Thanks to Natalie Severt at uptowork.com for this infographic and post.

Getting the right skills on your resume is arguably the most important part of figuring out how to make a resume relevant to a hiring manager.

Hiring managers will spend an average of six seconds scanning your resume.

So, they need to see the skills they want right away. Here’s how to get the right skills on your resume in 6 easy steps.

1. Research Others Who Have Your Job

Start by researching the competition. You’ve got mad skills. But what skills do other people in your field have?

Go to LinkedIn and look up other professionals with your title. If you notice skills repeated across profiles, there is a good chance that hiring managers will find them valuable.

2. Mine the Job Offer for Skills

Now, go to the job offer and find all of the skills and experience listed there. These are the skills that the hiring manager wants to see.

If you have any of these skills (and you should have most of them), the strongest need to go at the top of your resume and the rest need to be sprinkled throughout your experience and skills sections.

3. Tailor Your Skills to the Job Offer to Beat the Bots

The reason why you need to repeat skills from the job offer is because of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

ATS check how well your resume matches the job offer based on keywords. So, in the end, R2D2 is in charge of deciding whether or not you are a worthy candidate.

That’s why it’s necessary to add keywords from the job offer. Even if it goes directly to a hiring manager, they will be scanning for keywords as well, so make sure you add them.

4. Add Extra Skills for Extra Value

Once you’ve added all of your skills that match the job offer and the skills from LinkedIn, add any extra skills that you have that translate from one job to another.

For example, if you are proficient in the use of Microsoft Office, put that in your skills section. Microsoft Office is a transferable skill. That means you can use in almost any work setting.

Adding it to your resume will add extra value, even if it wasn’t a skill listed in the job offer.

5. Add the Skills That All Hiring Managers Want

Some skills are so amazing that every hiring manager will be thrilled if they find them on a resume.

No, these skills don’t include mind reading or invisibility.

They include things like the ability to communicate well (written and verbal). It doesn’t matter if you are applying to become an engineer or a creative director, being able to communicate well is priceless.

See the infographic for a list of five universally desired skills.

6. Add Facts and Figures to Amplify Your Skills

Finally, once you’ve added all of your skills, go back through and add numbers and achievements to draw the eye of the hiring manager.

Instead of “proficient at sales conversions,” write “able to convert 45% of leads to sales.”

Key Takeaway

Following these six tips will allow you to prove the hiring manager that you have what they need and that you are a master at what you do.

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