How To List Networking Skills on a Resume (And 10 To Develop)

Networking skills, like communication, active listening and social skills, are extremely valuable in both professional and personal environments and are particularly coveted by employers today. This said, it’s not enough to simply have great networking skills. You also need to know how to make others aware of them, like by including them on your resume.

In this article, we discuss networking skills and how to list them on a resume, plus we review 10 networking skills and tips for how to develop these career skills.

Image description

The title of the image is "Functional Resume" and it shows the parts of a functional resume and an example.

The left side of the image defines the section of a functional resume. They are:

1. Name and contact information

2. Summary

3. Skills grouped by theme

4. Any relevant professional experience

5. Education

The resume example reads:

James Kennedy
555 Cherry Ln.
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48111-9626
jameskennedy@email.com

Summary
Customer Service Representative with over three years of experience resolving complex, customer inquiries. Passionate about building strong customer relationships, driving brand loyalty, and increasing customer engagement.

Area of Experience
Retail Sales, Data Entry, Microsoft Office, Typing, Complaint resolution, Service-based selling, Fluency in French and Spanish.

Skills
Process Streamlining
Created customer service email scripts used across the company to interact with customers. Single-handedly created customer service representative training manual, reducing onboarding process from 8 to 6 weeks. Reduced average customer representative call time by 90 seconds with intuitive online training.

Complete Resolution
Answered an average 50+ calls per day from unsatisfied customers related to delays in shipment, order mistakes, and lost orders. Achieve 97% average customer satisfaction rating, surpassing team goal by 12%.

Service-based Selling
Consistently exceeded application targets by 10%+ with innovative up-selling techniques. Pioneer development of improved system for following up with unsatisfied customers, reducing customer churn by 6%.

Experience
Cloud Clearwater, 2017
Customer Service Manager: Managed customer relationships via phone and email to obtain payments, resolve inquiries, and up-sell programs.
Customer referral program: Spearheaded project, increasing customer base by 15% in less than six months.

Tradelot, 2016
Customer Service Representative: Resolved customer inquiries via phone and email, consistently exceeding targets and pioneering processes for better customer satisfaction.

Education
Coral Springs University, 2009-2013
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

What are networking skills?

Networking is a critical skill in sales, business development and several other industries. Networking skills are necessary to make and develop relationships with new contacts and promote something of value.

Listing networking skills on a resume

Networking skills are beneficial in every step of the job search and—depending on the career field you're entering—could be essential within your job.

When listing networking skills on your resume, look for different word choices to convey your ability to create and maintain business relationships. For example, instead of listing your skills as "networking skills," you may want to write "business relationships strategy" or "business development" within the skills section of your resume.

You can also emphasize your networking skills within the work history section of your resume. For example, you could say that you managed clients and other important relationships as part of your job.

Related: How To Write a Skills-Based Resume: Template and Examples

Networking skills for a resume

Here are skills that those with a networking skill set typically possess:

1. Communication

Communication is the act of exchanging information from one person to another. It involves communicating and empathizing with others to correctly receive the message that the other person is sending and responding accordingly. When networking, communication is essential to develop and maintain relationships with others.

Read more: Top 10 Communication Skills for Career Success

2. Active listening

Another important networking skill is active listening. To get people excited about your business and what you're sharing with them, you need to listen to and understand their needs.

Active listening involves maintaining eye contact if possible, nodding your head to show you understand what they're saying and responding appropriately. Active listening also ensures you ask the right questions to keep a conversation moving forward.

Read more: 11 Active Listening Skills To Practice (With Examples)

3. Social skills

These are the verbal and nonverbal skills you use to interact with others. They include not only words but also gestures if possible, such as nodding your head while listening. It also includes friendliness, which conveys honesty and kindness.

That, in turn, can create trust and understanding, which can build a strong foundation for a new relationship when you're networking.

Related: 10 Tips to Help You Network Like a Pro

4. Public speaking skills

Public speaking skills can help you be more comfortable if you find yourself talking to a group of people, particularly at a networking event.

Even when you're just speaking with another person, one-on-one, public speaking skills can help you improve the way you articulate, helping the person you're speaking with better understand you.

Related: How To Memorize a Speech in 5 Steps (Plus Tips)

5. Nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication is extremely important when networking. It's important to be aware of your own nonverbal cues and any messages you may be sending to the person with whom you're speaking.

It's also beneficial to read the nonverbal cues of the person with whom you're having a conversation. This can tell you if you need to change the way you're expressing your message or alter something else in your communication style.

Related: 9 Examples of Nonverbal Communication in the Workplace

6. Interpersonal skills

These are often referred to as "people skills" and they impact the way you communicate and interact with others. They include a variety of skills, but particularly skills like communicating, attitude and listening.

7. Empathy

Empathy is the ability to feel what another person is feeling. Empathy skills are important for networking, as they make others feel that you understand and can relate to their emotions and experiences.

Related: Sympathy vs. Empathy: Key Differences and How To Use Them at Work

8. Positivity

A positive attitude is another important networking skill, as others are drawn to those with a friendly, positive demeanor. Positivity can help you develop a strong rapport with others quickly and, in general, help you to be more instantly likable and memorable.

Related: Positive Thinking in the Workplace: Benefits and Tips

9. Humor

Humor is humanizing and helps people come together on common ground. When used appropriately, humor can draw people to you and eliminate tension, putting people immediately at ease. People with humor also tend to be more approachable.

10. Focus

Focus is also an important networking skill, as it enables you to give the person with whom you're speaking your full attention. It will help you be an active listener and allow you to better establish a genuine connection.

Related: Mental Focus: 10 Ways To Improve Your Concentration

Tips to improve your networking skills

Here are some steps to improving your networking skills:

1. Practice improving communication habits

Improve your networking skills by practicing good communication habits. For instance, you could nod your head in understanding or agreement when possible or appropriate. Use simple, straightforward language, ask questions and invite opinions.

2. Ask friends for constructive feedback

Consider asking friends how you're coming across in conversation. Understanding where you can improve can help you improve your communication style, which can have a big impact on your networking skills.

3. Attend networking events

One of the best ways you can improve your networking skills is to practice them regularly. Attend networking events and focus on building a genuine human connection with the people you meet.

Ask questions that show you're genuinely interested in getting to know the person you're speaking with and listen closely to the answer while maintaining eye contact. Respond with relevant questions to show you were listening.