Where do I talk about my computer skills on my resume?

Answers

ResumeGuy

Jul 27, 2018 - 09:23 AM

Believe it or not, the technical skills section of the resume has fallen out of fashion. Employers don’t want to see a mass dump of all your technical skills at the foot of your resume. You’re better served by talking about your computer skills on your resume with real examples of how you’ve used those skills.

This means including discussions of your technology expertise in your job descriptions and opening summary. Discuss not only your proficiency, but also how you used that proficiency to accomplish your daily tasks and even deliver some pretty stellar achievements. This will engage and impress employers on a deeper level than a simple listing of skills.

That doesn’t mean you can’t include computer capabilities in your skills list, though. You should have a bulleted list of skills just after your professional summary, but before your work experience. This skills list can help you pass an applicant tracking system (ATS), but can also serve as a quick guide for employers. Readers can scan this list to get a brief idea of both your hard and soft skills. It’s acceptable to include a few of your top computer skills in this list.

Report it

Comments (0) | New Comment

Anita Bruzzese

Sep 28, 2018 - 03:52 PM

You should talk about your computer skills on a resume in the summary section, or in the skills section (or both), especially if said computer skills are a key aspect of the job you’re applying for. Also, weave your computer skills into the work experience section of your resume. Other computer-related skills such as experience in using social media, graphic design, or data analytics also can be included in the experience section. For example, you can cite how you helped develop an Instagram profile for your CEO and grew it to 100,000 followers in six months, or you took photos and then edited them for a company website.

Since computer skills are required in just about any job, showing employers that you have mastered various programs or analytics tools can prove to be a plus, especially if you can show how your skills helped the company: “Created an Excel spreadsheet to eliminate unnecessary inventory, improving efficiency by 25 percent.” However, do not list skills that you’ve tried but don’t really understand – you must always be prepared to answer questions from an employer about any computer skill you list on a resume and fudging your knowledge can get you eliminated from job consideration.