8 Professions That Write More Than You Think

“How will I need this in the real world?” high school students often ask. Everyone knows that journalists and authors write for a living. But are effective writing skills necessary for other careers? You will be surprised; some professions use writing more than you think!

Human Resources
One of the primary functions of the human resources department is to fill open positions. The job description is a crucial element in attracting suitable applicants. HR has to represent the goals and working environment of the company accurately, or disillusioned employees might quit soon after they’re hired. Second, the job description has to identify job tasks so that applicants know whether they qualify or not. Finally, HR usually documents the results of interviews for consideration in the hiring process.

Sales and Marketing
Writing can influence people to try a new product or remain loyal to a brand. Effective sales copy should be concise, credible, and relevant to the customer. Sales associates often rely on emails to answer client’s questions about the service or product they are selling. When they do, they must strike the right balance between persuasion and coercion to make the customer want to buy. Persuasive writing is also an essential component of marketing. It’s no coincidence that the jingles featured in television and radio get stuck in your mind. Marketing executives have to determine who will use products to produce compelling advertisements in order. Then, they carefully craft sales copy, ads, and jingles to appeal to their target audience.

Construction
Construction bids are proposals from contractors or companies for a particular job. Because the contractors are competing against each other, they attempt to sell themselves as the most qualified builder at the best budget. They estimate the timeframe and budget based on drawings and specifications provided by the project’s coordinator. A successful proposal results in a job, but contractors must use sound judgment. If the final expenses significantly exceed the budget, the contractor damages his reputation and risks legal charges if managers suspect him of intentionally underestimating the cost of materials or the time necessary to complete the project.

Social Work
When applying for social services or funding on behalf of a client, social workers must justify their recommendations with notes from observations and relevant research. Thus, case notes and reports from the field influence weighty decisions, such as whether a family qualifies to adopt a child. Social work students begin honing writing skills before they enter the profession. They write term papers explaining an issue and often support their opinions using published research. Literature reviews summarize, classify, and evaluate theories and published research available about a topic.

The next time a high school student asks whether writing matters in the real world, ask what career she wants to pursue. From law enforcement officer to customer service rep, most professions will require effective writing skills.

Education
Students aren’t the only ones doing homework. Educators write lesson plans each week, describing the objectives of the class, the activities, and the expected outcomes. Many of them write their assessments, such as worksheets, quizzes, and tests. At the university level, professors frequently publish research studies, essays, or other writing in academic journals. Don’t forget that teachers are learners too. Professional development is mandatory, and it frequently involves a writing requirement, especially if it is graduate-level study.

Law Enforcement
After catching the bad guys, police officers generate written reports that become a part of the case record. They must be meticulous, ensuring that all the documented facts are accurate. A police report may become evidence in a trial or the basis of a news report. If the report is faulty, a perpetrator could escape justice. Similarly, forensic science technicians are also responsible for reporting evidence in written reports. The record may include a conclusion of how a victim died based on their analyses. Criminologists are sociologists who study the causes, effects, and social impact of criminal behavior. With a goal of predicting and discouraging crime, they analyze data and present it in proposals which may be used to develop laws and policies.

Health Care
Every day, doctors give written instructions to patients about diet, exercise, or medication. Needless to say, directions should be unambiguous because health care writing can be a life or death matter. For example, emergency room patients are often disoriented, medicated, or in pain. What a worthy challenge it is for busy doctors to write simple, understandable discharge instructions in such an environment! Physicians also share information with each other and the public. They use SOAP notes to document notes on a patient’s chart. SOAP is an acronym that stands for the four parts of the message—subjective, objective, assessment, and plan. Doctors might publish the findings of a case study or research project in a medical journal. To do so successfully, they will have to support their research with in-text citations and references using one of the style guides recognized by medical institutions, such as the American Psychological Association (APA).

Customer Service
What’s the difference between a disgruntled and a satisfied customer? For customer service representatives, it may be how well they handle and email or chat exchange. Customer support technicians have to ask probing questions to find out what the issue is. They have to show empathy while offering practical advice. You may notice that some reps used “canned” responses in live chat. They must be experts at answering quickly and juggling multiple clients at the same time! For simple issues, they might cut-and-paste a response, perhaps tweaking it a little to adjust for the specific details of your case.

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Ten Simple Errors People Make During a Job Search

Would you like some good news about errors? The simplest mistakes to make are the easiest to correct. If you’re having a frustrating job search, it’s probably because you’re making these ten simple job search mistakes.

