Organizational Skills: What They Are and Why You Need Them

Whether you are leading a team of individuals or starting your education journey at a community college or university, organizational skills are essential for long and short-term success. Discover organizational skills examples, how to improve organizational skills, and how to demonstrate organizational skills on a resume.

What are organizational skills?

Organizational skills are tools you can use to stay focused and efficiently prioritize your responsibilities. Practicing organization in day-to-day activities can help you manage your workload and equip you with the tools and strategies needed to thrive in any role.

Organizational skills also include processes to keep your work structured and measurable. Practicing these skills helps you effectively complete all of your tasks thoroughly and on time.

Examples of organizational skills

Familiarizing yourself with key organizational skills and how to use them can benefit your work and school performance. From properly managing time to working well with others, gaining these organizational skills can help you achieve in a company or university setting:

Time management

Managing your time is crucial to organizational success. Making a schedule, making appointments, and planning in advance allow you to better understand your personal schedule and the time it takes to accomplish things.

Collaboration

Working in groups or teams can save substantial time on projects and be an excellent source of learning different perspectives. Collaboration is a way to get to know your employees and peers, and it is an opportunity to bounce ideas off of one another.

Delegation 

Delegating is asking others for help by passing off tasks that were originally yours to someone else. It is important for those who have a heavy workload and can be a great way to build trust and bond with co-workers by sharing interests and tasks. Asking for help is one of the best things you can do to ensure that all of your tasks get done efficiently.

Communication

Communicating your ideas, feelings, needs, and expectations is essential to creating a healthy work environment. Good communication ensures everyone has a clear understanding of their responsibilities and duties in the workplace. Clear communication removes uncertainty and creates a space for others to come to you with questions and get the answers they need.

Goal setting

Setting goals is an excellent way to keep you and your employees on task. Deadlines, due dates, and personal milestones allow you to prioritize what needs to be done first, plan your milestones, and schedule your tasks.

How to improve on organizational skills

You can take steps to improve your organizational skills both at work and in your personal life. Use resources that can help you stay organized, like a calendar and lists of tasks. Begin a habit of spending five or ten minutes a day to plan your day and prioritize the most important tasks of the day, perhaps over a cup of coffee or as part of another morning ritual. You can also improve your organizational skills by taking a course, such as Leadership Skills, offered by the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad on Coursera. 

Why are organizational skills important?

Organizational skills are beneficial in several ways. Above all else, creating structure will save you, your company, and your teammates time and energy. Having things planned, scheduled, communicated, and set goals removes unnecessary tasks, allowing you to accomplish more.

When you practice organizational skills, you also reduce stress from being overworked or overloaded. Delegating is a great way to reduce stress, as you can focus on tasks that highlight your strengths and hand out duties to others that highlight theirs. This way, everyone is working on tasks that suit their interests and strengths, helping the team succeed.

How to showcase organizational skills

Organizational skills should be highlighted on your job applications and work evaluations for promotion. Employers will highly desire your ability to manage time, collaborate, and set goals for yourself, and you should communicate these strengths in resumes and job interviews.

Organizational skills key points for a resume

When writing a resume or cover letter, list your organizational skills as they pertain to the job you’re applying for. Describe yourself and your organizational skills in the paragraph or summary at the top of your resume. This will bring focus to your strengths when employers review your resume.

Another way to showcase your skills is by adding them to your relevant job experience. For example, when describing your past roles and responsibilities, highlight your organizational skills by telling the employer that you, for example, “expertly managed time” or “set and surpassed goals” in that specific role.

Build job-ready skills with a Coursera Plus subscription

Start 7-day free trial

• Get access to 7,000+ learning programs from world-class universities and companies, including Google, Yale, Salesforce, and more
• Try different courses and find your best fit at no additional cost
• Earn certificates for learning programs you complete
• A subscription price of $59/month, cancel anytime

Start 7-day free trial

Learn more about organizational skills on Coursera.

Organizational skills are helpful both at work and in your personal and social life. To improve your organizational skills, consider an online course such as the Professional Skills for the Workplace Specialization offered by UC Davis on Coursera. This four-course series can help you learn resilience, adaptability, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence.