Are you switching industries? Returning to work after some time away? Not sure your experience really shows off what you can offer? Do you have a generalist background with a wide variety of skill sets?
All of these situations can make it difficult to concisely describe what you can do for a potential employer. While a well-written summary statement can give a high level overview, sometimes you want to show the depth or breadth of your experience in a snapshot for a potential employer. That’s a good time to consider using a “Key Skills” section in your resume.
What is a “Key Skills” section on a resume?
The Key Skills section allows you to outline what you think are the most valuable aspects of your expertise. It’s a great tool for targeting your resume to a particular job opportunity, because you can tweak your list to reflect the specific job requirements.
If you’re looking for a role where certain keywords are going to catch a recruiter’s attention, consider how this section can work for you.
Which are my key skills?
Some common items listed in this area are areas of responsibility, like budgeting, P&L, business development, market research, strategic planning and more.
In some cases it’s also appropriate to list technologies in this area. For instance, a web developer might list PHP, ASP, Joomla, and other web technologies.
In the HR world, the list might include specific procedures, laws and regulations, like FMLA, EEO, OSHA, workers compensation and more.
Where do my Key Skills belong on a resume?
They most often appear after a resume summary, but before work experience. Because this information appears in the top third of your first page, you’ll want to pay extra attention to how you portray your experience. Often, a recruiter or hiring manager will only thoroughly read the summary and key skills, so you’ll want to be sure to always target the particular job that you’re applying for.
Related posts:
- Your resume summary statement: Quantify, quantify, quantify
- Use transferable job skills for your job search
- 5 Keys to a Resume Summary Statement With Punch
- Resume roundup: 15 must-reads for job seekers
- Your resume summary statement: Get attention fast
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I have created an innovative approach to talk about my key skills on the resume. Rather than creating an extra section for key skills, I’ve mentioned them directly inside work the experience section.I’ve created a bulleted list under each skill which talks about how I’ve demonstrated this skill in the past. Every sentence starts with an action verb & creates a vivid description of the task performed in readers mind.
Some of my key skills are -
Customer Service
System Administration
Training
Reseach
Supervisory
Amity: Sounds like an interesting format. A creative approach can be effective as long as it’s easy for a hiring manager to understand and learn how you can add value to their organization. As always, the measure of your effectiveness is in the results. Let us know how it works for you!
Key skills within work experience sections is what I do when I tie them to results.
I also summarize in a general manner at the top…in professional profile…for example: “Innate ability to take abstract concepts or complex procedures and break them down into interesting and easy to understand tasks” would be a profile statement…okay then how do I do that? …that is emphasized through bullet points in work experience. Whether this is correct or not…I don’t know but it seems to work for now….and for now brings me to the next question….In my current networking I am getting a little tired of reading all the bullets that all sound the same after awhile. I am ready to venture a little out of this format with some creative approaches…… this is okay?
Trish: If it’s working, it *is* correct. If you’re getting results from your resume, you’re probably in good shape. Taking a creative approach is good, but be careful not to be creative for the sake of it. The goal here is effectiveness. Keep track of your results, and watch how certain changes affect that where possible.
Resume writing and job applications
I do my resume my own way and shun those invitations from resume writer professionals because they are expensive. I once challenged a professional writer to do me one and pay them later an equivalent to a month’s salary which is even a multiple of what they charged, but, this salary is coming from a company from where their resume-made/tailored had been targeted at. They didn’t!!!
While getting weary about all these applications through the internet which is giving me none at all, I understand that I have a long long way to go about my resume writing, to come up with an Effective Resume that follows all of those DO’s and DONT’s. To think that I am so new here in the U.S.(just 1 year) coming from a third world country like the Philippines which lack proficiency in English(specially spoken), who is aging at 58 and whose education maybe considered inadequate drives me to go a step lower in my aspirations for employment, like; I am a Professional Electrical Engineer in the Philippines and graduated civil engineering with continous work for 28 years as an Electrical Engineer (10 years) and Civil & Electrical works contracting (for 18 years) and am willing to go electricians job here in the U.S. like electrical maintenance job. Nothing is coming yet. How could I?
Faustino: Professional resume writing may not be the solution for everyone, but it’s well worth the cost if it can lead to a better job, or being employed faster. Especially for those who don’t currently have a resume or who have a hard time writing — it costs much more if you miss valuable opportunities because you don’t have a resume that positions you appropriately.
Take advantage of any resources out there — free seminars on job search, educational opportunities, funding for training, etc. If you have a resume, get some feedback on it from someone who reviews resumes for a living — someone in HR or recruiting, or a resume writer. These are good first steps to ensuring you’re on the right track. Best of luck!