Back Up Your Skills With Other Resume Sections
If you mention Food Prepping – Advanced as one of your skills, you should have food prepping roles or other organizations described throughout your work experience to back that up. Put your money where your mouth is.
You can check out our guide on how to write a resume to have a clearer idea of how to connect your resume sections with one another.
Most Common Resume Formats
Most of us are used to the fairly generic resume format, i.e., the reverse-chronological format. This template will suit the needs of most job seekers as its easy to navigate, coherent, and efficient.
However, the reverse-chronological resume format isnt your only format option. Those of you who are interested in all the available templates can read up on the topic of resume formats in more detail.
But for those who want to focus on skills, your best bet is the combination resume format.
Combination Resume Format
You can think of the combination resume format as a variation on the classic reverse-chronological format. The crucial difference is that you showcase your skills by using them as subheadings in your experience section instead of making a random list of old roles and responsibilities.
Its pretty clear that this is the best option available to anyone interested in creating a resume optimized towards showing off skills.
Although optional for some, the combination resume format is the go-to template for career changers.
As a career changer, you are actively trying not to do what you once did. You dont have the exact experience required, so you cant depend on previous positions. Whats more, you need to be explicit about any appropriate skills youve acquired throughout your career, as it wont be obvious to the recruiter if your resume is even in the right pile.
How Should I Organize My Skills
You should use your skills as keywords throughout your resume. Some excellent places to include skills on your resume include your resume summary, your work experience, and your skills or core competencies section.
Once youâve identified which skills should be featured in your skills section, you can hone in on how to organize the content.
First, you want to title the section as âSkills,â âCore Competencies,â or something similarly recognizable.
âThe section headings should be very straightforward,â warns Jennifer.
âMost ATS systems are programmed to understand basic section headings i.e. âWork Experience, Education, etc.â If you get too creative with the headings it can confuse the ATS scans and skew your results. When it comes to your skills, I like to use âCore Competenciesâ or âCore Proficienciesâ.â
Recommended Reading: How To List Two Different Positions At The Same Company On A Resume
How To Include Seo/sem Marketing In Your Resume
Heres a resume sample by Enhancv that highlights all the right skill-sets and keywords to help you land a job in the SEO/SEM domain:
Here are a few keywords that can help you stand out in the crowd:
1. Conducted SEO Audits.
- Its an essential skill for SEO marketers. Here, make sure to mention how you conducted SEO audits for various websites.
2. SEO Experience in Years.
- Mention your work experience in SEO/SEM marketing.
3. Performed SEO Link Building.
- Briefly mention how you performed the SEO link-building tasks.
- Highlight the numbers associated with your link building efforts.
- Mention the strength of the team you led/were a part of.
4. Achieved an Increase in Traffic And Visibility.
- Explain how you helped increase traffic, visibility, and leads.
- Mention the exact increase percentage.
- You can also mention the improvement in keyword rankings.
5. Proficiency in Tools.
Review The Job Post For Relevant Skills Resume
Take a look at the job description for the position you are applying for. Make a list of the required skills to put on a resume.
Secondly, revise your resume to find all the keywords in the list which align with those in your resume.
Now, there are three sets:
While the common list contains the resume skills which is also on the job description, the second list only contains the resume skills which you possess and are not relevant to the target job.
The third list comprises the skill which are specific to the job. However, you do not possess the same skills on resume.
Always make sure your skills on resume encompasses all if the common list and the most relevant ones from the third list. However, do not unjustifiably fill your resume skills section. Make sure you are able to showcase your resume skills across the document.
Once you have a list of the necessary skills to put on resume, make a short resume skills section.
When a company compose a job post, it includes a skills summary for resume to contain. These are the most necessary skills for the job.
If you are applying for a specific job, review the post carefully and note the list of skills to put on resume.
So, what happens if you dont possess any of the required skills?
Hence, we always suggest you quantify your responsibilities and achievements.
Identify and match the relevant skills to the ones that you possess.
You May Like: Listing Programming Languages On Resume
In Your Skills Section
The skills section of your resume is the most straightforward place to list your professional abilities. If there are specific soft skills that are highly relevant to the position, include them here in addition to providing examples of them in your work experience section.
