How to Write a Job-Winning Resume | Guide for All Job Seekers in 2024
Learn how to write a resume that will get you your dream job.
What Computer Skills For Resumes?
Computer skills encompass a range of abilities needed to use computers and related technologies to perform various tasks successfully. Such tasks include sending emails, browsing the web, posting on Facebook and using digital tools to enhance productivity.
The exact computer skills you need will vary from role to role. But what remains the same is the importance of showcasing them on your resume effectively. We’ll show you how to do that and much more to boost your chances of landing a job in this handy guide.
More specifically, this guide will give you:
- A list of top computer skills for your resume in 2023.
- Advice on where to include software and computer skills in your resume.
- Tips for how to list computer skills on your resume to make an impact.
- Ways to build new computer skills and improve existing ones.
- Resume examples highlighting computer skills for different job types.
- Answers to common computer skills questions.
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Software Engineer Resume Example
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Network Engineer Resume Example
Not sure which computer skills to include in your resume? Use our Resume Builder to access popular resume templates and get pre-written expert recommendations for your job title.
Use Our Resume Builder
Still need guidance on how to include computer skills in your resume? Take the easy route and let our resume builder help you with prewritten phrases and step-by-step advice so you can easily customize and download your professionally designed resume in minutes.
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Software Developer Resume Example
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Software Engineer Resume Example
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Accountant Resume Example
Top Computer Skills Examples For Resumes
There are many different types of computer skills – basic and advanced, hardware- and software-related. Browse the lists below to get inspiration for your resume, but remember to only include computer skills that are mentioned in the job description and relevant to the role you’re applying for.
Basic Computer Skills For Resumes
Basic computer skills include abilities that most job candidates are expected to have today. They’re transferable across many roles and industries, and include:
- Word processing
- Email communication
- File management
- Operating system familiarity
- Internet research
- Spreadsheets
- Cloud storage
- Online collaboration
- Hardware knowledge (including basic security and software installation)
- Data entry and backup
- Social media
- Image editing
- Simple graphic design and multimedia
- Online presentations
- Video conferencing
- Content management
Advanced Computer Skills For Resumes
Advanced computer skills are more complex capabilities that are typically required for specific jobs and industries. These include:
- Web design and development
- Programming
- Coding
- Data analysis
- Database management
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Online accounting and bookkeeping
- Data visualization
- Machine learning
- Cybersecurity
- DevOps
- Network administration
- Web analytics
- UI/UX design
- Enterprise systems
- Debugging
- Blockchain
Software Skills for Resumes
Employers typically won’t just want to know that you can code, manage databases, compile slideshows or collaborate online. They’ll be looking for evidence of the programs and applications you use to achieve these tasks. Below is a list of digital tools and software you might want to highlight on your resume to bring your computer skills to life.
Word processing
- Microsoft Word
- Google Docs
- WPS Office
- Apache OpenOffice
Spreadsheets
- Microsoft Excel
- Google Sheets
- LibreOffice Calc
- Zoho Sheet
Graphic design and multimedia
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- Canva
- GIMP
Online collaboration
- Google Drive (Google Docs, Sheets, Slides and Forms)
- Slack
- Trello
- Asana
Cloud storage
- Google Drive
- Dropbox
- Box
- Microsoft OneDrive
Programming
- Python
- Java
- C++
- JavaScript
Online accounting
- QuickBooks
- Xero
- Zoho Books
- Wave
Computer Skills With Free Resume Examples
If you’re still uncertain about how to feature technology skills on your resume, it can help to look at computer skills on resume examples for inspiration.
Here are a few sample resumes that include computer skills. Browse through them to get ideas for your own document.
Refined
This simple layout features a traditional font and the clever use of section borders to help each section of your resume stand out
Standout
This distinctive two-column resume template identifies your name and professional experience in a bold color and clean presentation.
Original
A clever design that breaks each of your professional accomplishments into distinct sections while following a format that will pass applicant tracking systems.
Acclaimed
The elegant initials, simple header and strategic use of bullet points in this template help keep your professional accomplishments well-organized.
Accentuate
The bold use of a colorblocked heading paired with an elegant resume layout helps your name and contact information stand out.
Insightful
This structured design combines a two-column approach with bullet points to highlight your key accomplishments and professional history.
Whitespace
A traditional template uses a crisp combination of dark text and thin borders to radiate professionalism. Your name sits prominently above your professional history.
Knowledgeable
This template’s design features plenty of whitespace neatly divided by gray bars to make the information on your resume easy to read for employers.
Remarkable
This two-column resume conveys a very clear breakdown of its sections that allows a hiring manager to quickly scan your resume.
Bold
The subtle color accents in this template add visual pizzazz in a classy way, a great option for most traditional industries.
Emphasized
This resume’s modern design and bold use of color make it pop. Its uniqueness is well-suited to those seeking jobs in creative industries.
Centered
Everything about this template is assertive from the boxy layout to its all-caps heading text that gives the impression that you’re all about business.
