Including your skills on your resume is one of the most important parts, but there’s more than just listing your skills. You need to show your skills. But that doesn’t mean walking into a prospective employer’s office and showing them what you can do. You need to put it into words on your resume and during your interview. That means you need to pick the right words.
Just stating you’re excellent at what you do and you have great attention to detail does not get the job done. Anyone could say that. So how does an employer know you actually have the skills you list on your resume or you mentioned during the interview? You need to show them. Use stats, facts, results, and numbers. Did you increase your sales performance each year by 20%? Say that. It’s something an employer can understand. Are you efficient at completing your tasks and regularly finish ahead of schedule? Share the amount of time you’ve saved in days, weeks, or months over the course of a year.
So how can you transform your skills statements into showing statements? Ask yourself what action you did show you accomplish your task. For example, as an Irrigation Technician, you might list “Inspected sprinkler heads to ensure the irrigation systems functioned properly.” Be more specific. Maybe say “Inspected an average of 30 sprinkler heads an hour to ensure the irrigation systems functioned properly.” This will show the employer that you are efficient.
Maybe as a Diesel Mechanic, you supervised 12 personnel, but that doesn’t mean that you’re a great supervisor. To show a potential employer you’re a good supervisor you could say “managed a team of 12, while together we maintained and repaired 20 pieces of equipment with minimal complications.”
Did you improve producer relationships in your sales role? Try expanding on that. Did you increase producer origination by 27+ million bushels/year? That’s more impactful and will get the hiring manager’s attention.
Resumes are only a glimpse into your abilities and what you have to offer an employer, so you want to make sure you are making an impact with the short space you have. Get the employer's attention by giving them information that can use. Remember that stats, facts, results, and numbers are details that employers can understand and helps give them some insight on what you can do – more so than just taking your word for it.
Looking for more resume tips, check out our Ultimate Resume Guide here.
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