What Are Personal Skills?
In the context of a resume, personal skills are work-related skills a person can have that are more related to individual traits than specific job skills, such as the ability to type a certain number of words per minute or code in a specific language; for example, accountability, precision, loyalty, friendliness, resourcefulness and dependability are all considered personal skills. Personal skills can be discussed in a resume or cover letter in order to describe one’s work style and positive traits as an employee. The job applicant should focus on those personal skills that are most applicable to the job in question.
Personal skills can be described as personality and behavioral traits that determine how people act in a workplace context, including how they manage themselves, perform their work and interact with coworkers and management. Personal skills may also include creative, leadership, linguistic and analytical skills. Job applicants should be precise and descriptive when it comes to their personal skills. For example, instead of simply describing oneself as “careful,” job applicants can describe themselves as being “precise” or “accurate.” Job applicants who are applying to a job based on a written job ad should look for the desired personal skills listed in that job application and determine whether their own skills match.
