Top 5 Management Skills to Include on Your Resume in 2023

Do you find it challenging to meet deadlines? Do you wish you had more time to finish your tasks? There's so much to do–build meaningful relationships, improve skills, achieve career goals.

Sometimes, 24 hours don't seem enough. But you can still plan your tasks and activities to maximize your time and energy. How? Through effective time management.

Time management is a life skill that you can develop through practice. It is also an essential workplace asset, increasing job performance and satisfaction. Most employers look for time management skills on resumes during recruitment. These translate to a candidate's efficient workload management and, ultimately, the company's success.

• What is time management
• Top 5 management skills to list on your resume
• How to achieve time management
• Delegation and outsourcing
• Overcoming procrastination
• Developing time management habits
• Conclusion
• FAQs

What is time management

The term “time management” is organizing your tasks so you can do them within a specific period. It involves techniques like to-do lists and managing tasks by breaking them down. Delegation and  saying no to unnecessary engagements are also part of time management.

When you know the importance of time management, you reap the following benefits:

Improved productivity

When you use your time wisely, you can finish more tasks in less time and with less effort. This leads to better use of your effort and the company's resources. Productivity is an essential metric for workers' and organizations' competence and resilience.

Less stress

You're on top of your schedule when you manage your time well. Tasks, even challenging ones, are easier to approach, increasing your motivation to work. You also carve out time for rest, recharging you for the next work challenge.

Better work-life balance

According to JobStreet's Future of Recruitment report, work-life balance is a must for 69% of jobseekers. Still, work-life balance goes both ways. Employers should integrate this into their operations. Employees must also cultivate this by honing time management skills.

Increased job proficiency

Have you ever wondered how your company's highly recognized employees turn in excellent work? We all have commitments and duties outside the workplace. How does your co-worker balance their professional and personal lives? Time discipline is one of the main secrets to working efficiency, which helps you meet deadlines and targets. Possible results of this are recognition and career advancement.

Work fulfillment

When you feel in control of your time and tasks, you perform better and experience a sense of purpose and accomplishment. This leads to job satisfaction, a plus for employers wanting to retain employees. In turn, you enjoy job security and gain access to growth opportunities within the organization.

Top 5 management skills to list on your resume

Including organizational, and time management skills on your resume showcase your work focus, efficiency, and deadline-orientedness. This lets potential employers know your strong sense of responsibility and dependability, giving you a competitive edge over other candidates. Consider listing these examples of time management skills that make you stand out from a sea of applicants:

Task prioritization

With this skill, you can identify and categorize tasks based on their deadlines and levels of importance and impact. By completing high-urgency duties first, you ensure project continuity and success.

Meanwhile, you can delegate or postpone the rest of the tasks without compromising quality and deadlines. For example,you work in the marketing department and are tasked to be part of a major product launch. You should first focus on your launch tasks–creating a marketing plan and coordinating with the sales team–while spending the rest of your time and energy on your daily tasks, like answering emails and attending meetings.

This way, you can keep track of your progress and shift priorities whenever necessary, ensuring that you stay on target.

Goal setting

By setting goals, you can determine your priority objectives and tasks. Well-defined and measurable targets give you better focus and direction, helping you allocate resources, including time and energy, to achieve desired results.

If you’re a software engineer developing  new software and your team set the goal of creating a user-friendly and high-quality product, you need to conduct product testing, consult with end users, and implement best practices. Goal setting also provides standards for project monitoring and performance evaluation.

Attention to detail

Have you ever spent more time than necessary on a project because you had to fix multiple errors? If you paid close attention to the details, you would save time correcting them.

Being detail-oriented lets you spot issues and problems before they worsen. It's also a crucial part of quality control, allowing you to determine areas for improvement and ensuring your work's accuracy.

Proactive planning

This skill involves having the foresight to prepare for possible issues and roadblocks before they happen. When you wait for difficulties to arise, you tend to simply react with haphazard solutions that waste time and resources.

For instance, an HR manager foresees stiff competition in acquiring tech talent in a few months. They don’t need new employees now, but they act right away by partnering with reliable job portals like JobStreet, beefing up their recruitment process, and maintaining relationships with top candidates.

By being proactive, you can develop contingency plans for anticipated challenges, leading to greater chances of efficiency and success.

Stress management

An important component of time management is optimizing your energy and productivity levels to manage stress. Regular exercise, getting enough rest, and spending time with loved ones are stress management techniques that boost resilience while preventing burnout. This way, you can maintain your physical, emotional, and mental health, helping you make better decisions and produce quality work.

How to achieve time management

Learn other skills related to time management to enhance career prospects, spend more time on your hobbies, and build better relationships in and outside the workplace.

Setting goals and priorities

Knowing its context and objectives makes any task more straightforward and easier to accomplish. Setting goals achieves this by providing a specific direction and focus for your jobs. As a result, you distinguish priority assignments, make more informed decisions, measure progress, and promote accountability.

Using the SMART method

How can you create powerful goals? One way is by using the SMART method, an acronym that stands for:

S-pecific

When a goal is specific, it answers the questions of what, why, and how, helping you map out a detailed plan to achieve it. Your tasks, timeline, decisions, and priorities will all be based on the goal's requirements. Here's a tip: try breaking a major goal into achievable mini-goals. This way, you're more likely to have a sense of ownership and commitment.

M-easurable

Use numbers to measure progress and success. For example, instead of saying, "My goal is to increase web traffic," make it quantifiable by editing it to "My goal is to increase web traffic by 20%." The 20% defines the metric for accomplishment, letting you monitor your progress and adjust strategies to meet your goal better.

A-chievable

Define achievable yet challenging targets, helping you build confidence as you progress toward victory. To do this, take stock of your available resources, strengths, and limitations.

R-elevant

Remember, you work in a company with unique values and business objectives. Though you have unique skills and techniques for accomplishing tasks, you must ensure that your work goals align with your organization's priorities. Also, it’s important that your and the company’s values complement each other. Always striving to see the bigger picture of your duties and activities indicates a sound business sense–an essential quality of a potential leader.

T-ime-bound

When working under a deadline, you're more likely to take action sooner than later. When you don't set a due date, it's easier to procrastinate, resulting in wasted opportunities and unrealized targets. With a realistic deadline, you work within a defined timeframe, helping you create momentum that can sustain you until you complete the task.

Delegation and outsourcing

Delegation involves assigning duties to other team members, while outsourcing involves getting external service providers. When you delegate, you allow other employees to explore their potential as you focus on higher-level tasks. The delegation also promotes collaboration, making everyone invested in a project's outcome. Meanwhile, outsourcing frees up the team to concentrate on their core competencies and urgent tasks.

How to delegate tasks

Identify the tasks you can assign

Are your members equipped to handle these tasks? Which duties require your level of expertise? By assessing the team's strengths and weaknesses, you can better determine which assignments you can take on and delegate.

Choose the right assignees

We all have different skill levels and sets. To ensure project completion, assign tasks according to the assignee's capabilities. Also, consider their workload. You don't want to overburden someone who already has too much on their plate.

Give support

As the delegator, it's your job to give instructions and explain tasks. Your assignees should fully understand what they must do, including deadlines, milestones and other expectations. Provide all the information and tools to execute their responsibilities and be there when issues arise.

Recognize their contribution

Delegation isn't just about assigning tasks; it's also about letting your co-workers fulfill their potential. Encourage every step of the way. Once the project is finished, recognize the efforts of each team member. Give positive feedback and constructive criticism to help them develop professionally.

Strategies for outsourcing tasks

Choose a dependable external partner

After identifying the outsourced tasks, get the right outsourcing partner by evaluating their expertise, fees, and credibility. A service provider should lighten your load and improve productivity, so thoroughly researching possible partners is essential.

Give clear instructions

Provide and clarify guidelines and other project requirements to ensure you're on the same page. Encourage transparency and constant communication to set and manage expectations.

Monitor their progress

Because your outsourcing partner works outside your organization, constantly checking their progress from start to finish is vital. Regularly give feedback and provide support to safeguard the project's quality standards.

Overcoming procrastination

Postponing tasks is never a productive move. It increases stress and anxiety and affects the quality of your work. To conquer it, you must first identify its causes, which vary across individuals. However, its common causes include:

• Fear of failure
• Lack of motivation
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Unable to manage time

To know what triggers your procrastination, take note of the instances when you felt like putting off tasks. This may help you identify patterns and possible issues. Consulting a trusted colleague or advisor can also provide insight into your tendency to procrastinate.

Techniques for overcoming procrastination

Set a schedule

A schedule lets you determine what you need to finish each day. By seeing how long you spend on each task, you also identify time-wasters and distractions. This helps you stay organized and focused.

