Ask HN: Best way to list skills on my resumé? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Best way to list skills on my resumé?

13 pointsrayvy8 comments

I have technical skills (e.g., programming languages, frameworks, platforms, etc), and I have non-technical skills (e.g., product management, leadership, communication, etc).

How do I list these skills on my resumé in a poignant, informative, yet to-the-point way?

Previously I had just gone with some sort of comma-delimited list, but there has to be a better/more creative way than that right?

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The best and most concise way to list your skills is in the context of your job descriptions. Anybody can SAY that they have some skill, but if you can SHOW then it becomes much more convincing. Here's an example.

SAY

Skills: Java, Salesforce, Communication

SHOW

XYZ Corp | Software Engineer | 2013-Present

- Created recommendation system using Java lib FOO that increased user engagement by 23%.

- Revamped Salesforce integration with Product ABC for 40% more leads and 65% higher conversion rate.

- Implemented daily standups to improve project stakeholders visibility into project progress.

I've read thousands of CV's, and completely agree with this. Just mentioning you've got leadership skills doesn't say much, but if you show you've lead a tricky project/situation, it starts making sense. Same for tech skills.

I listed buzzword-type skills (i.e. JAVA, Devops, MySQL etc.) used in each job/project listed. i.e.

" Software Developer at Google (January 2017 - Present)

I worked on the gmail frontend team. Designed and coded a new attachment upload UI bla bla bla. Skills used: Javascript, Angular.js, CSS3.

Software Developer at Apple (March 2014 - December 2016)

I developed a new app which integrated bla bla bla.. Skills used: Objective-C, iOS, JAVA, API integrations. "

This way you can use the job description to emphasise what it was you achieved in those job and not mention what tech-stack you used. The skills there are just to let the employer or recruiter know in what context you have used certain technologies and how much experience you have in them.

Totally agree with Dyeye - as much as possible show don't tell by outlining actual concrete things you have designed. I see that you listed Product Management as a skill - here are some more PM specific resume tips: https://www.productschool.com/blog/jobs-cat/4-tips-write-res...

My favorite I saw on a resume was power bars, something like:

  Skills:
    Language A  [-][-][-][-][-]
    Language B  [-][-][ ][ ][ ]
    Framework C [-][-][-][-][ ]
    
    Product Management  [-][-][-][-][ ]
    Technical Comms     [-][-][-][-][-]
    Leadership          [-][-][ ][ ][ ]

I think this is tacky and draws unnecessary attention to the weaker skills.

List of them in order of relevance/experience/proficiency with enough details about the relevant projects. From that point leave it to the employer/recruiter to figure out your skill level.

I run an IT department in my startup and hiring devs on a regular basis. This shown above is the most confusing and pretty much meaningless way for me to judge your skills. As mentioned in one of the comments above: I want to see in which job and which projects and when the last time you used those skills. Show me examples of the use.

I do the hiring for my company. This is the worst thing you can do. These stupid bars show absolutely nothing to me.

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