People Skills for Your Resume: Definition and Examples

A strong resume includes lots of relevant interpersonal skills. But how do these so-called people skills fit on a resume? And how can you create a resume that demonstrates your collaborative spirit and effective communication skills? Our guide will walk you through it.

We'll cover:

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What Are People Skills?

People skills are the abilities that help you interact effectively and harmoniously with other people.

When reaching for a synonym, instead of people skills, you can say interpersonal skills, social skills, soft skills, or emotional intelligence.

Here's an example. Let's say you work in a daycare. You'll likely have a bunch of technical skills like child development knowledge and emergency response training, but you'll also rely on soft skills like patience and creativity. 

In addition to that, you've probably honed some unique and specific people skills, such as keeping kids calm in a chaotic environment and making parents feel comfortable and assured of their child's safety. 

People skills are important in nearly every industry. While they take on greater importance in people-centric professions like healthcare, teaching, and customer service, they are also increasingly important in technical fields such as engineering and information technology.

Next, we're going to dive into even more examples of this skill set.

20+ People Skills Examples

People skills are fundamental to how we live and work. These skills help you build friendships, bond with your family, and excel in your chosen profession.

As we covered above, another word for people skills might be "interpersonal skills" or "social skills," but we can break it down into more specific pieces. Here are people skills examples across a range of categories.

Communication skills

Communication is critical to how we connect with others, explain complicated topics, and express emotions effectively. Our relationships don't work without good communication skills, whether they're interpersonal or in the workplace. Here are a few examples:

Management skills

Effective managers are skilled at handling people and projects. They guide, support, and direct their teams toward achieving organizational goals. Here are some management skills to help you express your leadership abilities:

Problem-solving skills

Another subset of people skills is problem-solving skills. These skills help you resolve conflicts and help people get along better, creating a more harmonious and effective workplace. Here are a few of the words you can use for this:

Cultural competence

Truly understanding and appreciating people requires a certain level of cultural competence. It involves recognizing, respecting, and valuing the differences among various cultural groups. Here are some skills that fall under the umbrella of cultural competence:

Collaboration skills

This one is obvious, right? Collaboration is all about people! Here are some other words to help you express your teamwork skills on your resume:

How to List People Skills on Your Resume

Your people skills mean a lot more if you put them to good use. Showing that you can use your skills to achieve results means doing more than just listing them in your skills section. We'll cover how to build a resume that makes your people skills shine.

Find people skills in the job listing

Start with the job post. Every job post includes a list of duties and responsibilities, as well as qualifications. There, you will find keywords that are essentially the equivalent of skills.

These keywords are important because the majority of employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to weed out candidates. The best way to pass through ATS screening is to create a resume that's strategically targeted to highlight the specific abilities that the role is looking for.

Here's how to find and highlight people skills in the job description (skills are in bold):

The next step? Creating your skills section.

Add a skills section (or two) to your resume

Once you have your skills lined up, it's time to return to your resume.

Start by adding a skills section.

There are different types of skills sections, and they go by different titles. You may want to call your main section "skills," "relevant skills," or core competencies. 

If you find yourself wanting to focus your resume on featuring skills instead of a limited work history, a functional resume is right for you. This resume format is perfect for job seekers just starting out or transferring from other industries because it downplays work experience in favor of skills and abilities. 

If a functional resume appeals to you, then create multiple skills sections focused on both broad people skills and specific technical skills. 

Next, we'll show you how to add people skills to the rest of your resume.

Include skills throughout the rest of your resume

With the skills section out of the way, let's look at the other sections for opportunities.

At the top, you should have a professional summary or resume objective, which are both excellent places to insert a couple of your top skills. On most resumes, the biggest section is work experience, where you have ample opportunity to highlight how you've used the skills you found in the job ad.

Here's what that would look like:

Finish your application with a cover letter

In many industries, you're expected to include a cover letter with your application.

That's good news—cover letters are just another opportunity to highlight your people skills!

Review some cover letter examples to get a sense of how to write a cover letter and where to place your skills.

Tips for Improving Your People Skills

It's never too late to build your people skills. In fact, there are a number of steps you can take right now to make your people skills much stronger. These are just a few ideas:

• Join a club or organization. Participating in a local hobby club can enhance your communication and social interaction skills as you engage regularly with other members.
• Volunteer for a cause meaningful to you. Volunteering at organizations like your local food bank not only contributes to a good cause but also improves your teamwork and empathy by working closely with others toward common goals.
• Attend workshops or training sessions. Enrolling in workshops or local community centers can provide you with structured learning and practical exercises in interpersonal communication and leadership.
• Attend networking events. Going to industry meetups or conferences, such as those organized by professional associations in your field, helps you practice your small talk and networking skills in a professional setting.
• Take an online course. There is a wealth of digital courses offering instruction and support in areas like communication, leadership, and emotional intelligence, which you can take at your own pace to improve specific people skills.

More Skills Resources

People skills are just one part of your skill toolbox. Here are guides covering some of the other skills you might want to sharpen:

• Hard skills
• Hard skills vs soft skills
• Transferable skills
• 21st century skills
• Marketing skills
• Project management skills
• Time management skills
• Conflict resolution skills

Final Thoughts

People skills are an important addition to any resume. Like other soft skills, they are developed through life experience rather than taught, so employers will look to your people skills to determine how well you work with others, communicate with customers, and integrate feedback. 

Use your resume as an opportunity to showcase your interpersonal abilities and take the time to improve areas where your skills may be lacking. Whether you're focused on building professional relationships or delivering exceptional customer service, people skills are key to strengthening your resume and your career future.

Key Takeaways

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Don Sjoerdsma, CPRW

Career Writer

Don is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with more than 10 years' experience creating digital content, including four years helping job seekers develop their careers. He holds an M.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University.

Read more articles by Don Sjoerdsma, CPRW