Resume should highlight skills, not duties

John Grobe has seen a lot of resumes in his career, and that means he’s seen a lot of mistakes.

Grobe is president of a company called Federal Career Experts, based in the Chicago area, which provides career advice for people who are working in the federal government, or would like to.

He’s written a book, “The Complete Guide to Writing a Federal Resume,” available on the Web at www.fedweek.com. He just released a list of the top mistakes people make in writing resumes, which he said applies to both federal and private-sector jobs.

Want a job with these ladies at the Government Printing Office – or any other federal job? Write a resume that focuses on your skills.

The biggest mistake, he said, is listing responsibilities rather than skills and results. Grobe said just telling employers what you did doesn’t tell them the skills you used or the results you achieved.

Grobe said to be as specific as possible. If something you did saved money, how much money. If it saved time, exactly how much time.

At the same time, he said, don’t ignore “the soft skills,” such an ability to communicate or be an effective negotiator.

Grobe said applicants should use the right key words, which are nouns or noun phrases that are part of the job requirements. If the job demands an accounting degree or a knowledge of Microsoft Excel, those words should appear on the resume — particularly since some government agencies and companies have started scanning them electronically. If the right words don’t show up, the resume might never make to the next level.

For federal jobs, Grobe said, the key words can usually be found in the “qualifications” or “requirements” or “duties and responsibilities” part of a federal job posting.

A private sector job can be trickier, he said, but there’s often a description of the job requirements, sometimes on a company Web site.

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