Now you know your transferable skills, the next step is to put your talents to paper – THE RESUME!
Last week’s installment of our Transferable Skills series gave you a list of top hard/soft skills in today’s job market. Click here for a refresher – https://arcresume.com/top-transferable-skills/
Before you think to yourself – I don’t have time to tailor my resume to every job description…
GOOD, I wouldn’t want to tailor every resume either! I believe a well written resume is tailored to your professional attributes. If you spend the right amount of time and effort on your resume, it should accurately describe you and your career trajectory. If while you apply to positions you notice your listed skills are not matching, there are two possibilities.
- You are not applying for the right positions.
- You do not have the correct transferable skills listed.
This is where hiring a professional comes into play. A professional resume writer is a trusted soundboard. Think about it, we don’t gain anything from an unhappy client. Collaborate with someone who’s goal is to make you shine. I will add the caveat that you should always vet your writer and make sure you are on the same page.
Moving on to the good stuff
Some of my clients are in highly specialized industries or making a career transition and for them, I advise to leave a few spaces in their resume to tailor per job. But these spaces are maybe the opening sentence of the Professional Summary and one or two spots in the Areas of Expertise section. THAT IS ALL!
How do you list your skills on your resume? My clients often say they do not understand where to place these skills and how to stand out from other candidates.
The best resumes tell a story about your professional attributes. If your resume is generic and doesn’t speak to your achievements, then you will get lost in the shuffle.
Here are a few quick tips to grab attention for the RIGHT reasons:
- Create a “Skills” or “Area of Expertise” section to list your transferable skills. You need to have these listed to get past ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems} a.k.a computer screening.
- Make sure to use your listed skills in the bullets of your resume under experience, career highlights, achievements, etc. If you list a skill but do not show throughout the resume how/why you are skilled in the listed area, then the human eye will give no credibility to your expertise and will instead move on to the next candidate.
- Quantify your statements! You need to show the ROI with hiring you. Think of creating succinct bullets using the C.A.R. method – Context, Action, Result. Need more details, click here https://www.winthrop.edu/uploadedFiles/cce/AccomplishmentStatementHandout.pdf for a sample
It sounds simple but putting these tools to action will result in more interviews. Take the time to describe who you are as a professional so the next hiring manager to review your resume NEEDS to bring you in for an interview!
The last installment of our Transferable Skills series is next Tuesday.
02/04/2020 – How to discuss your transferable skills in your interview
For more information watch my recorded live stream episode 3 Tips to Execute a Successful Job Search in 2020 appearance with host Mary Fain Brandt where we explored these topics in detail.
Until next Tuesday…
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