Pacific
The understated contact information at the top puts attention front and center on your professional summary, skills, work experience and education sections.
Artistic
The subtle use of red alongside black gives this template a bold feel while still featuring plenty of white space to make it easy to read.
For more guidance, check out our library of professional resume examples. We have both free and premium samples for almost every job type.
Computer Skills for Your Resume: Key Tips
When displaying computer skills on your resume, keep the following guidelines in mind:
Use keywords from the job description to describe your computer skills. This will ensure your resume is optimized for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
Tailor your resume to the role you’re applying for and only highlight computer skills that appear in the job ad.
Be as specific as possible – don’t only mention computer skills in the broad sense; list software programs and digital tools you know how to use.
Indicate your level of competence in each computer skill with graphics, like a progress bar.
If you’ve developed certain computer skills through accredited courses or certifications, include these in your resume education section as evidence of your abilities.
Limit your resume skills section to a maximum of eight job-relevant skills in a bulleted list.
If appropriate for the job, consider creating a subsection under your skills section for technical/software knowledge.
Where To List Computer Skills On A Resume
You should ideally showcase your job-relevant skills throughout your resume. But there are three sections where you can really make your computer skills shine.
1) Summary Statement
Perched at the top of your resume below your contact information, your summary statement serves as your opening pitch. It offers a brief overview of your most notable competencies and accomplishments to convince hiring managers that you are a perfect fit for the role.
Needless to say, it’s an ideal place to highlight two or three key computer skills that are central to the job. See how this resume summary example for a marketing manager showcases computer skills and backs them up with evidence.
“Expert marketing manager with over seven years of experience in developing and executing effective marketing strategies. Successfully leveraged SEO, web analytics and email marketing skills to drive brand awareness, increase website traffic and boost conversions by 27%. Results-oriented professional with strong leadership abilities, dedicated to driving business growth.”
2) Professional Skills
Your resume skills section is an obvious place to call attention to computer skills. But don’t include every computer-related competency you have; only highlight the most pertinent in a simple bulleted list that’s easy to scan.
If you’re only listing one or two computer skills on your resume, include them under a general “Skills” header. Alternatively, create a separate subheader for “Technical Skills” or “Software Skills”.
To show your level of proficiency in each skill, you can either include descriptors like “basic,” “intermediate” and “advanced” in parentheses or incorporate a visual rating system, such as progress bars.Here’s an example of a skills section for a software engineer that features computer skills:
Skills
Professional
- Troubleshooting
- Communication
- Time management
- Solutions brainstorming
Technical
- Debugging
- Database handling
- Operating systems: Windows, iOS, Unix, Linux
- Programming: Python, SQL, Java, C++, HTML, PHP
3) Work History
Your work experience section is a great place to spotlight computer skills. Here you have the chance to show how you applied these skills in past and current positions to perform duties and achieve results.
The following is an example of computer skills on the resume of a project manager, brought to life with colorful descriptions in their work history section.
Senior Project Manager
03/2019 to 08/2022
ABC Co. New York, NY
- Leveraged Wrike to streamline project timelines, resource allocation and task assignments.
- Utilized advanced Microsoft Excel skills to develop and maintain comprehensive project budgets, resulting in greater financial control and cost savings of 12%.
- Initiated the use of online collaboration tools (Slack and Trello) to facilitate seamless communication and task management among remote teams, leading to an 18% increase in productivity.
How To List Computer Skills On A Resume
As you’ve probably seen by now, a dry list of computer skills on your resume isn’t sufficient. Hiring managers want to see evidence of your computer skills – proof that you’ve applied them in the past successfully enough to bring about desired results.
For this reason, the most effective and memorable way to list computer skills on your resume is to tie them to professional accomplishments. Ideally, you also want to quantify these achievements to show measurable impact. This involves highlighting ways you drew on your skills to add value – to boost productivity, reduce costs, save time or grow revenue, for example – using numbers and metrics.
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Skill: Spreadsheets
- Enhanced financial reporting accuracy by using advanced Excel formulas and functions, such as VLOOKUP and PivotTables, resulting in a 21% reduction in data errors.
- Managed and organized a complex database of 5,000 client records using Google Sheets, enabling seamless access for team members and improving collaboration and client service.
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Skill: Content Management
- Developed a comprehensive content management strategy using WordPress as a CMS, resulting in a 45% increase in website traffic and a 20% boost in organic search rankings within six months.
- Managed and maintained a robust online content library of over 400 articles on Drupal, ensuring adherence to SEO best practices. Increased organic traffic by 14% and decreased bounce rate by 33%.
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Skill: Data Visualization
- Developed interactive data visualizations for the company’s annual report, resulting in a 35% improvement in data comprehension among stakeholders.
- Designed and presented visually compelling dashboards using Tableau, showcasing key performance indicators to the leadership team, resulting in a 22% reduction in decision-making time.
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Skill: Enterprise Systems
- Introduced the use of Oracle as an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to streamline logistics, leading to a 41% increase in operational efficiency and a 10% decrease in inventory holding costs.
