I get asked about applying for jobs a lot. It can be a daunting process and how do you really know what the person is looking for and what do they need? Assuming you can get past the first set of filtering by applying to the right person, in the manner they asked for and presenting yourself in a competent, approachable and engaging way, what do you actually write?
It is not simply a case of listing what your skills are and when you learnt them, you need to move beyond this and instead you need showcase how you've applied those skills to solve real-world problems and achieved positive outcomes.
While having relevant skills is important, employers are ultimately focused on achieving specific goals such as improving customer satisfaction, reducing costs, or launching products ahead of schedule. By demonstrating how you've used your skills to contribute to these types of outcomes in your past roles and education, you can demonstrate your value as a potential employee.
Rather than just mentioning your proficiency in a particular software program or technical skill, or worse, giving yourself a score out of ten, provide specific examples of how you've used that skill to streamline processes, save time, or overcome challenges. This approach can help highlight your problem-solving abilities and work style, which are often just as important to employers as technical skills. It doesn't even need to be in a relevant industry as having the right attitude and drive is massively transferable.
By presenting concrete examples of how you've used your skills to drive positive results, you can distinguish yourself from other applicants and demonstrate your potential to help the employer achieve their goals.
Go get 'em!