Jeremy Johnson has a new guest blog post this week on the difference between qualities vs. qualifications on your resume.
Jeremy is a recruiter in Kansas City for EHD Technologies, a recruiting, staffing and managed services company serving the IT, Engineering and Automotive industries.
There are two jobs with EHD Technology clients just posted recently on the IT/Developers Job Leads page.
You can also follow him on Twitter at jsquaredkc
Qualities vs. Qualifications on Your Resume
One of the most consistent mistakes I see on resumes job seekers trying to sell their qualities at the expense of their qualifications. What’s the difference, you say?
Qualifications are the demonstrated hard skills and accomplishments that prove to an employer that you can do the job. Qualities, on the other hand, are those soft skills that tell the kind of person you are.
Good personal qualities are important. Of course they are. And lacking good qualities can keep you from getting an offer or result in you being dismissed from the company if you do get the job. The problem is that when it comes to resumes, it’s your qualifications that will get you the initial phone call.
Having the right qualities is nice, but in the beginning, an audience that has a short attention span – recruiters, HR, hiring managers – is first concerned whether you could actually do this job, which is reflected in your qualifications, not qualities.
So, what are qualities? What do they look like on a resume? Here’s what I see most frequently:
- Fast learner
- Attention to detail
- Flexible and versatile
- Team player
- Good communication skills
- Motivated/hard worker
- Honesty/integrity
Again, I’m not saying these aren’t important. But, you can’t hang your hat on these. There are two main reasons why. 1) Everyone says these things, so folks on my side of the fence hear this all the time and it really doesn’t set you apart, and 2) These things are easy to say but hard to prove, at least on a piece of paper (or computer screen).
My suggestion is that on the beginning of your resume, first summarize your qualifications. List the skills, experience, technology, industry knowledge, etc. that makes you qualified for the job you’re going after. If you want to include the soft skill qualities, list those afterward. The first things to focus on, though, is your audience, whose initial look at your resume will be pretty quick, scanning for the hard skills that make you qualified for the job. I guarantee on that first pass, any qualities you list are getting passed over in lieu of identifying if you’re actually qualified to perform the duties of the job.
And, if you really feel it’s important to communicate your personal qualities, or if you maybe lack some of the necessary qualifications but you’re hoping the company is open to a smart, solid individual they can train, work on proving HOW you’ve demonstrated those admirable qualities on the job. The company will still want to know how those skills will benefit them.
The bottom line is this: when you’re first selling your skills to a prospective employer, first prove to them you have the right qualifications for the job. Then, and only then, show them that you have the kind of they’d want in person on their team.