20+ Time Management Skills to Put in Your Resume

Time is of the essence, as they say, and nowhere is this more evident than in the workplace, where the unwritten law is that employees must be as productive as possible during their hours at work. They have to meet tight deadlines, juggle multiple projects, and handle all responsibilities in the most efficient way possible. Employers prize individuals who can organize their schedules, prioritize tasks, and adapt to changes. At the same time, they have to maintain high standards of work quality. 

On your resume, the best way to express to recruiters and managers that you are time- and productivity-conscious is to effectively build up your time management skills. What does it mean to highlight these skills? It’s not just about listing them. It’s about showing specific examples where your ability to plan, execute, and deliver results under pressure has made a significant impact. Maybe you were actively streamlining processes to save hours of work. Maybe you coordinated a team to meet a major project deadline. Whatever experiences you’ve had, your resume has space for them. 

We’ll teach you how to show your time management abilities in a way that sets you apart in a competitive job market. 

Why Should You Include Time Management Skills in Your Resume?

You won’t list time management skills just for the sake of it. They are essential for a successful job application. Employers are always looking for candidates who can maximize their productivity without sacrificing quality. Properly including time management skills in your resume will show that you’re reliable, organized, and capable of meeting the demands of a modern workplace. 

Are you looking for more reasons to include time management skills in your resume?

• They show your ability to meet deadlines

Every single position, regardless of the industry, has deadlines as its integral part. You may be managing a project, processing orders, or creating content. Whatever your tasks are, your ability to complete them on time is essential. Your potential employer will value applicants who can juggle responsibilities and deliver results promptly. Your resume should show that they can count on you to meet expectations. 

• They show how organized you are

Time management skills are closely related to your ability to stay organized. A well-organized employee can prioritize tasks, allocate resources, and avoid the block that some people experience during the last-minute chaos. When you highlight these strengths, the hiring manager will see that you efficiently plan your workload, minimize distractions, and stay on top of your responsibilities.  

• They prove you’re a problem-solver

There’s no time management without effective problem-solving skills. Every role will meet unexpected challenges or disruptions at one point or another. Your capacity to handle such situations without diverting from your entire schedule reflects your resilience and adaptability. Including time management skills in your resume shows that you can stay productive when something unexpected occurs. 

• They set you apart in a competitive job market

Employers get dozens of applications for a single position. Hundreds, even. A strong resume should emphasize practical skills, like time management, in order to make a difference. Time management skills position you as someone who understands workplace priorities and can contribute to the organization’s success from day one.

• They meet modern workplace expectations

Many offices have shifted toward hybrid and remote work models. In those cases, time management skills are even more important. Employees work without direct supervision, so they must self-regulate their schedules and stay productive all the time. Including these skills signals to potential employers that you can thrive in the modern work environment. 

How to Effectively Showcase Your Time Management Skills on Your Resume

Basically, time management skills—which is another word for time-efficient skills—is the ability to divide one’s time between particular activities so that everything that must be done, can be done within the allotted deadline. Having good time management skills allows an employee to complete tasks and projects with minimal stress, so you can see how valuable they are for an applicant to have in the eyes of recruiters and hiring managers.

Tips: How to write about time management skills

You definitely need to include time management skills on your resume. It’s one of the things that set you apart from other candidates. But the way you present them matters! Employers don’t care about vague statements. The phrase excellent time management skills listed on your resume means nothing to them. Your goal is to show how these skills impacted your work so far. 

These tips will help you write about your time management skills:

1. Use action verbs

Use strong verbs in the description. That will demonstrate your role in the workplace. Here, you can use words like organized, prioritized, streamlined, scheduled, or coordinated. Such expressions show you take an active role in the organization. For example:

Made project completion more effective by implementing a personalized task management system, which reduced delivery time by 15%.

2. Include measurable results

With metrics, you will quantify the outcomes of your time management skills. What proves you’re great at time management? Did you save time, improve productivity, or meet deadlines for the organizations you’ve worked for? Measurable achievements stand as proof of your abilities. Here’s an example:

Made priorities to meet deadlines, contributing to a 20% in the quarterly output.” 

3. Tailor your skills to the job description

Don’t forget to check the posting and identify keywords relevant to time management. Search for expressions like deadline-driven or multitasking. Then, use them in your resume to show alignment with the employer’s expectations. 

Let’s say this was the job description: “We’re looking for a detail-oriented project coordinator who excels at meeting tight deadlines, covering various tasks at the same time, and pushing on-time delivery of projects in a fast-paced environment.”

Here’s how you can mirror the description’s requirements in your resume:

• Coordinated multiple projects at the same time, meeting tight deadlines for all deliverables in a fast-paced environment, with a result of 98% client satisfaction rate.