- Led the successful migration of customer relationship management (CRM) data from legacy systems to Salesforce, yielding a 27% increase in customer retention.
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Skill: Presentations
- Designed and delivered over 20 multimedia presentations using OpenOffice Impress, leading to a 32% improvement in information retention, as measured by post-presentation surveys.
- Built a comprehensive slide library featuring over 100 templates in PowerPoint, reducing presentation creation time by 25% and enhancing brand consistency across the organization.
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Skill: Hardware Knowledge
- Upgraded 100+ workstations and servers with the latest hardware components, leading to a 35% reduction in system downtime.
- Optimized network performance by 60% through expert configuration and management of Cisco routers and switches, making the workflow significantly more efficient.
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3 Ways To Improve Computer Skills
What if you don’t have the computer skills stipulated in the job description? Or your current proficiency level isn’t where it should be?
Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to build new computer skills or sharpen existing ones. There are several different routes you can take:
1) Take an online course.
The e-learning world abounds with courses covering various computer skills. And the good news is, many of them only span a few weeks or months and some are even free. Plus, you can learn at your own pace, in your own time.
Here are a few popular online learning platforms offering heaps of computer- and software-related courses:
- Coursera. Course examples: “Introduction to Computers and Office Productivity Software”; “Operating Systems and You: Becoming a Power User”; “Increase SEO Traffic with WordPress”
- LinkedIn Learning. Course examples: “Excel: Lookup Functions in Depth”; “Outlook: Efficient Email Management”; “JavaScript Essential Training”
- Udemy. Course examples: “Deep Dives — Google Cloud Storage”; “The Social Media Marketing & Management Masterclass 2023”; “Adobe Photoshop CC – Essentials Training Course”
- Skillshare. Class examples: “Getting Started with Spreadsheets – Google Sheets”; “Artificial Intelligence for Beginners: Tools to Learn Machine Learning”; “SQL 101: Databases for Beginners”
Many software companies and technology corporations also offer online training and certifications for their own products. Examples include Google, Microsoft, Salesforce and Hubspot.
2) Teach yourself.
With so many free online resources out there, it’s possible to teach yourself basic computer skills with a bit of effort. There are many YouTube video tutorials you can draw on to learn anything from Microsoft Office basics to SEO best practices. And after that, practice (and experimentation) make perfect.
3) Join a tech community.
Becoming a member of a local tech community can be an effective way of building new computer skills for your resume while also expanding your network. These communities often arrange workshops, meetups and even hackathons that encourage joint learning and skill development.
They are also a good way to connect with experienced professionals and potentially find a mentor who’s willing to teach you a thing or two. Plus, coding competitions and similar events give you a chance to work on real-world projects that can accelerate the learning process and hone your skills.
Key Takeaways
- Depending on your job title, top computer skills for your resume could include basic skills, like word processing and email communication, or advanced skills, such as programming and machine learning.
- Computer skills are best highlighted in three different parts of your resume: the summary statement, the skills section and the work history section.
- To showcase computer skills effectively, provide evidence of how you’ve applied them in the past to achieve measurable results. Use numbers and metrics for added impact.
- Online courses are an excellent way to build new computer skills for your resume.
- Resume examples can offer guidance and inspiration if you’re unsure how to list computer skills for your job title.
Pro Tip:
Your resume must be customized for the job at hand and feature only relevant computer skills.
FAQ
Updated: December 12, 2023
It’s important to only include job-relevant computer skills on your resume. Carefully review the job description and make a note of all the required software and computer skills. Then write a list of all of your computer and technology-related proficiencies. Draw parallels between the two lists and only feature skills that appear on both in your resume.
Basic computer skills are the fundamental abilities and knowledge required to operate and navigate a computer system effectively. They are essential for the performance of common tasks like sending an email, writing a document, browsing the internet and saving files. Most job candidates today have some basic computer skills.
This term refers to your proficiency in a specific skill – in other words, how well you’ve mastered that particular competency. You might be an expert at Microsoft Word but only have intermediate knowledge of Microsoft Excel, for example. Skill levels are often indicated on resumes with the words “fundamental”, “basic,” “intermediate” and “advanced” or with graphic elements called skill bars.
You can start by listing job-relevant computer skills in your resume in a bulleted list in your skills section. But you’ll have to do more than this. To impress hiring managers, describe your skills by linking them to quantifiable accomplishments. In other words, detail how you’ve used them in the past to add measurable value to an employer and include numbers and metrics to make your impact tangible. We included several examples of how to do this effectively in this guide.
A Resume Builder will offer you step-by-step guidance on how to fill out every part of your resume, including your skills section. It will suggest prewritten phrases, duties and achievements based on your job title, thereby doing a lot of the work for you.
If you’ve forgotten to include certain job-relevant computer skills, you’ll be prompted to list them. The expert recommendations will also help you successfully craft the wording of your summary statement and work history section.
Finally, a builder will present you with a wide selection of professionally designed resume templates that can help your skills stand out.
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