Have you thought about the skills you're listing in your Monster Résumé’s Skills section? If you treat this section as an afterthought, you could be missing an opportunity to show employers you've got the right skills for the job.

Listing skills can help you stand out. It can also add important keywords to your resume. Hiring managers often use skills as keywords when searching jobs database, so your resume will have a better chance of being found by the right people if you include a comprehensive skills list.

A one-week review of the top 100 skills posted by candidates shows that 74 percent of these skills are computer- or technology-related. However, only 22 percent of the top keywords recruiters use to search resumes are related to technology. Technical skills are certainly important, but you should also include other skills employers find desirable.

Three Types of Skills

·    Job-related: These are relevant to a specific job. For example, an accountant's job-related skills might include financial planning, budgeting and financial reporting.

·    Transferable: Skills learned in one field or job that are applicable to different ones are transferable. These skills can reflect how you deal with things (assembly, machine operation), data (research, synthesize information) and people (instruct, manage and negotiate).

·    Adaptive: These skills are the hardest to substantiate as they include personality traits and characteristics that determine your work style. Adaptive skills include reliability, ability to get along with colleagues, honesty and productivity.

Adding Your Skills to the Resume

Add as many skills as you wish. Job-related and transferable skills are the most desirable to list on your resume. For each skill, indicate when it was last used, your skill level and years of experience. It's important to be honest when evaluating your skill level. While it's tempting to select "expert," once you get the interview or job, you may need to prove it. But this is not the place for modesty either; do select "expert" if you are truly at that level.

Here's a guideline for rating your skill level:

Beginner:  A novice understanding of the skill. You have exposure to the skill and understand its basic concepts but lack experience.

Intermediate: Between a beginner and an expert. You have experience with and can carry out the skill but don't understand its advanced concepts.

Expert: A highly developed skill level. You have solid experience and training with the skill and understand advanced concepts. You demonstrate proficiency and superior skill level.

How Many Skills to List?

Employers quickly scan resumes, so long lists are not likely to get read. Instead, select 10 to 15 of your strongest, most desirable skills. A short, targeted skills list will be more effective than one that's long and overwhelming.