Indicating to potential employers that you have strong time management skills should be top of your list of things you want to include on your resume. Employers like to hire people that are good at managing their own time. It tends to mean that they will also be good managers of the company’s time. Thus, you should always include it on your resume.
Why is it important to list your time management skills in your resume?
There are several reasons for employers to look at time management as something to consider worthy of being listed as a great asset to have. They want to ensure they don’t miss out on the chance to hire someone who is an excellent fit for their projects. Time management is always something that employers will look for in a competent worker.
The employer sees someone with good time management skills as someone who can:
- Meet deadlines on projects that they are assigned
- Show up at work on time every day
- Work well with others and always be respectful of other people’s time
It is so important to know how to say you have good time management skills in a way that will capture the attention of those who are reviewing your resume. Remember, an HR representative will have to review many resumes, and they aren’t likely to stop and spend extra time with yours if you do not give them a good reason to. It would be best if you made it clear that you have great time management skills and that you have showcased these in jobs that you have previously held.
The most important thing is that you get the fact that you are great at managing your time down on the resume, but we also want to discuss how you can do so in a way that is as effective as possible, so you never miss out on an opportunity that comes your way.
Where should you list your time management skills?
How do you mention your time management skills without making it awkward or turning employers away from being interested in other things that you have to say?
It would be best if you considered mentioning your time management abilities in the section of your resume that talks about your previous work experiences. You don’t just want to list out the responsibilities that you had with each employer. You must also explain how you used time management skills to perform well at that job. This will highlight to your potential future employer how you used your skills to make a difference in the workplaces that you worked at before. It will help them see how you may bring those same skills to the table to help them as well.
For example, suppose you were in charge of running inventory in a previously held job. In that case, it might be worth mentioning that you had to use time management to ensure that all of the inventory showed up where it needed to be on schedule. Indeed, time management is critical for work like that, and it is helpful to showcase the fact that you had to use time management to ensure your work was successful.
Examples of time management skills to list in your resume.
Scheduling
Being put in charge of a schedule is a big deal. It means that whoever assigned that work to you believes in your ability to organize and plan a day. It could be something as simple as scheduling who will work certain shifts, but the ability to do so effectively means that you have time management skills that employers value. Thus, you should mention any scheduling experience from previous jobs.
Decision-Making
Time management and decision-making go hand-in-hand. Decision-makers are people who understand when they are on a deadline and need to get things done. They know what needs to be done to move a project forward and understand that people are looking to them to make tough calls when necessary.
Thus, decision-making is something that contributes to great time management skills. It would be best if you tried to illustrate examples of any times when you were put in charge of something where you were the one responsible for making decisions for a group of people.
Taking Care Of Multiple Responsibilities
Few people work in a job where they are given a single responsibility that they need to take care of each time they take care of every day. Instead, it would be best if you highlighted that you had been given multiple responsibilities to take care of at your job.
Delegating
Believe it or not, some of the best examples of excellent time management come from people who are great at delegating work that was originally assigned to them. It may sound a little strange, but those who push work onto others sometimes show time management skills. They are simply selecting the people who can best handle various tasks assigned throughout the day. They don’t have to take on everything themselves if they know that others are better equipped to handle something in particular. This is critical and a great example of excellent time management.
Goal-Setting
Setting goals is a great way to focus on getting things done, and it is a big part of what people with excellent time management skills do to get things done. If they break their larger tasks into more manageable ones, they can get more done. Setting goals is a major part of doing things just right. Those who are great at setting goals are probably also good at managing their time. They know what needs to be done to take care of large tasks, and they set about taking those larger tasks by breaking them down into smaller parts.
Prioritizing
Moving around from thing to thing may make a person appear as though they are highly organized and great with time management, but it can be a sign of exactly the opposite. Someone with excellent time management skills will understand that prioritizing is a big part of getting things right.
Prioritizing is a great skill to mention as part of your range of time management abilities. You know the truly important tasks, and you are not afraid to take great strides to get them done just right.
Effective Teamwork
Working with a team is a requirement of most jobs, and doing so effectively is a great way to show that you are good at time management. There will always be issues with any team, but some individuals can overcome these problems by being effective team members and balancing their time well.
If you are an effective team member, you can count this as one of your time management skills. It would be best if you tried to make a big deal out of this on your resume because it is a big deal. There are many situations at any job where being on a team is a necessity, and showing that you can do it well is important.
Record Keeping
Are you talented at keeping detailed records? Don’t forget to mention this on your resume as well. People like to have someone they can lean on to record events and happenings around the office. If you have been asked to work on something like this, you should mention it on your resume. You are showing that you are organized and great with time management all at the same time.
Interview questions about time management skills
Interviewers are bound to ask questions about relevant skills you may have to bring to the job. They may ask, “Can you give me an example of a time when you were asked to meet a deadline and did so?”. What they are trying to uncover by asking this question is if you have strong time management skills.
You should:
- Prepare for these types of questions ahead of time
- Consider all of the situations when you have had to meet a deadline
- Answer confidently and honestly about your experiences
There is no magic bullet to getting through an interview. You must be honest and show your potential new job just how great of an asset you can be to them.
