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Table of contents

What are active listening skills and why do they matter on a resume?
30+ Active listening skills examples to include on your resume
How to list active listening skills on your resume
How to improve your active listening skills
More skills resources
Key Takeaways

Active listening skills are a key ability for the modern workplace. A worker who is demonstrating active listening skills on a consistent basis is a worker who is proving that they can be counted on by employers, co-workers and team members.

But what are active listening skills? Our guide will help you understand them and provide some active listening skills examples that you can use on your resume.

Read on for:

An active listening skills definition to help you understand why they matter.
Examples of active listening skills to use on your resume.
Tips to help you improve your active listening skills.
Key takeaways to help you remember the essentials.

Need a resume where you can show off your active listening skills? Try our AI Resume Builder. This tool offers customizable content suggestions, expert tips and formatting help, so you can create an application-ready resume in just a few minutes.

What are active listening skills and why do they matter on a resume?

First, what does active listening mean? Active listening is deeper than just hearing the words that someone says to you. It means metabolizing their meaning and engaging with the speaker. If you aren’t giving your full attention to the speaker, then you aren’t practicing active listening.

So, by definition, active listening skills help you understand, engage with and analyze the meaning of communications. They are deeply tied to your interpersonal skills and your communication skills.

Active listening skills are crucial for your resume. Whether you’re a project manager or a school principal, the ability to understand directions, collaborate with others and synthesize information is an essential skill set.

30+ Active listening skills examples to include on your resume

Your resume skills section is a great opportunity to demonstrate what a strong active listener you are. To help you get started, here’s a list of active listening skills examples that you can focus on in your resume.

To make them easier to digest, we’ve broken this skill set down into three categories.

Attention

Arguably the most important aspect of active listening is attention. In fact, that’s largely what sets active listening apart from regular old listening. When you listen actively, you give the speaker your full attention and focus your thoughts on what they’re saying.

Here are some attention skills for your resume:

Attentiveness
Focus
Engagement
Presence
Making eye contact
Alertness
Attunement
Concentration
Absorption
Involvement
Attentive silence
Respect

Understanding

The next category is comprehension. It isn’t enough to just pay attention to what is being said. You need to do the mental work of understanding, analyzing and synthesizing the information presented to you. This will allow you to act on it in ways that demonstrate that you’ve been truly listening.

Understanding skills for your resume:

Comprehension
Empathy
Perspective-taking
Sensitivity
Insight
Accuracy
Interpretation
Analysis
Synthesis
Critical thinking
Clarity
Reflective listening

Response

Finally, the objective of active listening is action. You should be prepared to respond to new information thanks to the attention you gave it and the comprehension you employed. These key skills will help you respond to information thoughtfully.

Response skills to help you put new information into action:

Feedback
Questioning
Communication
Acknowledgment
Validation
Summarization
Paraphrasing
Clarification
Encouragement
Confirmation
Encapsulation
Affirmation

How to list active listening skills on your resume

Now that we’ve equipped you with a solid set of active listening skills to focus on, let’s look at how best to use them on your resume so that employers can see how thoughtful and attentive you are.

Step 1

Start by examining the job description

No matter the role, the job listing is always the best place to start when preparing your resume. Look for keywords that indicate which active listening skills the employer is looking for in their ideal candidate. Integrate the key skills you find in the job ad into your resume so recruiters can see you’re an ideal fit.

For instance, consider this job listing:

Our ideal candidate for the role of sales associate is someone who can:

Greet and assist customers in a friendly and professional manner.
Actively listen to customers to understand their preferences, interpret their needs and recommend products.
Provide product demonstrations and answer questions about features and benefits.
Validate customer concerns and address negative feedback promptly and efficiently.
Meet and exceed sales targets and goals.

The bolded keywords represent some of the active listening skills that a candidate might benefit from emphasizing on a resume for this role.

Pro Tip

Using active listening skills from the job listing on your resume not only positions you as a perfect fit for the role but also helps you pass through applicant tracking systems (ATS) with ease.