• Implemented task prioritization techniques to meet deadlines, improving project delivery times by 20% in a single quarter. 

4. Mention relevant tools and methods

If you’ve used some project management software, you should mention it. You can also mention methods like Pomodoro, which can make you more effective. You should show you can use tools and methods to boost your productivity. Here’s what that would look like in a resume:

Used Trello to schedule and monitor tasks, meeting 99% of deadlines ahead of schedule.

5. Introduce some time management skills in your work experience

There’s no need for an entire section in your resume dedicated to time management skills. It’s best to blend them into your work experience. You’ll show how you used these skills to achieve results in your experience. Like this:

Managed a team of seven, delegated tasks, and organized the project flow that resulted in a product launch two weeks before the deadline.

6. Include examples in your professional summary

Have you written the resume summary yet? It’s the perfect place to include time management as a key strength. Use it to show how productive you are. This is how it’s done:

Detail-oriented project manager with a track record of meeting deadlines, organizing workflows, and delivering projects ahead of schedule. 

7. Don’t fill your resume with buzzwords

We don’t recommend simply listing “time management” or related buzzwords without giving some context. You have to back up every claim in your resume with specific examples that show how you apply time management skills in practice. 

These are examples of ineffective use of buzzwords:

• Strong time management skills

• Proficient in meeting deadlines and making priorities

Hiring managers don’t care about empty phrases. The following examples give more depth:

• Redesigned the department’s workflow, reducing task completion time by 25%. 

• Effectively made priorities and delegated tasks, with all project milestones met ahead of schedule. 

8. Blend soft and hard skills together

Time management combines soft skills (making priorities and communication) and hard skills (like using scheduling software). Highlight both to give a complete picture of your capabilities. You can do this in the Experience section. Here’s an example:

Used Microsoft Project and Trello to schedule team tasks, monitor effective collaboration, and ensure timely completion of deliverables. 

What are the 10 most important time-managing skills to have?

According to many employers, the ten most important time management skills to have on your resume are:

• Organization – one’s ability to create structure and order at work. An organized employee efficiently manages their workload, maintains clarity in the tasks, and lowers the potential for mistakes. With this skill, you make sure tasks don’t fall through the cracks.
• Communication – the process of sharing information and ideas between employees in an organization. Clear communication is important for aligning priorities, setting expectations, and making sure that everyone works toward a common goal.  
• Prioritizing – the ability to decide what task to do first based on the importance. Employers like candidates who respect deadlines with a focus on what has to be done right now. 
• Scheduling – the process of assigning tasks for a specific period of time. When you care about proper scheduling, you show that you don’t tend to waste time, and you align all duties with the deadlines. It’s a crucial skill for time-sensitive projects and teamwork. 
• Meeting deadlines – the ability to meet goals set by the organization. Being always on time shows dependability and professionalism. Employers always value those two traits.
• Planning – the process of forecasting tasks that need to be done. Planning is the foundation of time management. With this skill, individuals and teams prepare efficiently for future goals. 
• Decision-making – the ability to choose the best possible option in a given situation. Timely decisions keep the projects moving forward and ensure optimal use of resources. 
• Problem-solving – the ability to understand a challenge and think of an effective solution for it. This skill shows you can deal with unexpected obstacles that will occur in any position. 
• Strategic thinking – the ability to prepare ideas and strategies for future challenges. Strategic thinkers align their practices with long-term goals. With their focus, they take an active role in the organization’s growth. 
• Multi-tasking – the ability to manage different responsibilities at once. Although multitasking should be approached with care to avoid a scattered focus, it’s often necessary in the modern office. 

Want more examples? Here are other critical time management skills to have, depending on the industry and position you’re applying for.

• Goal setting – Makes you focused on measurable results. 
• Teamwork – Being open to collaboration shows you’re productive in group settings.
• Self-awareness – Knowing your strengths and limits enables you to use your time more effectively.
• Stress management – Employees in all positions are expected to keep it together under pressure.
• Resource management – All available tools, materials, and time should be used in the optimal way.
• Workplace management and maintenance – Organizing your workplace and keeping it clean is important for better efficiency. 
• Appointment management – It means you care about meetings to be well-handled. 
• Record keeping – Being good at maintaining records saves money and shows you’re accountable for your actions.  
• Documentation – Writing clear documents saves time for the entire team. 
• Delegation – Knowing how to assign the right task to the right person maximizes productivity.  
• Evaluation and assessment – When you know how to review completed work, you can identify the need for improvements on time. 
• Inventory – With proper management of resources, the organization can avoid disruptions. 

