What skills you should put on your resume and how to do it [infographic]

Your resume skills section might be holding you back.

In this day and age, recruiters are on the lookout for people with the right skill set.

Relying on your employment history might not be enough to catch their eye.

Master your skills section

It’s no longer going to suffice to just list five things in your skills section — you need to pepper your whole resume with job-relevant skills.

First off, create a master list of skills. Brainstorm and write down anything you’ve done in your professional life. Include skills you’ve picked up on your own, too.

Then, go through the job posting that sparked your interest. Highlight the required skills and traits.

Now, compare the two lists. If a skill shows up in both, you need to give it a plug in your resume.

Don’t worry if you can’t do one or two things and don’t pretend otherwise!

But that’s not enough.

You don’t want to just copy and paste whatever is in the ad. Go through similar job postings. Take note of any additional skill requirements.

Do you have what it takes?

Perfect!

Include the most common relevant skills in your final resume.

Here’s the finishing touch.

You need to be specific about what it is exactly that you can do. Is MS Excel proficiency required? Don’t just plonk MS Excel in the skills section.

Can you create pivot tables?
Visualize data?
Run and create macros?

Make a note of that!

Be specific about the most crucial skills mentioned in the ad. Provide proof of your mastery.

Quantify if possible.

“Numbers speak louder than words.”

The final step is to choose a few highly relevant skills and mention them in all other resume sections: be it the resume objective or summary, the experience section, education, or any other additional section like the licenses and certifications.

If you want to make it pass the applicant tracking system you’ll need to mirror the wording of the ad.

Be careful!

Don’t just copy-paste these skills, though. Work them in smoothly. You don’t want to come off as a spammer!

Here’s an infographic to guide you through the process.