Resume Skills: What To Highlight On A Resume?

An unread mail pops into the recruiter's mailbox - A new application received. What happens next?

The recruiter is going to spend six to ten seconds scanning your resume with one goal in mind - does this application deserve another look? How is the recruiter going to decide if your application is better than the hundreds of them she has received?

Skills on your Resume

When it comes to the first impression, the one that determines your resume's fate, the skills listed on your resume are crucial in beating the competition and landing that interview. Moreover, the problem is most advice on crafting your resume skills is outdated and ineffective.

Why your Resume Skills Matter?

A common misconception found among job seekers is, just find a skill from the job description, drop it in your resume - and Voila! The interviews will start pouring in. Unfortunately, that may have happened in the past. We're living in the new era and it's not that simple anymore!

You certainly don't want to sound like every other job seeker. Furthermore, you don’t want to be another “quick learner with a passion for collaborating with others to solve problems” because that doesn’t tell your employer anything new. They’ve already seen a million of those come across their desk.

So how do we position ourselves to ensure our Resume stands out? Follow the simple strategies -

Strategy 1

List six to twelve skills that the candidate possesses that are important to his/her success. The listed skills should be "level-appropriate", i.e. don't list skills that are obvious or would be assumed for your level.

Strategy 2

For Mid to Senior level professionals, add only professional skills. Likewise, refrain from adding very general skills like team management. It is not noteworthy to include skills which are bare necessities. Furthermore, for Freshers and Junior level candidates, personal skills can be included.

An appropriate structure to display your skills on your resume is shown below-

For Eg: Brand Management             Luxury Brands             Marketing

             Public Relations                   Social Media                  Event Management 

Image Credit: Freepik