One of the most critical professional traits to have as a job seeker is time management skills.
Companies typically recruit individuals with these skills, as the ability to meet deadlines while still being efficient is highly valuable in any workplace.
While you might have excellent time management skills, you will not be able to actually demonstrate them during your interview, apart from arriving on time, which is a must anyway.
That is why it is critical to include them on your resume, and in this article, you will learn how to properly incorporate time management skills into your resume so that employers really take notice.
Let’s dive right in.
Key Takeaways
- Any abilities related to minimizing time spent on tasks and boosting productivity are referred to as time management skills. They are crucial since they contribute to your and the company’s success.
- Prioritization, timely communication, organization, delegation, scheduling, and meeting deadlines are six time management skills to add to your resume.
- These abilities might be included in your resume summary, employment experience, or skills section.
- Set goals, practice making decisions, and break down large activities into smaller portions if you want to enhance your time management skills.
What Are Time Management Skills & Why They’re Important?
Time management skills refer to all of the abilities that enable an individual to prioritize time spent on tasks regarded as more important. This type of prioritization yields better results in the end.
Other time management skills, other than prioritization, include planning, organization, and even clear communication with regards to time commitments, expectations, and so on.
If you have all or most of these skills, you will undoubtedly be more productive, more efficient at work, and have more time to enjoy your hobbies or other vital aspects of your life.
Having the opportunity to accomplish whatever you want every day, whether it’s work, relaxation, time spent with loved ones, or anything else, can only improve your levels of satisfaction and overall fulfillment. You will feel more in control of your life, which will translate to success in many other areas of your life.
6 Time Management Skills to Put on Your Resume
Now that you understand why time management skills in the workplace are so crucial, let’s look at some of the most significant time management skills you should include on your resume to increase your chances of getting hired.
#1. Prioritization
One of the most crucial time management skills to have is prioritization. If you have the capacity to prioritize your duties, you will be able to complete the most important ones first before tackling the others.
This way, you can be certain that you have everything under control and accomplish a high level of productivity, which can be very rewarding both professionally and personally.
To include prioritizing in your resume, highlight that you’ve employed it daily to effectively do your job in one of your past roles.
For example, if you worked as a human resources manager at WebFx, you could state in your experience description, “Effectively prioritized amongst numerous responsibilities on a daily basis to optimize the workflow and the team efforts at WebFx.”
#2. Timely Communication
Any workplace will emphasize the importance of timely communication among employees.
Timely communication ensures that everyone is up to date on everything, including work obligations and deadlines. When every employee is on the same page, the operation runs smoothly, and less time is spent resolving misunderstandings.
Timely communication should be highlighted, perhaps in the summary portion of the resume. In that case, you could say something like, “My top three skills that I am bringing to the table are timely communication, critical thinking, and creativity.”
#3. Organization
Any activity utilized to keep the company running smoothly is referred to as “organization.” This skill is related to arranging meetings and events, managing teams and tasks, organizing your workspace or everyday activities, and so on.
Organization is an important ability to have since a disorganized individual will foster chaos in the workplace and, in most situations, will be unable to complete the work efficiently, causing the company unnecessary damage.
If the position you are applying for requires you to execute organizational activities, make sure to include that skill on your resume. More specifically, use action verbs such as organized, managed, and so on.
Assume you worked as a project manager at Dove; you could say something like, “Coordinating all project-related duties was my principal role as a project manager at Dove.”
#4. Delegation
Delegation is an important ability to have, especially for individuals in positions of authority. The ability to allocate duties correctly can make or break a company’s workflow and staff efficiency.
That is why it is critical to understand employees’ skills and shortcomings so that jobs can be distributed effectively. Productivity and time efficiency will improve as a result.
If delegation wasn’t a component of any of your past experiences, you can mention it as one of your soft skills in your resume’s skills section.
#5. Scheduling
Scheduling is an essential skill for any employee, but especially for those in assistant jobs.
Assistants are often needed to schedule meetings, phone calls, and other events for their supervisors. Even if you don’t work as an assistant, you may find yourself in a scenario where you need to assist a coworker with scheduling. Or perhaps you’re working on a project that requires you to schedule events and so on.
In any case, knowing how to do it will reduce the amount of time you have to spend on it and allow you to devote that time to other duties for greater efficiency.
You can also incorporate scheduling as a soft skill. It’s not commonly included in resumes, but it’s a valuable time management skill to have, and it can’t hurt to list it there.
#6. Meeting Deadlines
Every employer is seeking an employee who can meet all deadlines. Meeting deadlines is critical, as the company and all of its partnerships, collaborations, and overall success depend on it.
So be sure to highlight this skill on your resume. One method is to tie it to one of your previous roles, making it clear that this is an integral part of your work ethic.
For example, if you worked as a writer at People Magazine, you could say something like, “As a writer at People Magazine, my aim was to produce quality texts while strictly meeting all deadlines.”
How to Add Time Management Skills to Your Resume
To include your time management skills on your resume, consider the following sections:
- Summary. You might include some of your most valuable time management skills in your resume summary, along with your past accomplishments and current objectives.
- Work experience. You might leverage your previous work experience to highlight your time management abilities. Utilize action verbs in your description to highlight these skills, and match them with positions that emphasize these skills.
- Skills. If you are unable to organically incorporate your time management skills into any of the aforementioned parts, you can always include a distinct section in your resume to list your soft and hard skills.
How to Improve Time Management Skills
Here are some pointers to help you improve your organization and time management skills:
- Establish objectives. Setting objectives is an excellent way to improve your time management skills. Whether at work or not, if you know what your goals are and what you want to accomplish that day, you will be able to develop a time-efficient plan and stick to it for optimal productivity.
- Practice making decisions. Making decisions is not always simple. They tend to take up more of your time than they should if you are indecisive. Therefore, put your decision-making skills to the test. The more you practice making judgments, the easier it will be to make them quickly.
- Divide the tasks. Looking at large tasks and initiatives can be rather daunting. You may even become discouraged because you believe they are too difficult to handle. So, divide them into small, manageable chunks. That way, you can get started without wasting time worrying about not being able to complete them.
Final Thoughts
Now that you’ve read this article, you should be more familiar with some of the most important time management skill examples, as well as how to include them on your resume!
It is critical to emphasize such skills because they are exactly what employers are seeking and will help you stand out from the crowd.
But, as these are skills you are likely to have used and developed in your previous employment, be sure to incorporate them naturally. Good luck!