Missing Opportunities to Network
Of course, you bring your resume and business cards to job fairs and networking events. But if these are the only times you think about networking, you’re probably missing excellent opportunities. For example, have you ever thought about keeping in touch with previous managers? Even if you don’t ever want to return to your former position, these people may be able to let you know about new developments. Also, if they change companies, they may remember you when they’re building a new team. You can also try to check back occasionally with companies whose interviews or offers you declined. You might try: “I loved your work environment when I came to interview for the administrative position. I declined it because I would flourish in a more creative role. When I saw your opening for a creative director, I knew I should reach out to you.”

Failing to Make a Strong First Impression
Never forget that while you are searching for the perfect job, employers are searching for the ideal employee. If your resume doesn’t stand out, you’ll never get an interview. First, tailor your resume to each job posting by demonstrating you possess the desired qualifications listed in the advertisement. Then, reinforce your strongest points by including a pain letter with your application. With a little TLC, the attention to detail and experience reflected in your resume will serve as a fine introduction.

Spelling and Grammar Mistakes
Speaking of writing, the number of people who fail to proofread would surprise you. Even if you haven’t used any complex or unfamiliar expressions, carefully read over every piece of communication with a potential employer, including email subject lines, document titles, phone numbers, and addresses. Take international spelling differences into consideration if you are applying for employment in a foreign country.

Failing to Recognize the Importance of Writing
If you are applying for a non-academic job, do your writing skills matter? Absolutely, according to MBA.com. Employers consider communication to be the most valuable of the top five skill sets for all recent graduates. (The others are teamwork, technical, leadership, and managerial skills.) If you don’t display writing ability, you won’t be able to compete with your peers. So, write the cover letter, even if it’s optional.

Too Much Information
Recruiters may not warn you that you’re oversharing, but they hate TMI. Hiring managers want to know an overview of your applicable skills in as short a time as possible. Be succinct. Keep your resume to one page of the most relevant highlights.

Bombing an Elevator Pitch
An elevator pitch is a brief summary of who you are and what talents you have. In formal interviews, interviewers may ask you to tell them about yourself. If you practice an effective elevator speech in advance, you’ll avoid the tendency to ramble. Your clearly stated expressions will indicate that you are confident in your abilities. As you may have guessed from the name, not every elevator pitch happens in a formal setting. Be ready to talk about yourself wherever you happen to run into someone influential.

Surprising Your References
Let your references know that you are job hunting. Otherwise, they may be scrambling to remember your fine points (or even worse, who you are) when they get the call.

Limiting Yourself to Online Vacancies
You’ll find lots of intriguing openings advertised on online job boards such as Monster and CareerBuilder. However, only about 20% of vacancies are ever posted online, according to Payscale. Besides missing many possible opportunities, you also have a huge pool of competition if you limit your focus to online listings. Expand your job hunt to include college career centers, job fairs, and employment agencies. Ask your friends and family to keep their ears open too. Never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth.

Relax
If you stress too much about finding a job, you might arrive at an interview a frazzled mess. Take the time between jobs to travel, catch up with family and friends, and enjoy your hobbies.

Are you guilty of one or more of these common job search mistakes? Why not work on correcting them today? Doing so may be your first step toward finding employment.

Follow Up All Inquiries
It’s not enough to turn in an application. Contact a specific person in human resources by phone or email after you submit your application materials. Within a few days of your interview, send a follow-up note or email to thank hiring managers for their time.

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How to Say No Without Feeling Guilty

No is one of the shortest words in English, but also it’s one of the most difficult to say. The problem isn’t pronunciation. Many people feel guilty when they have to turn down a request—especially one from a friend, colleague, or family member.

How can you decline a request without those pesky feelings of guilt? Let’s look at some scenarios you might face at the workplace. Why is saying no the right thing to do in each situation?

Sue wants to learn to use a new software program. You’re proficient, but you don’t enjoy teaching others.

Why It’s Okay to Say No
Is providing tech training part of your job description? If not, you have no obligation to do it. Sue would learn best from a willing teacher. If you politely refuse, you’ll avoid doing her a disservice, and she’ll be free to find a teacher committed to her success.

