Read a job post and pick the five skills to put first
Two job posts with the same title can ask for quite different things. Reading the post carefully before you apply helps you decide what to show first on your resume.
Mark the repeated words
Copy the job post into a document. Underline skills, tools and tasks that appear more than once, or that sit in the first few bullet points. Employers usually list the most important needs first.
Split them into two groups
- Must have: tools and skills named as required
- Nice to have: words such as preferred, plus or advantage
Pick five you can honestly show
From the must-have group, choose the five where you have real experience. Put them in your skills section and in the first lines of your most recent job. Use the same words the post uses when they truly describe your work. If the post says Tally and you wrote accounting software, name Tally.
Do not add skills you do not have
A missing skill is better handled by saying what you are learning than by listing something you cannot discuss. You may be asked about every word on your resume.
Repeat for each application
It takes ten minutes to adjust your skills and summary for a role. Keep one main resume and change only those parts.
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