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Consider that your resume is a landing page for you, the product. A list of "Skills" is, essentially, early aughts SEO... though I suppose it can also double as

Consider that your resume is a landing page for you, the product. A list of "Skills" is, essentially, early aughts SEO... though I suppose it can also double as a feature list. How are you going to use this resume? Sending in applications, posted online? Would affect my advice. In general, two types of people will read your resume: hiring decision makers, and their agents/gatekeepers. Ideally the resume speaks to both groups. Gatekeepers use pretty simple filtering, though it won't all be disclosed. For example, if you've got 5 years of experience, and the rest of the applicant pool has 2, and they all went to Harvard and you went to University of Phoenix, you're getting filtered out unless there's something really amazing about you. The "top school" filter may not be disclosed in the job posting, or even known prior to seeing the applicant pool. In some cases these institutional biases are more or less public knowledge, in others not. Worry about passing the obvious, stated filters. It should be clear, in under 3 seconds, that you pass or exceed them. Don't be afraid to ELI5. For the reviewers giving more than a passing glance, tell a short story. This is like pitching your startup idea, or selling anything, really. Quick, punchy, hook them and let them call you for more. The resume gets you the call. The call gets you the meet. The meet gets you the job.

melle 10y ago
Thanks for this. My approach would be to phone the company directly, and have a chat with HR or the person responsible for the job opening. I believe that'll give me a first advantage over others and a bigger chance to get a foot in the door. After the phone call I'll send him/her an email which functions as my cover letter with resume in PDF attached. Based on your and the other comments, I think a list of skills is 'required', but might be meaningless without context (as in, where did you apply this)
- davelnewton 10y ago
  This is a good approach, if the hoops needed to find that person can actually be jumped through. At a smaller company this might be easy. At even a modestly-sized company it's likely heaps more difficult.
- selllikesybok 10y ago
  Like anything else, consider the audience. If you can engage directly with a decision maker, or even a gatekeeper, great. Not always possible, or helpful. I would caution that, while generally a solid approach, this does not advantage you in the final hiring, only in the initial screening stage. Not a bad thing, but keep in mind there are multiple stages to getting hired, and avoiding the first filter pass shouldn't be where the majority of your efforts are focused. Of course, if you're goal is to get into a specific company, vs "any company" or "any of these companies", your approach will be different.

melle 10y ago

Thanks for this. My approach would be to phone the company directly, and have a chat with HR or the person responsible for the job opening. I believe that'll give me a first advantage over others and a bigger chance to get a foot in the door. After the phone call I'll send him/her an email which functions as my cover letter with resume in PDF attached. Based on your and the other comments, I think a list of skills is 'required', but might be meaningless without context (as in, where did you apply this)

davelnewton 10y ago
This is a good approach, if the hoops needed to find that person can actually be jumped through. At a smaller company this might be easy. At even a modestly-sized company it's likely heaps more difficult.
selllikesybok 10y ago
Like anything else, consider the audience. If you can engage directly with a decision maker, or even a gatekeeper, great. Not always possible, or helpful. I would caution that, while generally a solid approach, this does not advantage you in the final hiring, only in the initial screening stage. Not a bad thing, but keep in mind there are multiple stages to getting hired, and avoiding the first filter pass shouldn't be where the majority of your efforts are focused. Of course, if you're goal is to get into a specific company, vs "any company" or "any of these companies", your approach will be different.