How to Say No Without Guilt
Thank your colleague for complimenting your abilities. Point out that while you are familiar with the program, you are not much of a teacher. Suggest another way for her to accomplish her goal. For example, you might send her a link to an online tutorial that helped you or encourage her to ask the boss to arrange training for everyone who needs support.

Your boss needs someone to work this Saturday. Weeks ago, you arranged to have the day off for a special event in your life. Even though he approved your request, now he is asking if you’ll rearrange your schedule to work an extra shift. You declined, but you just received another email from him asking you to reconsider.

Why It’s Okay to Say No
Mental health experts encourage a healthy work-life balance. If work always crowds out your other interests, you’ll soon experience burnout that will prevent you from working at your highest potential. In this case, saying no will set a precedent for your work relationship in the future. Your boss might never respect your “no” if you weaken and give in to his request. If the special event is important and you’ve followed company procedures, you shouldn’t feel bad about taking time for yourself.

How to Say No Without Guilt
When dealing with authority, you might propose a compromise. “Thanks for inviting me to work on the project! Though I won’t be available to reschedule my commitments Saturday, I cleared my schedule to work on the project as soon as I return to the office. I will report to you first thing Monday to see what you need me to do.” A tactful, yet firm response will show your boss that while you’re not a pushover, you are still a team player.

You spent all night writing an article for the company newsletter. The copy editor sends the article back to you for review—full of corrections and deletions. Some of her comments are spot on, but you disagree with one of them. How do you reject a writing edit while preserving good relations?

Why It’s Okay to Say No
An editor’s comments are suggestions for improvement. You, as the person whose name is on the article, will be the one to take the credit for successes and the fall for any mistakes. If your research or experience moves you to reject the advice, you can do so with the confidence that editors aren’t infallible.

How to Say No Without Guilt
Focus on how saying no will benefit your colleague. For instance, you might include a reference to the issue in the most recent style guide. Often, posing your challenge in the form a question will help you show respect. “I thought that the 2017 Chicago Manual of Style discouraged the use of singular they (in place of he or she) in formal prose? Can you check on it and get back to me?” You can also choose to ignore the suggestion without an explanation. Doing so might cause your editor to do a little investigating of her own and save herself the embarrassment of receiving a correction from you.

Practice Makes Perfect
Does the thought of saying no still put you on edge? You’re not alone! Psychologist Marsha Linehan suggests practicing in unimportant daily situations. Smile and shake your head the next time someone offers you a free sample at the mall. Delete the next email for a volunteer work project. In time, you’ll lose the feeling that you always have to say yes.

Why does saying no have to be a negative experience? Remind yourself why saying no is the wisest course. Then, use a little tact as you explain why you’re declining. If you offer an alternative means to support the person, they will feel better and so will you.

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What Are the Best Ways to Deal with Difficult People?

Difficult people can quickly turn your dream job into a nightmare if you let them. However, your happiness and productivity are worth the fight. Let’s consider the best ways to deal with challenging personalities.

Start with Yourself
In “Man in the Mirror,” a song recorded by Michael Jackson, the lyrics provide an effective formula for improving your environment: “Take a look at yourself, and then make a change.” Self-examination might reveal that you are overreacting to a situation. For example, perhaps you don’t appreciate a particular coworker who gives harsh criticism. Stop for a moment and consider: what are the person’s motives? Instead of assuming she’s trying to bring you down, why not assume she’s trying to make you the best you can be? Adjusting your attitude can help you to see the bright side of irritating behavior.

The song continues: “It’s gonna feel real good.” Scientific evidence supports the claim. Emotional intelligence includes having empathy and good social skills. In 2013, a study published in Psychological Science found that people with high emotional intelligence made wise decisions. A 2008 study revealed that positive work interactions correlated with good health, a factor associated with few sick days and thus higher productivity. What author William Arthur Ward said was true: “When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.”

Communicate
You can’t expect anyone to read your mind. Often, problems arise when one person misunderstands the humor or intentions of another. You need to give your colleague the opportunity to make things right.

Approach your colleague and explain why his behavior offends you. Plan your words. Strive for the most palatable way to voice your complaint. You might role-play first with an objective party. Ask a friend to monitor your tone, your words, and your body language. When you speak to the difficult person in real life, carefully choose a time and place. (For instance, avoid addressing issues in the middle of stressful projects.) Find a neutral place (i.e., not your office) where you can discuss the matter privately.

