5 recession-proof skills to add to your CV immediately!

With living costs rising, it’s no wonder the word ‘recession’ is on everybody’s lips. And recessions affect every part of your life – including your job hunt! During recessions, companies start hiring differently. They don’t have the budget to spend big bucks on endless hires. They tighten the purse strings. And they focus more on hiring people with a certain set of soft skills. 

So with strong signs that a recession is on its way, it’s time to zhuzh up your CV. Here are  5 recession-proof soft skills to add to your CV.

• Resourcefulness
• Flexibility
• Quick learner
• Negotiation
• Resilience

5 CV skills for a recession

Resourcefulness

Being resourceful is an absolute must during a recession. Recessions are times when businesses review everything they spend and use. So as an employee, it’s a great advantage if you take care not to waste company resources. And what’s better is if you can find ways to streamline the company through your out-of-the-box thinking!

Flexibility

When faced with a recession, company’s need employees that are flexible. That’s because businesses will usually have to make several changes to ensure their business survives the storm. So that means you need to be flexible with your working patterns. But you also need to be flexible with the work you do. If they need you to muck in in different parts of the business, you’d better be ready to roll your sleeves up!

Quick learner

Being able to pick up new skills quickly is a gift to all employers. They don’t want to spend lots of money on in-depth training or hiring someone new all the time. They need employees who can pick up skills quickly. To do this, you need to be sharp and a good listener. You need to have a keen eye for detail and ask questions as you go along.

Negotiation

What better skill to have during a recession than negotiation? This skill will come in handy if you’re applying for jobs in sales or management roles. It’s also useful for any job where you deal with clients or suppliers. When done right, you can negotiate better rates and save your company a small fortune. As a manager, you’ll also need strong negotiation skills for managing your staff with things like pay rise requests.

Resilience

Businesses go through ups and downs during recessions. And the stress of this often trickles down to the staff. It could mean losing clients, feeling more pressure, or having harder targets. So employers want to hire people who have a determined attitude. People who aren’t easily shaken by turbulence. You need to be able to roll with the punches and dust yourself off when you fall.

How to include these skills on your CV?

Don’t just list these skills on your CV. Think of examples of how you’ve used them in the workplace. And then include these examples and key words in your job duties.

Resourcefulness example

“Administrator, Sept 2018 – present

• Processing confidential client data in compliance with GDPR
• Data entry for payroll processing
• Using resourceful thinking to streamline processes and speed up processing times (shortened processing time by 20%)”

Rethink your CV

Your CV should constantly evolve. As you develop new skills, add these to your CV. When you apply for different jobs, tailor your CV to the job. When the economic climate takes a nosedive, rethink how you market yourself!

Short on time? Create a free CV in minutes on the SonicJobs app!