Developer Career Tip #0011---Skills Assessment on your Resume

Developer Career Tips #0011

Skills Assessment on your Resume

During the last few years, I've had the opportunity to counsel students concerning their resumes. One mistake that I find they make on their resumes (especially those students who don't have a strong paid work background) is that invariably they fail to include every skill they possess on their resume.

For instance, a few weeks ago a student who had just completed my Introductory Java class asked me to look over her resume. I read it over twice, and she obviously sensed something was wrong.

"There's no mention of your Java skills," I pointed out.

She explained to me that she didn't feel it appropriate to include a mention of a skill that consisted only of classroom learning (this in spite of the fact that she was head and shoulders the best student in the class).

I disagreed, pointing out that the mention of any skill on a resume, even a skill that hadn't been fully 'tested' in the workplace, is something that a prospective employer should know about. Let the prospective employer make the decision as to how much weight to place in a 40 hour Java class---who knows, perhaps they have a critical Java need to fill, and your 40 hours is 40 more than anyone else they have right now.

Of course, it's also important not to overstate your skills---classroom skills are not the same as skills learned on the job, and that's why I advise my students to prepare a Skills Assessment Grid as the last page of their resume. With a series of rows and 5 columns, list every computer related skill you possess, and rate it with a grade of between 1 and 5 like this:

1--Classroom/Self Learning
2--Less than 1 year of work-related experience
3--1 to 2 years of work-related experience
4--2 or more years of work-related experience
5--Expert. Possess Certification or have taught the subject matter

You'd be amazed at how quickly a recruiter can 'eyeball' this Skills Assessment Grid, and see exactly what skills you possess. More importantly, it gives you a chance to mention every skill you have---even if they were not necessarily picked up in the workplace.