Bill Eddy, President of High Conflict Institute, suggests the following formula: Express regret that you have to address the behavior. Explain how you plan to help the person. Give examples of how you want them to act and how new practices would be beneficial to both parties. Let’s look at an example scenario. Think about your workplace challenge and how you can adapt the script to deal with it.

You: . . ., I’m sorry that I have to bring this up, but the way you . . . makes me feel . . . On my end, I will . . . However, if in the future, you could . . . If you do, the process of . . . will work much more smoothly than it does now.

What to Do When Your Efforts Fail
You approached the employee about how his or her behavior. If there is no change or the situation worsens, what can you do?

Ignore the Bad Behavior

Just like young bullies, difficult adults may seek attention with bad behavior. To show them that you are unaffected, you can deflect insults by laughing along with their jokes or making a neutral retort as if you didn’t understand their rude intentions. Then, change the subject. Once they fail to get the attention they crave from you, they may move on to a new target.

Nasty colleague: I heard Benjamin took vacation leave because he was embarrassed about losing the Denman account.

You: The beach is a restful environment. I can’t wait for my next vacation.

Avoid the Person
If it’s possible without damaging your ability to work, limit the interaction you have with the difficult person. Withdraw from shared voluntary duties and choose projects and committees that don’t include him or her.

Involve the Superiors
Involving the superiors is the second-to-last resort. In the best case scenario, the boss can straighten out the issue for you. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, the situation becomes worse because the colleague resents you for getting him or her in trouble. Or, you might find that the boss sides with the culprit.

Find a New Job
The real last resort is quitting your job. You can either transfer to a different department within the same company or break ties altogether. You’ll have to weigh the cost of this decision. Is the problem significant enough to merit such drastic action? Will you enjoy another kind of work? Will you easily find another position? And if you do, how will you handle it if there are challenging people at the new workplace?

What are the best ways of dealing with difficult people at work? Will you confront the problem directly by approaching the person to talk about their behavior? Will you let a supervisor know and let them handle the problem? Or will you flee to greener pastures by finding a new job? If you weigh the pros and cons of each strategy carefully, you’ll likely find a solution that works for you.

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7 Essential Time Management Skills That Will Improve Your Life

Time is the great equalizer—everybody gets the same twenty-four hours each day. Making productive use of that time can mean the difference between getting things done and scrambling to keep up. These time management tips will help you streamline your day and work smarter.

Block out distractions
Now that you have a better idea of what’s distracting you, it’s time to block that thing out. If social media is your downfall, for instance, try a productivity app that blocks online distractions. Focus Me, Cold Turkey, and Self-control are a few available options. If you’re working on a writing project, try going into full-screen mode to prevent yourself from opening tabs or answering desktop notifications.

Speaking of notifications, turn them off. Unless it’s critical to your job, odds are good you don’t need to be alerted every time a new email comes in or someone interacts with you on social media.

Schedule yourself
Worrying about how you’ll fit all your tasks into the average workday can put a serious strain on your productivity. When we’re stressed, we struggle to stay productive, which can lead us to work longer hours to meet deadlines. Who needs that?

To-do lists can become overwhelming if you’ve got a lot to accomplish. Instead, use your favorite calendar tool (or even a good old-fashioned datebook) to schedule yourself. You might set aside an hour for answering emails, two for researching and outlining that important report for next week’s meeting, one for a lunch date with a colleague, and so on. If you have a shared corporate calendar, all the better. You can remind your colleagues to interrupt you only when absolutely necessary if you have time blocked off for important tasks.
You’ll be surprised what time blocking will do for your productivity. For example, if you’re in the habit of answering emails as they come in, you may well be interrupting your own workflow to do it. That means that after you’ve dropped everything to answer that email, you’ll have to take extra time to reorient yourself to the task you’d been working on before it came in. Scheduling yourself allows you to set your priorities in advance and avoid being distracted by less important matters.

Insist that others respect your time.
You know that meeting you were asked to attend that had almost no relevance to you? The one where you had nothing to contribute? That’s an hour of your time you’ll never get back. Get out of those do-nothing meetings. Every meeting should have to justify its existence, and every meeting organizer should have to justify your required attendance, especially if not attending the meeting would ultimately make you more productive.

The same goes for chatty coworkers. You have a right to work time free from unnecessary interruptions, so ask for it. You could say something like “I have a lot of trouble concentrating sometimes, and interruptions take me out of the flow when I’m working. Could we save chit-chat for when we’re off the clock?”

