thinking synonym resume

10 Other Ways to Say “Quick Learner” on A Resume (With Examples)

When putting together your resume, you want to highlight skills and qualities that will grab a hiring manager’s attention. One key trait that employers look for is the ability to quickly pick up new concepts, processes, and systems. How can you emphasize that you’re a quick learner without actually using that overused phrase?

In this blog post, I’ll discuss 10 alternative ways to convey that you’re adept at rapidly acquiring skills and knowledge on your resume . I’ll provide specific examples you can use to demonstrate your quick learning capabilities freshly.

Companies want people who can hit the ground running with minimal training. Being a fast learner shows you can do that , so it’s an important point to get across. But you don’t want to sound formulaic or boring.

By using more unique and descriptive synonyms for “quick learner,” you’ll make your resume more compelling and memorable. Read on to find language you can use on your resume, cover letters, and in interviews to highlight this sought-after ability.

Is It Professional to Say “Quick Learner”?

No , it is not very professional to simply say “quick learner” on a resume or in a professional context. Though the intent is good, directly stating you are a quick learner comes across as unsubstantial and even slightly naive.

Instead, it is better to demonstrate that you are adept at rapidly acquiring new skills by using concrete examples and more nuanced language. Some more professional alternatives include: efficiently mastering new software after only a few hours of training, being comfortable learning complex processes independently, and successfully applying new methodologies after reviewing documentation.

The key is to show rather than tell that you are a quick study who can swiftly expand your knowledge base and proficiencies.

By providing specific instances when you rapidly picked up unfamiliar domains or systems, you will come across as more polished and persuasive than simply asserting you are a “quick learner.”

Here is an example cover letter using “quick learner”:

Dear Hiring Manager, I was excited to come across the open Project Coordinator role at ABC Company. With my background in successfully managing complex technical projects and rapidly learning new systems, I believe I would be a great fit for this position. In my current role as Project Coordinator at XYZ Corp, I have consistently demonstrated my ability to be a quick learner. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to discussing the position and my qualifications further. Sincerely, Grace

• Provides a specific example of quickly learning a new system
• Demonstrates enthusiasm for learning new proprietary processes
• Overused cliché phrase that may lack impact
• Doesn’t offer metrics/details to back up the quick learner claim

What To Say Instead of “Quick Learner”

Here are 10 other ways to convey being a quick learner on a resume:

• Eager to rapidly acquire new skills and knowledge
• Able to quickly grasp new concepts and apply them
• Fast to pick up new processes, systems, and technologies
• Skilled at rapidly mastering new software, methods, and procedures
• Quick to absorb instruction and implement learning
• Rapidly integrates new information and skills
• Excels at swiftly developing proficiency
• Proven ability to promptly learn and apply new material
• Talent for promptly acquiring competencies as needed
• Known capacity to swiftly achieve mastery of unfamiliar domains

1. Eager to rapidly acquire new skills and knowledge

Being eager to rapidly acquire new skills and knowledge implies a proactive attitude towards learning and development.

This trait is especially valuable in fast-paced environments where the ability to adapt and grow is crucial.

It suggests not just a willingness but an enthusiasm for taking on new challenges and expanding one’s skill set.

This quality is beneficial in roles that require continuous learning, such as technology or healthcare, where advancements happen frequently.

For instance:

In a cover letter, one might say, “I am particularly eager to rapidly acquire new skills and knowledge , which drove me to independently learn advanced data analysis techniques, significantly enhancing my contributions to project outcomes.”

2. Able to quickly grasp new concepts and apply them

Being able to quickly grasp new concepts and apply them indicates a high level of cognitive flexibility and practical application of knowledge.

This ability is essential in roles that demand problem-solving and innovation, as it shows that the individual can not only understand new information but also use it effectively in real-world situations.

For example:

In a performance review, you might highlight, “Alex has consistently demonstrated the ability to quickly grasp new concepts and apply them , streamlining our workflow by integrating the latest project management software.”

3. Fast to pick up new processes, systems, and technologies

Being fast to pick up new processes, systems, and technologies is a testament to an individual’s adaptability and technical acumen.

This trait is particularly valuable in industries that are constantly evolving, such as IT or digital marketing.

 It suggests that the person can seamlessly transition between different tools and methodologies, keeping pace with industry changes.

In a recommendation letter , one could write, “Jamie is remarkably fast to pick up new processes, systems, and technologies , making her instrumental in our transition to cloud-based solutions.”

4. Skilled at rapidly mastering new software, methods, and procedures

Being skilled at rapidly mastering new software, methods, and procedures demonstrates a combination of technical proficiency and learning agility.

This competency is crucial in roles that require the use of specialized software or adherence to specific methodologies.

It indicates that the individual is not only adept at learning but can also achieve a high level of proficiency in a short period.

An example of this in use could be, “Within weeks, Sam was skilled at rapidly mastering new software, methods, and procedures , which allowed us to exceed our project deliverables ahead of schedule.”

5. Quick to absorb instruction and implement learning

Being quick to absorb instruction and implement learning shows an exceptional ability to take guidance and immediately put it into action.

This quality is highly valued in training-intensive roles or when onboarding new projects, as it minimizes the ramp-up time and enhances productivity.

During a job interview, one might assert, “I am quick to absorb instruction and implement learning , which was evident when I led a newly formed team to meet critical deadlines by swiftly assimilating and applying complex project guidelines.”

6. Rapidly integrates new information and skills

The ability to rapidly integrate new information and skills into one’s repertoire suggests a seamless blending of new knowledge with existing expertise.

This trait is particularly beneficial in roles that require continuous learning and the application of diverse skill sets to solve complex problems.

It indicates that the individual not only learns quickly but can also synthesize and apply this new knowledge in a way that enhances their overall performance.

in a project report, one might note, “Linda’s capacity to rapidly integrate new information and skills was pivotal in adapting our strategy to the emerging market trends, leading to a 20% increase in efficiency.”

7. Excels at swiftly developing proficiency

To excel at swiftly developing proficiency means more than just learning quickly; it implies achieving a high level of skill in a short timeframe.

This attribute is invaluable in high-stakes environments where new roles or projects demand immediate expertise.

It speaks to an individual’s dedication and capability to not only understand new concepts but to master them to a degree that contributes significantly to their role or team.

An illustration of this could be in a performance appraisal, stating, “Mark excels at swiftly developing proficiency in new technologies, which he demonstrated by leading the integration of an advanced analytics platform within a month of its release.”

8. Proven ability to promptly learn and apply new material

Having a proven ability to promptly learn and apply new material indicates a track record of successful learning and application in real-world scenarios.

This trait reassures employers of an individual’s capability to adapt to new challenges and contribute effectively without extensive training periods.

It is especially relevant for roles that entail a variety of tasks or frequent changes in project scope.

In a resume, one might highlight, “My proven ability to promptly learn and apply new material enabled me to transition seamlessly between diverse roles in the company, from project management to client relations, enhancing team versatility.”

9. Talent for promptly acquiring competencies as needed

A talent for promptly acquiring competencies as needed showcases an individual’s innate ability to identify the skills required for a task and quickly master them.

This trait is crucial in dynamic roles where the ability to self-educate and adapt can significantly impact project outcomes or innovation. It reflects a proactive approach to professional development and problem-solving.

An example:

A professional resume might read, “With a talent for promptly acquiring competencies as needed , I spearheaded the adoption of AI technologies in our design process, significantly reducing turnaround times.”

10. Known capacity to swiftly achieve mastery of unfamiliar domains

Having a known capacity to swiftly achieve mastery of unfamiliar domains speaks to an individual’s reputation for quickly becoming an expert in new areas.

This ability is highly valued in industries that are subject to rapid change or in roles that require leading-edge expertise.

It suggests not only a quick learner but also someone who can become a go-to resource in new and challenging areas.

For Example:

In a letter of intent for a leadership position, one could assert, “My known capacity to swiftly achieve mastery of unfamiliar domains is evidenced by my successful leadership of projects in emerging markets, where I navigated and capitalized on unique challenges to drive growth.”

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20 Common Resume Buzzwords (and What to Use Instead)

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(Reposted from Stephan Maldonado’s VAULT.com blog, 16 January 2019)

January 18 th  is National Thesaurus Day: a chance to celebrate the complexity of words and the variety of creative ways to express yourself. Thesaurus Day recognizes Peter Mark Roget (born on January 18, 1779), who published the  Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases  in 1852. Until the advent of the digital age, Roget’s Thesaurus was one of the most widely used lexicons of the English Language—a staple among writers, students, and virtually anyone who’s ever put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard).

