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What Are Skills You Put On A Resume

Put Transferable Skills To Use When Switching Careers

Writing Your Resume Skills Section: Do’s and Don’ts

Transferable skills are not directly related to the job you are applying to but are still useful. For example, if youre applying for a job outside your established area in , you can still mention some of those old skills in financial data analysis. Itll show you have a starting basis and experience with the type of work.

For example, your big data analysis skills include : machine learning, data visualization, querying and analysis, and statistics. You can still mention these in your financial data analyst resume, but omitting the marketing background in which they were used.

If youre fresh off college, you can mention writing skills, documentation, and research as already established skills, since youve already done plenty of that in university. These transferable skills can be of use when you are applying for an office clerk or entry-level job.

Read Through The Job Description And Visit The Company Website

Job descriptions are valuable when it comes to writing the best resume as they usually have a “Requirements” or “Key Skills” section where the companies list the skills they expect their candidates to have. However, companies will also often list necessary skills in the descriptions of the company and the position. By carefully examining the job description, you can find the most relevant skills to put on your resume. You will want to look for skills-related keywords or phrases, such as “knowledge of JavaScript.”

For example, a job description for an administration clerk requires “attending to all queries in a timely and effective manner.” From this, a candidate can deduce that time management and communication skills are essential requirements for the job. Another job description for a motor technician requires successful candidates to “prepare all reports and forms required in conjunction with work assignments,” meaning that the candidate should have administrative skills as well as attention to detail.

For information on the company’s culture, and thus the soft skills you would need, check out their website. You can also search for a careers page, LinkedIn, or other social media platforms. You will then be able to include the most relevant soft skills tailored to the specific company.

Top 10 Soft Skills Employers Love: 90+ Examples

Knowing which soft skills to highlight in your resume could set you apart from candidates with similar sets of hard skills. Your education, degree, and certifications might help you get an interview, but your soft skills are what will help land you the job.

Here are some of the top soft skills to highlight on your resume:

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Personal Project Relevant To A Job:

For example, lets say you hosted a bake sale in your neighborhood and are now applying for a job as a cashier at a grocery store. You could explain that while selling your baked goodies, you practiced your customer service, money handling, and food service safety skills.

Example of how to list a personal project in a resume:Summer Bake Sale Hosted a summer bake sale in my neighborhood every weekend from April to August 2018. Created and handed out flyers, took and fulfilled customer orders, handled cash payments, and home baked all products. Skills learned include customer service, money handling, and food service safety.

The Best Font Size For A Resume

Skills On A Resume Ecommerce Resume

The size font you use on a resume will depend on how much you have written, as you need your content to fill up one entire page. A good place to start is using 16pt for your name, 12pt for your section headers, and 11pt for the body of your text. Experiment conservatively until your one-page resume looks complete.

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List The Relevant Computer Skills In A Dedicated Skills Section

Finally, to make your computer skills truly stand out, create a dedicated key skills section on your resume.

You can do two things there:

  • List the skills that are already mentioned in your job description to make them super-visible throughout your entire resume.
  • Add the relevant computer skills you weren’t able to put elsewhere on your resume.
  • Heres what this looks like in practice:

    Computer Skills on a ResumeExample Key Skills Section

    • MS Excel
    • MS Word

    The computer skills listed here are the ones you can also see in the job description and resume profile.

    MS Office skills appear here as well. They havent been mentioned anywhere else on the resume, but theyre crucial to the role, as outlined in the job offer.

    Notice how all the resume sections complement one another

    The key skills section highlights the relevant computer skills you can offer. Your job description shows exactly what results you can deliver using these skills, and the resume profile makes it clear how much experience you have.

    Its always a good idea to describe your level of proficiency at each skill you add to the key skills section. A simple bar graph and description will do.

    For example, you can use the following scale to specify your level of computer skills for a resume:

    Level of Computer Skills for a Resume

    • Level 1Fundamental
    • Level 2Basic
    • Level 3Intermediate
    • Level 4Advanced
    • Level 5Proficient

    Top Hard Skills For Your Resume

    Hard skills tend to be more technical, and each industry or type of job will usually have its own required set. Finding out what range of hard skills youll be expected to have in your field might require some research. Here are hard skills examples that tend to be in-demand across many industries.

    Computer Software and Application Knowledge

    The list of professions that does not require you to use computers and certain types of software is very short. You could very likely break up computer skills into two or three specific technical proficiencies for your field.

    Design

    Aside from the obvious professions like graphic or web design, there are jobs in marketing, advertising, branding, engineering, and construction that require some type of design skillseven if its only for drawing up presentations.

    Data Analysis

    Understand data is very much in vogue right now, and there are a lot of jobs out there where you will be called upon to analyze metrics and extrapolate a practical use from it, making analytical skills extremely valuable to put on your resume.