Address the most difficult tasks first

Most of the time, we procrastinate because we want to avoid facing a demanding part of a project. But once you've finished the most challenging aspects, you gain confidence and momentum, pushing you to complete the rest of your job.

Break down tasks into manageable steps

A complex task can be overwhelming, which may cause you to postpone tackling it. Divide the task into bite-size steps. Focus on one step at a time, paying attention to details and quality. Tick the items off your to-do list one by one. With this strategy, you can efficiently fulfill a task confidently and positively.

Choose a healthy work environment

What does a productive workspace mean to you? It may be organized depending on your needs and preferences, helping you quickly locate essential items. It may mean having good lighting that facilitates easy reading. A quiet workspace can also help you concentrate on tasks and increase productivity.

Reward yourself

Stay motivated by giving yourself rewards that you enjoy. Plan them to have something to look forward to as you accomplish tasks. Set specific milestones that merit rewards, which can be as simple as taking a break, having a snack, or getting a massage.

Developing time management habits

If you always practice time management, it becomes second nature so you don't have to think about it. You just automatically do it.

Here are more tips to make time management a part of you:

Be consistent

Consistency establishes a routine and develops self-discipline. If you manage your time only occasionally, you don't develop good habits. Instead, you constantly expend energy to motivate yourself and get back on track. But if you're consistent, motivation comes naturally, making you overcome distractions.

Use time-management tools

There are so many online tools that can help you be more productive. These include apps, calendars, project management platforms, and to-do lists that are available to prioritize tasks and set schedules.

Practice self-awareness

Study your work habits and tendencies to spot areas for improvement. Pinpoint time thieves such as social media and constant email checking so that you can minimize them. Track your time and self-reflect to identify your reasons for procrastination. Throughout this act of self-discovery, practice positive self-talk to boost your performance.

Take breaks

The point of time management is not only to accomplish tasks but also to set aside time for rest and leisure. You deserve to relax after a hard day's work. Doing so promotes health and wellness, making you even more productive and motivated.

Learn to say no

Saying yes to everything leads to overcommitting and burnout. You can better manage your time and resources by saying no to requests that are incompatible with your priorities. Learn to set boundaries to protect your energy. Saying no is a form of self-care.

Conclusion

Time management skills are more important than ever in today's fast-paced world. They significantly contribute to workplace success by helping you organize, handle demanding tasks, and consistently produce excellent work. Applying these techniques allows you to enjoy a more productive professional life, priming you for career success.

Ready to display your strong management skills in your new job? First, land your dream role by exploring JobStreet or downloading the JobStreet app on Google Play or the App Store to create or update your profile. #SEEKBetter jobs by using our Career Tools and visiting our Career Advice.

FAQs

1. How do I know if I have poor time management skills?
   ⁠Procrastination, being late at work, and failure to turn over tasks on time are signs that you're not managing your time effectively. Other common indicators include overcommitment and feelings of overwhelm and exhaustion.

2. How can I improve my time management skills?
   ⁠It takes effort and commitment to improve any skill, including time management. Keeping a time log, setting doable deadlines, breaking down and prioritizing tasks, and using tech tools are only some strategies to help you develop time management habits. What works for others may not work for you, so continue experimenting with techniques until you find the right one.
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3. What are the common time wasters and how can I eliminate them?
   ⁠Evaluate how you spend your time to see which activities to reduce or eliminate. For example, email and social media notifications may cause you to stop working to check messages. Instead, set a specific time to attend to these peripheral activities. Multitasking is often lauded at work, but for most people, it decreases productivity while increasing their likelihood of errors. Focusing on one task at a time may be the better alternative.
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4. How do I create a schedule that works for me?
   ⁠After determining your priorities, evaluate the time needed for each task. Try time blocking, which involves assigning tasks to specific time blocks. For instance, you can schedule meetings in the mornings, do project work in the afternoons, and answer emails at night. This helps you maintain your focus and energy throughout the day.
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5. What are the best time management tools and apps?
   ⁠The best time management tools are the ones that work for you! Here are some of the more popular options:

   • Google Calendaris a calendar app that helps you schedule tasks and meetings, set notifications, and share your schedule with teammates.

   • Pomodoro Timerhelps prevent burnout by setting periods for work and allowing short breaks in between.

   • Slackis a team collaboration platform that lets members work on projects in real time through file sharing and video calls.