How to Write a Skills Profile
- 1). Study a range of skills profile examples for jobs in your discipline. Some people opt to produce a bullet list of all related skills, while others work out a short synopsis of their skills and experience in the form of paragraph. Look for a style that grabs your attention, and decide which you feel most comfortable adopting. The style of the skills profile should complement the style of your resume, as these two almost always go together.
- 2). Prioritize your skills. Make a list of all skills that you possess, then tailor that list to the precise job for which you're applying. Not all hiring managers want to read an exhaustive list of experiences and skills. Instead, condense the ideas down into a top five list, choosing skills that encapsulate only the expertise that you really want to convey.
- 3). Order your skills according to category. Start with concrete skills obtained through education, training and experience. The description of these skills should emphasize aspects closely tied to the position you're seeking. Follow these what may be considered "character qualities," such as self-management, interpersonal and communication skills and leadership abilities.
- 4). Use clean, actionable language. Prose should follow conventional resume style. In general, avoid using the first-person singular pronoun "I." Instead, lead with the skill itself: "Extensive experience in total life cycle management" rather than "I have extensive experience in total life cycle management," for instance.
