Ask HN: How do you list your skills on your resume? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How do you list your skills on your resume?

5 pointsdiehunde8 comments

How do you separate all the different types of tools? Do you use bullet points? Or paragraphs? I always have trouble deciding how to list skills such as programming languages, cloud provider tools, databases, frameworks, processing tools, etc. without using too much space.

Thanks.

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As someone who has been on the interviewing side of the table, here's my unsolicited advice.

Highlight the skills that are relevant to the position you're applying for.

Don't list absolutely EVERYTHING on the resume. Leave something for the interview.

Bonus points if you can tell me how you used $RELEVANT_SKILL to solve $RELEVANT_PROBLEM that $PROSPECTIVE_EMPLOYER is needing solved.

That's what I do normally. But the rule of the 5 second look is what makes me doubt about how to structure the skills. Thanks.

At the very end, just before education (the only “required” item that’s less relevant to a thoughtful hiring manager once you’re a few years into a career but that too many recruiters will screen on).

I use one bullet point for each of several topics and then a list of terms for that topic. The main purpose is to get through keyword matchers.

For instance:

* Languages: Python, Swift, Java, Ruby, PHP, Perl

* Databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL, Cassandra

Etc

It's usually more insightful if you name the tools in the subscription of the job you had/have.

I don't list any such thing on my resume. I consider such listings junior or entry level attempting to gain attention of automated filters.

Instead I list the major public projects I have completed and describe contributions to group efforts.

In an introductory paragraph I explain the few language I prefer to work in and that I am not interested in spending time with frameworks or configuring tools. My reasoning for this is to intentionally make my resume less popular so that I capitalize on my skills and accomplishments opposed to jumping into the common mediocrity. As a senior developer with many years experience, a strong portfolio, and two employers I can afford the patience to look for work I would rather do instead of the paycheck I immediately need.

What if you want to apply for a company you know that uses keyword detection before setting up an interview? I've been hired twice because my resume contained 2 specific technologies they were looking to add to their stack. Sometimes it's not even a bot, it's a hiring manager that looks at your resume during 5 seconds to see if you have experience with some X tool.

You can be selective about your work without being a snob.

Not in my experience as a software developer.

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