Are You Listing the Right Skills on Your Resume?

With many Filipinos actively seeking employment, competition among job applicants is fierce. As such, you should do more than merely send out application after application. To get noticed and move forward on your job search, you must start by creating a resume that stands out from among the many candidates, especially those with a similar background and experience.

Recruiters are estimated to spend only around seven seconds skimming a resume and deciding whether an applicant should move on to the next round of the application process. Because you only have a short window to impress the hiring manager, you need to find ways to make your resume pop. Aside from paying attention to the layout and making your resume readable, selecting relevant skills to highlight in your application can significantly help boost your chances of getting noticed and finding jobs in Metro Manila or elsewhere.

Perhaps you’re wondering if you’re listing the right skills in your resume. Or maybe you want to know which skills to include and exclude from a solid resume. Either way, read on. This piece will offer several tips to help you figure out the ideal skills that will get the attention of hiring managers.

Review the Job Posting Carefully

The job posting or job advertisement does more than merely provide you with information about the hiring company, the available position, and its benefits. Read it carefully, and you’ll find the skills that employers are looking for in a perfect candidate. In case the job ad doesn’t have a “Requirements” or “Skills and Qualifications” section, you may want to pay attention to skills-related words or phrases, such as “detail-oriented,” “team player,” and “knowledge of marketing software.”

As you scan the job posting, list down all the skills highlighted in the document to get an overall idea of what the company wants. Afterward, create a separate listing of all your skills and experiences that you believe will make you a prime contender for the job. Compare the two lists once you’re done. All your skills that match the job ad are those you may want to include in your resume, as they readily show your suitability for the position.

Learn More About Your Target Company

Aside from the job ad, your target company can also give you valuable information about the skills you should highlight in your resume. Visit their website, follow their social media accounts, and observe how they describe their brand and employees. Take note of the skills-relevant words they use and see how you can use these terms to describe some of your skills in your resume.

When you describe your skills in words that the company uses in its branding, you’ll most likely increase your chances of getting noticed by the hiring manager. Doing so will also imply you’ve done your homework and that you’d probably be a good fit for the company culture.

Consider Your Personal Brand

When pondering which skills to include in your resume, it helps to consider your personal brand—what you stand for, have accomplished, and are capable of achieving. In essence, it is your signature work characteristics that set you apart from the competition. Any skill that makes you “marketable” to employers and supports your brand deserves a space on your resume.

Let’s say you’re an experienced supervisor hoping to land an operations manager position at a major company. Instead of merely including “leadership” as a skill, you may want to flaunt your brand. What makes you unique? What’s your expertise? If you’re great at managing resources, ensuring workflow, and empowering people, you may want your brand to say that you’re “a problem solver who excels in recognizing and building talent.”

Recognize Which Skills to Leave Off

While it may be tempting to pack your resume’s skills section with all sorts of skills to impress the person reviewing your application, it’s best to focus on relevant skills that clearly show why you’re the best candidate for the job. In addition, it also helps to know which skills you should never include in your resume to avoid giving the wrong impression. Below are a few examples of such skills:

Skills you don’t really possess. Adding any skills that you don’t have to beef up your credentials is a big no-no. It can hurt your reputation and get you in serious trouble. If you’re short on the required skills for the position you’re eyeing, perhaps you can emphasize how you have easily learned new skills in the past or how you’ve consistently delivered despite the challenges. It’s never acceptable to lie on your resume, and most companies would appreciate you becoming forthcoming about what you lack.
Basic computer skills. Because practically all candidates have a working knowledge of basic computer programs, like word processing and spreadsheets, it’s best not to include them in your resume. Again, your goal should be to create a strong resume that makes you stand out from the rest. If you put common skills in your resume, your potential employer may think that you are merely packing your skills sections with as many skills as possible rather than being thoughtful about your entries.
Irrelevant skills. Aside from not-so-special skills, you should also leave off non-related, obsolete, or meaningless skills from your resume. Such skills can make your resume confusing for recruiters to determine how suitable you are for the position. Keep your resume brief and ensure all details are relevant and supportive of your application.

Learning which skills to include and exclude from your resume is essential for getting the favorable attention of hiring managers and landing that coveted initial interview. So, make sure to take the above tips to heart when you’re deciding which skills to highlight and focus on as you write your resume. Keep in mind that a generic application will get you nowhere. Ultimately, you want to tailor your resume to match the company requirements and position you’re applying for to set you apart from other candidates.