Skills-Based Resume Guide printable pdf download

Skills-Based Resume Guide

SKILLS-BASED RÉSUMÉ GUIDE

Are you frustrated because you have sparse work experience and do not know how to make it look good on a

résumé? Has it been too many years since your last paid job and you’re worried that an employer won’t take

you seriously? Are you trying to make a career change and are feeling unsure about how to make your

current work experience relevant and appealing to employers in your new field?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, consider using a skills-based résumé.

WHAT IS A SKILLS-BASED RÉSUMÉ?

A skills-based résumé is a document that lists a person’s job qualifications in skill categories, rather than the

standard approach of using reverse chronological work experience categories. You should consider using a

skills-based résumé if it would help you present yourself to potential employers in a more powerful way than

a chronological résumé would. Reasons that applicants typically choose this route include:

(1) It is required/preferred by their industry

(2) They have insufficient work experience

(3) They have large or frequent employment changes/gaps

(4) They want to change careers

(5) Their educational/training background is atypical for this position

(6) They have been terminated from one or more positions

For a visual comparison of the typical differences between the chronological and skills-based résumé styles,

see the following examples.

Standard Chronological Résumé

Internship & Career Services  Career Preparation  230 Kimball  208.496.2750

Skills-Based Resume Guide