    Negotiation

    There are many jobs that involve selling a product or service, purchasing stock or merchandise, brokering deals for production or transportation, establishing partnerships for advertising or investments, and so on.

    Mathematics
    Project Management
    Marketing
    Administrative
    Writing Skills
    Foreign Languages

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    What If I Dont Have The Required Skill

    We brought up the earlier scenario in which you didnt necessarily have the skills required to do the job.

    Heres where you have to be honest with yourself. If the skills required are part of the core competencies of doing the job, you may want to reconsider your application.

    For example, if a golf course posts a job posting for a golf pro, you probably shouldnt apply if youve never swung a golf club.

    Use your common sense to determine whether or not you are a suitable candidate for the job.

    Quite often though you will come across a situation where it is closewhere you kind of have the skill.

    This is where you need to get creative .

    You need to be able to demonstrate, using examples from your past, that you are capable of doing the required skill. So go over your work history with a fine-tooth comb and try to come up with a few examples of you doing the skill.

    They are going to ask about it in your interview, so dont think you can just wing it and everything will be fine.

    Weave Your Skills Into Your Professional Experience Section

    HOW TO WRITE YOUR RESUME SKILLS SECTION – THE EASIEST WAY!

    While many job seekers may list skills in a separate section of their resume, its also important to weave them into descriptions under each of your previous positions. This is where you have an opportunity to strengthen your skills section with additional context and specific examples.

    For example, if you include the skills project management and time management, you could illustrate this by providing a real-life example, such as: Successfully managed six projects across three separate teams during the first half of 2018, and delivered all completed items by the deadlines.

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    Problem Solving / Creativity

    Problem solving skills show an ability to approach difficult situations and work through them. This is something that nearly every employer wants in an employee. Similarly, creativity shows youâre an adaptable applicant with a mind for design.

    Unlike hard skills, you shouldnât list soft skills in a skills section unless you are new to the job market and lacking in other useful skills. Instead, you should match your soft skills with examples or descriptive adjectives and include them in your work experience section.

    To showcase your problem solving and creativity skills, you can use the STAR method: situation, task, action, result. This is a common interview technique, but can also be an excellent way to demonstrate your impact on your resume.

    Example of using the STAR method to show problem solving skills:

    Solvedinventory management deficit by redesigning inventory control system, quality controls, network integration, and training on-time order fulfillment improved by 45%, profits increased by 23%, and canceled orders decreased by 82%.

    How To List Your Skills

    Whether youâre a jack of all trades or a master of one, you absolutely must list some skills on your resume. Skills offer additional insight into what you can offer the company as an employee, and may just push your resume over the edge and into the interview pile.

  • Only list relevant skills. If youâre applying for a position as an engineer, donât brag about your marketing abilities. Instead, save the space to list the software and programming languages that you know.
  • List around 5 Skills. Writing too many skills on your resume can be an overwhelming experience for the recruiter. He or she may not fully register your skills, and instead just blankly skim the long list. Conversely, listing too few skills is only selling yourself short. You definitely have more than two skills — no matter your experience level! So shoot for around 5 skills, with a little wriggle room.
  • Include both hard and soft skills. Even if your profession seems to rely on soft skills more than hard skills — or vice versa — including both makes your resume stronger. For example, if youâre applying to work as a laboratory assistant, list soft skills such as âteamwork,â âproblem-solving,â âtime management,â or âorganization.â If youâre in a more creative field, hard skills include softwares such as âAdobe Creative Suiteâ and talents such as âphotography,â âwriting & editing,â or âvideography.â
  • 250+ Skills for Each Industry

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    Match Each Skill With Your Proficiency Level

    For each skill that you list on your resume, scale it up using the competencies proficiency scale:

    • Beginner – You are just starting to learn or have not practiced the skill through experience
    • Intermediate – You have applied the skill in practice, and require assistance with it on rare or special occasions. You still have room to grow.
    • Advanced – You know your stuff! You dont need help with the skill anymore. You can also teach beginners how to use it.
    • Expert – You are a recognized authority on this skill, the go-to person if anyone has any questions. You have consistently proved to be excellent in this skill. You could even write a whole book about it!

    What Are Some Examples Of Skills For A Resume

    Top 20 Important Skills to Put on Your Resume 2021 ...

    It all depends on your industry and role. Scuba diving is a hard skill, but only relevant to very specific jobs. Remember, hiring managers are reviewing your resume with the job you applied for in mind, so keep your skills section at least tangentially relevant to avoid the dreaded Why did they apply for this? reaction.

    Below are some examples of specific roles you might be applying for and skills that could be appropriate to list, but remember that a job posting is always the best place to find the skills you need for a specific role. To get a more robust list for your specific industry, you can check out O*NET, a resource developed by the U.S. Department of Labor that breaks down occupations by skills, tasks, and activities.

