- All
- HR Management
- Resume Writing
Powered by AI and the LinkedIn community
1
Choose the right format
Be the first to add your personal experience
2
Use keywords and action verbs
Be the first to add your personal experience
3
Quantify and qualify your skills
Be the first to add your personal experience
4
Prioritize and organize your skills
Be the first to add your personal experience
5
Review and update your skills
Be the first to add your personal experience
6
Here’s what else to consider
Be the first to add your personal experience
Your skills section is one of the most important parts of your resume. It showcases your abilities, qualifications, and achievements that are relevant to the job you want. But how do you optimize your skills section to stand out from the crowd and impress potential employers? Here are some tips to help you craft a skills section that highlights your strengths and matches the job requirements.
Find expert answers in this collaborative article
Experts who add quality contributions will have a chance to be featured. Learn more
Earn a Community Top Voice badge
Add to collaborative articles to get recognized for your expertise on your profile. Learn more
1 Choose the right format
The format of your skills section can vary depending on your industry, experience, and preference. A functional format is ideal for career changers, fresh graduates, or those with gaps in their employment as it focuses on skills and abilities rather than work history. Skills can be grouped into categories such as communication, technical, or leadership and examples of how they were used in various contexts should be provided. A combination format combines elements of the functional and chronological formats by listing skills and achievements alongside work history and education. This is suitable for those with a balanced mix of skills and experience or who want to emphasize both aspects of their profile. Lastly, a targeted format tailors the skills section to the specific job being applied for by researching the job description, company, and industry to identify the most relevant and sought-after skills for the role. These should be highlighted in the resume using keywords that match the employer’s expectations.
Help others by sharing more (125 characters min.)
2 Use keywords and action verbs
Keywords are words or phrases that describe your skills, abilities, and achievements in a concise and specific way. They help you showcase your value and relevance to the employer, as well as pass through the applicant tracking systems (ATS) that scan resumes for keywords. You can find keywords in the job description, the company website, or industry publications. Some examples of keywords are: proficient in, certified in, managed, delivered, or improved.
Action verbs are words that describe what you did or accomplished with your skills. They help you demonstrate your impact and results, as well as add variety and energy to your resume. You should use strong and active verbs that show your initiative, leadership, and problem-solving skills. Some examples of action verbs are: created, implemented, led, resolved, or increased.
Help others by sharing more (125 characters min.)
3 Quantify and qualify your skills
Quantifying and qualifying your skills means providing evidence and details that support your claims and show your achievements. Quantifying means using numbers, percentages, or metrics to measure your impact and results. Qualifying means using adjectives, adverbs, or modifiers to describe your level, quality, or scope of your skills. You should use both methods to make your skills section more specific, credible, and impressive. Some examples of quantifying and qualifying your skills are: increased sales by 25% in six months, proficient in Photoshop and Illustrator, or led a team of 10 engineers on a complex project.
Help others by sharing more (125 characters min.)
4 Prioritize and organize your skills
Prioritizing and organizing your skills means choosing the most relevant and impressive skills for the job and arranging them in a logical and clear way. You should prioritize your skills based on the employer's needs, preferences, and expectations, as well as your own strengths and goals. You should organize your skills based on their importance, frequency, or category, and use subheadings, bullet points, or columns to separate them. You should also avoid listing too many or too few skills, and aim for a balance between hard and soft skills. Some examples of prioritizing and organizing your skills are: listing your most relevant skills first, grouping your skills by category, or using a table or a chart to display your skills.
Help others by sharing more (125 characters min.)
5 Review and update your skills
Reviewing and updating your skills means checking your skills section for accuracy, consistency, and relevance. You should review your skills section before sending your resume to any employer, and make sure that it matches the job description, the company culture, and the industry standards. You should also update your skills section regularly, and add any new skills, certifications, or achievements that you have acquired or improved. You should also remove any outdated, irrelevant, or redundant skills that do not add value to your resume. Some examples of reviewing and updating your skills are: proofreading your skills section for spelling, grammar, and formatting errors, customizing your skills section for each job application, or adding new skills that you learned from online courses, volunteer work, or personal projects.
Help others by sharing more (125 characters min.)
6 Here’s what else to consider
This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?
Help others by sharing more (125 characters min.)
Resume Writing
Resume Writing
+ Follow
Rate this article
We created this article with the help of AI. What do you think of it?
It’s great It’s not so great
Thanks for your feedback
Your feedback is private. Like or react to bring the conversation to your network.
Tell us more
Tell us why you didn’t like this article.
If you think something in this article goes against our Professional Community Policies, please let us know.
We appreciate you letting us know. Though we’re unable to respond directly, your feedback helps us improve this experience for everyone.
If you think this goes against our Professional Community Policies, please let us know.
More articles on Resume Writing
No more previous content
- Here's how you can rapidly and efficiently learn new skills. 5 contributions
- Here's how you can evaluate the clarity and brevity of your resume. 4 contributions
- Here's how you can demonstrate your ability to meet deadlines in an interview. 3 contributions
- Here's how you can showcase adaptability and a thirst for knowledge in a late career resume. 3 contributions
- Here's how you can strategically choose continuing education to boost your career prospects. 1 contribution
- Here's how you can highlight your unpaid or volunteer internship experience. 1 contribution
- Here's how you can secure a salary increase in a non-profit organization. 1 contribution
- Here's how you can handle job stability concerns when listing temporary and contract work on your resume. 2 contributions
- Here's how you can format a project manager's resume for maximum impact. 5 contributions
No more next content
Explore Other Skills
- Training and Development (HR)
- Human Resources (HR)
- Training
- Career Counseling
- Career Development Coaching
- Career Development
- HR Operations
- Recruiting
- Global Talent Acquisition
More relevant reading
- Resume Writing What do you do if your resume lacks evidence of adapting to new technologies?
- Resume Writing How can you blend soft skills and hard skills on your resume?
- Resume Writing Here's how you can emphasize transferable skills on your resume post-layoff.
- Business Management How do you identify and showcase transferable skills on your resume?
Help improve contributions
Mark contributions as unhelpful if you find them irrelevant or not valuable to the article. This feedback is private to you and won’t be shared publicly.
Contribution hidden for you
This feedback is never shared publicly, we’ll use it to show better contributions to everyone.