Do a time audit.
Do you get to the end of every workday and wonder where the time went? Maybe you wonder why you didn’t manage to accomplish as much as you’d hoped you would. You could be wasting more time than you realize. There may well be a discrepancy between how you think you spend your time and how you actually spend it. A time audit can be an eye-opener!

Here’s a simple method for conducting a time audit.

Get some sort of timer that you can set to go off every thirty minutes. (The alarm app on your phone could do the trick.)
Begin the timer and go about your day. Try not to think about the timer—just let it run quietly in the background.
When the timer goes off, write down what you’re doing at that very moment. Be honest! If you’re checking Facebook or sending your best friend a funny text, own up to it.
Set the timer for another thirty minutes and repeat the process until the end of your day.
Review how you’ve spent your time. How often were you caught doing something that wasn’t productive?
Try conducting an audit every day for a week to get a good overview of how you’re spending your time. (You can vary the time between check-ins so that you don’t begin to anticipate the alarm going off every thirty minutes.) If you find that you’ve been spending too much time checking your email, scrolling through your social media feed, or chatting with co-workers, you’ll know exactly where you have to make adjustments.

Avoid multitasking
You may think you’re good at multitasking, but odds are you’re wrong. When you divide your focus between tasks, you’re actually diverting attention from one task to another and using more brain bandwidth. You’ll perform better if you give your full attention to one task at a time.

Grouping similar tasks can also keep you in the right mindset. You might, for instance, group your writing tasks together and do them during one particular block of time. Administrative tasks can fall into another time block. Need to be active on social media? Cool. Block time for using a scheduler like Buffer to queue up your posts for the day so you won’t feel the constant need to check in.

Get enough down time and rest.
Taking a break when it’s crunch time may seem counterproductive, but one study found that lack of sleep is costing the U.S. workforce $411 billion annually. You’re not at your best when you’re sleep-deprived.

And don’t shy away from taking your vacation time. Skipping vacation is actually bad for your health. Not only that, but taking time to relax can make you more productive. When you’re well rested and refreshed, you’re far more likely to tackle your tasks with focus and enthusiasm.

Now, go out there and get things done!

Keep your “call to action” in mind.
What do you want to get out of that phone call you’re about to make or that meeting you’re about to schedule? You need to know what you’re asking for, or at least what you hope to achieve, before you dive in. Otherwise, you’ll end up spending time in conversations and meetings that aren’t ultimately productive.

Take a few minutes after meetings and phone calls to reflect on whether you achieved the outcome you were hoping for. If you didn’t, plan your next steps so you can attain it. You’ll be more prepared when the opportunity to address the issue comes around again.

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9 Things You Need to Give up to Be a Successful Writer

Written communication isn’t easy. If it was, there would be no misunderstandings on social media, and we would never have to go back and clarify something we’d written after the fact. But that’s not the world we live in.

The need to improve one’s writing skills isn’t reserved only for those who want to be published novelists or award-winning journalists—there are endless benefits to being able to communicate through the written word.

If you want to become a better writer, here are nine things you absolutely need to give up today in order to succeed. We’ve divided them into parts designed to help you do two things—write with precision and write with artistry. Precise writing is technically correct and easy to understand. Artistic writing conveys a message or story in a way that resonates with the reader. Improving both precision and artistry will make you a better communicator no matter what your writing goals are.

Writing With Precision

Give up filler words.
We sometimes write like we talk. Conversational writing can be good, but writing that’s cluttered with filler words and phrases that we often use in conversation is not.

Give up your disdain for outlining
Unless you’re drafting something short and sweet, an outline can be a lifesaver. A builder wouldn’t dream of constructing something as complex as a house without a plan. Constructing any sort of long-form writing is easier with a plan, too. Even the simplest of outlines can save you a lot of time organizing and revising later.

Of course, some writers follow the “pantser” (as in flying by the seat of your pants) method, and that’s okay. Just be warned that if you don’t take time up front to organize your thoughts, you may have to commit to a more grueling revision process after you finish your draft.

Give up the impossible dream of a perfect first draft.
It’s important to write clearly and correctly. That’s a worthwhile goal. But you’ve got to get the words out first. Turn off the oppressive voice of perfectionism while you work on your first draft and focus on flow, instead. Try to write without stopping to make corrections—you’ll do that later. Instead, let the thoughts in your head spill onto the page. You’ll only get at those interesting and artistic thoughts if you stop interrupting them long enough to let them speak.