When describing your accomplishments/responsibilities

Employers want to know what you’ve accomplished in your previous roles, and what you can bring to the table. Here are ten common words or phrases and some synonyms you can use as an alternative:

• Lead (as in leading a project): execute, initiate, helm, orchestrate, oversee, spearhead
• Manage (as in managing a team of people):  coordinate, direct, guide, head, pilot, supervise
• Create : design, devise, envision, establish, formulate, launch, pioneer
• Improve : influence, optimize, overhaul, redesign, revitalize, transform
• Increase (as in growing profits, production, etc.):  advance, amplify, boost, expand, generate, maximize
• Decrease (as in saving time and money or cutting down on losses):  conserve, condense, ease, moderate, reduce
• Research:  analyze, examine, explore, inquire, investigate, study
• Write:  author, brief, compose, define, verbalize
• Achieve (as in reaching a goal):  attain, demonstrate, earn, reach, surpass, win
• Communicate (with clients or colleagues):  convey, correspond, interact, liaise, mediate, network

When describing your personality/attributes

Are you a go-getter? A self-starter? A team player? That’s great if you are, but there are far better ways to describe yourself. Try these instead:

• Self-starter:  enthusiastic, inspired, motivated, zealous
• Go-getter : ambitious, aspiring, determined, industrious, passionate
• Detail-oriented:  analytic, attentive, comprehensive, meticulous, precise, systematic
• Team player:  collaborative, collegial, cooperative, helpful, supportive
• Proficient:  accomplished, adept, apt, competent, effective, experienced
• Results-driven:  committed, efficient, intent, purposeful
• Go-to person: enlisted, entrusted, expert, relied upon
• Dynamic:  agile, diligent, energetic, engaging, lively, versatile
• Innovative:  avant-garde, creative, groundbreaking, imaginative, inventive, pioneering, resourceful, shrewd
• Strategic thinker:  critical, flexible, focused, logical, methodical, perceptive, studious

A few words of advice

When it comes to revitalizing your resume, there’s a thin line between creativity and hyperbole. While you want to stand out from the competition, you also want to keep things professional. Most recruiters can tell when you’re grandstanding or exaggerating your qualifications. Overly embellished language can read as flowery and convoluted, which is the last thing you want for someone who might spend  less than 30 seconds reviewing your resume.

Every word on your resume counts. Be specific and concise, only using works that illuminate your point. Utilize  keywords from the job description , but only where they’re relevant. Avoid repetition, and only use words that you understand. This last point might seem self-evident, but as you search for creative synonyms, it can be easy to reach for words you don’t firmly grasp—and that can come across during your interview. And never forget to  proofread your resume  multiple times; recruiters and hiring managers overwhelmingly cite typos or bad grammar as an immediate deal breaker.

Stephan Maldonado for VAULT, http://vault.com/blog/resumes-cover-letters/20-common-resume-buzzwords?&utm_source=WCU_Letter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=01_17_2019&referer_ID=7778&utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=103375

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Critical Thinking Skills for Resume: Definition, Importance Examples

It’s no secret that employers want adaptable people, who can solve problems, and contribute to the organization’s success. The difference between an employee who can do these things and one who can’t comes down to one simple thing: they have strong critical thinking skills.

So of course you’d want to tout these on your resume and all over your job application materials too. There’s one problem, though. Critical skills aren’t always easy to put on paper. But there are a few ‘workarounds’ this post will show you! 

What Are Critical Thinking Skills?

Critical thinking skills stand for your ability to rationally process information, find connections between ideas, reflect, and draw conclusions. You use critical thinking skills in the workplace to solve problems, collaborate with others, resolve conflicts, and complete many other everyday tasks.

To give you a better idea, here are several critical thinking skills examples : 

• Analysis of information for relevancy and accuracy. Strong fact-checking abilities. 
• Critical self-reflection and introspection to eliminate bias or flawed assumptions. 
• Using available data to formulate effective, empathetic, and rational solutions to problems.
• Integrating different information sources and perspectives to form a coherent understanding of an issue. 
• Recognition of fallacies: Ability to spot and eliminate flaws in arguments, assessments, and suggested solutions. 
• Brainstorming multiple approaches to a problem and evaluating their potential effectiveness.

Generally, critical thinking falls into the broader category of conceptual skills — your cognitive abilities to transform abstract problems into concrete solutions. Critical thinking skills also form the base of your analytical skills — a broader range of abilities to perceive, process, and assimilate information. 

Why Are Critical Thinking Skills In Demand By Employers

Employers find ‘soft skills’ like critical thinking in short supply: 78% of employers rank 

critical thinking/analytic reasoning is the most important workplace competency, but only 34% of college graduates they interview are well-prepared in this department. 

At the same time, 93% of employers state that they value strong critical thinking skills over the candidate’s undergraduate degree. Why so? 

Put simply, critical thinking indicates your ability to make good decisions — a competency required for almost every role. 

Critical thinkers can effectively assess the available information and synthesize the best plan of action, based on analyzed data and personal experience.  On the other hand, people with poor critical-thinking skills may be more prone to drawing fast conclusions on incomplete or unreliable data, and rely on ‘hunches’ or personal biases.

The knowledge economy, we now operate in, also puts a premium on human capital. Simple menial work can be done by algorithms and smart manufacturing equipment. However, we still need humans to supervise, develop, and oversee the execution. Another study also argues that people with strong critical thinking skills are less likely to get displaced from their jobs by emerging technologies. 

The bottom line: Critical thinking is 81% of employers already highly valued today and one that prepares you well for the future of work. 

List Of Critical Thinking Skills For Your Resume

Let’s be real: you won’t convince hiring managers by simply stating, ‘I have strong critical thinking skills’ in your cover letter . It’s a fact you need to demonstrate via your duties and accomplishments. The best way to do so is to share specific critical thinking skills examples on your resume. 

Analysis stands for your ability to effectively deal with incoming information and translate it into insights. To analyze things properly, you must know how to source information, verify that it is valid, determine which data is relevant, and take an objective approach to draw conclusions based on that information.

How to demonstrate this critical thinking skill on a resume: 

From a project coordinator resume example : 

Employed a Checklist-Oriented Requirement Analysis (CORA) framework to analyze project requirements, map dependencies, identify possible constraints, and develop contingency plans.

Observation

Observation involves having a heightened awareness of your surroundings, understanding what you observe, and knowing the appropriate action to take. For example, they may notice a downward trend in productivity, and take action to address potential staffing issues.

How to add this critical thinking skill to a resume: 

From a teacher’s resume example : 

Observed students’ performance on standardized English language tests versus creating assignments to better understand the impact of each on information retention and improve my teaching strategies.

Inference indicates your ability to draw conclusions based on a limited set of data. For example, the manager of a community pool may infer that an unseasonably hot day will mean that more people will order cold drinks from the concession stand. Combined with business acumen , interference often helps bring more creative ideas and accelerate innovation. 

How to demonstrate such critical thinking skills on a resume

From a digital marketing manager resume example : 

Increase the ROAS from digital out-of-home ad campaigns by 25%, by a new customer cohort of ‘eco-conscious consumers” and adjusting the messaging for them in key locations.

Problem-Solving

The ability to strategize and evaluate a solution after it has been implemented is the essence of problem-solving skills. Problem-solving requires that you can look at a problem objectively, and think through potential solutions in a methodical manner. 

Although employers are the most likely to assess this skill with problem-solving interview questions , it’s still worth including a short mention on your resume too, especially for roles that require quick thinking. 

How to demonstrate problem-solving skills on a resume: 

From an administrative assistant resume example :

Helped organize a 1,000 sales rep conference on a 3-week deadline, despite facing venue cancelations and two last-moment speaker cancellations. 

Communication

The ability to effectively collaborate with others, discuss problems, give and receive feedback are critical skills for every hire. Show the employer that you can hold productive exchanges with people who don’t always agree with you, be persuasive, and critically process all the information others are sharing with you. 

How to demonstrate strong communication skills on a resume: 

From a program manager resume example : 

Successfully led change management efforts, helping transition over 500 employees to a new EHR system. Addressed initial cultural resistance among staff via a series of workshops, personalized demo sessions, and group training, as well as ‘employee advocate’ initiatives.

Strategic Thinking

Strategic thinkers can draw data from the past and present to anticipate future implications of their actions and engineer effective plans to achieve targeted goals. This critical-thinking skill is especially important for anyone in managerial or executive roles as you’d be primarily expected to formulate and oversee different corporate objectives. 

How to demonstrate strategic thinking on a resume

From a Chief Financial Officer resume example :

Spreadheded the effort to re-engineer the procurement function. Developed and executed a strategy, aimed at improving supplier assessments, onboarding, and payments, as well as the general purchase order cycle. Reduced the average purchase time for new materials by 25% and achieved bottom-line improvements of $250k annually.

Critical Evaluation

Critical evaluation indicates your ability to assess the accuracy, validity, and relevancy of information available to you. Much of the information today is accessed online and often comes from questionable sources. 

It takes a combination of digital literacy and critical thinking skills for workers to discern which information is reliable, and what can be dismissed as pseudo-science, fake news, marketing talk, propaganda, or highly speculative thinking. 

How to demonstrate this critical thinking skill on a resume

From a personal banker resume example:

Educate customers on the risks associated with investments in so-called “hyped” stocks, as well as penny-stock trading. Suggest more sustainable, value-oriented investment strategies, based on their financial goals.

Continuous Learning 

Continuous learning indicates your commitment to self-improvement. Although it’s a less direct demonstration of strong critical-thinking skills, it is still a valid indicator of your ability to effectively navigate the available information, identify emerging themes on the market, and translate these into new professional knowledge. 

From a personal trainer resume example : 

Completed Precision Nutrition Certification Level 1 certification in 2023 to help clients develop appropriate dietary regiments to ensure faster muscle gain naturally.

