Selecting the Right Resume Skills in 5 Simple Steps

Your natural talents and the knowledge you gain to perform a task or a job are both called skills. While professional skills enable you to carry out specific job duties, life skills help you manage daily tasks in all aspects of your life. There are four main categories of skills: domain-general, domain-specific, and soft skills.

Resume Skills: 5 Winning Strategies + Mistakes to AVOID | Indeed Career Tips

Why finding the right skills to learn is important

Employers may see your investment in upskilling as a sign that you value career development and ongoing education. You could pursue education outside of the workplace or your current employer might provide opportunities to upgrade your skills. By doing this, you can show that you have motivation and get a chance to improve your resume.

Selecting the right skills to build and include on your resume

Think about your future objectives and identify the roles you are interested in pursuing to help you decide which skills you should concentrate on learning. When you’re prepared to increase your skill set, you can take the following steps:

1. Decide on the role you want

Consider the opportunities that a new position might present, such as more difficult tasks or exposure to cutting-edge technologies. Then, take steps to identify your strengths and the abilities you would need to succeed in that position.

Here are a few free resources to get you started:

2. Identify the industry you want

Additionally, depending on the sector, different roles may have different requirements. For instance, a java developer employed by a tech company might possess the same skills as a java developer employed by a government agency, but the latter may also need security clearance.

3. Find job descriptions to compare

Find three to five job descriptions for the position you want as a best practice. Compare the job descriptions, paying close attention to the qualifications needed for each position. List the skills that the job postings have in common. For instance, if the majority of the jobs demand advanced Excel skills, you should put it on your list. This type of comparison can give you a good idea of the typical skills needed to succeed in the position and distinguish yourself as a qualified applicant.

Once you have compiled a list of essential skills, look for any skill gaps. Decide whether you lack the knowledge or skills necessary for the position you want to fill. These might be the skills you should consider learning first. If you want to advance or change careers, closing a skills gap can have a significant impact.

4. Decide how you want to upskill

Now that you know which skills you want to work on developing or acquiring, take a look at these possible learning paths:

You might also talk to your manager about career growth. You can arrange a meeting specifically to cover the subject, or you can discuss it in a performance review or a one-on-one meeting that occurs frequently. In any case, letting your manager know that you’d like to have a focused discussion about growth before the meeting can be helpful. This allows your manager to gather materials or think about opportunities for skill-upgrading, which can make the meeting more productive.

5. Explore Indeed Assessments

Take note of the testing environment during your practice. When you’re prepared to take a test that matters to your career, knowing the format of the questions, the audio and internet requirements, or how you respond to a timed test can help you succeed.

You can decide whether to make your assessment visible to employers once it is finished. To do this, open your Indeed profile and scroll down to the Assessments section. Then, toggle the visibility of your assessment result on or off. If you take a test as part of a job application, the employer that administered the test and anyone else they choose to share your score with won’t be able to see your results.

FAQ

What are the five steps to writing a resume?

1. Step 1: The Clean Up. It can be helpful to first review what is already on your resume before you begin adding new work experience, skills, or references.
2. Step 2: Customize. …
3. Step 3: The Numbers Game. …
4. Step 4: Summarize. …
5. Step 5: The Final Design.

How do you choose your skills on a resume?

1. Don’t list skills that are a given. …
2. Make your list of technical skills relevant to the job.
3. Keep your technical skills specific and clear. …
4. Organize your technical skills list. …
5. Include soft skills. …
6. Consider adding technical extracurriculars.

What are the steps to prepare a resume?

1. Decide Which Type of Résumé You Want. …
2. Create a Header. …
3. Write a Summary. …
4. List Your Experiences or Skills. …
5. List Your Activities. …
6. List Your Education. …
7. List Any Awards You’ve Won and When You Won Them.
8. List Your Personal Interests.

What 6 steps should one follow when completing a resume?

1. Target your resume. …
2. Detail your accomplishments. …
3. Quantify your accomplishments. …
4. Maximize keyword density. …
5. Strategically organize your resume’s content. …
6. Proofread.