Any skills included in your skills section should be listed out in simple bulleted form, like this:
- Strong communication skills
- Excellent at upselling merchandise
- Demonstrated interpersonal skills
However, your skills section is ultimately not the best place to highlight your soft skills. Soft skills are difficult to quantify, and should be backed up with examples, making them more suitable to touch upon in your work experience bullet points.
Instead, prioritize listing your relevant hard skills in your skills section, and including soft skills here only when highly relevant.
What Are Technical Skills
Skills on your resume can be broken down into two main categories:
- âSoft Skills: Also called interpersonal skills, these are your social and emotional abilities. They affect how you interact and communicate with other people.â
- Hard Skills: Hard skills are also called technical skills. They are a personâs technical abilities and are often industry-specific.
Technical skills are hard skills because they are quantifiable in some way.
Usually, a hard skill can be either learned or taught.
Recommended Reading: Where To Put Your Gpa On Your Resume
How To List Special Skills On Your Resume
When you are making your case for a new job, it is your blend of resume skills that will show a hiring manager whether you are qualified for the role.
These resume skills might be listed in a specific section, described within your work experience, or even subtly implied in the summary, and they are an essential ingredient in your job search story. They are the foundation of your achievements.
The thing is, once you have listed a skill in your resume you have to be able to back it up with the career story that lies behind it. Resume skills are the strengths, talents, traits and wisdom that you have acquired throughout your education and career. The skills are your badges of honour, but it is the achievements that those skills support that are the hero content of any job search. This guide will cover how to go about showcasing your resume skills to the best effect, including:
- Why skills are your job search currency
- The difference between hard skills and soft skills
- How do you list special skills on a resume?
- Tips to match your skills to the job requirements
- How to convey your level of proficiency
- Top ten skills for ten common job functions
- Top ten skills for ten common professions
Why skills are your job search currency
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.
250+ Skills for Each Industry
Also Check: Leadership Skills For Resume
Review The Job Description And Research The Company
Though you may have several different areas of strength, include only those that are relevant to the job. Recruiters often have limited time when reviewing resumes, so its best to keep your skills section specific and concise. Once you move on to the interview phase, youll have the opportunity to elaborate on additional skills not mentioned on your resume.
Start by reviewing the job description and making note of any required skills or abilities that match your own. In addition to job requirements, consider the description of the company and its culture.
For example, a job description for a medical assistant may require proficiency in electronic medical records software and scheduling programs. It may also share that the company values teamwork and patient satisfaction. In this case, the best skills to put on a resume might include the following:
-
Electronic medical records systems
-
Interpersonal communication
-
Customer service
If you dont see any clues about company culture listed in the job description, check out Indeed Company Pages or review the employers website for additional information.
Related:
How To Include Social Media Expertise In Your Resume
To make your proficiency in this area stand out, use some of these keywords:
1. Customer Engagement Expertise.
- Mention your expertise in handling multiple accounts and engaging customers.
- Highlight instances where your customer engagement benefitted previous organizations.
- Provide examples of a mode of customer engagement.
2. Data Analytics Proficiency.
- Mention your knowledge of data analytics.
- Highlight how youve used it in past organizations.
- Explain how you tracked metrics and helped improve performance.
3. Improved Visibility.
- Explain how you improved the visibility of the social accounts youve worked with.
- If possible, demonstrate with numbers.
4. Customer Service.
- Mention if you ever reached out to customers via social at your previous organizations.
- If you have, what sort of problems youve solved.
5. Social Media Marketing.
- Mention if you ever connected with customers to build your brand, drive website traffic, or increase sales.
Read Also: How Many References Should You List On A Resume
Highlight Resume Skills Throughout Your Resume
Remember toshow, not tell. Your skills should not only be limited to the resume skills section.
The hard skills for resume should essentially be highlighted across your resume as displayed above.
Showcase your resume skills and abilities in the main Work Experience section of your resume too and bold them for maximum impact. For example:
- Designed and managed 350+ e-commerce websites by deploying CSS, HTML & Java Script
- Integrated SEO and digital marketing with web design services to bolster annual sales by ~80% for all clients
- Reviewed every stage of the web development process and subjected websites to multiple testing methods
- Constantly liaised with clients for post-live support of website to ensure smooth functionality by resolving technical issues
Further there are unspoken skills, especially, people’s skills/soft skills which cannot be showcased on the skills section. These must be portrayed across your work experience by highlighting the right words.