How To Improve Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking is a “muscle” you can train by being more deliberate about how you process information, build logical arguments, and catch some biases in your thinking. If you need some training, start building the following habits: 

• Practice information analysis: When trying to solve a problem, focus on getting all the necessary data first. Then, evaluate which ‘intel’ is accurate, important, and fit for purpose. Toss other findings and work with what’s left. 
• Learn to give recommendations: Recommendations are synthesized findings — a feasible, data- or experience-based solution. Learn to formulate all your recommendations based on the above. 
• Challenge your biases : Everyone is prone to preconceived notions and assumptions. Unfortunately, these get in the way of critical thinking. Learn to recognize your own biases, and make a dedicated effort to put those aside when you innovate and solve problems.
• Cultivate media literacy skills. When reading your favorite publishers, pay attention to how they make different claims. Are they guilty of exaggerating the problem by citing super-bold, but underrepresenative claims? What do other sources about the same topic? What types of sources do they cite? Are these credible and reliable? Learning to analyze how information is presented helps you develop sharper critical thinking skills. 

Critical thinking skills are key for effective decision-making, smooth collaboration, and personal efficiency — a triumvirate of in-demand skills among employers. Today, these skills are crucial for working with data, solving emerging market problems, and discerning truth from a growing volume of unproven information, circulating online. Tomorrow, critical thinking will become even more important as the future workforce will be primarily focused on knowledge work.

Elena runs content operations at Freesumes since 2017. She works closely with copywriters, designers, and invited career experts to ensure that all content meets our highest editorial standards. Up to date, she wrote over 200 career-related pieces around resume writing, career advice... more

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How to List Problem-Solving Skills on a Resume [List Included]

Problem-solving skills are more in-demand than ever. 

Employers love candidates with problem-solving skills because, in 99% of cases, they guarantee you're also logical, creative, clear-headed, and a great decision-maker. 

But claiming you have organizational skills on your resume is not enough. 

To impress recruiters, you've got to prove that you possess them. 

This includes understanding which problem-solving skills you possess and adding them to your resume (the right way), among other things.

This is where this article comes in! We put together everything you need to know about problem-solving skills, including: 

• 8 Essential Problem-Solving Skills for Your Resume

How to Add Problem-Solving Skills to Your Resume

• Why Are Problem-Solving Skills Important
• 6 Problem-Solving Steps

Let's dive right in! 

8 Problem-Solving Skills for Your Resume

Research shows that problem-solving skills consist of several facets : 

• Identifying and analyzing a problem
• Taking effective actions
• Understanding the effect of the decisions
• Coming up with creative and novel solutions
• Transferring knowledge from one situation to another
• Thinking abstractly about problems

As such, there is no single problem-solving skill. Problem-solving includes a set of skills, all of which are equally important in helping your personal and professional life. 

Below, we’ll cover the eight most important problem-solving skills that you can also list on your resume to impress recruiters: 

#1. Research skills

To properly identify and understand a problem, you need excellent research skills. 

Research skills involve being able to gather information from the right sources, reviewing that information in detail to extract the data you need, analyzing the data according to the context, and being able to apply the data to your situation. 

#2. Analytical skills

Analytical skills are required throughout the entire process of solving a problem. 

In a nutshell, analytical skills refer to being able to analyze a situation in depth and from different perspectives . Specifically, you need analytical skills to achieve all of the following while solving a problem:

• Detect patterns
• Interpret data
• Analyze new information
• Reach conclusions based on several factors

#3. Creativity

Being creative means being able to think outside of the box and look at situations and problems inventively. 

For most people, creativity is mainly associated with creative industries such as arts and crafts, architecture, design, etc. 

In reality, however, creativity is an essential success factor for every job and the data is here to support that. According to this Adobe study , problem-solving (51%) and creativity (47%) have gained the most value in driving salary increases in the last five years. 

When it comes to the process of solving a problem, creativity can help you consider more perspectives, think abstractly about problems, and come up with novel solutions that others haven’t thought of before.

#4. Critical thinking skills

Being able to think critically means that you’re good at rationalizing, understanding the connections between ideas or situations, and logically analyzing any given situation. 

As such, strong critical thinking skills can help you see beyond what’s at face value, make more informed decisions, and anticipate the outcomes of said decisions. 

People who have critical thinking skills share traits such as open-mindedness , cognitive flexibility , skepticism , clarity , and precision . 

#5. Decision-making skills

Before coming up with a single action plan to solve a problem, you’ll need to first brainstorm several possible solutions. 

After that, you need good decision-making skills to choose the best possible solution. Without decision-making skills, you risk prolonging finding a proper solution or aggravating a problem even more. 

#6. Communication skills

With strong communication skills , you’re able to successfully explain the problem to others and propose your solutions. In turn, you can be sure that everyone’s on the same page and that you’re carrying out the action plan accordingly. 

Some communication skills required for problem-solving include: 

• Active listening
• Written and verbal communication
• Giving and receiving feedback

#7. Collaboration

Problem-solving is rarely a process you carry out alone. More often than not, you need to consult relevant stakeholders, give and receive feedback, and work with a team towards a common goal (i.e. solving the problem).

Well, collaboration entails exactly that - working well with others, cooperatively addressing problems, and putting a group’s goal ahead of personal goals. 

Some important collaboration skills that help with problem-solving include: 

• Conflict resolution
• Emotional intelligence 

#8. Attention to Detail 

Have you ever heard of the expression “the devil’s in the details?”

It means that something may seem simple on the surface, but in fact, the details make it complicated and are likely to cause problems.

Well, if you’re someone who shows great attention to detail, you’re not likely to let details keep you from solving a problem effectively. 

Not to mention, being able to spot and understand even the smallest details that make up a problem means you’ll be able to grasp the issue in its entire complexity and come up with even more inventive and workable solutions. 

Now that we covered the most important problem-solving skills, we’ll show you how to add them to your resume so that you can stand out from other candidates. 

Let us walk you through the process, step-by-step: 

#1. Mention Your Problem-Solving Skills on Your Resume Summary

The resume summary is a three or four-sentence paragraph positioned at the top of your resume that includes: 

• Your profession and years of experience 
• Your top skills (i.e. hard skills or soft skills)
• One or two noteworthy achievements 

The goal of the resume summary is to catch the hiring manager’s attention, show them you’re a relevant candidate and get them to go through the rest of your resume in detail. 

As such, it’s your first chance to highlight your problem-solving skills effectively. You can either do that by mentioning them among your top skills or by mentioning an achievement that proves you possess a given skill.

In the best-case scenario, you can even do both. 

Here is an example of how you can include problem-solving skills in your resume summary: 

• Behavioral psychologist with 7+ years of experience in the field. Great research, analytical, and communication skills. Over the last eight years, I’ve worked closely with more than 100 patients with different behavioral disorders, helping them improve their personal and professional lives through different treatment methods. 

#2. Add the RIGHT Problem-Solving Skills Under Your Soft Skills

Secondly, you should list your problem-solving skills under your resume’s soft skills section . 

The listing part is pretty easy - simply create a section titled Skills and write down your problem-solving skills.

There is, however, one caveat: 

You don’t want to overkill your skills section by listing every problem-solving skill we covered in this article.

Not only will the hiring manager have trouble believing you possess each and every skill, but there’s also a high chance you don’t even need all those skills to begin with. 

To make your skills section as relevant as possile, do the following: 

• Check the job description. The job description can show you exactly what skills you need for the job. If you’re applying for, say, a software engineering position, you’ll probably be required to have the following problem-solving skills: analytical skills, creativity, attention to detail, and cognitive flexibility. 
• Identify the skills you possess. Think about which skills you can back up with actual experience from your previous jobs. Only list problem-solving skills that you actually possess and that you can prove you possess on your resume. 
• Add those skills under your soft skills. Then, add the problem-solving skills that you have and that are required in the job under your resume’s “Soft Skills” section. 

#3. Prove Your Problem-Solving Skills In Your Work Experience Section

Finally, you should use the work experience section to prove that you’ve got the problem-solving skills you’ve mentioned throughout your resume. 

Anyone can just claim that they’ve got problem-solving skills on their resume - not everyone can back them up with experience.

Here’s what you can do to convey that you possess problem-solving skills and also make your work experience section as impactful as possible: 

• Tailor your work experience to the job. Only add past jobs that are relevant to the position you are applying for now. If you’re applying for, say, a software engineering position, the hiring manager will be interested in your previous jobs in the field, but probably not too interested in the time you worked as a server at a restaurant. 
• Focus on your achievements instead of your responsibilities. More often than not, hiring managers know exactly what your responsibilities consisted of in previous jobs. What they want to know is how you made a positive impact with your achievements. 
• Make your achievements quantifiable. Speaking of achievements, you want to make them as quantifiable as possible. After all “treated ten patients in the course of a year using positive reinforcement” sounds much better than “treated ten patients.”
• Use the Laszlo Bock formula . If you’re having trouble phrasing your achievements, the following formula will probably be of help: “Accomplished X as measured by Y doing X.” 
• Leverage action verbs and keywords. There are hundreds of words and verbs you can use instead of “did,” “accomplished,” etc. The more descriptive you are of your achievements, the more impressive they can sound.

