First resume fixes -- mistake #6: special skills that aren't special or skills (part 1)

November 2, 6:04 AMDC Entry Level Careers ExaminerAdam Anthony

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Do you claim to be "fluent" on your resume? Be prepared!

educationtimes.com

My last post was on the perils of making your resume too long.  Today, I'll talk about an area of weakness for even some of the best entry-level resumes -- the "Special Skills" section. 

When a student or recent grad sends me their resume, it's a virtual lock that the section needing the most help is their Special Skills section.  I do think it's great to include a Skills section because It's the perfect chance to show a potential employer how you stand out.  What typically ends up in that section, however, is far from special.  Over the next few posts, I'll give you advice about how to avoid pitfalls that can lead to BIG misunderstandings with your future employer.  Today, it's languages. 

The All Spanish Interview:  How thrilled would you be to walk into a job interview and spend the next 45 minutes speaking Spanish?  If your answer is "Not" then you need to be accurate about your language skills.  It's not sufficient to list something like "Conversational Spanish" as a skill.  Telling a future employer you speak conversational Spanish is like telling someone that you "read well" - i.e., it tells them NOTHING about you, and can lead to great misinterpretation.

Similarly, if you list "Spanish fluency" as a skill, then you better be prepared to walk into an interview and translate and discuss a long report or article, with understanding of obscure vocabulary.  You're fluent, right?

Do you want to make sure you don't face either of these situations inappropriately?  There's a simple fix -- just qualify your language skills along the following two scales:

               Level                                                Skill

• Basic                                                   Reading
• Conversational                                    Writing
• Near Fluent                                         Speaking
• Fluent
• Technical
• Native or Heritage

So, if you're new Spanish student, but just spend a year in Argentina, put on your resume:

"Spanish:  Near Fluent Speaking, Basic Reading and Writing"

If you grew up speaking Spanish with your family, and took eight years of formal instruction, put:

"Spanish:  Heritage Speaker, Fluent Reading and Writing"

If you can't speak very well, but just spent two summers reading and translating Spanish newspapers about human rights issues in South America, put:

"Spanish:  Basic Speaking, Technically Fluent Reading and Writing on human rights issues"

If you grew up in a Spanish-language country, but moved to the US for high school, put:

"Spanish:  Native Speaking, Reading, and Writing, no technical understanding"

_____________

The single most important rule is to be totally accurate in your evaluation of your abilities.  This level of accuracy, where you're quantifying exactly what your capabilities are, will go a long way to avoiding misunderstandings in interviews and to making you stand out in a crowd.

Next up: First Resume Mistake #6 -- special skills that are neither special nor skills

First Resume Mistake #1: Unclear format
First Resume Mistake #2: Unclear content
First Resume Mistake #3: Too many words
First Resume Mistake #4: Mismatched experiences
First Resume Mistake #5: Too Long

First Resume Mistake #6:  Special Skills That Aren't Special or Skills (part 1)