Putting it on Paper: How to Transfer your Skills to your Documents.

Although it may not seem like an easy task to articulate your skills onto your resume or cover letter, there are a few very effective ways to translate your skills on your job search documents. Today, we will discuss a few tips on how to create effective statements that highlight your skills and keep you competitive in your job search.

Instead of simply listing duties and responsibilities of an experience on your resume or cover letter, we suggest asking yourself a series of questions to help formulate more impactful statements. These questions include:

1.          What was the Challenge? What did you do? What tasks were you involved in?
2.      What Action did you take? What steps did you take to complete a task or challenge?
3.       What was the Result?  What was the outcome(s) of the completed challenge/task?

Putting these questions into a statement form is what we call CAR statements or Achievement Statements. These are key to creating a standout resume and cover letter. We recommend that your statements start with the result, using past tense action vers, to create the most impact with employers. Here are a few good examples:

• Provided front line service to customers ensuring all questions and inquiries were handled in a timely manner
•  Created a positive work environment by communicating with stakeholders in an effective manner and resolving conflicts independently
• Increased company sales by 10% by providing a high level of customer service skills and demonstrating extensive knowledge of merchandise to clients
•  Initiated and launched a campus-wide campaign for the Niagara Food Bank, collecting and delivering 2000 pounds of non-perishable goods to local families

Another tip for translating is to emphasize skills that are sought after by employers. These skills demonstrate the ability of employees to stay in and progress in the workplace. Examples include:

•       Positive attitude
•       Communication skills
•       Teamwork/collaboration
•       Strong work ethic
•         Interpersonal/relationship-building
•       Adaptability

Using these skills in action:

•        Increased team morale by maintaining a positive attitude while transitioning to a work-from-home environment
•        Created an online HR database within a tight deadline by maintaining a strong work ethic and utilizing detailed organizational skills
•        Ensured volunteers had a positive experience throughout the event by using key relationship building and inter-personal skills

We hope that you find these tips as helpful as they have been to us. Please reach out to career@brocku.ca with any questions or concerns you may have in reference to articulating your skills and experiences on your job search documents.  We would be happy to assist you in your efforts to stand out in your job search!