You need more than just listing your degree and work skills on your CV. You need to show off your skills well to get companies’ attention. Here how to carefully highlight the best parts of your CV so you can get the job you want.
Here are 7 tips on how to highlight your skills on a resume:
Identify Your Key Skills
Before you change your resume you should list your primary skills. These include skilled technical and soft skills that show how well you get along with others. Consider your professional and personal situations to determine what you’re good at.
Look at the job posting before you apply. Find words and sentences that describe the skills and accomplishments the company wants. Check your skills against these needs. Talk to your old bosses, coworkers and teachers about your skills and flaws.
Once you complete your skills list, put them on your resume. People usually put information about their professional skills and a short list of their most essential skills and certifications in the Skills and Summary or Profile parts.
Tailor Your Resume To The Job
One of the best ways to show off your skills is to make your CV specific to the job you want. It would help if you made your resume unique so that most companies will be interested in reading it. Instead, put skills and experiences linked to the job at the top of each CV.
First read the job description to determine the skills and traits needed. Then put these skills in the skills part of your CV and include them in the bullet points and overview of your work experience.
Focus on your past tasks and accomplishments that show you are knowledgeable in the areas the company wants. Show how you’ve used these skills by giving numbers and examples. Matching your CV to the company desired shows you’re a good fit.
Read more: How To Impress During Your Interview
Showcase Transferable Skills
You should list job-specific skills and skills that can be used in other situations on your CV. Soft skills used in different fields and jobs are called transferable. Some examples are communication problem-solving, adapting to work with others and managing time.
If you have a skill related to the job or show off your abilities, put it on your resume even if it is not listed. Transferable skills help you stand out from other applicants and show how flexible you are. Show how you’ve used skills that can be used in different situations on your CV.
Talk about times when you talked well, worked well with others or got past problems. Showing various skills that can be used in different situations makes you look like a well rounded candidate who can help any business. To give your CV a complete picture mix professional and soft skills.
Utilize Action Words And Keywords
The words on your CV can significantly impact how hiring managers see your skills. To show off your skills and successes use action sentences and keywords. First look at the job description and find buzzwords and sentences specific to the business. Use these terms in the section of your resume that lists your skills and experiences.
This will help applicant tracking systems ATS read your CV and show employers that you have the skills they need. Along with terms, action verbs can help you talk about your past accomplishments and responsibilities. Use active language to show how you helped your team and company instead of making a list of tasks.
Instead of being in charge of social media accounts you should drive growth and involvement on social media sites by creating innovative content and interacting with the community. Smartly using action words and keywords can help hiring managers find your appropriate skills and qualities making your resume more impressive.
Quantify Your Achievements
Numbers show what you did well and how it affected others at work which makes them great on resumes. List your skills in numbers to show potential employers how valuable you are.
For each bullet point of job experience ask yourself how you helped the company succeed measurably. Find ways to show how much of an impact you have whether you’re trying to boost sales, cut costs or make things run more smoothly.
You might not say you started a new marketing plan but your site traffic increased by 20 and sales increased by 15 in just six months. Putting numbers next to your successes makes your CV more robust and shows off your skills.
When you talk about your successes use honest accurate numbers. In an interview don’t lie about your accomplishments so that you don’t lose trust. Focus on measurable accomplishments to show that you can deliver.
Highlight Continuing Education And Certifications
In today’s fast changing job market you must keep learning and enhancing your skills to stay competitive. Putting relevant licenses or ongoing education programs at the top of your CV shows you are committed to investing in your career and skills.
Your CV should have a separate space for your skills and accomplishments. Some examples are project management diplomas titles relevant to the business and specialized training programs. Add classes, lectures or online courses related to your job in the Education or Professional Development section.
Explain how these events taught you something and how they made your resume better. Emphasizing your ongoing education and credentials shows that you are knowledgeable and willing to adapt to new situations. This shows how flexible you are and how committed you are to quality in fields where technology and processes are constantly changing.
Showcase Leadership And Teamwork Skills
Employers want to hire people who can lead and work with others. These skills and your ability to interact and motivate people may be emphasized in your CV. When discussing your past jobs, stress your leadership roles such as leading a project team mentoring younger workers or leading projects.
List the things you do and how they affect the team or business. For example you could talk about how you ran effective team meetings that led to new ideas or led a cross functional team to meet tight goals. Stress teamwork as well as leadership.
Give examples of when you got things done well with coworkers from different areas or backgrounds. Show how you worked better with others or solved problems. Employers can see that you can do well and help the team and company if you can lead and work with others.
Conclusion
You must show off your skills on your CV to stand out in a tough job market. You can show off your accomplishments by listing your most important skills, ensuring your CV fits the job and focusing on skills that can be used in other situations.
Use action verbs to describe your successes and add pictures to your CV to make it stand out. Remember that a well written CV shows you are skilled and pay attention to detail. This will increase your chances of getting an interview and landing your dream job.
FAQs
1. How Can I Identify My Critical Skills For A Resume?
Think about your work and home situations. Check the job description to see what skills are needed and ask past coworkers or teachers what they think.
2. How Do I Tailor My Resume To A Specific Job?
Pay close attention to the job description. Highlight the skills and experiences relevant to the job and adjust your resume to fit the job.
3. Why Should I Include Numbers In My Resume Achievements?
Numbers show how your work has helped people. They give tangible proof of what you’ve done which makes your accomplishments seem more fantastic and accurate.