And here’s an example of a project manager describing their problem-solving skills in their work experience section:

• Fixed company communication issues by implementing a new project management solution. 
• Improved team productivity by implementing time-tracking software and doing daily stand-up calls.
• Managed to meet all client deliverable deadlines in 2022.

Why Are Problem-Solving Skills Important?

Are you wondering what exactly is it that makes problem-solving skills so important? 

After all, there are hundreds of soft skills out there that you can master, improve, or learn how to add to your resume. So it’s normal to wonder “why should I focus on problem-solving?” 

Here is why problem-solving skills matter:

• They can improve your employability. Problem-solving skills are among the most important skills to employers across a range of occupations. In short, employers are always looking for proactive thinkers who can address professional challenges.
• They can help you grow in your career more easily. You’ll be more likely to get promoted if you can come up with creative solutions to the different problems that you’ll face throughout your career.
• They can become an essential part of your personal brand . Your current employer, coworkers, and future employers alike will see you as someone creative, reliable, and helpful.
• They are related to a range of other valuable skills. When you prove you’re a problem solver, you’re effectively saying you’re attentive to detail, logical, creative, analytical, curious, and other things employers are looking for in their employees.

10 Jobs That Require Problem-Solving Skills

As we’ve already mentioned, problem-solving skills come in handy for practically every job. 

Whether you’re a teacher who needs to solve a dispute between peers in your class or a customer representative who needs to help a client, knowing how to go about solving issues is definitely an asset. 

That said, some jobs are all about solving problems. In such cases, problem-solving skills are not just a nice addition to have on your resume - they’re crucial to getting hired. 

Here are the top 10 jobs requiring problem-solving skills in 2024: 

• Software engineer
• Air-traffic controller
• Police officer
• Social worker
• Psychologist
• UX designer

35 Action Verbs You Can Use to Highlight Your Problem-Solving Skills

The language you use to describe your problem-solving skills matters.  

Sure, you can use “ solved” to describe how you dealt with a problem throughout your entire resume and risk coming off as repetitive and unimaginative. 

Or , you can use any of the following action verbs and keywords and make your problem-solving skills pop out in the eyes of recruiters: 

• Calculate  
• Critically think 
• Draw conclusions
• Experiment 
• Listen/Listen actively 

The Problem-Solving Process in 6 Steps

Problem-solving is a methodical process. It consists of certain steps that you always need to take if you want to find a good solution. 

The more you understand and practice this process, the better you can get at solving problems. 

Below, we cover the six main steps of problem-solving in detail:

#1. Identify the problem 

The first step to solving a problem is identifying exactly what’s causing it. 

After all, if you’re not focusing on the real underlying issue, you might come up with solutions that don’t fit the problem itself. 

Say, for example, that you’re a teacher that’s facing poor class performance. Identifying whether the problem comes from the students’ not studying enough or from your own teaching methods can make a big difference in the solutions you come up with. 

It typically happens that the faster you find the root cause of the problem, the easier it is to find a proper solution. 

#2. Understand the problem

Once you identify the problem, you’ve got to understand it completely. Here are some questions you can ask to make sure you properly understand a problem: 

• What is the scale of the problem? 
• What are its short and long-term effects? 
• Have you faced something like this before?
• Can the problem be solved by dividing it into smaller parts?

The better you understand the problem in its complexity, the more likely you are to come up with effective solutions. 

#3. Research the systems that make up the problem 

In many cases, solving a problem will be a complex undertaking. See, complex problems are often the result of several different underlying systems that you need to understand to find a dynamic solution. 

Let’s take the teacher example from above. 

If a certain student is not doing too well and keeps getting poor grades, you might be tempted to go the easy route and simply chastise them and tell them to study more.

This, in a lot of cases, might simply not work because you’re not addressing the root cause of the problem.

The student might, for example, be burned out , unmotivated by the curriculum, or simply struggling with specific topics.

A problem-solving solution that’s more likely to work would be to talk to the student (or their parents), try to understand the reason for their poor grades, and address the root cause behind the problem itself.

#4. Visualize the problem 

This may not apply to all situations, but it can definitely come in handy for most. 

Drawing a diagram to visualize the situation or your solution to the problem can help you grasp its complexity better - especially if the problem is multi-faceted. Anything from PowerPoint to a piece of white paper can be a good tool to visualize your problem, highlight the problem area, and tackle it more effectively.

#5. Brainstorm solutions 

After you’ve done all the above, it’s time to start thinking about solutions. 

This is another step of the problem-solving process that’s based on collaboration and effective communication. In the brainstorming phase, you should sit with team members or relevant stakeholders and come up with as many creative ideas and solutions as possible. 

This is not where you come up with your most refined, well-thought-out ideas. Instead, it’s where you discuss freely and combine diverse knowledge and analysis of the problem to come up with diverse solutions. 

Brainstorming is an essential part of problem-solving that can help you break out of boring or predictable ideas and thinking patterns. 

#6. Choose the best answer(s)

This is where decision-making skills come in. With a list of different potential solutions, you can narrow down your options to finally choose the best one. 

To reach a solution more easily, take the following into consideration:

• Your company’s/organization’s objectives
• The budget and the timeframe at your disposal
• The success outcomes
• Potential risks linked to the solution 

Finally, discuss your solutions with relevant stakeholders and team members to gather all the possible feedback that can help you make the best possible decision. 

And remember - once you’ve chosen the best possible solution to a problem, your work is far from over. Being a problem solver also includes the following: 

• Develop and implement an action plan
• Monitor the progress of your plan 
• Make necessary adjustments during the process
• Evaluate the outcomes of your solution 

Problem-Solving Skills Resume Example

Want a resume that makes your problem-solving skills pop like the above example? 

Use one of our tried-and-tested resume templates . 

They’re free, modern, and created in collaboration with some of the best HR professionals from around the globe!

Key Takeaways 

And that's a wrap on problem-solving skills. By now, you should know everything there is to know on the topic. 

Before you go, here are the main points we covered in this article: 

• Problem-solving skills are a set of soft skills that help you solve problems effectively. They involve critical thinking, analytical skills, creativity, communication skills, and attention to detail. 
• Problem-solving skills can improve your employability, work performance, and personal brand. 
• Add your problem-solving skills to your resume summary, under the soft skills section, and in your work history section. 
• When you’re creating your work history section, make sure to tailor it to the job, focus on your achievements and make them quantifiable, and use action verbs and keywords from the job description. 
• To get better at solving problems, follow these steps: identify and understand the problem, research the systems that make up the problem, visualize the problem, brainstorm, and choose the best possible solution. 
• Once that’s done, create an action plan and make sure to monitor its progress as you’re implementing it. 

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• Career Advice
• How can you Show Critical...

How can you Show Critical Thinking Skills on your Resume?

15 min read · Updated on April 18, 2023

With critical thinking skills in high demand, you can get ahead with a resume that showcases those abilities

Soft skills like critical thinking continue to be vitally important for companies around the country and across the world. Unfortunately, many of those companies have long complained about their struggles to find candidates who demonstrate the crucial critical thinking skills that their enterprises need to succeed. The question job seekers need to ask themselves is simple: what critical thinking skills are companies looking for, and how can they be highlighted in a resume to ensure that they capture an employer's attention?

In this post, we'll define these important abilities, consider some examples of critical thinking skills, and examine why they are so important to today's companies. We'll also offer some helpful tips that you can use to develop your own critical thinking and provide guidance to help you to highlight those abilities on your resume.

What are critical thinking skills?

Before you can include critical thinking skills on your  resume , you first need to understand what they are. The simplest definition is that they are a range of abilities that enable you to think and problem-solve using facts, deduction, and logic. This rational approach to thinking can enable you to connect seemingly unrelated facts, analyze information in an unbiased way, and resolve complex problems.

Critical thinkers do more than just gather facts and make decisions, of course. They use their cognitive abilities to infer missing information, connect ideas, and consider the outcome of any decision they make. These types of thinkers have the ability to act with independence and produce competent results with a minimum of ongoing supervision. For people who possess these skills, life and work choices tend to revolve around reason and logic. That rational approach to thinking is something that every employer prizes.

Examples of critical thinking skills

It's also helpful to explore some examples of different critical thinking skills, to better understand the types of abilities that employers will want to see in your resume. As you read through the following examples, you should be able to identify how each of these abilities is an essential part of the broader critical thought process. If you find yourself lacking in any of these areas, you will likely benefit from focusing on developing those skills.

Observation

The ability to conduct effective observations is an essential critical thinking skill. Problems can never be resolved until they are identified and properly understood. Your ability to observe can enable you to enjoy a deeper understanding of the facts surrounding a situation or potential problem. Just as important, those observational talents can assist you as you attempt to understand other stakeholders' different points of view and attempt to find areas of common ground to inform your decision-making.

Open-mindedness

It's crucial to keep an open mind whenever you engage in critical thinking. Being receptive to other points of view and all the available facts can help you to mitigate any personal bias that might otherwise cloud your analysis and judgment. True critical thought requires you to set aside your preconceptions and personal preferences to ensure that you examine the facts and evidence in an objective manner.

