In the world of resume writing, there are many do’s and don’ts, but one of the most difficult areas to master is the realm of skills. What exactly does one put on their resume and what exactly does one take off? It isn’t readily apparent what someone should have on their resume, and without a world class professional helping them, the task can seem a little bit daunting. Ultimately, it’s all about putting your best foot forward and listing examples that help your cause, but there are nuances that are important to go over when you write your resume yourself.
There is no such thing as a comprehensive resume skills list, but luckily there are definite guidelines available for everyone to study in order for them to create a resume that is clear, concise, and sells you in the best ways possible to future employers. These tips are rarely told in school or in other places, so it helps to be able to see them up close while you work:
There are all kinds of things that you can put onto a resume and, depending on relevancy with the job at hand, any number of them can be an important attribute in your favor when it comes time to hire a new employee. Firstly, however, we will go over what kinds of skills comprise Soft and Hard.
Hard skills are skills that are a defined, usable skill that has taken time and effort to cultivate and hone. Examples of these are utilizing a trade skill, or being fluent in another language. Mechanical skills such as typing also factor into this and are a great example of an increasingly-relevant ability.
Soft skills are the more nebulous, yet just as effective areas of competence that employers are looking for. While not solid, demonstrable skills, these skills form the basis of a well-rounded and highly employable person. They include things like people skills, being “hard working,” highly motivated and many others. They tend to describe modes of being and character than any practical skill.
The resume skills section is a tricky one because there are simply so many options to choose from, so how does one thin out the options? One of the important things to remember is not to overload the section, especially with skills that have no direct relevancy to the job position. Being fluent in French doesn’t apply an incredibly amount if you’re trying to get an IT job, and being able to stand for long periods of time doesn’t do much if you’re working in a cubicle.
The most important thing to keep in mind is to balance your skills and put up the most important ones out of your list first. Take a list of ten hard skills and ten soft skills, then condense them down to ten for both. By doing this, you’re forcing yourself to make the hard decisions and decide what truly matters to the job position you’re applying for. Skills and abilities resume practice comes with time and patience, and you’ll soon understand exactly what you need to give you your employers to make them satisfied.
A simple fact of the professional world is that first impressions matter and most employers will be impressed by the professionalism you have already displayed by not wasting their time with a long list of trivial, unimportant details. By fully outlining your skills, then condensing it into a coherent, concise list, you’re able to bypass all the fluff that bothers most employers. Another great thing is that you’ll never need another resume skills sample again afterwards, because you’ll already be able to refer to the skills lists that you’ve already generated. Being able to send out a variety of resumes as many times as you can to as many people as you can is the best way to land a job, and when you already have most of the work done, the process becomes more and more simple.
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