Give up your time.
Good writing takes time. The less time you invest in dashing off a quick message, the more likely that message is to be misinterpreted. Slow your roll, wordsmith! Does that text you composed accurately convey your thoughts? Good written communication requires attention to detail. You can’t pay attention to details if you’re rushing.

Give up your excuses.
You’ve probably heard the phrase “Writers write.” What does it really mean?

It means that if you want to call yourself a writer, you need to actually be one. If you find yourself making excuses instead of writing, it’s time to take a look at your priorities. Writers prioritize writing time—it’s as simple as that.

Give up needless distractions.
Hey! You there! Step away from the smartphone.

If you’re going to write, just write. Silence your phone. Close those unnecessary tabs. Maybe go into full-screen mode to keep your writing space clutter free. You’ll be surprised how clearing mental space for writing allows the words to flow.

Give up the need to talk about writing more than actually writing.
Aspiring creative writers and bloggers are often guilty of this writing sin. We love to talk about the writing we’re going to do and share the ideas we have, but when it comes to actually putting our butts in our chairs and our fingers to our keyboards . . . not so much. If you talk about writing more than you actually write, it’ll be difficult to succeed. See tip number one!

Give up the belief that good writing depends on talent.
Thomas Edison said, “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.” Innate talent won’t save a lazy writer, but hard work will help even a struggling writer succeed. If you don’t have a gift for writing, but you’re willing to put in the time to develop your skills, you can’t help but improve.

Give up the belief that you don’t need to proofread.

Even seasoned writers need to review their work before they publish that article, post that tweet, or send that email. It’s essential to not only look for spelling and grammar mistakes but also make sure your writing is clear.

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What Are the Best Ways to Show Skills on Your Resume?

Would you say that you should list all your capabilities on your resume?

Lydia Frank, the editorial director of PayScale, told Money magazine that there are some skills you should avoid mentioning: generalized job functions. How will typing set you apart (unless you are a typist)? Abilities such as filing or copying won’t impress an employer. According to Frank, “it’s implied knowledge.” This is especially true if you have advanced capabilities—if you are an expert in advanced web programming, you don’t need to list basic web design. Save the space for your best qualities.

Alesia Benedict, a certified professional resume writer, warns that recruiters are also turned off by an onslaught of skills. “Recruiters do not have time to wade through a resume loaded with irrelevant information such as hobbies, ancient work history, out-of-date skills, or reasons for leaving prior positions.” Therefore, even though you might be proud of how good you are with tongue twisters, it probably doesn’t belong on your resume for an accountancy position.

How do you decide which of your various talents are relevant? Resume expert Natalie Severt suggests getting the information directly from the employer. No, you don’t have to call or email the company. The key skills, the most valuable qualities to the hiring manager, are usually embedded in the job description.

Take a look at some of the items listed in the qualifications section of this job listing for an educational administrator:

Knowledge of MS Office programs (especially PowerPoint)
Comfortable with Google Docs
Tech-savvy and quick to learn new programs; experience with Learning Management Systems is ideal
Passion for education and ability to connect with students
Excellent written communication skills
Experience with electronic file keeping and reporting
Highly organized, but able to adapt as needs and programs evolve
Can you see all the clues provided by the potential employer? If you have technology skills, written communication skills, or organizational skills, you should highlight them if you want a good chance at being hired for this job.

How to Present Your Skills on a Resume
In most cases, job seekers set aside a section of the resume for their skills. You can simply label the section “Skills.” However, if a particular aptitude is valuable in your trade, you could be more specific. For instance, if you’re a computer technician, you might focus on technical or computer skills. If you’re applying to an out-of-country position, you might list relevant language skills.

Using the job listing from earlier, can you think of some ways to show your computer skills?

Extensive experience with Microsoft Office products
Familiarity with cloud-based apps, including Google Docs
Knowledge of OpenOffice
Besides these phrases, you might try “expert with,” “able to,” or “proficient at.”

Now that you know which skills to feature (i.e., those that are directly related to the position to which you are applying), where on your resume should they appear?

Not every resume expert agrees on the exact placement of this section, but most of their advice centers on one fact: The resume skills, along with the summary, should be the most visible parts of the document. If you use a template, find one that puts qualifications in a place that will get noticed. You might also get some feedback from friends. Ask them, “Which heading of my resume does your eye go to first?”

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