Of course, every human being has their own biases and no one expects you to erase those preconceptions completely. The key is to recognize them and have the self-awareness needed to set them aside whenever you need to look at things critically. For many people, this challenge is one of the biggest impediments to developing effective critical thought processes.

Analytical thinking

Analytical thinking is the process of evaluating data to identify patterns, prioritize facts, and eliminate irrelevant information. These skills are key in the workplace and as part of the critical thinking process, since they enable you to make reason-based judgments about the value of the information you gather and organize. This ensures that your decision-making process focuses only on the facts and details that matter, instead of focusing on information that might distract you from identifying the best possible solution.

Sound analysis skills necessarily include the ability to know which questions to ask to inform any decision. For example:

Can I trust the source of this information?

Do alternative facts exist, and how reliable are they?

Are there other points of view that I need to consider?

Do my data sources have their own biases and, if so, how might those biases impact my decision?

Do I have enough facts at hand to even begin to form an opinion or solution?

In many instances, the information that you have ready access to may be insufficient to help you to form a reasoned conclusion. That's where your research skills will come into play. Being able to conduct your own research can be a key factor in ensuring that you have the data you need to render a decision or resolve a problem. Fortunately, research is now easier than it has ever been, provided you know how to use the internet to seek out reliable data.

Proper research should always begin with an effort to define the questions that you want to answer. One effective strategy is to create a list of those questions and note why the answers will be relevant to your analysis. Then consult reliable online sources to learn more about the subject at hand. As you do so, try to avoid sites that offer opinion or fringe theories and instead rely on university websites, nonprofits, and trusted news sites. You should also consult multiple sources, to ensure that your gathered information is as trustworthy as possible.

Creative thinking

The ability to think creatively will also be a vital component of your critical thinking process. Even after you've gathered and analyzed all of the available data, and made inferences to fill in any knowledge gaps, you will still have to use some measure of creativity to devise a solution to your problem. Now, if your first reaction to that idea is to suggest that you are not a creative person, think again. Everyone has some degree of creativity and that creative streak can be developed if you put in the effort.

Note also that this type of creativity has nothing to do with the ability to write a novel, paint a picture, or create the next great musical masterpiece. Instead, this creativity focuses on the ability to identify patterns and infer connections to create a variety of possible solutions to any given problem. With practice and focus, you should be able to learn to engage in this type of thinking to help you with your decision-making.

Inference is simply the ability to “fill in the gaps” between various pieces of data and evidence. For example, if you're at work and see a coworker grimace as they bite into a sandwich in the cafeteria, you may not know exactly why they made that face. However, you can use your own experience and judgment to infer some possible reasons. Perhaps the sandwich tasted bad. Or the person experienced pain, possibly due to a bad tooth or a hard object in the sandwich. You get the picture.

The ability to infer certain truths is essential in most decision-making and problem-solving exercises, since you may not always have all of the information you need to properly understand a decision. What you will have, however, is your own experience and knowledge, as well as the ability to make reasonable assumptions that fit within the fact pattern at hand. Well-honed inference abilities will empower you to fill in those missing gaps in the evidence to make the most rational assumptions possible.

Self-awareness and self-management

Self-awareness is a prerequisite to  self-management , which is a vital component in the critical thinking process. You must be able to regulate your thoughts and emotions, which means that you need to possess enough self-awareness to recognize how you're thinking and feeling. This awareness and ability to regulate yourself will ensure that you have the objectivity needed to maintain an open and unbiased mind as you examine evidence, draw conclusions, and make decisions.

Communication

Communication skills always end up being discussed in conversations like this - and for good reason. In both business and life, the ability to effectively communicate your ideas is essential for success. This is true in critical thinking as well, since you will almost certainly need to share your conclusions and solutions with other people at some point in the process.

When your available solutions or decisions are limited, that communication may be as easy as explaining your conclusion and choice. On the other hand, there will also be times when you'll need to go into great detail to share your results. For example, let's say that your critical analysis and thought process led you to several viable solutions and an equal number of potentially beneficial decisions.  Communicating those complex results will require you to compare the options and the various pros and cons of each.

Why are critical thinking skills so important?

One of the biggest reasons that these abilities are so prized these days is that employers find soft skills like critical thinking in short supply. Of course, that's not a new problem. Nearly a decade ago, an American Management Association  survey found that 72% of employers cited critical thinking as a vital component of their business success. However, only about half of those employers believed that their own employees possessed those vital skills.

Today, many employers continue to complain about a lack of critical thinking abilities in their prospective talent pools. A survey in 2022 found that many managers still cited critical thinking as a  top-ranked skill they look for in job candidates. Those same managers, however, said that it was common for newer employees to lack those critical abilities - raising doubts about whether any real progress has been made in recent years to ensure that new workers have the thinking skills employees need to succeed.

The fact is that there are many reasons why critical thinking abilities are so vitally important for employers and employees alike:

Many occupations require critical thinking

Professional endeavors typically require more than just technical skills. Whether you're seeking a career in healthcare, scientific research, law, finance, or education, the ability to think critically can be essential to success. Every job that involves analyzing information, deducing facts, and  solving problems creatively requires some measure of critical thinking.

Critical thinkers are more adaptable to new information

People who can think critically tend to be more amenable to changing their opinions and minds as new facts challenge their preconceptions. Critical thought requires constant self-reflection, to mitigate potential personal bias, and the ability to view facts and problems from many different perspectives.

Critical thinkers are adept at researching

Because critical thinking relies on information, these thinkers are forced to become talented researchers to get the data they need for their analysis. A great critical thinker not only knows how to gather new information, but also knows how to prioritize the data they encounter.

Improved decision-making

The best decisions tend to be the ones that are most reliant on facts and reason. Critical thinking processes enable you to recognize your biases, choose logic over emotional responses, and make reason-based decisions that provide superior solutions for any problem. Critical thinkers are able to enjoy these decision-making benefits in both their personal and professional lives.

How to develop critical thinking skills

Even if you're already talented in this area, it's important to know how to improve your critical thinking skills. Yes, that's correct: critical thinking abilities are not something that you're born with; they are skills that you learn and develop over the course of your life. Fortunately, there are easy ways that you can improve your own thinking skills to become a better critical thinker. For example:

1. Learn to ask basic questions

One of the best ways to develop critical thinking skills is to train yourself to ask more questions, even about basic things. By focusing on the who, what, when, where, and why of a situation or problem, you can often cut through complex possibilities and get to the heart of the issue. Questions can include things like:

Who was the last person to try to tackle this issue?

What are we trying to achieve here?

When does this need to be resolved?

Where can I find other data that might help us to solve this issue?

Why have we been using this process up until now?

2. Always question your own biases

Biases can cause you to make assumptions that may not be supported by the facts or evidence. By constantly questioning your own biases, you can improve your self-awareness and ensure that you take a more objective approach to your analysis and research during any critical thought process.

3. Take stock of your thoughts

Just as you must be conscious of your biases, you must also be conscious of your own thought processes. Humans think at such a fast pace that most of us end up taking mental shortcuts. This can cause you to miss crucial facts or even draw illogical inferences. Take your time and be aware of how your thoughts might be inhibiting your critical processes.

4. Get in the habit of examining evidence

Learn to examine facts and situations as they occur around you. This simple exercise in paying attention to the details can help you to hone your analysis skills.

5. Look for gaps in the information at hand

Practice your inference skills. When you see someone standing on a sidewalk impatiently, think about why they might be waiting in that area. Simple examples like that can get you in the habit of trying to fill in missing gaps in any pattern of evidence.

6. Always think for yourself

If you're someone who tends to follow others' opinions and conclusions, focus on learning to think more for yourself. Learn to trust your own judgment and instincts as you develop your analysis and observation skills. This will help you to prepare for more advanced critical thinking and problem-solving in the future.

7. Focus on developing leadership traits

Learn to be a leader by developing the skills and traits that can empower you in a leadership role. Practice being more decisive,  adaptable , and resilient. Focus on empathy to develop your ability to understand other points of view. For more information about leadership, check out our post,  These 14 Leadership Traits Can Fuel Your Career Success.

Tips to help you show critical thinking skills on your resume

To properly highlight your critical thinking skills on a resume, you should focus on using language that emphasizes your ability to solve problems. You should include this language within your resume summary, your job experience section, and your listed skills. Do not, however, simply list “critical thinking” within your skills. Instead, you'll want to include those skills that demonstrate your critical thinking abilities.

Highlighting critical thinking skills within your resume summary

It's important to draw attention to your critical thinking abilities within your resume summary, since that's the first thing that hiring managers see when they review your resume. Again, you don't need to include a direct reference to critical thinking, unless that term is included within the job description. Instead, you can simply make references to those abilities as you describe yourself and your achievements in that summary paragraph. For example:

Data-driven analyst and creative problem-solver with 10 years of experience in the technology industry. Managed multiple large projects and implemented complex technology solutions for companies with a combined market capitalization of more than $100 billion.

With this summary, the job candidate highlights their ability to rely on data analysis and creative thinking to solve problems - which is just another way of saying that they just might be the critical thinker that this prospective employer is looking for!

