When writing a resume, some folks subscribe to a \u201cspaghetti on the wall\u201d philosophy \u2014 throw everything that you\u2019ve got on it and see what sticks.<\/p>\n
But to recruiters and hiring managers, it\u2019s all about quality, not quantity, says recruitment firm, Glassdoor.<\/p>\n
“After all, with only about seven seconds to capture their attention, you want to make sure you get to the good stuff right away. Because of this, it\u2019s probably a good idea to pare down your skills section from time to time,” Glassdoor said.<\/p>\n
It recommends you start with these seven items:<\/p>\n
1. A language you only studied in high school<\/strong><\/p>\n Sure, you took French in high school for a few years, but are you really at a level where you feel comfortable holding everyday conversations with native speakers, or reading in that language? If the answer is \u201cno,\u201d it doesn\u2019t belong on your resume.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter that you have basic or intermediate understanding of a language. Unless you have mastery of it, and can actually use it for work, leave it out,\u201d suggests Meneghello.<\/p>\n In a worst-case scenario, your recruiter or hiring manager could be fluent and try to engage you in conversation \u2014 if they call your bluff, you can bet that you won\u2019t be invited to move forward in the hiring process.<\/p>\n 2. Basic computer skills like email and Microsoft Word<\/strong><\/p>\n At this point, listing \u201cemail\u201d or \u201cMicrosoft Word\u201d as skills is almost equivalent to listing \u201creading\u201d or \u201cbasic math\u201d. They\u2019re not differentiators \u2014 they\u2019re expected.<\/p>\n \u201cBy adding [these] as a skill, candidates may appear to be trying to add \u2018fluff\u2019 to their resume, i.e., that they are grasping for anything to include because they don\u2019t have enough relevant skills to list out,\u201d says Peter Riccio, Founding Partner of recruiting firm Atlas Search.<\/p>\n One exception to this would be if you\u2019ve honed a very specific practice using these programs, such as \u201c[creating] an access database from scratch and [importing] data from Excel and other databases,\u201d says career coach Mary Warriner.<\/p>\n \u201cNow that is worth mentioning in your skills section.\u201d<\/p>\n 3. Social media (if you haven\u2019t used it as part of your job)<\/strong><\/p>\n You might have thousands of Twitter followers, tons of Facebook friends and countless Instagram likes, but managing your personal brand and managing a company\u2019s professional brand are two completely different things.<\/p>\n Working in social media in a professional setting often requires much more than just posting engaging content \u2014 it often involves data analysis, experience with paid media and more.<\/p>\n \u201cYou may be awesome at posting pics of your friends and even sharing news about your current company; however, if you are not applying for a Social Media Strategist position, you shouldn\u2019t mention your Facebook skills,\u201d Warriner says.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead, review the job posting for the required skills and be sure to list the significant skills that you do possess.\u201d<\/p>\n 4. Soft skills<\/strong><\/p>\n This one\u2019s a little tricky, because recruiters do love to see soft skills on your resume. However, they need to be demonstrated through examples rather than stated flat-out \u2014 saying that you\u2019re a good communicator, for example, is useless without concrete examples to support it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe single most common mistake job seekers make is to list out soft skills on their resume \u2014 for example communication, multitasking, leadership, problem solving, etc.<\/p>\n “The message that sends to anyone reading the resume is \u2018I may not have made clear what my soft skills are, so I\u2019m listing them out just to make sure you see them,\u2019\u201d Riccio says.<\/p>\n Instead, demonstrate those soft skills by showing rather than telling.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so important to make sure that your soft skills are very clearly communicated in the body of the resume. For example, instead of listing \u2018multitasking\u2019 or \u2018leadership\u2019 as a skill, candidates should write \u2018led multiple concurrent projects through to completion leading to x% ROI\u2019 under the relevant position,\u201d Riccio advises.<\/p>\n 5. Exaggerations or flat-out lies<\/strong><\/p>\n Job seekers are often told to pepper in keywords from the job description to their resume. But if you don\u2019t have one of the skills listed in the description, you shouldn\u2019t include it in your resume just for the sake of mirroring the language.<\/p>\n While you might think you can get away with it now, it will eventually come to light.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you are not an excellent oral communicator, don\u2019t put that on your resume\u2026 If the job requires you to stand up in front of a group of people and deliver a message on a daily basis, you will probably fail miserably in that job,\u201d Warriner says.<\/p>\n But that doesn\u2019t mean you need to have every single skill listed in the job description to apply for a job \u2014 a good rule of thumb is that you should be an 80% to 90% match.<\/p>\n 6. Outdated tech<\/strong><\/p>\n The preferred software and technology used in the workplace can change rapidly, but it\u2019s important to stay on top of it nonetheless. Otherwise, you risk looking like you\u2019re unable to keep up in a dynamic workplace.<\/p>\n \u201cCompanies are looking for sophisticated, flexible professionals who understand technology. By including technology that\u2019s outdated in the skills section of your resume, it gives employers the impression that you\u2019re skill set is stale and that you will have a much steeper learning curve,\u201d Riccio says.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a competitive market, employers want to invest people who have demonstrated an ability to learn quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n So leave off things like coding languages that are no longer widely in use, outdated versions of modern software programs and other irrelevant technology.<\/p>\n 7. Irrelevant or joke skills<\/strong><\/p>\n This may sound obvious, but there truly are people who still list things like \u201cexpert-level guacamole maker\u201d or \u201ccertified ping-pong champ\u201d on their resume.<\/p>\n \u201cDo not include skills that are irrelevant to the job you are applying for. I know I am amazingly proud that I make the best \u2018award-winning\u2019 cookies, but I\u2019m in HR \u2014 I do not put that on my resume!\u201d Warriner says.<\/p>\n Sure, there probably are a few recruiters and hiring managers out there who will find it funny or charming. But when you\u2019re applying to a job, you don\u2019t know who will appreciate that and who won\u2019t \u2014 so it\u2019s better to err on the side of professionalism.<\/p>\n This article was published by Glassdoor and can be found here<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
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