Examples of time management skills in action

Time management skills are important for all professions and industries. They make employees productive. Efficient workers meet deadlines and balance responsibilities. These real-world examples will give you an idea of how time management skills are applied in various roles:

Managers

They must divide their focus between team needs, project schedules, and strategic goals. Let’s say a manager at a marketing agency uses Trello to assign tasks for a product launch, hold weekly strategy meetings, and ensure all tasks are checked ahead of the launch date. This is what executive resume writing looks like:

• Assigning responsibilities to team members based on their strengths and workload, meeting deadlines without overburdening anyone.

• Coordinating team meetings and check-ins at optimal times to maintain productivity.

• Using project management tools to track team progress, predict potential delays, and adjust plans as needed. 

Teachers

They must constantly balance instructional duties, administrative work, and student needs. For example, a high school teacher might use Google Calendar to allocate time for lesson preparation and grading, but they are also available for after-school tutoring sessions. This is how teachers use time management skills in their jobs:

• Preparing comprehensive lesson plans that fit within the allocated class time while keeping students engaged.

• Setting aside blocks of time to evaluate assignments and provide constructive feedback. 

• Organizing parent-teacher conferences, extracurricular activities, or field trips without impacting teaching schedules. 

Freelancers

They usually work with multiple clients at the same time. They need strong time management skills to maintain quality and meet deadlines. For example, a graphic designer will use Clockify to track hours spent on each project, prioritize high-priority designs, and schedule revisions for client feedback. This is how they would present their time management skills on a resume:

• Prioritizing tasks across different clients to meet deadlines without compromising quality. 

• Scheduling specific work hours and breaks to maintain productivity and avoid burnout. 

• Using time-tracking tools to bill clients accurately and stay accountable for deliverables. 

Why are planning and prioritizing skills crucial to have on your resume? 

In the modern workforce, time management skills, also known as planning and prioritizing skills, are highly sought after. Although time management in customer service is considered a necessity, it is equally held in high regard in practically all industries. That’s why aside from knowing how to improve planning skills, you also need to know how to answer time management interview questions, both of which can be developed on your own or with some training.

Mistakes to avoid when writing about time management skills

The way you present these skills in your resume can make or break your chances to impress a recruiter. Avoid these common pitfalls:

• Being vague

Writing “excellent time management skills” without providing examples won’t make an impact. Recruiters need evidence of how you’ve used these skills in real-world scenarios. 

• Overloading a resume with buzzwords

“Multi-tasker” and “deadline-driven” seem like good terms to write in a resume, but they are not. Without context, they come across as generic and unoriginal. It’s important to show, not just tell, that you own these skills. 

• Including irrelevant skills

Listing time management skills that don’t align with the job description will dilute your application. For example, including “appointment scheduling” for a creative design role won’t be that effective. Always match your examples to the job requirements!

• Failing to quantify achievements

Statements like “I’m efficient with my time” tell nothing to a hiring manager. Without metrics, they don’t convey the impact of your time management skills. Your claims must carry weight, so use some numbers and percentages to be more specific. Of course; everything you write must be true, so don’t invent numbers just to add something. 

• Ignoring industry-specific needs

Time management is differently perceived across industries. If you fail to tailor your examples to the specific industry, your resume can seem generic. Instead, you should use examples that reflect the unique challenges of your industry. For example, a healthcare worker will focus on prioritizing patient care tasks in a fast-paced ER environment. 

Need help with your resume? 

You can take the stress out of resume writing by having one of our expert resume writers at Resumeble do it for you. We will research the company or companies you’re applying for to thoroughly understand which planning and prioritizing skills are the best ones to put on your application. Send us your resume today for a free, no-obligation evaluation.

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Q: What is the most important resume section?

A: Although all of the sections of the resume are important, many employers consider the Skills section as the most important—even more valuable than the Experience section. This puts into perspective why you need to do a good job choosing the best time management skills for the job and highlighting them in a way that recruiters will respond positively to. Resumeble can help ensure your time management skills attract the right kind of attention from people who read your resume.

Q: Should I list time management as a skill or show it in my experience?

A: You should do both. You have a dedicated “Skills” section in your resume, and you should list skills like “time management, task prioritization, and strategic scheduling” there. But to truly stand out, you should showcase how you’ve applied time management in your work experience. That will add context and show that you can effectively use the skill in real-world scenarios.

Q: What if I don’t have direct experience with time management in a professional setting?

A: Even if you lack professional experience, you can still mention your time management skills. You’ll draw from academic, volunteer, or personal projects. Time management is a transferable skill, and its application in other contexts can be just as valuable to potential employers.