If you have skills that you have utilized and developed in a number of settings, it may be better to demonstrate your competence by highlighting the skill rather than where you worked.
Highlighting Skills
For example, a counselor may have worked in private practice, a clinic, and an educational setting. Counseling may be one skill this person has developed in all of the settings, so it would be somewhat redundant to describe it in each place, and perhaps even more awkward, if some of the settings were volunteer or internship.
By pulling out Counseling as a primary skill, and then describing the populations worked with, the number of clients seen, the types of problems encountered, etc., this person will be able to show his/her ability to work in a wide range of settings. The following example will give you a better idea of how this section might read for an experienced counselor.
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SKILLS Counseling
Assessment and Diagnosis
Training/ Presentations
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The skills you choose to highlight may vary from job to job, as well as the information you include under each skill. This provides great flexibility for you to demonstrate your competencies.
Highlighting Knowledge of Specific Procedures, Equipment or Programs
For some fields, such as scientific or computer programming, it is important to highlight specific procedures, equipment or programs in which you have experience. Many times openings in these fields require specific experience and creating a section to address this is a good way to share this information with the reader. The section can use bullet points and brief descriptions. For example, a computer engineer may include the following information in her resume:
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COMPUTER CAPABLITIES Programming Languages/Software: Databases: Hardware/Operating System: |
Highlighting Achievements in Community and Professional Organizations
If you have been active in community or professional organizations, you may want to create a special section to highlight your achievements. Be selective and mention the activities that are related to the position for which you are applying. Leadership positions, projects or events, and professional presentations are some of the items to include.
If your involvement is in a political or religious organization, be aware that these may be sensitive areas for some people. They may arouse a positive or negative reaction to the reader(s), so think through how important these experiences are to your candidacy.
If organizations have titles that are vague, you may want to briefly describe it so the reader will understand its relevancy to your job search.
Highlighting Other Items
If you have published articles or books, received patents, or have made significant presentations or speeches, you may want to create a special section to highlight these achievements.
You may want to explain some of your accomplishments if they are not easily understood. For example, if you received the "President's Award," you will want to state what it represents, possibly share how selective it is, or why you were selected. The reader needs a context to recognize the value of such an honor.
If you highlight presentations, give an idea of the audience, if it was a keynote speech, or how many people attended. Don't leave your reader in the dark!
Skills That Interest Employers
Employers are most interested in the specific skills you have become proficient in through your courses, leadership roles, volunteering, and work experiences. There are five generations of people in the work force today and they are from diverse backgrounds. If you have worked with persons of diverse backgrounds or multiple generations, this is helpful for the employers to know. Employers want to know about your
Communication skills
Technological skills
Leadership skills
Organization and planning skills
