How to Write a Leadership Experience Resume That Generates Interviews

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You've probably heard that employers look for leadership abilities on your resume.

But here comes the question: What counts as leadership experience and what essential leadership skills should you add?

Obviously, management experience shows that you're a leader. But how about that fundraising project for a charitable organization where you were in charge of a team performance? Or that group student project where you set an example for others? Or that situation with a frustrated customer when you handled a difficult conversation and saved the company's money?

In today's article, you will find:

• Why is leadership skill essential in today's competitive job market
• What is leadership experience and how to add it to your resume
• How to highlight leadership skills effectively.

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Why are leadership skills important?

Leadership refers to your ability to influence and motivate others to drive them toward achieving a goal. Good leaders are not necessarily formal supervisors. Taking charge of an important project, guiding others, and sharing your advice also counts as leadership as it drives others to achieve a positive project outcome.

People with strong leadership skills are valued in every workplace. They create a positive work environment, improve the team performance and dynamics, and eventually deliver better results. Plus, they bring new approaches and ideas that help the organization thrive.

Listing resume leadership skills increases your chance of getting hired even if you're not a manager. Yet, you need to add them to your resume professionally.

How do you highlight leadership experience on your resume?

There are several strategies to display key leadership skills and experience on a resume:

Reflect it in your Summary section

Your Career Summary is a written version of the elevator pitch. Plus, it is the very first place the potential employer will look at. So, if you're a manager or can boast effective leadership skills, make it clear from the first lines.

Add 1-2 examples of your leadership experience (such as motivating others, improving something, or exceeding expectations) to your Summary to inspire the hiring managers to give you more consideration.

Add it to your job title

If you are a manager, team leader, or supervisor, use an accurate job title. The ATS software pays closer attention to your titles to check if you have relevant experience. Plus, it helps to specify how many subordinates you had and your major accomplishments (more on this below).

Lead with measurable achievements

Instead of writing "demonstrated leadership skills", list specific quantifiable accomplishments. Employers love achievements as they show your orientation on the result and serve as proof of your leadership skills.

As a leader, you will want to list team achievements in addition to your personal ones. Show your successes in setting goals, organizing the team's work to meet business objectives, and increasing employee satisfaction and retention. To make your achievements more specific, include the team's size, project budget, and industry.

Example:

• Managed a team of 14 remote copywriters for a marketing agency, delegated tasks, provided resources, and ensured that publication deadlines were met. Exceeded annual distribution goals by 25%.

To effectively describe your achievements and make employers turn heads, read our guide on writing accomplishments on a resume.

Include unpaid leadership experience

You can boast leadership experience from other areas as well. If you volunteer for a children's hospital, participate in a student organization, or are an active member of your community, it all counts as great leadership experience.

Create a dedicated Volunteering section and describe your activities there. Try to describe them as real jobs, listing your responsibilities and the results you achieved.

Highlight awards and community engagement

Another way to show top leadership skills is by boasting any relevant awards or accomplishments. Speaking at an industry conference, winning a student award or scholarship, or getting any recognition in your organization is a great way to demonstrate leadership. Add this experience under the separate section, but include it closer to the top so it doesn't get overlooked.

Insert the right keywords

Companies use applicant tracking software (ATS) to scan incoming resumes for relevant keywords. Thus, if your resume doesn't have keywords related to leadership, it can get tossed before the hiring managers see it.

So, what should you do? Use keywords from the job posting related to leadership skills. These can be words like leadership, communicate effectively, delegate tasks, strategic thinking, and so on. Use these words naturally when describing your experience and skills. Thus, you'll get a higher ATS score.

Using action-oriented language

Start each bullet point with a powerful verb, such as Initiated, Developed, Directed, Organized, and more. These words subtly show that you took charge of the project and made a difference and not just completed tasks assigned to you.

Add a dedicated Skills section

The best way to highlight good leadership skills is to create a separate Skills section near the top. According to one survey, 41% of employers see the Skills section first on your resume. Thus, the right skills will get you noticed faster.