Showing examples of critical thinking in your work experience section

To properly showcase your critical thinking ability in your work experience section, you should include an example of a time when those skills helped you to accomplish a goal or resolve a problem for your employer. Do this by citing the example within your bulleted list of achievements for each company. For example:

• Identified and resolved deficiencies within the company's vendor logistics network by devising and implementing a new process that reduced supply delays by 30%
• Managed the team responsible for analyzing network security weaknesses, identifying new solutions to enhance protection and implementing strategies that reduced serious threats by 89%
• Initiated and led a project that crafted new client retention solutions, reducing client loss by 60% after implementing new client management protocols and revised service personnel training and oversight processes

Listing critical thinking skills in your skills section

As we noted earlier, you should not generally include the words “critical thinking skills” in your resume's skill section. Still, you'll want to emphasize the skills that enable you to think critically by including terms like:

Data analysis

Problem solving

Active listening

Self-management

Organization

Risk management

Data-driven decision-making

Ask for resume help

With employers continuing to focus on their need for critical thinkers, it's more vital than ever to ensure that your resume properly conveys your critical thinking skills. By understanding which skills are essential for critical thinking, and working to develop your own abilities in this area, you can better position yourself and your resume to stand out from other job candidates in your field.

Need to ensure that your resume effectively highlights your important critical thinking skills? Get a  free resume review from our team of experts today!

Recommended reading:

Enhance Your Career Development by Boosting Your Cognitive Ability

Leader vs. Manager: Understanding the Difference Between These Two Key Roles

Is Your Resume Inspirational? If Not, Here's How to Fix It

Related Articles:

Don't “Snowplow” Your Kids' Job Search — Set Them Up for Success Instead

What Kind of Job Candidate Are You?

Why December is the Best Time of Year to Look for a Job

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• Internships
• Career Advice

20 Common Resume Buzzwords (and What to Use Instead)

Published: Jan 16, 2019

January 18 th is National Thesaurus Day: a chance to celebrate the complexity of words and the variety of creative ways to express yourself. Thesaurus Day recognizes Peter Mark Roget (born on January 18, 1779), who published the Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases in 1852. Until the advent of the digital age, Roget’s Thesaurus was one of the most widely used lexicons of the English Language—a staple among writers, students, and virtually anyone who’s ever put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard).

Much has been written about the best and worst words to use on your resume; with such limited space, word choice is essential to portraying yourself in a way that sets you apart from everyone else, and certain buzzwords come across as tired or trite to recruiters and hiring managers. To celebrate National Thesaurus Day this week, we’ve compiled a list of creative alternatives for some of the most common and generic resume words or phrases.

When describing your accomplishments/responsibilities

Employers want to know what you’ve accomplished in your previous roles, and what you can bring to the table. Here are ten common words or phrases and some synonyms you can use as an alternative:

• Lead (as in leading a project): execute, initiate, helm, orchestrate, oversee, spearhead
• Manage (as in managing a team of people): coordinate, direct, guide, head, pilot, supervise
• Create : design, devise, envision, establish, formulate, launch, pioneer
• Improve : influence, optimize, overhaul, redesign, revitalize, transform
• Increase (as in growing profits, production, etc.): advance, amplify, boost, expand, generate, maximize
• Decrease (as in saving time and money or cutting down on losses): conserve, condense, ease, moderate, reduce
• Research: analyze, examine, explore, inquire, investigate, study
• Write: author, brief, compose, define, verbalize
• Achieve (as in reaching a goal): attain, demonstrate, earn, reach, surpass, win
• Communicate (with clients or colleagues): convey, correspond, interact, liaise, mediate, network

When describing your personality/attributes

Are you a go-getter? A self-starter? A team player? That’s great if you are, but there are far better ways to describe yourself. Try these instead:

• Self-starter: enthusiastic, inspired, motivated, zealous
• Go-getter : ambitious, aspiring, determined, industrious, passionate
• Detail-oriented: analytic, attentive, comprehensive, meticulous, precise, systematic
• Team player: collaborative, collegial, cooperative, helpful, supportive
• Proficient: accomplished, adept, apt, competent, effective, experienced
• Results-driven: committed, efficient, intent, purposeful
• Go-to person: enlisted, entrusted, expert, relied upon
• Dynamic: agile, diligent, energetic, engaging, lively, versatile
• Innovative: avant-garde, creative, groundbreaking, imaginative, inventive, pioneering, resourceful, shrewd
• Strategic thinker: critical, flexible, focused, logical, methodical, perceptive, studious

A few words of advice

Whether you need a synonym for the word "passion" or another way to tell employers you're a creative thinker, remember to vary your language on your resume! A simple "passion" synonym like "enthusiasm" or "zeal" can make your resume more dynamic. That said, when it comes to revitalizing your resume, there’s a thin line between creativity and hyperbole. While you want to stand out from the competition, you also want to keep things professional. Most recruiters can tell when you’re grandstanding or exaggerating your qualifications. Overly embellished language can read as flowery and convoluted, which is the last thing you want for someone who might spend less than 30 seconds reviewing your resume.

Every word on your resume counts. Be specific and concise, only using works that illuminate your point. Utilize keywords from the job description , but only where they’re relevant. Avoid repetition, and only use words that you understand. This last point might seem self-evident, but as you search for creative synonyms, it can be easy to reach for words you don’t firmly grasp—and that can come across during your interview. And never forget to proofread your resume multiple times; recruiters and hiring managers overwhelmingly cite typos or bad grammar as an immediate deal breaker. 

Strong Analytical Thinking Skills: Example Usage on Resume, Skill Set and Top Keywords in 2024

Three ways to show your analytical skills on your resume in 2023!

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Drop your resume here or upload a file to find out if the skills in your resume are readable by an ATS.

In This Guide:

What are analytical thinking skills, why are analytical thinking skills important on your resume.

What traits, skills, and abilities help you demonstrate strong analytical skills on your resume?"?

How to demonstrate strong analytical thinking skills on your resume

Analytical thinking skills are a set of soft skills that help you recognize, collect and process data related to a problem that needs to be solved efficiently. They also help you identify improvement possibilities or predict and prevent disaster.

Great analytical thinking skills usually cover a spectrum of abilities such as Communication, Creativity, Critical thinking, Data analysis, and Research.

To demonstrate what we mean, let’s have a quiz. In WW2, the RAF aimed to reinforce their airplanes so that they have a better chance of survival. They knew which parts of the airplane received the most bullet holes. So, what did they do? Keep reading and you will find out.

Because analytical thinking skills are a set, you will need to demonstrate them indirectly in your resume, highlighting the abilities we mentioned a few lines earlier. HR officers will look for them in the skill section, especially if the job title you are applying for contains the word “analyst”.

In simple words, analytical thinking skills ensure survival and progress. In the corporate world, analytical skills are vital for making an enterprise profitable. Those with analytical skills show the way and lead the path. Decisions and actions are based on those skills and without them, any company is doomed. This is why the most sought-after employees and executives are the ones with a proven record of analytical thinking. To see patterns and trends, to draw logical conclusions, and be able to communicate that within the organization is a must in finances, data science, medicine, marketing, law, and many more well-paid and prestigious positions.

What traits, skills, and abilities help you demonstrate strong analytical skills on your resume?"?

• Observation skills and curiosity : sometimes the data you need to solve a problem is not delivered to your desk. You need not only to see what is in front of you, but what is missing. Remember our RAF planes? Some came back, but some did not.
• Research : once you notice a problem, you will have to look for data. Here you need to be patient, study the problem, and collect all the relevant information and data you can. You need to be creative in finding places where to look for it.
• Data analysis : to analyze data, you need to be able to concentrate and systematize the information. This is where the patterns and dependencies will show up. Your job is to make sense of it and come up with a conclusion.
• Creativity and Critical thinking : to be able to think critically and creatively means to be able to avoid the obvious. Often, critical thinking means exploring even impossible angles to find a solution. A good example that comes to mind is Israel’s 10th man approach, depicted in the movie “Z world war”. The rule states that the 10th member of their council is obligated to doubt anything if all nine others agree on a decision. By the way, do you still think about the RAF planes? Back then they found the solution, avoiding the obvious.
• Communication : once you have a solution, you will need to find a way to communicate it to your colleagues. Here you need to know how to present the information when to present it, how to draw attention and how to inspire.
• Give examples with critical situations on your job that demonstrate those skills
• Describe a specific process or method you use
• Think of major achievements and breakthroughs made possible by your analytical skills
• If you practice brain games and read a lot of books, make sure to include this in the “Interests” section, as these improve analytical skills.
• List specific courses or certificates related to analytical skills

Writing “Strong analytical thinking skills” on your resume is simply not enough. You will need to prove your case, convincing the HR officer that you might be able to think analytically. You have to show examples, achievements and be creative. Remember, the HR officer uses analytical skills as well to find a suitable candidate.

