Sorting Skills and Attributes on your Resume

15 May 2017

The number one thing a résumé needs to do is communicate to the reader the skills you offer.  The hallmark of a really good résumé is that your skills are so clearly presented and supported by what is written that whoever reads your résumé is left in no doubt about the top three skills they will get by employing you.  Being able to clearly see skills is so important I advise people to have a specific heading dedicated to listing skills on all résumés.

Many résumé's are messy, unfocused, and present skills in ways that make it difficult for the reader to pull out the top skills on offer.  The impact of this is a confused and unfocused document and the subtle communication that perhaps you don’t deeply understand yourself and what you offer. 

One thing that often occurs in these confused résumés is that technical skills and personal attributes (sometimes called soft skills) are muddled and mixed up resulting in documents that come across as distracted, weakly written and slightly perplexing for the reader. 

When you get the distinctions between skills and attributes clear it makes it easier for employers to unmistakably use your skills as their baseline.  Once you pass the necessary baseline technical skill level the employer can then become interested in your attributes and who you are as a person, but if they can’t clearly see you have the basics they will find it hard to be open to what else you offer.

If you think your résumé might be a bit confused it is time to get your definitions straight.

The difference between skills and attributes

The reason people get messy with how they present their skills and attributes is that the lines between these are a little blurred at the edges and people don’t understand the differences. 

Here are some distinctions to get you clear:

Skills

Skills are things you once did not know how to do, but have learnt (reading, walking, addition).  They are also things you can continue to become more accomplished at over time.   The Dreyfus model of skill acquisition describes that as we become more skilled at a skill we move from novice, to advance beginner, to competence, to proficiency to expertise.  Think for instance of the skill of giving presentations, the skill of business planning, the skill of coding – these are things anyone can learn and continue to become more skilled at (though of course not everyone wants to, and hence does not put effort into). 

Here are examples of some skills to help make the distinction clearer:

Analyse data, arrange flowers, explain complex things in simple terms, archive files, speak in public, coach others, manage people, create advertisement campaigns, organise events, supervise installations, write, research, negotiate…

The key for your résumé is to highlight the skills you have that are particularly rare and valuable, especially in the context of a particular opportunity you are preparing your résumé for.  Sometimes it is useful to group your skills under higher order groupings such as: Problem Solving Skills that might, for example, include gather information, investigate facts, analyse data, and generate innovative solutions…

Personal Attributes

Personal attributes are things that reflect the way you go about doing the things you are skilled in.  For example your personal attribute of attention to detail is applied to your skill of business planning.  Where people get confused between skill and attribute on their résumé is that attributes, while largely fixed and just part of who you are, can become more refined over time.  That is, you can become more skilled at expressing your attributes.  For example the personal attribute of honesty can develop as you face more ethically complex situations.  So the lines between skills and attributes blur a little at the edges.  Your résumé, though, will appear stronger if you keep these elements distinct.

Here are some examples of personal attributes to help make this distinction clearer:

Perseverance, determination, enthusiasm, assertive, generous, empathic, creative, adaptable, flexible, calm, reliable, open, agreeable, conscientious, honest, analytic, self-motivated…

The sharp eyed among you may have noticed that analyse appears in the list of skills and analytic appears in the list of personal attributes.  These two are classic examples of how skills and attributes become confused.  Potentially you could have the skill of being able to analyse data, but not bring an analytical approach to things you do.  Conversely you may bring an analytical approach through your personal attributes, but not be particularly skilled at analysing data (because this is not something you have learnt and focused upon).  Other similar examples where people often confuse skills and attributes are create/creative, and organise/organised.

The unique mixture of skills you have, and the ways in which you apply these skills through your personal attributes, are the things that differentiate you from others in the workplace, making you more or less valuable and employable. 

The other thing that often makes it difficult for individuals to distinguish the skills they have sits with the mindset they bring to what they feel they are capable of doing.  You may not always recognise a skill as something you have learnt.  It can appear to just be something you simply know how to do.  This is why it is always valuable to check with others about the skills they believe you have.  A simple exercise is to ask three colleagues to list six skills they see you as having strengths in, and two personal attributes they feel you display in the workplace.  Share with them the distinction between skills and attributes to spread understanding of this distinction.

A final little thing to do while you have your résumé out is to ask two or three people to have a read and report back to you the top three skills they feel you present in the document.  Hopefully there is consistency and the skills they identify align with the ones you want people to see in your résumé, if not a little editing may be in order. 

As always, wishing you a Flourishing Career, and if this article has been insightful join my blog and get similar practical articles on job applications, interviews, and career delivered to your email on a bi-weekly basis.

Katherine