Skills Based Resume Templates

The summary statement at the top of your resume is your first chance to make a great impression on the hiring manager. The challenge with the summary statement is to keep it brief and easy to read yet explanatory about your top skills and experience. Keep your statement three sentences or three bullet points long.Study the skills-based resume template for Word to understand how to craft your summary statement. Here are some additional tips for writing your statement:

• Include your professional title at the beginning of the statement
• Mention your top 2-3 skills
• Include specific notable expertise, accomplishments, and soft skills

Here are some additional examples of summary statements in both the paragraph and list formats:

Paragraph Style:

• Detail-oriented administrative assistant focused on quality work results promptly. Excel at data processing, development, and organization of reports and spreadsheet creation. Excellent verbal and written communicator with a team focus.

Proactive maintenance technician passionate about maintaining of machinery, appliances, and grounds. Experienced in a wide range of HVAC systems and plumbing repair. Dedicated to communication and service to the customer.

List Style:

• Experienced receptionist with exemplary customer service skills
• Able to manage time independently while working on multiple tasks
• Project a professional image while efficiently routing calls

When you refer to the skills-based resume template for Word, you can see that the skills section is dynamic and stands out as an easily read list of abilities relevant to the desired job. Here are some tips that will help you write a skills section that shows you are a great fit for the position:

• List your strongest skills at the beginning of the section
• Only list skills relevant to the position you are applying for
• Find keywords in the job description to integrate into your skill points

Here is an example of a skills section for a customer service representative position:

• Active listener who readily responds positively to customer issues
• Excellent communicator both verbal and in writing
• Proficient in the Microsoft Office suite of software
• React calmly to escalated customer situations
• Detail-oriented to ensure all needed information is gathered and given
• Independent with time management

The work history section is where you can provide details about your professional experience. Make sure that you use bullet points to make your responsibilities and accomplishments highly readable. Look at the skills-based resume template for Word to see how it integrates the tips listed below. Here are some best practices to follow when writing your work history section:

• Always begin your work history points with an action verb
• Provide 6-8 bullet points of work history
• Use metrics whenever possible to quantify your achievements
• Take a cue from the job description and use keywords from it in your work history

Here are some examples of work history entries for various positions:

Sales Representative

• Completed sales optimization training and then trained other sales staff on the skills presented
• Increased completed sales in the district by 25 percent

Business Analyst

• Achieved a 15 percent decrease in division energy costs by switching server-based data storage to the cloud
• Initiated the automation of many basic human resources functions to enable company employees quicker access to information

Project Manager

• Led a team of software analysts and engineers to update system reporting software
• Conducted weekly staff meetings to update the client on progress

The skills-based resume template for Word includes a section for education for good reason. Many jobs require specialized or higher education to qualify for a position. This section provides a space to outline your educational achievements and any certifications or licenses you may have. Take a look at these education section writing tips to help you best format this section:

• Do not list your grade point average in this section unless you are a very recent graduate
• Put your highest level of education at the top of the list
• This section can include any type of training that is relevant to your career, including training seminars and certification courses

Here is an example of a financial analyst education section that employs all of the above advice:

• Bachelor of Science in Finance – 2015
• The University of Nevada
• Las Vegas, Nevada
• Chartered Financial Analyst Certification – 2016

Action verbs enliven your work history section and reinforce the image of you as an effective and successful employee. Look at how the skills-based resume template for Word uses action verbs and check out the incorporation of action verbs in the examples below:

• Planned the depth and scope of the cloud utilization project
• Assessed clients’ financial profiles and recommended steps to take to reach their retirement goals
• Scheduled preventative maintenance on all heating and cooling systems in the apartment complex
• Communicated with a variety of clients, company staff, and contractors in person and on the telephone
• Updated all stakeholders in the software conversion of the project status daily