Moreover, skill names on the list will work as keywords and help you get a higher ATS score and more consideration from the employer.

What good leadership skills should you add to your resume?

Employers value professionals who are ready to take charge and show initiative. Here are the top skills to add to your resume that scream "I am a good leader":

Communication skills

All effective leaders are great communicators. Showcase your ability to listen actively, understand different viewpoints, mind cultural differences, and negotiate with clients and vendors. Strong communication skills are a must-have for every industry.

Teamwork and collaboration

Teamwork skills on your resume show that you can work closely with others to achieve the company's goals. Effective teamwork requires patience, empathy, and being mindful of others to build effective relationships.

Problem-solving

Problem-solving is an invaluable skill that includes understanding the roots of the problem the company is facing and suggesting an effective solution. It requires professionalism and creative thinking to solve problems effectively. So, be sure to emphasize this skill and give examples.

Delegation

It's impossible to imagine a great leader who cannot delegate. Delegation skills show you can prioritize tasks and workload and keep the team productive. Plus, it involves providing constructive feedback to directs to help them grow professionally.

Strategic planning

Every good leader sees the big picture rather than focus on ordinary tasks. They can envision the way to meet organizational objectives quickly and effectively, communicating the direction to subordinates and creating a sense of purpose.

Change management

Modern organizations have to evolve to stay afloat. It makes managing the change one of the key skills for a manager. If you're able to come up with innovative solutions and can recommend good ways to improve efficiency, you'll always be in demand.

There are two main strategies to list leadership skills on your resume. First, you can add the Skills section as advised above. It instantly draws attention to your core competency areas. Second, you can give examples of where you applied each skill. For strategic planning, you can write "Developed and executed a yearly marketing plan which led to a 30% increase in sales for a new product".

Tips for developing leadership skills

If you have limited leadership experience and would like to hone your skills, here are some tips to help you out:

• Take on unpaid or volunteer projects. This is an effective strategy for students or career changers. You can take on a leadership role in a charity or volunteering organization and learn how to manage people and processes in practice.
• Seek feedback from the supervisor. Reach out to your manager asking them to provide feedback about your leadership qualities. With frequent feedback sessions, you will see your areas for growth and develop leadership and other skills faster.
• Find a coach or mentor. Find a coach in your organization or work with someone accomplished in your field. Such coaching sessions will help you avoid common pitfalls, develop the right skills early, and get promoted faster.
• Take self-paced courses. Online courses or training in communication, emotional intelligence, delegation, and time management will help you be more efficient. Plus, you can emphasize continuous learning on your resume and show professional development.

5 Tips to refine your leadership resume

In addition to listing leadership experience and skills, here are some ways to make your resume shine:

• Cut off the unnecessary. Ideally, your resume should fit into one page if you have under 10 years of experience. Remove irrelevant jobs (say, your part-time job as a bartender in the summer) and projects that don't relate to your target position.
• Add the summary section. Use the summary to present your key leadership achievements and background. Write 2-3 sentences outlining what you excel at, what you can bring to the table, and where you're headed in your career.
• Show continuous improvement. For a good leader, professional growth is essential. In addition to your degree, list training, courses, and certification programs you've completed recently.
• Formal professionally. Your resume design is as important as the content. Use plain and professional formatting with a little color and easy-to-read fonts. Emphasize important information, such as your name, job titles, and company names. Make sure that your resume is easy to read and free from any unprofessional language.
• Proofread before sending. Look through your resume multiple times to make sure that it has any mistakes. Use an online spell checker to streamline the process. Find a resume consultant who will review the completed document and point out any mistakes that can cost you an interview.
• Add a matching cover letter. Write a cover letter that showcases your leadership style, conflict resolution, and team building skills. Don't reiterate your resume. Write 2-3 most important projects and achievements and expand on them and why you'd like to join the company.

Leadership skills are valuable in every role, even those that don't involve managing people and running weekly team meetings. With the tips above, you'll list your leadership qualities and how you contributed to the business success. Good luck in your job search!

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