellent for team collaboration and keeping projects on
track.
Time-tracking apps
Apps like Toggl and Clockify help you track how much time you’re spending on
different tasks. This insight allows you to adjust your schedule and improve
productivity by identifying time-wasting activities.
Calendars and planners
Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, and physical planners can help you block
time for specific tasks, set reminders, and plan your day, week, or month in advance.
Automation tools
Tools like Zapier can automate repetitive tasks, such as scheduling emails or
organizing files, freeing up time for more critical activities.
Focus and distraction blockers
Apps like Focus@Will block distracting websites and apps, allowing you to concentrate on important tasks during work sessions.