For example, to state that youre a good communicator, highlight/focus on your verbal and written communication skills, or your sharp listening abilities.
Here are some explanations of underlying resume skills that are presented without skills section:
- Communication – Play up your track record of strong communication with your colleagues, manager, clients and customers, and offer tangible examples:
“Prepared monthly email newsletters for distribution to ~50,000 customers to bolster leads by 35%“
Hard Vs Soft Skills: Whats The Difference
A winning resume must showcase both hard and soft skills. It is important that you have a good mix of both in order to stand out from other job applicants.
Hard skills refer to acquired knowledge. It is a skill that you learn through education or training. This is often supported by a license or certification to provide proof of your skills and capacity. A few examples of hard skills are as follows:
- Cloud computing
- Accounting
Soft skills, on the other hand, are something that you possess innately. It is something that developed naturally or as you evolve based on the conditions you grew up in. It is important to include soft skills in your resume because it might prove critical in the job you are seeking, giving you an edge over other applicants. Below are some examples of soft skills:
- Interpersonal skills
- Problem solving
You May Like: Do You Put Gpa On Resume
How To Include Collaboration And Teamwork In Your Resume
Here are some terms you can use to emphasize your collaborative spirit:
1. Empathetic.
- Shed light on your ability to empathize with team members and work according to targets as well as emergencies.
- Mention how youre always ready to cove for a team member.
2. Patience.
- All members of a team arent the same. Some will pick up details faster than others. Highlight your ability to be patient and accommodating towards others and work as a team.
3. Takes Initiatives.
- Highlight your demonstrated history of taking the initiative while working in a group.
- Emphasize how you can steer a team project towards completion with your inputs.
- Highlight past instances where you took an initiative.
4. Reliability.
- Demonstrate how you help generate trust in team members and create a conducive work environment.
- Explain how your work ethic improves when team members rely on you to deliver.
5. Division of labor
- Emphasize your ability to divide work according to resources and expertise, which helps in the efficient completion of tasks.
What Are Some Things I Can Do To Improve My Technical Skills
If you lack many good or relevant technical skills, it is important to take the time to develop some.
Luckily, there are many resources and courses available today to help professionals develop their skillsets.
This can include going back to school or learning from home!
Here are 3 great ways to start improving your technical skills:
- âCertifications and Training: Taking training or educational courses can help you to earn certifications. Including certifications on your resume is a great way to provide evidence for the skills you are claiming to have.â
- Mentorships/Apprenticeships: To enhance your technical skills, it is wise to learn from the best. Seeking out mentorships or apprenticeships with successful professionals in your field is a fantastic way to diversify your skills.â
- Personal Projects: Oftentimes, technical skills help to create products and carry out necessary processes. Completing a personal project that can be a centerpiece to a portfolio can also help you develop new technical skills!
Also Check: Resume With Multiple Jobs
Resume Summary Or Objective
Below your contact info comes your heading statement.
That prominent placement means the HR managers eyes see it first.
Heres what should be included in a resume profile area:
Resume Summary Statementa short statement providing a summary of your work experience and relevant qualifications
Resume Objective Statementa concise paragraph, tailored to the position, stating your career goals and how you want to achieve them at this employer. Also called a resume career objective.
Pick one or the other, as you dont use both resume headings.
Good resume heading introductions should be around 2-4 sentences in lengtha neat, 3- or 4-line paragraph.
Use an objective statement when you either have a little or no experience resume related to the job youre applying for, or when youre targeting a very specific position. Otherwise, choose the resume professional summary.
Expert Hint: How long should a resume be? Job resumes should be one page for most candidates. Two pages is okay, but just make sure everything on your resume is adding value. Dont go back more than 10 years in your work history, except when applying for senior positions.
Match Your Skills To The Job
Taking the time to make a match will show the hiring manager why you’re qualified for a job and worth interviewing. Employers want to see that you have what it takes to succeed in the job. Theyll use the skills you list on your resume to rank your qualifications for the job against those of your competition.
When you include skills on your resume, be specific. Show the employer that you have the skills they are seeking.
The better a match you are for the job, the better chance you will have of being chosen for an interview. Depending on the job for which you’re applying, there are some skills you don’t need to include. Here’s a list of skills you shouldn’t put on your resume.
Don’t Miss: List Publications On Resume