There is a tendency to want to throw everything but the kitchen sink in a resume, thinking that some of it will resonate with the hiring team. I have experience reviewing profit and loss statements, why not add that. And how about those Photoshop skills. I have never used them, but they can’t but help, right? And now that I think about 15 years ago for a summer at my parent’s business doing marketing. Even though I have had nothing to do with marketing since then, that will surely help.

It probably will not help. Here is why.  

What a Recruiter Looks for on a Resume  

A job is created (or backfilled) because it represents a need for the business. The role is required for the company to address an operational need - be it to sell something, to ensure the company follows various legal requirements or to track company financial performance, as examples.  

Every job will have a list of duties that are important to the company to get done. Additionally, there will also be a list of requirements that represent the desired knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) required to be successful in the position.  

When reviewing a resume, the person is going to be making a comparison - what they read on your resume to what the KSAs are for the job and matching the two lists. Additionally, a reviewer is going to be looking at the match between the job duties and your experience.  

It is as simple as that.

Why Adding All Your Knowledge, Skills and Abilities To Your Resume Rarely Works

There is a thought that if you add every training you took or every experience you have had to a resume, it will make you look well-rounded, and you can provide more value to the employer. Yet that is not how most employers think. There may be some exceptions, but most hiring managers want someone to do the job, as is written at a high level. Therefore, they are going to look at those people that best meet what they have decided are the most critical requirements for the job.  

When you add extraneous skills and unrelated experiences, you have muddied your message. The reader must wade through all the information to decide what is truly relevant for that job. You will not make any friends on the hiring team by doing this.

You Need to Focus

Your best approach is to show you have most of the requirements of the job on your resume. How do you do this?

1. Read the job description multiple times. Look at the first four to five bullets of the job requirements area. These usually are the must-haves for the job.

2. If there are more bullet points in the requirements area, these are usually the like-to-haves. These are still very important.

3. Look through the requirements section and write down each KSA that you see. The list might look like this for a trainer.

• 5-8 years of relevant experience

• Relationship development skills

• Communications skills

• Presentation skills

• Ability to learn programs quickly

• Advanced MS PowerPoint skills

• Project management

• Detail orientation

• Organized

• Specific industry knowledge

• College degree in business

4.   Go to the job duties section and look at common themes and write them down. For example:

• Ability to support a broad range of clients

• Create and run training programs and develop materials

• Develop marketing materials

• Understand contract terms

• Understand client motivations

• Design reports and provide analysis

• Design key metrics

• Problem solve client issues

5.   Go through all your job experiences and KSAs and find where they match up to your list.

6.  Write bullet points that show your successes related to the role’s job duties.

 As an example: Developed and rolled out a software implementation program for new clients in 4 months and under budget. 10 clients agreed to be in a Beta test. Collaborated with Sales, Account Management, Legal, and IT. E-learning and webinar-based training to accommodate business from 10 users up to 1,000 users.

In this example, I was able to demonstrate the following to the hiring team:

• Relationship development skills (got 10 clients to agree to be part of the Beta test)

• Project management (was able to get a large project to completion and coordinate people and resources)

• Ability to support a broad range of clients (training was for small and large clients)

• Create and run training programs and develop materials (main focus of example)

After You Have Demonstrated All the Must Haves and Like to Haves...

Then, and only then, can you add additional KSAs that might be of interest to the hiring team. You need to think long and hard about what you also could add to make you a more attractive candidate. In the above example, if you were fluent in a second language that could be useful in the role, such as Spanish, that could be added. Or, if you happen to have experience with training software like Articulate, that could be added to your resume. The important thing here is not to add a KSA to your resume just because you have experience; you add it because it would provide potential value.

Write a targeted resume that focuses on what the employer has asked for and not what you want to sell. That is the way to get the attention of the hiring team and get you that coveted job interview. Remember, you must show why you are the right candidate for this job, not just for any job.

Shelley Piedmont is a job search coach. She wants to help job seekers put their best foot forward by providing the tools for a successful job search. If you need career coaching, resume preparation, interview skills assessment or LinkedIn profile assistance, she can help. Schedule a 15-minute no-obligation consultation.