The Importance of Skills on a Resume
When searching for employment, one of the most valuable tools is a well thought-out resume. Most employers use resumes as a means of weeding out a list of potential applicants. The remaining applicants are the ones who will be fortunate enough to be invited for an interview. The skills section of a resume becomes crucial since chances are, employers will merely skim through resumes versus reading them thoroughly. This means applicants need to arrange the skills section of a resume very carefully to be considered for a possible interview.
Knowing the job requirements
Before laying out the skills section of a resume, it is critical to review the job opening for the requirements section. When a job calls for strong customer service skills, good communications skills or an excellent phone manner, the first skill listed should not be typing skills. The job requirements should be the first hint to providing guidance for laying out skills.
Knowing the company
While job requirements should be the first factor in determining how to arrange skills, other company functions should be considered as well. Assuming an applicant has researched a company before applying for a position, there may be other skills that could be relevant to other positions. For example, a company that is a manufacturer may prefer someone who has strong skills in manufacturing analysis.
Strongest skills to weakest skills
While many applicants believe there should be nothing negative on their resume, it is also worthy to note that every skill should be weighed from strongest to weakest. For example, someone with strong knowledge of a variety of software, good typing skills and excellent phone skills may have problems deciding which to list first. Typically, the best option is to list skills first based on the needs of the job or company then to list the strongest to weakest skills.
Resumes should always be considered a job-searching tool. When preparing a resume and cover letter, the strongest sets of skills should be placed in the most prominent position. Additionally, the most current skills should be placed in a higher position than those skills that may seem outdated (such as stenography).
When it comes time torefresh a resume, it is a good idea to do some research first. The goal of a resume is to get a foot in the door.Organizing a resumecan be critical and may make the difference between being invited for an interview and being passed over.
