Job hunting requires relentless motivation. Many job seekers report days when the hunt seems like a fruitless endeavor. Unfortunately the fact is many resumes are either rejected or ignored by employers. Most job hunters are doomed from the beginning to having a difficult time finding a job. They make a mistake they extends their job hunt and prevents them from getting the best jobs even though they qualify for them. You cannot include all of your relevant knowledge, positive attributes, talents, and skills for resume construction if you have not properly evaluated your qualifications.

Taking an inventory of your skills for resume writing can help you get interviews sooner and a better job and better pay. You can make a list of all the expertise you possess and then choose the skills for resume writing that are the most relevant for each job you target. Then create accomplishment statements for each skill. Employers like to see examples of how you have used your abilities and talent to achieve beneficial results. Another area to consider when taking stock of your skills for resume writing is those you might have learned outside the work environment. Employers value your qualifications and abilities to perform and solve challenges no matter how you obtained them.

Differences Between Abilities and Skills for Resume Writing

There is some difference between abilities and skills for resume purposes though there is a large grey area in the definitions when used in job hunting and by employers. Knowing the difference can help you evaluate your expertise though expressing them correctly is most important. An ability is defined as a natural or acquired power to execute a mental or physical action. Here is an important variation: an ability implies a capacity to act, while skills are acquired from the actual use or performance.

Skills for resume purposes on the other hand engage the measurable manipulation or management of data, things, or people and are obtained through experience or training. A good rule of thumb to help you choose these accomplishments is to know these feats probably required you to use your hands, speech, or mind. Writing maximum impact statements involves measurable manipulation. You need to express how you achieved results using numbers. This benefit can be a direct result of your actions or contributions of how you contributed to a growth, an increase, or savings. Your statements show specific proof tom potential employers.

Employers are searching for the candidates that have demonstrated the qualifications they want to see. You can do best by identifying your qualifications and aligning them with the requirements of each position you apply for. If for example, you want to express your management expertise, a cleverly crafted accomplishment statement would include any information you reviewed and reports you prepared (the “manipulation of data”), a statement that quantifies your skill (the “measurable” aspect), and the specific incident or action when you utilized your talent.

Take inventory of your skills for resume writing before you begin creating your resume. Use a job skills list to take full account of what you have to offer. After you have completed the list make a second list for each job of the skills the employer is seeking and use the same keywords as in the job description or posting.

Copyright 2011 by Phil Baker – “The Hire Authority.” Freely distribute this article but please leave article, author name, copyright info, and links intact.