Many jobs, from restaurant server to service info desk manager, require technology skills.
You might be great with tech, but if you don't explain it well on your resume, you may not score an interview.
Put yourself ahead of the pack by highlighting your technology skills on your resume!
1. Determine the Tech Skills Needed for the Job
Necessary technology skills for a resume will depend on your career. Study job ads for the positions you're interested in and make note of the desired technical skills.
Copy skills from the advertisements and write them down on paper or list them in a document or spreadsheet. Check off those skills you already have. List any others as things you need to learn about.
For example:
Paige: Nurse
Paige notices that nursing positions require technical proficiency in:
Electronic health records
Data management
Remote patient monitoring
Paige has experience with the first two technologies but not the third. She'll plan to list the first two skills on her resume. She can upskill herself or learn on the job about remote patient monitoring.
Nick: Marketing Student
Nick notices that marketing positions require technical proficiency in:
A variety of social media platforms
Data analytics tools
He is strong in all three, so he'll be sure to add these to his resume. Next, he can start thinking about successes that he can highlight to demonstrate his technology skills on his resume.
Quiz
Nick, the marketing student, has recently learned a little bit about coding through self-study. Should he put this on his resume?
2. Examine Skills You Don't Have
Take a look at the list of skills common to the job that you don't have.
Ask yourself: Do I know something similar?
Be sure to list any similar tech skills on your resume
Be honest about the skill level you possess
Jenna: High School Student
Jenna is applying for a part-time, after-school receptionist position. The job description mentions they're looking for someone with Microsoft Word and Excel skills.
Jenna has some basic knowledge of Microsoft Suite, but is much better with Google Suite. With this being her first job application, Jessa decides to explain the technical skills she's developed as a student. She decides to add the following bullets to her resume:
Highly competent in creating documents and spreadsheets using Google Suite
Working knowledge of Microsoft Suite, including Word and Excel
Quick Quiz!
Xavier, a university student looking for a part-time job as an office assistant, notices that all of the jobs he's looking at require Zoom skills. Xavier hasn't ever used Zoom, but he can use Teams and Google Meet. What tech skills should he list on his resume?
Quiz
What should Xavier list on his resume? Select all that apply:
3. Decide if You'll Have a Tech Skills Section
For many professions, it can make sense to include a Technical Skills section on your resume. This is especially important for jobs in highly technical professions (such as computer engineers or developers). One of the main advantages of adding a tech skills section is that it helps potential employers identify your skills quickly.
If having this section makes sense for the roles you're applying for:
Put the Technical Skills section right at the top of your resume, under your name and contact information
Listskills briefly
Be sure to note if you have specialized knowledge that goes beyond the basics, for example: "Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables.”
Maya's Tech Skills Section
Maya is a recent computer science grad seeking an entry-level position at a technology company. She decides to add a Technical Skills section to her resume, since it is highly relevant to the type of job she is seeking.
It looks something like this:
Technical Skills
Programming Languages: Python, JavaScript
Databases: Oracle, MySQL, certified OnBase trainer
Systems: Windows, macOS
Quiz
For which of these jobs would adding a tech skills section be a good idea? Select all that apply.
4. Include Your Skills in the Experience Section
Whether or not you decide to list your tech skills in their own section, it's usually a good idea to list them in the body of your resume. This signals to potential employers that you don't just know the technology-related skill, you have experience using it in real life, with great results.
Place the skills in context to schoolwork, previous jobs, or volunteer work and list them in those sections on your resume
Use action words
State what you accomplished with the technology
Fran: High School Graduate
Fran just graduated from high school and is looking for their first paid job in an office environment. Fran notices that employers want candidates to have skills in Microsoft Word.
Fran has written school papers using Word and is really good at formatting. They've also volunteered at the local senior center, helping elders learn some basic computer skills.
Fran adds the following tech-related points to their resume.
Middleboro High School: Student
Wrote 4 honors-level research papers using Microsoft Word, incorporating advanced formatting skills
Middleboro Senior Center: Volunteer
Provided technical assistance to local senior citizens, specializing in Microsoft Suite applications
Take Action
Explaining your technical skills on your resume can help you stand out!
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