6 Skills You SHOULDN’T Put on Your Resume

Your resume should showcase all the skills you bring to the table—everything you know how to do, everything you’re good at, everything that delivers value to your employer.

But that doesn’t mean your resume should be a laundry list of every little thing you’ve ever learned. In fact, taking this everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach can actually cause your resume to be bloated, unfocused, and ineffective.

Simply put, there are certain skills that don’t belong on your resume—and here are a few examples from Grammar Chic’s own resume writing team.

Leave These Skills Off Your Resume

Basic technological skills.  There was a time when it might have been genuinely impressive for a jobseeker to know how to use Microsoft Word, or to be proficient sending emails. These days, it’s pretty much assumed that everyone can do these things. No need to cite them on your resume. In fact, doing so makes you look like a dinosaur.

Obsolete technological skills. Along the same lines, it’s not that impressive to have a mastery of technologies that are no longer in common use. Make sure your resume shows that you’re up to date on the current technologies being used in your industry.

Languages you learned in high school. Just because you loved your semester of Spanish doesn’t mean you’re fluent. If you speak Spanish well enough that you could actually use it on the job, that’s one thing—but barring real proficiency, second languages don’t add anything to your resume.

Social media. If you are actually skilled in social media strategy, ads, analytics, etc., that’s one thing. But having a bunch of Twitter followers does not make you a social media strategist. Leave it off your resume unless you are truly a pro.

Joke skills. Some jobseekers think it’s clever to list themselves as “office foosball champion” or “all-time Nintendo master.” It’s not.

Exaggerated or fraudulent skills. Good rule of thumb: If you can’t really do something well, don’t put it on your resume. Resume lies are always a bad idea.

Emphasize the Skills That Matter

By cutting the fluff from your resume, you’ll have more space to list the skills that really matter. And if you need help with that, we’re here for you. We can help you catalog your skills in a way that will truly catch the eye of recruiters and hiring managers. Reach out to the Grammar Chic resume writing team today at www.grammarchic.net or 803-831-7444.