Career services practitioners should advise their college students seeking full-time employment after graduation to craft a well-written resume. Why? In part, because employers responding to NACE’s Job Outlook 2019 survey said they will seek evidence of solid written communication skills on their candidates’ resumes.
When NACE asked employers participating in its Job Outlook 2019 survey which skills and qualities—beyond a strong GPA—they most want to see on students’ resumes, more than four out of five indicated written communication skills, making it the most sought-after attribute this year. (See Figure 1.)
Problem-solving skills and an ability to work as part of a team are also highly desired.
Attributes showing more significant movement this year are initiative and leadership. Initiative, which was eighth on the list last year, has rocketed to fourth. Nearly three-quarters of respondents are seeking it on resumes this year.
Leadership, on the other hand, has dropped from the fourth most sought-after attribute last year to the seventh this year (tied with verbal communication skills).
Other highly valued attributes that employers want to see evidence of on resumes this year include analytical/quantitative skills and a strong work ethic.
Figure 1: Attributes Employers Seek on a Candidate’s Resume
| ATTRIBUTE | % OF RESPONDENTS |
|---|---|
| Communication skills (written) | 82.0% |
| Problem-solving skills | 80.9% |
| Ability to work in a team | 78.7% |
| Initiative | 74.2% |
| Analytical/quantitative skills | 71.9% |
| Strong work ethic | 70.8% |
| Communication skills (verbal) | 67.4% |
| Leadership | 67.4% |
| Detail-oriented | 59.6% |
| Technical skills | 59.6% |
| Flexibility/adaptability | 58.4% |
| Computer skills | 55.1% |
| Interpersonal skills (relates well to others) | 52.8% |
| Organizational ability | 43.8% |
| Strategic planning skills | 38.2% |
| Tactfulness | 25.8% |
| Creativity | 23.6% |
| Friendly/outgoing personality | 22.5% |
| Entrepreneurial skills/risk-taker | 16.9% |
| Fluency in a foreign language | 11.2% |
Source: Job Outlook 2019, National Association of Colleges and Employers
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