How to List Computer Skills on a Resume with Example

Computer Application Skills has become necessary for almost all jobs today such that the absence of basic computer skills on a professional resume looks suspicious. The importance of software skills on a resume is dependent on the job description and its competitiveness for the same in the job market.

Spanning from increasing your professional worth to salary, these skills on a resume can bring about many benefits. Moreover, listing relevant computer skills in a senior resume can shift the focus of the recruiter from age discrimination too.

What are Computer Skills

A category of technical or hard skills that are associated with computers or devices using operating software constitutes the computer software skills on a resume. Typically, your expertise in computers must apply to the job. For example, instead of listing, “Efficient in using Facebook/ Twitter” for a job as a data entry specialist, it is best to quote your Words Per Minute or WPM by using an online tester to make your resume stand out. You can also list it as, “Expert in Organizing, Managing and Hosting Facebook Events and Viral Tweets that reaches the target Audience”.

Computer Skills Examples

1). Software

• MS Office
• Adobe Photoshop
• LibreOffice
• AutoCAD
• Quickbooks

2). Hardware

• Laptop
• IBM Net Infinity Server
• Toshiba Servers, HP Servers
• Macintosh

3). Operating System

• Windows XP
• Linux
• Ubuntu
• DOS, or Macintosh

4). Databases

• Oracle
• SQL Server
• MS Access
• MySQL

5). Programming Languages

• JAVA
• HTML
• ASP
• DHTML
• ShellScript

6). Other Technical Skills

• Systems Administration
• End-User Support
• De-Bugging
• SEO Writing
• Data Analytics
• Web Page Design

Steps to List Computer Skills on a Resume

In this tech-savvy era, computer application skills are indispensable to most professional resumes. Adding computer skills to your profile is necessary if your employer has a technology-based business. Your definitive guide on how to add computer software skills in a resume to outsmart your contenders in four steps are listed below.

1). Shortlist Your Computer Skills

Spanning from making presentations to your typing speed, many computer skills can boost your candidacy in the eyes of the recruiter. To present a sizeable list of relevant computer skills, take a pen and paper and write down your computer skills in bullet points.

2). Insert Relevant Keywords

Now revise your list with the job requirements and mark skills that are relevant to the job description. You can also assess these skills section on popular resumes similar to your job application to garner skills to impress the recruiter and prove your dedication to the profession…

3). Add Proof

Listing a bunch of hard skills without proof is ineffective and defamatory to your resume. To avoid raising a red flag in the resume, you must use evidence of your competence in the software listed by you via the online certifications and testing services to prove your expertise. From time to time, it is best to use these free online courses to assess and upgrade your existing technical skills to boost the value of your profile.

4). Use Bulleted Points

Yet another important instruction to follow while listing these skills in a resume is to arrange the information neatly. Candidates must use bulleted points to divide and list software under different section headers without cluttering the resume. Remember to avoid lengthy paragraphs in the skills section by restricting to condensed phrases with technically relevant terminology.

Tips to Write Computer Skills on a Resume

Potential employers of this age want employees with your online presence and adept computer skills. To make the most out of the technical skills section in a resume, you must avoid common mistakes and follow a popular resume format to highlight your deftness in using computers. Moreover, in this digital era, relevant computer skills can also pique your salary!

1). Quantifiable Results

Hiring Managers search hundreds of resumes every day to find candidates with precise abilities or skills to grow the company profits. Adding digits and other quantifiable numbers to your achievements show proof of your expertise in computer skills. By adding relevant computer skills to your resume that imply innovative applications, you outwit the other candidates as well. In short, to captivate the hiring manager with your computer skills, you must briefly describe how it adds to the job role and profits of the employer.

2). Diversify Your Skills

An important rule to maintain throughout your resume is to be specific about the computer applications you know to use by diversifying it. Most candidates today know how to use Microsoft Office and Emailing Software. To stand out as a candidate, you must mention the specific program such as MS Word, MS Publisher as well as alternatives such as Open Office or Libre to exemplify your computer skills of apprehension.

You can also list each software application under separate bulleted points to establish your candidacy. Moreover, to format your resume for a visually appealing look, club similar software under relative headers to show your expertise in multiple computer skills.

3). Avoid Generic Adjectives

Using the run of the mill adjectives such as “Excellent MS Word User” or “Experienced Adobe Illustrator” is not enough to sparkle the eyes of the recruiter. Candidates must use job-specific adjectives such as “Designed Ebook template using MS Word” or “Created Graphic Novel using Adobe Illustrator” to prove your candidacy. Generalized statements in a skills section of the resume make the data ambiguous and unsubstantial. Also referred to as floating information, resume scanning robots do not consider this a merit to the profile.

4). Don’t Fabricate

It is natural to revise your resume content to make it better. You may change the adjectives to make it sound exemplary, but crossing the line of truth is unacceptable in a resume. Claiming to have studied JAVA when you haven’t is a serious vice punishable by law. Avoid lying or embellishing your professional credentials as it raises a red flag during the background check.

5). Proofread the Software Titles

Unlike the common spelling errors in languages such as English or Spanish, Programming Languages are case sensitive and cause more havoc in case of a typographical error. In short, a spelling error or autocorrect can utterly change the use of referring it. Hence, ensure that all the software that you mention on your resume is accurately furnished. To do so, you can use the official website of the Software Creators before submission.

Conclusion

Computer skills are synonymous with the competence and aptitude of a candidate to growth. As recruiters are looking for candidates with the potential to grow and profit the company in return, these skills in a resume achieve multiple credits on a resume for any job application. If you do not have any applicable computer skills, there is no better time to start learning than now!

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