251 Resume Skills that Score Interviews

If you’re serious about a job, this is 100% the most critical advice:

Perform a very close read of the job post or ad to identify the skills and abilities mentioned.

Write down all these keywords that apply to you in a list.

Then, tailor your resume to include all of these critical terms! Failing to do so may cause your job application not to pass an ATS.

You can also take this a step further by doing a little background research about the company to understand its needs and values better.

A resume format is the structure or way in which your information is presented and organized on the page. It affects your skills section’s placement and how much focus it gets.

To write a great resume, it helps a lot to pick a format first.

You should choose a resume format based on your work experience level, i.e., how many years you’ve been doing your job.

There are three main resume formats:

1. Chronological formats are the most commonly used resume formats, and they give the most focus to your work experience.

   In this format, the skills section lives under the work experience section, which gives it less visual weight.

   That’s because the chronological format is ideal for job candidates with 10+ years of experience to outline. Their work history is the main selling point.

2. Functional formats are sometimes known as skills-based resumes because they put your skills front and center at the top of your resume.

   The skills section lives above your work experience, just underneath the objective statement or professional summary.

   The functional format is recommended for job hunters short on previous work experience, with three years or less!

   It’s meant to take attention away from your lack of experience.

3. Combination formats are a mixture of the functional and chronological formats, giving equal weight to skills and work experience.

   This format is perfect for job seekers with between three to ten years of experience.

   It’s also wise for job seekers who are:

   • Seeking a job that is a promotion from their current role
   • Applying to work in a new industry
   • Transferring from military to private employment
   • Re-entering the workforce after a long absence

Once you decide on a resume format, you can then find a resume template in this layout.

A dedicated skills section isn’t the only place you should highlight your best abilities.

You should also add skills to your professional summary and work experience sections.

The professional summary is a two-to-three sentence paragraph that sits below the header on your resume.

It should include your most impressive career statistics or top skills relevant to the job to appeal to employers.

If you identified “data-driven,” “PowerPoint presentations” and “statistical modeling” as key terms used in the job post, here’s an example of how to weave that into a solid professional summary:

“Data-driven financial analyst with 4+ years experience predicting market trends and refining investment strategies. My methodical nature informs my PowerPoint presentations, top-notch statistical modeling and forecasting abilities.”

For your work experience section, use the same strategy. Pepper skills into work history bullet points.

Say a bartender is looking at a job post and identifies “craft cocktails,” “high volume,” “hospitality” and “consistent” as key skills for the employer.

Don’t list the same skill twice when you’re writing your resume.

Instead, if you identified being “a team player” as a main focus of the job post, include other similar or related skills that support your claim.

For example, you could list “team player” in your skills section and mention that you “worked collaboratively” in one of your work bullet points or that you’re “a dedicated contributor” in your professional summary.