Highlight Your Skills in Resume Summary

The easiest way to get an employer's attention in your resume is to include in your summary the exact skills requested in the employer's job announcement, writes Sherri Edwards in her article for Quint Careers, Ten Resume Tips. The use of keywords at the very beginning of a resume will capture the employer's attention. Conversely, using a variety of skills that are unrelated to the position will detract from your value, not add to it.

Using the employer's specific words will ensure you get attention, while paraphrasing with other language can be disadvantageous. Tagging "hard" (technical) skills on at the end of the resume may work for recruiters' electronic searches, but when the recipient/screener is actually reading your resume, your most important skills may be overlooked.