Step 2

Feature active listening skills in your skills section

Alongside hard skills specific to your field, your skills section should feature some more subtle soft skills that display your well-roundedness. This is a perfect opportunity to highlight a few of your most important active listening skills.

Step 3

Integrate active listening skills throughout your resume

Your skills section isn’t the only place where you can show off your active listening skills. Your work history is a great place to show how you’ve applied those skills in real-life scenarios.

Consider this example:

Sales Associate
XYZ Retail Store, City, State
January 2020 – July 2024

Interpreted customers’ needs and preferences to recommend appropriate products, resulting in a 15% increase in sales.
Demonstrated active listening skills by attentively understanding customers’ inquiries and providing accurate information.
Utilized effective communication skills to interact with customers, address their concerns and build rapport.
Answered questions about products, features and pricing, demonstrating a strong product knowledge and attention to detail.

The work history section isn’t the only place where you can do this, either. Your resume profile offers a valuable opportunity to highlight some of the most important keywords on your resume at the very top. These are the first active listening skills that employers will likely see, so pick the ones that you think are the most relevant to the role and your expertise.

Pro Tip

If you’re an entry-level candidate at the beginning of your career journey, consider using a functional resume format to highlight your active listening skills without relying on the work experience that you haven’t earned yet.

Step 4

Don’t forget to include active listening skills in your cover letter

Your cover letter is essential to your job-searching journey. It allows you to expand on your resume and express your enthusiasm for the role. It also gives you another chance to demonstrate some active listening skills. In your cover letter, you should explain how your skills have allowed you to achieve impressive results.

For help getting started, explore cover letter examples that feature strong skills sections full of active listening skills. Our Cover Letter Builder can also help by providing generated text based on your background as well as professional formatting help so you can create a cover letter in just a few minutes.

How to improve your active listening skills

Active listening is a vital skill that will help you outside of the workplace too. When you listen actively, people feel heard and understood and you are properly informed and equipped to handle tasks. Active listening skills make us better friends, collaborators and professionals.

But how can you improve your active listening skills? We’ll walk you through a couple of simple suggestions that can help you get better at active listening.

Improve your active listening skills by:

Repeating what you hear

It sounds simple, but the Harvard Business Review recommends repeating the last few words you hear as a way of helping you metabolize information. This is a great way to keep yourself focused on the topic at hand while also showing the other person that they have your attention. Just be sure not to be robotic about it.

Working on your attention span

It’s hard to pay close attention to one thing when all the information in the world is at our fingertips 24/7. Forbes suggests that putting down your cell phone, embracing boredom and working on self-discipline works wonders when it comes to developing active listening skills.

Focusing on nonverbal cues

Even when we are listening, sometimes the person speaking can’t tell we’re doing it because we aren’t offering the right nonverbal cues. MasterClass recommends facing the speaker, leaning in close and nodding when appropriate to show that you’re listening.

Relying on the professionals

When improving a skill, the internet can be an incredible resource. There are a wealth of courses out there designed to help you improve your active listening skills. Here are just a few sites with resources you might find helpful:

More skills resources

Looking for help understanding, improving or listing a different career skill? Check out our other guides for help making the most out of your resume skills.

Now, let’s explore some key takeaways to help you remember what’s important!

Key Takeaways

List active listening skills on your resume

Include active listening skills on your resume’s skills section, work history and resume profile to show employers that you have what it takes to work on their team.
Work on attention

Paying attention is the first part of active listening. Work on your attention-based skills so that you don’t miss out on what others have to say.
Emphasize understanding

Active listening isn’t just about hearing what others have to say. You also need to comprehend, analyze and synthesize the information presented to you. Skills like critical thinking and perspective will help you do this well.
Respond thoughtfully

When you’ve listened and understood, the next step is to respond. This can mean asking questions or giving feedback, or it can mean putting new information into practice.
Improve your active listening skills

Work on body language and nonverbal cues, focus on attention span and self-discipline and repeat what people say to help you stay on task. Take courses to further develop this skill set.

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Hailey Brophy is an experienced writer with a diverse career in digital publication. She is passionate about using her unique skills and experiences to help job seekers find the information that they need to succeed.