Resume Skills Section Examples From a Recruiter - Career Sidekick

Resume Skills Section Examples From a Recruiter - Career Sidekick Resume Skills Section Examples From a Recruiter Resume/CV / https://www.edenscott.com/blog Putting a Skills or Core Competencies section on your resume is a great way to show hiring managers what you can do for them, while also including relevant keywords on your resume.However, theres one BIG mistake that Ive seen many job seekers make and it can cost you the interview.So in this article, were going to look at real-life examples of resume skills sections, how to write this section and come up with ideas of skills to list, and the biggest mistake to avoid if you want to get the interview.Lets get startedResume Skills Section Core Competencies ExamplesLets look at some good examples of resume Skills sections (which you can also name Core Competencies, Professional Skills, etc.)Your goal when writing this resume section is to highlight your most relevant skills for the job, all in one place.So you want the list to be easy to read. I suggest one or two columns.And you dont just want to list random skills. And you dont want to list the same ski lls for every job! You really want to research the job and company (starting with the job description) and put the skills and keywords THEY mention.This is called tailoring your resume and will immediately boost the number of interviews you receive. I wrote a guide on the easiest way to do this HERE. (Its much easier than people think).So you really need to be looking at the specific job description for keywords.Once youve done that, youre ready to put together your Skills section. Here are some sample Skills sections so you can see what it might look like:Resume Skills Section Example #1:This example above is for a salespersons resume. You can see it contains a lot of keywords, and also highlights what this person is best at. Thats what you should aim to do.Remember, dont just guess which skills and keywords the employer wants. Study the job description.Resume Skills Section Example #2:This is another example of a simple layout for this section on your resume, this time using two c olumns.Choose a format that is simple and non-distracting.You want the readers focus to be on your skills and qualifications, not on your resumes formatting.Types of Skills to List in Your Core Competencies/Skills SectionTo start getting ideas of skills to list, look at the job descriptions of positions youre applying for. See what your target employers want for this job. Thats what to show them first and foremost!Once you have an idea of the top skills they want to see, think about what youve done thats most similar.Overall, you can include a mix of:Technical skills (like Microsoft Excel, Web Development, Facebook Ad Management, Inbound Customer Service, Social Media, etc.)Leadership skills (Team management, hiring, performance reviews, project management, meeting leadership/management, etc.)Interpersonal skills soft skills (You should keep this to a minimum, though. Employers will assess this much more in your interview. On your resume, theyre looking for hard skills and proof yo u can step into their job and succeed in the day-to-day work)Anything else you see mentioned on the job description and feel youve done! This can be time management, multitasking, training new team members, or anything else.How Many Skills Should You List on a Resume?The number of skills to include on your resume will depend on your job, industry, and experience level. For example, an experienced software engineer may list 20 skills. However, for an entry-level job seeker, 8-10 skills are sufficient, and any more than that will be unlikely to be read by a hiring manager or recruiter.Also, someone in a less technical field (like sales or customer service) might only need 8-10 skills on their resume, even if they have a few years of experience.Overall, my recommendation as a recruiter is that you should have somewhere between 8 and 20 skills on your resume.You should list both hard and soft skills, but its more important to include hard skills. These are the skills that hiring manager s look for first and foremost on your resume; soft skills are secondary.How to Get More Ideas of Skills to Include on a ResumeIf youve read the tips above and are still thinking, I dont have enough skills to put in my skills section, here are a few ideas to help youAlong with looking at the job description for the role youre applying for, you can also look at job descriptions for roles youve previously held. Which skills did you use most?Look at current or most recent work, too. What did your typical week look like? Sit down and think about which skills you used the most throughout a normal week. Remember to think about hard skills and soft skills.That should help you come up with more ideas of when you go to list skills on your resume.You can also look at LinkedIns list of skills that are available for your LinkedIn profile. (LinkedIn suggests skills when you go edit this section of your profile).You can look at peers/colleagues on LinkedIn, too, to see which skills theyve chosen! Look at a few current coworkers, for example. Which skills are they mentioning? Those are good skills to list on your LinkedIn and your resume, too. The LinkedIn skills section is a great way to get resume ideas overall.You can also learn something new that will make you more attractive to employersI recommend doing this by taking a course via LinkedIn Learning and then adding it to your resume Skills section). This is a great option if youre job searching after being unemployed because it shows employers youre keeping your skills current and staying active.You can learn soft skills like body language (this could help you if youre in sales, customer service, etc.) or hard skills like front-end web development, social media management, and more.Warning: Employers Want to See Where You Used Each Skill, TooIn general, employers want to see where and when you used each skill (especially for hard skills). So dontjust rely on a Skills section.You should put more time and effort into writi ng your experience section (and in particular, your bullets in that section).Also put effort into your resume summary paragraph.I typically read these first as a recruiter. In fact, even if you put your skills very high up on your resume, I skip it and only return to read it AFTER I check out your recent work experience.The bottom line is: Recruiters and hiring managers dont want to see a big list of skills with no reference to where each skill was used at least not at first. Theyd much rather see your work history and a chronological view of what youve done.So keep this in mind when writing your skills list. The hiring manager might skip it and look for your experience section first.This resume section still has value as a secondary place to show off your abilities and core competencies, and as a place to fill your resume with great keywords so you can get past the ATS (applicant tracking system). But the biggest mistake I see job seekers making is relying on the skills section to o much to get interviews or get the employers attention.Be Prepared to Answer Interview Questions About the Skills Youve ListedIf you say youre an expert in Phone Sales, Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Customer Service, or any other hard skill you need to be ready to defend this in an interview.Even if you named a less-technical skill like time management, they might ask about it.Theyre going to want to know where you used that skill and details about how you used it and what results you got in recent jobs. And if you say youre an expert at something, they might ask what makes you an expert.So if youre not expert or not highly-proficient, dont say you are. You can still list the skill, but dont exaggerate and go overboard by saying expert.I made this mistake early in my career and it cost me the job! I said the word expert when describing my Microsoft Excel skills, and they asked me about it in an interview and I completely crumbled. I wasnt an expert and I wasnt ready to defend why I had said that on my skills list.Also, dont list skills youve never used. Even if they do hire you, you could immediately be fired if they discover you lied about your skills in your interview. Lying in your job search is usually not a good tactic.So be honest when listing skills on your resume, and review your own resume as you prepare for the interview so youre not caught off-guard by the interview questions they ask.You should be ready to answer questions related to any or all skills mentioned in your resume skills section both soft and hard skills.Recap: How to Write a Great Resume Skills SectionChoose 8-20 skills, depending on your industry and level of experiencePut mostly hard skills and skills that relate directly to the employers jobAvoid putting too many soft skills; employers will judge this primarily in the interview and arent looking for soft skills as much on your resumeWhenever listing a hard skill, make sure to also mention it on your work experience; e mployers want to see where you used each skill, too, and this is how to show themUse the job description to identify important skills for this positionInclude exact phrases from the job description to improve your chances of getting past automated job application systemsIf you need more ideas for which skills to put, review past jobs youve held and/or look at peers on LinkedIn to see skills theyve chosenUse one or two columns, and simple formatting to make your Skills section easy to readNever put your Skills section before your Employment History section on your resumeIf youre an entry-level job seeker, never put your Skills section before your Education sectionBe prepared to answer interview questions about any and all skills youve listed on your resumeIf you follow the tips above, youll have a great resume skills section, and great supporting info in the other important resume sections. This will help you get more interviews and get noticed by better employers in your job search.