Collaboration skills on resume
Collaboration skills are essential in today’s workplace. Prospective employers want to know that you can work effectively with others to achieve big-picture company goals. When it comes to discussing collaboration skills, resumes provide the perfect medium for showcasing how good you are at functioning as part of a team. Here’s how to describe collaboration skills on resumes in an impactful way.
What are collaboration skills?
Collaboration skills are the ability to work effectively with others to achieve common objectives. Some examples include:
- Communication
- Problem-solving
- Adaptability
- Emotional intelligence
In a team-based workplace, collaboration ensures that tasks are divided efficiently and challenges are addressed collectively. When applying for team-based roles, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of collaboration skills. A resume that showcases your ability to actively listen and contribute constructively to a group’s goals will help differentiate you from other candidates.
Why collaboration skills are important for your resume
Employers value a strong collaboration skills resume because it demonstrates your ability to thrive in team environments. Here’s how these skills align with organizational goals:
- Build Effective Teams: Collaboration fosters mutual trust and cohesion, enabling teams to function efficiently
- Enhance Productivity: Collaborative teams achieve more by pooling diverse skills and ideas
- Drive Innovation: When individuals from different backgrounds share their perspectives, they generate creative solutions to complex problems
According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, nearly 80% of businesses are seeking individuals who possess strong teamwork skills (1). If you want to appeal to these businesses, you need to demonstrate your ability to collaborate.
It’s important to choose a resume format that prioritizes the “skills” section. By making your collaboration skills a foundational aspect of your resume, you can demonstrate your effectiveness when working in a team setting.
Examples of collaboration skills statements for your resume
Using specific, results-driven examples is key to demonstrating your collaboration skills. Here are some examples of resume collaboration skills statements you can include:
Entry-Level:
- Worked with classmates on group projects, ensuring deadlines were met and responsibilities were evenly distributed
Mid-Level:
- Partnered with IT and operations teams to streamline onboarding processes, reducing average completion time by 20%
Leadership Roles:
- Fostered interdepartmental collaboration to align sales and marketing efforts, resulting in a 10% revenue increase
These statements are impactful for a few key reasons. Most importantly, they put you at the center of the action. They link your decisions and capabilities to a positive outcome. Additionally, they use hard data to demonstrate the impacts of your actions.
If you don’t have hard data to back up your statements, that’s okay. However, you should try to weave in quantifiable information or real-world examples whenever possible to support your statements about possessing collaboration skills.
Think about it. Anyone can claim that they are good at working as part of a team. You need to back up your statements.
Expert tip:
Focus on aligning your collaboration skills with the job description. Highlight teamwork experiences that directly relate to the role’s requirements, showcasing how your collaborative efforts can meet the company’s specific needs and objectives. This way, you can avoid mentioning irrelevant skills and position yourself as a good fit for the role you are interested in.
Industry-Specific Ways to Showcase Collaboration Skills
Collaboration skills look different across industries. Tailor your resume to reflect the type of teamwork relevant to your field.
Healthcare
If you are applying for healthcare roles, highlight how you worked hand-in-hand with other medical professionals to ensure optimal care for patients. For example, you could say that you “Worked closely with multidisciplinary teams to develop patient care plans and improve outcomes.”
Technology
Emphasize cross-functional teamwork in Agile or Scrum environments. For example, you might say that you “Collaborated with developers and designers in Scrum sprints to deliver user-focused features ahead of schedule.”
Education
Showcase collaboration with colleagues and parents to enhance student outcomes. You could say that you “Partnered with fellow educators and parents to implement an individualized learning program, boosting student engagement.”
"In a team-based workplace, collaboration ensures that tasks are divided efficiently and challenges are addressed collectively."
Common mistakes to avoid when listing collaboration skills
There are right and wrong ways to discuss your collaboration skills. Here are some mistakes to watch out for:
Overusing vague terms like “team player”
While conveying your teamwork abilities is important, generic phrases lack impact without specific examples. If you can’t support the use of a vague term with hard data and real-world examples, don’t use it. Even if you can support your claims, use generic terms sparingly, if at all. Opt for industry-specific verbiage instead.
Failing to provide concrete examples or results
When crafting your collaboration skills resume, include specific examples of teamwork and measurable results. By tying your claims to positive business impacts, you make your assertions more believable.
Including irrelevant collaboration examples
Focus on experiences that align with the job description and demonstrate your value to the employer.
If you are a recent graduate or are making a career change, it’s okay to include examples from your academic experiences or previous roles. However, you need to link those statements to the current position by mentioning keywords and skills that the hiring manager included in the job description.
You should also avoid repeating the same examples verbatim on both your resume and cover letter. While you can reference the same experiences on both documents, each mention should provide the hiring manager with unique information about your background and experience.
Additional tips for strengthening collaboration skills
Want to acquire more skills so you can better demonstrate your ability to work as part of a team? Here are some tips for enhancing collaboration skills on resumes:
Take courses or certifications
Enrolling in programs that focus on communication, leadership, or project management can significantly enhance your teamwork capabilities. Certifications like Project Management Professional (PMP) or Agile training can give you a competitive edge, especially in industries that value structured collaboration frameworks.
Make sure that any courses you take are applicable to your industry or that the skills you’ll learn are transferable. There are plenty of free and low-cost options out there, so don’t feel like you’ve got to fork over hundreds of dollars to strengthen your skill set.
Volunteer for team-based projects
Actively seek opportunities to work in group settings. Participating in committees or volunteer programs can offer valuable experience that demonstrates your ability to contribute to shared goals. Community involvement can also position you as a well-rounded candidate who cares about making an impact on the world around you.
Reflect on past team experiences
To create an impactful collaboration skills resume, focus on highlighting your contributions to successful team projects.
Don’t go too in-depth when discussing past team experiences on your resume. Provide hiring managers with the highlights and expand on this information in your cover letter. Check out some resume and cover letter examples for inspiration on how you can create complementary documents that enhance one another.
Mention tools to demonstrate proficiency in collaborative environments
Regardless of what industry you work in, there’s a good chance it relies heavily on digital communication and collaboration tools. Make sure to mention any applications you are familiar with. A few examples include:
- Slack
- Asana
- Trello
- Microsoft Teams
If you are already familiar with the platforms a prospective employer uses, you’ll be able to step in and start collaborating right away. Highlight your ability to leverage these tools so you can show employers you are ready to integrate into their team.
Check out resume examples for inspiration about how to apply these tips to your job application documents.
Stand out with collaboration skills resume phrases
Collaboration skills are more than buzzwords. They are a critical component of your resume. By defining your contributions and backing up your claims with hard data, you can showcase your ability to work well with others.
A resume that highlights your collaboration skills positions you as a valuable addition to any team. Remember that your cover letter and resume are meant to complement one another. Choose matching resume and cover letter templates that give you an opportunity to showcase your collaboration skills in a concise, impactful way.
Source:
(1) NACE Report: The Key Attributes Employers Are Looking For On Graduates’ Resumes
