Section 10: The Skills Section in the Resume

Employers would like to evaluate 3 types of skills when hiring employees: Content Skills, Functional Skills, and Self Management Skills:

• Content skill is the amount of knowledge (qualifications and experience) the candidate possesses in a certain field.
• Functional Skills are people-oriented skills such as communicating, organizing and managing.
• Self Management Skills are your personal characteristics such as helper, self-learner, multi-tasker etc.

Based on the job description, you can include a skills section in your resume to specify your personal and/or technical skills.

Here are examples:

Sample Key Personal Skills

Key Skills for Project Manager

• An experienced team leader with the ability to initiate/manage cross-functional teams and multi-disciplinary projects
• Critical thinking, decision making and problem solving skills
• Planning and organizing
• Excellent Personal Communication skills

General management skills

• Persuasion, leadership, negotiation and delegation skills
• Conflict resolution
• Adaptability
• Tolerance for stressful situations

Key Skills for Teachers

• Self motivated
• Possesses initiative and highly energetic
• Strong verbal and personal communication skills
• Decision making, critical thinking, organizing and planning
• Tolerant and flexible in different situations

Key Skills for Accounting

• Analytical thinking, planning
• Accuracy and Attention to details
• Organization and prioritization skills
• Problem analysis, use of judgment and ability to solve problems efficiently

Key Skills for Customer Service

• Strong communication skills
• Problem analysis and problem solving
• Organizational skills and customer service orientation
• Adaptability and ability to work under pressure
• Initiator

Technical skills

Here are two examples of technical skills.

This particular candidate is a software engineer (see how many industrial keywords are written here).

• Languages: C#, C++, ASP.NET, SQL, PHP, HTML, Java Script, XML
• Softwares: InstallShield, Visio, CruiseControl.NET, Flash, Dreamweaver
• Platforms: Windows Vista, XP, 2003 and UNIX
• Databases: SQL Server 2000 & 2005, MS Access
• Version Controls: Visual SourceSafe

This particular candidate is a senior software engineer.

• Development: Visual Studio 2003-2008, Eclipse, C++, C#, .NET 2.0 3.5, Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), Windows Workflow Foundation (WF), MFC, COM, DCOM, ATL, DirectShow, DirectDraw, Win32 SDK, Windows Digital Rights Management (DRM), GUI, Trolltech QT, Unicode, Multi-Threading , NT Service development , InstallShield, SVN
• Protocols: TCP/IP, UDP/IP Socket Connections, FTP, POP3, IMAP, SMTP, DMI, SNMP, Louth, Sony and Leitch control, XML
• Web: Javascript, HTML, DHTML, ASP
• Database: Access, MS SQL, OLE DB, Sqlite
• Encoding: AVI, YUV, MPEG, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC
• Encoders: Cerify, Digital Rapids, Rhozet Carbon Coder, IPV SpectreView
• Platforms: Windows, Linux