ResumeWriting.com

There are only a few more things that you could ever possibly need to stick on a resume.

One of the things that might be useful to some professionals would be a certifications section. Are there examples of special training, coursework or even seminars that you’ve participated in that might be important/prestigious enough to mention? If so, you can either add these to your education section, or you can create a separate Certifications or Training section.

Remember how I discussed a Skills section a few chapters ago? Another thing a lot of people like to do is put a skills section at the end of their resume. Here people might list general items that an employer might expect anyone to be familiar with, say, an ability to type or a familiarity with Microsoft Office software. This was more common 10-15 years ago when these technologies were still new to some workplaces.

I’m generally leery of a weak skills section included in a resume. If you feel it’s necessary to tell the employer how many words per minute you can type (for example) then you’d put that info here.

But here are some of the things people tend to include in a section like this, followed by my rationale for leaving this stuff out:

1. Your word-per-minute typing prowess; typing skills.
   You can type? Congratulations on making it to the 20th century. In the 21st century workforce, it’s assumed you can type well and at a reasonable pace. This is a bare minimum job requirement.
2. Ability to work with PCs.
   Again, the fact that you are familiar with a work-tool that 97% of the world’s business is done on is not going to make you stand out. You might as well also list the fact that you breathe oxygen as a “skill.”
3. Experience with Word, Excel, Outlook or any other Microsoft Office programs.
   I wish it were otherwise, but the western business world is tied to the Microsoft Office ecosystem. If you don’t yet know how to create formulas in Excel or presentations with graphics in PowerPoint, then it might be time for some crash courses.
4. Experience with non-Office programs.
   Similar to the point made above. No matter how superior the alternative programs might be, chances are you’ll be working in an MS Office environment, so your skills with WordPerfect are probably superfluous. I would make an exception here if you know the employer uses an obscure, niche or industry-specific software program or suite of tools. In that case, alerting them might be to your advantage.
5. HTML.
   If you want to give people the impression you have some coding skill, choose something a little more practical (PHP?) or cutting edge (Rails?). My mom can do rudimentary HTML with her personal web page and photo albums. Pointing out knowledge of HTML isn’t guaranteed to impress an employer.
6. Faxing/Copying skills.
   Again, gee, I hope you know how to do this… along with sending email, managing voicemail, texting on your cell phone, etc.

Another option is to create a completely separate references page in addition to your resume. If you go this route and make a references sheet, who should you use for your references?

1. Someone the hiring manager knows.
   Like anything else in job search, the most effective connections are personal connections. Getting someone the hiring manager knows to vouch for you can do all the vetting necessary.
2. Someone the hiring manager respects.
   Another good tactic is to get a reference from someone in the industry the hiring manager might respect or even idolize. If you’re interviewing for a fund management position and you can get a reference from Warren Buffett, you’re likely to be hired just so the manager can bask in the glow of the Oracle.
3. Your current boss.
   Here’s a really effective reference that you might not always be able to get. If you can get your current or most recent boss to say something like, “Gee, we really hate to see him go, but if we have to lose him, here’s why he’s such a great guy…” that can do wonders.
4. Someone in the industry. Even a competitor.
   References are meant to do two things: find out if you’re a serial killer; and find out if you can do your job competently. If you have enough of a reputation in the industry to get a recommendation from someone who works in the same field you do, then you’ve gone a long way to answering the second question.
5. Any previous boss.
   Try to pick the boss that is most likely to sing the praises of your competency and effectiveness. Again, this is just to reassure the hiring manager that you know what you are doing.
6. Someone “respectable” in society.
   If you’ve got none of the above, your last option is someone who could reasonably be expected to be an upstanding member of society. I’m talking about a teacher, professor, minister, doctor, lawyer, etc. This is likely to be a family friend, but pick the friend who is most likely to be widely known in the community.