    • Language Skills
    • Phone Support
    • Montgomery Investment Technology Utility XL
    • NetSuite
    • Adobe Creative Cloud
    • ADA Compliance Training
    • Style Guides/Pattern Libraries for React
    • Testflight

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    Choose Only Relevant Skills

    As we pointed out in the previous section, you have to review the job post and note down the skills identified by the company as relevant and integral for the position.

    For example, if you are applying for the position of Web Developer, the following skill set would be relevant:

    • Certified expert in 5 programming languages: Java Script, Python, C++, PHP and CSS.
    • Designed, programmed and managed over 350 websites in the last 5 years.
    • 52% of websites built were of the e-commerce variety.
    • Integrated SEO and digital marketing with web design services 92% of clients who availed of program increased annual sales revenues by an average of 81%.
    • Analytical carefully reviews each stage of the web development process.
    • Meticulous subjects websites to numerous testing methods before declaring it fit for turnover.
    • Results- Oriented stays onboard with the client for at least 3 months from turnover of website to make sure it is running smoothly with no technical issues.

    If you won the Capcom Streetfighter competition 5 years in a row or set the world record in eating chicken wings in 1 hour, it would be best to leave these skills out of your resume.

    What Are Computer Skills Why Are Computer Skills Important

    Computer skills are the ability to utilize computers and technology efficiently.

    With the rise of technology, the computer skills you have can set you apart when applying for a new job. When you think about it, there are seldom positions that remain free from technology. Even trades that traditionally didnt require computers, like farming, landscaping, and handymen, now use technology for marketing, accounting, and reservations.

    Every professional position requires the use of certain technology, ranging from hardware to computer applications. Likewise, every professional has a unique set of computer skills with varying levels of proficiency. Finding the perfect fit between whats needed and what someone has is the sole mission of a hiring managers when looking for a new employee. If the hiring manager is able to find someone that has all of the computer skills necessary, they wont need to spend so much time and money on training, which means they will get a quicker return on their hiring investment.

    But how can hiring managers tell if you have the computer skills needed for their role?

    First and foremost, hiring managers will look at your resume. Typically, hiring managers spend no more than 6 seconds reviewing a resume and during that time they are looking to see if the computer skills needed jump out.

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    Don’t Lie About Your Skill Set

    Be honest when choosing the skills to list on a resume. It’s tempting to include an in-demand skill to get the keyword in your resume, but you could be asked to prove your claim during the interview process or after youre hired.

    You dont need to include a competency level for each skill on your resume, but calling out your skill level is an option. Use this as a guide:

    • Beginner: A novice understanding of the skill. You have exposure to the skill and understand basic concepts, but you lack experience. For transparency, theres nothing wrong with writing beginner in parentheses next to the skill.
    • Intermediate: Between a beginner and an expert. You have experience with and can carry out the skill, but you don’t understand advanced concepts. For this level skill, you normally wouldnt need a qualifier.
    • Expert: A highly developed skill level. You have solid experience and training with the skill and understand advanced concepts. To draw attention to a crucial skill, write expert in parentheses next to the skill. If youre an expert in your entire skills list, call the section expertise.

    Hard Skills For The Job Interview

    Top 5 tips for figuring out what skills to put on your resume

    When participating in an interview, there are a few ways that you can demonstrate your hard skills. One way is by physically showing your ability to perform a hard skill to the interviewer. For example, if the job requires you to type a certain number of words per minute, you may be asked to participate in a typing test. Be prepared to demonstrate any hard skills you have listed on your resume during the interview process.

    Additionally, you may be asked to provide details of when you have used your hard skills in your past. Before going to the interview, brainstorm at least one example for each relevant hard skill that relates to the job you applied for.

    You can also bring any documentation to the interview that shows your completion of a course or certification that supports a hard skill. Being as prepared as possible will help you successfully portray your hard skills and eligibility for the job.

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    What Are Technical Or Hard Skills On Your Resume

    When listing hard skills on your resume, include specific proficiencies and certifications. Front-end web developers, for instance, would report their level of expertise in HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and other technologies the company lists in its job posting. A financial controller, meanwhile, might claim a strong foundation in GAAP or SEC reporting, and an administrative professionals resume skills could advertise a CAP or MOS certification.

    Here are some hard resume skills for 15 in-demand fields:

  • Accounting or bookkeeping Basic abilities include invoicing, collections, payments, account reconciliation and proficiency in software such as QuickBooks, FreshBooks and Xero.
  • Data analysis Businesses need professionals who can gather and interpret technical data for various stakeholders. Hard skills in this area range from a thorough knowledge of relational database theory and practice to strong writing and verbal skills.
  • Data privacy Cybersecurity is top of mind for any organization that deals with sensitive or proprietary client information. Specific in-demand skills will depend on the position and field.
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP systems such as Oracle, NetSuite and SAP help employers manage their business and automate functions. Professionals in this area will want to talk up their coding expertise and project management skills.
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