Below you will find relevant examples that will help you start:

Example 1: Show your analytical thinking skills in your experience bullet point

• • Developed a market entry strategy in California, targeting 1 million bottles sold in the first year of operations
• • Increased the store turnover by 20%and the main KPIs by 15% by proficient management of stock and orders
• • Successfully managed and motivated a 5-member team, reducing the staff turnover to 0
• • Successfully managed events with more than 50 suppliers involved and up to 500 participants
• • Recruited, trained and managed multicultural team composed of approximately 100 persons
• • First ever digital content into TV integration increased impressions +2%
• • Invented a cross-category solutions, bringing +3% penetration on Telivus portfolio and +5.7% sales increase

Example taken from our Project Manager resume guide

The applicant demonstrates strong analytical skills by meeting his sales forecast. His analysis of stock and orders allowed him to implement a strategy that resulted in savings for the company. This also shows that he can work with data. The experience in managing events with more participants and at a bigger scale repeatedly shows the candidate’s ability to plan and communicate. The word “Invented” speaks of creativity.

Example 2: Demonstrate analytical skills in your resume summary

Example taken from our Software Engineer resume guide

We can see that the candidate has a major achievement. More importantly, the achievement is for an “optimized” network. Any optimization is a result of analytical skills. Especially useful are achievements confirmed by a third-party organization.

Example 3: Use your achievements to make the point

Example taken from our Resumes of Chernobyl article

This is what counts. We can see that Mr. Legasov “Led the investigation” of the Chernobyl disaster, which is to show that he conducted research and collected data. Then he analyzed the data and using creative and critical thinking he came up with conclusions and solutions. “Pointed to the problems” is the most incredible part of his achievements. Although the party and the whole political situation did not allow for honesty and the spread of information, he put his will and communication skills and work and informed the world about the dangers of RBMK-1000 reactors.

Top related skills to strong analytical skills:

• Public Speaking
• Demonstrate, do not claim: Lead the HR officer through your achievements and results.
• Make them believe in you: List any awards and recognition.
• Be wise with words: Sort and clear sentences. Action and power verbs. Only the essence. You will explain the details later at the interview.

And what happened to those pilots and their planes? An analyst at the RAF concluded that they need to reinforce the parts of the plane where there are no bullet holes. The reason for this was that although hit many times, the planes they studied returned after all. The rest hit in other places, did not.

• Resume Skills

How To List Board Membership On Resume

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Synonyms of resume

• as in to continue
• as in summary
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Thesaurus Definition of resume

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Synonyms & Similar Words

• proceed (with)
• resuscitate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• discontinue

Thesaurus Definition of résumé  (Entry 2 of 2)

• summarization
• recapitulation
• encapsulation
• run - through
• summing - up
• condensation
• curtailment
• streamlining
• abbreviation
• abridgement
• simplification
• amplification
• enlargement

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Cite this Entry

“Resume.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/resume. Accessed 30 May. 2024.

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Resume Synonyms for Strategic

Feeling like 'strategic' on your resume isn't fully showcasing your forward-thinking and planning abilities? We understand. This guide will help you discover powerful resume synonyms for 'strategic' that better highlight your ability to design and implement effective plans and decisions.

Table of Contents

Using strategic on a resume.

"Using 'Strategic' On Your Resume" The term 'Strategic' is a powerful word that conveys a sense of foresight, planning, and purpose. In essence, it suggests the ability to identify long-term goals and devise a comprehensive plan to achieve them. It's a word that implies thoughtfulness, vision, and the ability to make decisions that align with broader objectives. In the context of a resume, 'Strategic' is often used to demonstrate one's ability to think ahead, plan effectively, and make decisions that contribute to the overall success of a project or organization. It's a term that recruiters often look for as it indicates that the candidate has the ability to see the bigger picture, anticipate future needs, and make informed decisions. It communicates that you have been entrusted with important tasks in the past, and have successfully navigated the complexities that come with such responsibilities. However, while 'Strategic' is a compelling term, it isn't always the most effective language to use on your resume. The word is so commonly used that it can sometimes become a cliché, losing its impact. Furthermore, it may not fully capture the breadth and depth of your skills and experiences. Therefore, it's beneficial to consider using other synonyms or more descriptive terms that can better articulate your abilities and achievements. By doing so, you can make your resume stand out, and give potential employers a more comprehensive understanding of your capabilities.

Tailor Your Resume Content to the Job Description

Strong vs Weak Uses of Strategic

Examples of using strategic on a resume.

• Developed and implemented a strategic plan that increased overall company revenue by 20% within the first year.
• Strategically managed a cross-functional team of 10, leading to a 15% increase in productivity.
• Initiated strategic partnerships with key industry players, resulting in a 30% increase in market share.
• Used strategic thinking to do my job.
• Strategic planning was part of my role.

How Strategic Is Commonly Misused

Strategic thinker, used strategic planning, strategic management skills, strategic problem solver, strategic decision maker, when to replace strategic with another synonym, developing business plans:, problem solving:, decision making:, best resume synonyms for strategic, how to replace strategic with a stronger, more relevant synonym, replacing strategic in your resume summary.

Using Strategic

Using a Strong Synonym

Replacing Strategic in Your Work Experience

• Developed strategic plans for the marketing department to increase brand visibility and customer engagement.
• Formulated comprehensive marketing strategies that significantly boosted brand visibility and customer engagement.

Powerful Strategic Synonyms for Different Job Categories

Best strategic synonyms for marketing resumes, best strategic synonyms for customer service resumes, find the right synonyms for any job, frequently asked questions.

A great replacement for the word 'Strategic' on a resume could be 'Tactical'. This word also conveys the ability to plan and execute tasks effectively. For example, instead of saying "Strategic planner with a focus on marketing initiatives", you could say "Tactical planner with a focus on marketing initiatives".

It's OK to use 'Strategic' on your resume when you're describing a role or accomplishment that involved planning or decision-making to achieve long-term goals. For instance, if you developed a strategic marketing plan that increased company revenue by 20%, you could write: "Developed and implemented a strategic marketing plan that boosted company revenue by 20%". This shows you have the ability to think strategically and achieve significant results.

You can gauge if 'Strategic' is relevant for your resume by considering if your role involved planning or decision-making that affected the long-term goals or direction of a project or organization. For instance, if you've developed marketing strategies to increase company revenue or designed a strategic plan to improve team efficiency, then 'Strategic' is a relevant term to use. Remember, it's crucial to back up this term with specific examples that demonstrate your strategic thinking skills.

Which Job Titles use Strategic the Most?

Top 5 titles/functions with the most mentions of strategic on their resume:, related resume synonyms, explore full resume examples to find other improvements.

Guidance to Improve Your Resume Language for Greater Impact

General election latest: Tory tactic on Starmer age may backfire, poll suggests; Farage changes tune on Tory deal

Sir Keir Starmer has faced accusations of a left-wing cull in the Labour Party, including from predecessor Jeremy Corbyn. In better news for the party leader, another Tory - Mark Logan - has defected. Submit your election questions in the form below.

Thursday 30 May 2024 20:34, UK

• General Election 2024

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Election news

• 'How can we trust you?' Voter challenges PM
• Tory defects to Labour | 'The right thing for country'
• Dropped Labour candidate accuses some in party of racism
• Corbyn claims Starmer 'clearly intervening' in 'purge'
• Tory tactic on Labour leader's age may backfire, poll suggests
• Farage changes tune on Tory deal
• Live reporting by Tim Baker

Expert analysis

• Jon Craig: Latest Tory defector not an obvious fit for Labour
• Gurpreet Narwan: Reform unfussed by impact of 'immigration tax'
• Darren McCaffrey: Partygate clearly still an issue for Tories
• Beth Rigby: Massive distraction gives Starmer questions to answer

Election essentials

• Trackers: Who's leading polls? | Is PM keeping promises?
• Campaign Heritage: Memorable moments from elections gone by
• Follow Sky's politics podcasts: Electoral Dysfunction | Politics At Jack And Sam's
• Read more: What happens next? | Who is standing down? | Key seats to watch | How to register to vote | What counts as voter ID? | Check if your constituency's changing | Your essential guide to election lingo | Sky's election night plans

Faiza Shaheen, who was until yesterday set to be the Labour candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green, has released a statement and spoken to Sky News in the wake of the row.

Writing on X, she said the central Labour Party withdrawing their backing comes at "the end of a systematic campaign of racism, Islamophobia and bullying from some within the party when I first announced that I wanted to run for Labour again".

Sky News has contacted Labour for comment.

Ms Shaheen previously stood for the seat in 2019, and enjoyed visits from the then shadow minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Speaking to Sky presenter Gillian Joseph , Ms Shaheen says she was suspended because of 14 posts on X over 10 years.

However, she played down the fact she "liked" a post from US comedian Jon Stewart in 2014 in which he criticised Israel - saying she was not "pressed particularly on that".

Asked about the claims of racism, Islamophobia and bullying, Ms Shaheen says she will "put out" evidence.

She says she made a complaint in October or November about something posted in a WhatsApp chat.

"It took six months for them to come back to me and even then they were like, we consider... it is closed," Ms Shaheen says.

She adds that she "really upset" when Sir Keir Starmer said Labour was searching for the "best" candidates.

The full list of candidates for Chingford and Woodford Green is:

• Chris Brody, Green Party;
• Josh Hadley, Liberal Democrats;
• Yousaff Khan, Workers Party of Britain;
• Paul Luggeri, Reform UK;
• Iain Duncan Smith, Conservative Party.

A squeeze on people's incomes due to frozen tax thresholds will continue until 2028 under Tory plans, Jeremy Hunt has confirmed.

Rishi Sunak introduced a freeze on tax-free personal allowance thresholds (the amount you can earn before you start paying tax) when he was chancellor back in 2021. In his autumn 2022 budget, Mr Hunt extended the time it would need to be in place from 2026 to 2028.

The frozen rates mean many have failed to feel the benefit of the national insurance cut which kicked in this year.

The Office for Budget Responsibility also estimates the static rates will drag an additional four million people into paying tax by 2028 and push three million into a higher tax bracket. This is because wages will go up alongside inflation, but the threshold won't. 

The policy is often referred to as a "stealth tax".

Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The tax rises that happened as a result of the pandemic and the energy shock, these two giant shocks, will stay for their allotted time period."

But he reiterated the Conservatives' pledge to end the freeze after 2028, saying: "I can absolutely undertake that the threshold freeze that we introduced until 2028 will not continue after that."

The Tories have said they will unfreeze the thresholds for pensioners if they win the election.

Labour has also refused to commit to unfreezing overall tax thresholds.

Sir Keir Starmer said earlier that he believed the tax burden on working people was "too high" but that his party was not going to "make commitments that we cannot afford".

"Therefore I'm very clear about the tax that will remain and will be locked and where we cannot make those commitments," he said.

What are the tax thresholds and what do they mean?

The personal tax allowance is frozen at £12,570. You don't pay income tax on anything you earn below that - anything above is taxed at the 20% base rate. At the same time, the higher rate has been frozen at £50,271 - anything above that is taxed at 40%.

Tom Selby, director of public policy at AJ Bell, said the personal allowance, if it had been inflation-linked since 2021-22, would be forecast to rise to £15,989 by 2028 - nearly £3,500 higher than the frozen threshold.

There was another classic of the Lib Dem election stunt genre today, and this time Sky joined in.

Our correspondent Matthew Thompson jumped on a waterslide with party leader Sir Ed Davey - and you can watch the fun they had below...

The stunt was done to raise awareness of a Lib Dem policy to introduce a mental health professional into school.

That concludes our coverage of tonight's Politics Hub With Ali Fortescue - it'll be back tomorrow, but stick around for more news and analysis through the evening.

If this is the first TikTok election, you might be surprised at who's winning.

On the youngest, buzziest social media platform, Reform UK - whose vote tends somewhat towards the elderly - has the most followers, 125,500, just ahead of Labour on 108,500.

But others are catching up fast - and how they're using it reveals a lot about a key digital battleground in this election, one of the few arenas where money doesn't buy you influence.

Because this is new territory. "It's worth noting that the three major parties are really new to the game," says Kate Dommett, professor of digital politics at the University of Sheffield.

No major party had much of a TikTok presence before the election was called. Now they're racing to build them on the fly.

Read more from our online campaign correspondent Tom Cheshire :

Our panel is asked by Ali whether it's becoming difficult to distinguish between the two parties.

Former government adviser  Mercy Muroki says she thinks so. 

"We've heard a lot of talk already about how Labour are kind of trying very hard to move… to the centre at least and to purge the left," she says.

"And I think the policy platform they have on tax and other issues is more or less practically indistinguishable from what the Conservatives have been trying to do," she adds. 

Regardless, she says, "all parties come in promising various things on tax, and they always end up breaking it - always end up raising tax when they said they wouldn't".

Ali Fortescue   turns to our panel, former government adviser Mercy Muroki and ex-Labour staffer Greg Cook .

Asked about Mark Logan's defection, Ms Muroki says it is a "very odd" example of someone changing parties.

She points out that Mr Logan was elected in 2019 as a Boris-backing Brexiteer who is now saying Sir Keir Starmer is the future of the country.

Ms Muroki adds that Mr Logan doesn't really criticise Rishi Sunak in his letter, and admitted the Tories could hold his seat.

She says there is no clear reason for him leaving the Tory party, unlike in other defections.

Tories 'will be absolutely terrified'

Mr Cook says it may be that Labour had a hand in the defection, and it could be a useful distraction from the bad Labour headlines at the moment.

The former Labour employee says that Mr Logan seems like a "genuine, honest guy" who clearly thought his decision through.

Mr Cook says that, when Tories defected in 1997, it was over Europe and showed other Conservatives they could back Labour.

Now, there is no single clear reason that defectors have given.

"I imagine the Tories will be absolutely terrified there are more of these in the pipeline," Mr Cook says.

On the subject of Diane Abbott, Ms Muroki says it is "clearly not a good look" for the Labour Party.

But she criticises some of the narrative around the case.

She says: "I just do find it this narrative that, you know, she's a black woman, and somehow she should receive special treatment for that. 

"It's kind of undermining the reason that she was sort of being investigated in the first place."

Ms Abbott was suspended from the parliamentary Labour Party after writing in The Observer that "Irish, Jewish, and Traveller" people suffer "prejudice" - and likened it to discrimination experienced by "redheads".

"But they are not all their lives subject to racism," she added.

Another MP defecting to Labour will no doubt come as a blow to Rishi Sunak, but there are divisions in Labour too, our political editor Beth Rigby says. 

"Mark Logan has defected… it comes on the back of Natalie Elphicke [leaving, who was] more high-profile, actually," she says.

"She defected to Labour about small boats and you then had Dan Poulter, a former minister and a doctor, saying he was defecting to Labour over the NHS.

"It will, of course, be a blow to the prime minister."

In response, Beth says, the Tories have thrown themselves fully into campaigning. 

"Rishi Sunak is actually trying to shore up, for now, the right of the party, with those offers on national service, on the triple lock and more tax benefits for pensioners."

Moving to Labour, she says the Diane Abbott row may actually be a bigger story than we think. 

"The way that they are responding is making it a bigger, bigger, bigger problem, instead of nipping it in the bud," she says.

"It speaks to divisions in the party."

Sky political correspondent Serena Barker-Singh has been speaking to Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader who is now an independent.

Mr Corbyn was asked about the candidates seen to be on the left of the party - like Diane Abbott, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, and Faiza Shaheen - not being allowed to stand.

He tells Serena: "The one thing they all have in common, the people that have been purged, is that they're on the left of the party and have all spoken out in favour of an immediate ceasefire and permanent ceasefire in Gaza."

When it was put to him that Labour claims some of the action was down to liking social media posts, Mr Corbyn says: "We don't even know which tweet it was or whose tweet it was.

"That seems to me a bit thin - and the Labour Party's procedures ought to be more robust and more open than that."

Serena asks if Mr Corbyn thinks Sir Keir Starmer is behind the decisions.

The ex-Labour chief says: "Well, as much as he claims sometimes it's nothing to do with him and other times that he's made the decision, he better make up his mind what it is. 

"I think the leader ought to be independent of the other processes. But he clearly is intervening all along the way."

Sir Keir has denied he was blocking leftwing candidates.

He says that he wants the "highest quality candidates" - and that "no decision" has been taken on Ms Abbott's case.

He then paid tribute to her and the "incredible challenges" she overcame as an MP.

Mr Corbyn is standing for re-election in Islington North.

The full list of candidates for the seat is as follows:

• Jeremy Corbyn, independent;
• Vikas Aggarwal, Liberal Democrat;
• Sheridan Kates, Green Party;
• Praful Nargund, Labour;
• Martyn Nelson, Reform UK.

If you need more insight into Mark Logan's defection, read this from our chief political correspondent Jon Craig ...

In a Sky News interview after Tory MP Christian Wakeford defected to Labour in 2022, Mark Logan was asked if he planned to join him.

At the time, the Northern Ireland-born MP laughed and replied jokingly: "I'm not planning to defect - to the Democratic Unionist Party."

Yet two years later, Mr Logan has indeed - like Mr Wakeford, Dan Poulter and Natalie Elphicke in the parliament that has just ended - abandoned the Conservative Party and switched to Labour.

Mr Logan said he had done "much soul-searching throughout my first term in parliament".

Not many MPs admit to that sort of self-doubt. But then Mr Logan has never been tribal like the more bombastic and shouty members of the Tories' 2019 intake. You know who you are!

Nor is he a divisive figure like the most recent previous Tory defector to Labour, Natalie Elphicke, whose welcome from the party leadership appalled some Labour MPs and activists.

And though he won his seat from Labour's Sir David Crausby, who represented Bolton North East from 1997 until 2019, it's not a Red Wall seat.

Read the full article below:

Ali Fortescue   suggests Mark Logan's defection is further evidence of Labour shifting to the right of politics.

Mr Logan thinks it's a case of the party having "decided it wants to govern" and wanting to incorporate a "broad church".

Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of a "purge" of left-wing candidates, with predecessor Jeremy Corbyn among his critics.

Some voters are also disappointed with his stance on Brexit, having dismissed any chance of the UK rejoining the EU.

Mr Logan, a Brexiteer, says "we deal with the environment we have".

"I think Labour, if it does come to power, is going to be in the situation where it does have a lot of expertise and interest in furthering the UK's relations with European partners," he says.

"And that's important when we're in a world where things are darker than they have been in recent decades."

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