Job-seekers: Skills are overrated, experience and results are what counts

Do a search for resume advice and you'll see it everywhere: what skills are best to put on your resume. 

I just Googled it and you'll find no shortage of advice for what skills to add and how to list them. It's all about skills, skills, and more skills, especially everyone's favorite phrase for those looking to change direction - "transferable skills." I've actually seen resumes that list about 50 different skills, across 3 or 4 columns, in the prime real estate section of the resume. Wow, that's one talented individual.

The idea, I guess, is that all you need to do is tell the reader what you're good at, and you're in. Case closed. In my experience, that doesn't work.

​I'm here to say that skills are overrated - experience and results are what count (at least as far as resume writing goes). Here's why:

Work experience and achievements are viewed as objective. Yes, you could be lying but they're generally viewed as objective facts. If you said you increased sales by 11%, you probably did. If you said you ranked 1st in the district for conversion, you probably did. If you said you cut shrink in half from 2.2% to 1.1%, you probably did. (If you didn't, it'll come out at some point in the process, probably during the reference phase.)

Skills, on the other hand, are viewed as subjective since you're writing about your own talents. You're telling someone what you believe you're skilled at. Who's to say it's really true? (I may think I'm a good cook but virtually everyone disagrees.)

Wasting space on your resume telling the reader what you're good at, without anything backing it up, is not going to help you get the interview. Readers want to know what you've done, not what you think you're capable of doing. They want to know what you've achieved, not what you believe you're good at. 

Focus on the facts and your job search will improve. Best of luck!