Tips to highlight your technical skills

In terms of recruitment, employers are looking for profiles with very specific technical skills. When candidates speak directly to recruiters, it is important that they highlight their skills both orally and in writing. The aim is to demonstrate your added value and convince recruiters. Here is our advice:

In your resume

Your CV is the first document you present to a recruiter. The objective is to make a good impression, so you need to make sure your presentation is pleasant to read. A well-crafted CV will give a good impression of you and make recruiters want to read it further.

The first step in highlighting your technical skills is to define what they are. This is a difficult step to take the first time around, as self-evaluation can be tricky. To do this, we advise you to draw up a list of all your skills relevant to the position you wish to apply for. Substance is very important, because it is about your expertise, your added value, but so is form, because it gives a good first impression and arouses the recruiters’ curiosity!

Be sure to set out your skills in key words, as being succinct is very important when reading your document. To make your resume more attractive and readable, we recommend listing your skills in a bulleted list. In fact, a bullet points help to lighten the layout of your document, so choose a list of skills ranging from 5 to 10 keywords. Choosing your keywords is a fundamental step in optimising your CV, as many recruiters use software that scans the keywords in your document. We suggest that you use the same language as the recruiters, using the headings mentioned in the job offer. Then, to further simplify the reading of your CV, you can include a gauge to give you a clear view of your skills at a glance. Once you have selected your skills, you can now include them in your CV and link them to your professional experience, which is listed in order of seniority. For each of your experiences, it is important to specify the main tasks you have carried out in a concise manner, to give recruiters something to build on during your interview.

Ideally, you should mention your mastery of a particular technique, software or language in factual terms, such as certification, honors, etc. to give recruiters an idea of your level of expertise. If this is not possible, you can give examples to illustrate your skill level (e.g. Excel expert – pivot tables / 2 years practice, or beginner, intermediate). Recruiters need to be able to see that you have tailored your CV to the position they are offering. 

In your cover letter

A cover letter is more personal than a resume : your CV summarizes your professional profile through a summary of your previous experience, your cover letter is more personal, as you address the recruiter directly in writing. To stand out from your competitors, it is vital to highlight your technical skills. By putting your skills in the spotlight, you highlight your added value and the skills that set you apart from other candidates. 

Your cover letter should reflect your personality and summarize your career path for recruiters, who should be able to get to know you better after reading your letter. Your competencies allow you to emphasize certain stages of your career by demonstrating the skills and knowledge you have acquired. You can also emphasize a skill by illustrating it with a concrete example of an experience in which you put it into practice. The aim is to demonstrate to recruiters the coherence of your career path and that you are proactive person, eager to learn. 

The skills to highlight in your cover letter are specific to each candidate, so it is important to emphasize the skills that really define you, as well as those that are likely to be required for the position. 

On LinkedIn 

LinkedIn is the largest social network dedicated to recruitment. Every day, many candidates apply through this platform, and many recruiters are on the lookout for promising profiles in all sectors. That is why it is important to keep your profile up to date and to keep your technical skills updated throughout your career. The advantage of professional social networks is the strong presence of recruiters on these platforms, and the freedom of expression they offer to go into the details of candidates’ career paths. However, it is also important to know how to optimize your LinkedIn profile, to extend your visibility. To do this, you will need to segment the information you deem essential to convey to recruiters.

Once again, as with the construction of your CV, you need to make sure that recruiters can read and understand each of your experiences quickly. Be careful about the keywords you use and think about how they will be referenced. Your profile is a space dedicated to you, where you are free to express your personality. Rather than simply listing your background and skills, we recommend that you tell your story.  Generally, junior profiles list up to 15 technical skills, while senior profiles list up to 30.

To sum up, we advise you to list all your experiences, even those you consider minor, and use keywords to enhance your referencing and highlight what you have achieved during your professional career.

During a job interview

A job interview is an opportunity offered to you by an employer, so it is important to seize it and differentiate yourself from other candidates. During yourinterview preparation, it is important that you build up a thread running through your entire career. The aim is not to go into too much detail, but to cover the different skills you have acquired throughout your career in a concise manner.

During your interview, you should mention your experience to the recruiters. However, be careful not to simply recapitulate the information on your CV: it is better to add additional information that the employer does not already know about you. The important thing is not to quote experience at random, without drawing conclusions that are beneficial to the target position. To do this, we advise you to determinate your technical skills before your job interview, using the “STAR” method: Situation Task Attitude Result. The aim of this method is to enhance your track record and make you more convincing. Using it, you need to be able to comment on a specific situation, explain how you went about it and present your results.

Moreover, by visiting the content shared by the company through their website and the offers relayed, you can get an idea of the qualities sought by the employer as well as the company’s culture.

When you talk about your technical skills, make sure you also demonstrate that you have learned from your previous experiences. It is important to take something positive from each experience.

When you have finished presenting your background, tell the recruiters what led you to apply for the job in question, and show what you can bring to them. However, be careful not to focus the interview solely on your aspirations and profile. Find the right balance and show your interest in the position and the company. The purpose of this exercise is to show the recruiters that you are aware of your strengths and weaknesses, and that you now wish to put your assets to good use in their structures. 

To highlight your technical skills, you first need to know what they are. Next, it is important to select and adapt your skills to the job you are applying for. In addition, the selection of your keywords is a fundamental step that concerns all stages of the recruitment process: be extra vigilant when making this selection, as it will influence your referencing as well as the attention your recruiter will pay to reading your documents. Finally, to highlight your technical skills, pay attention to the content as well as the form of your presentations. You need to be able to provide recruiters with relevant additional information that summarizes and illustrates your experience, while reiterating your motivations towards recruiters and their companies. Are you looking for a job or career development? Take a look at our vacancies on our website or contact one of our consultants for advice and support in your search. You have not found an opening suiting your current search ? Send us your resume through our spontaneous application form.