how much should you know before including a technical skill in your resume

Question

As a student who's planning to do a co-op term next year, I wonder how you're supposed to present a technical skill (a programming language for example) in your resume.

Reason I ask is that my co-op adviser and I are already working on the resume. He advised me to include as much as I could in the technical section since I have no prior programming experience. I'm not sure how much should I know about a certain language before including it in the resume.

For example, if I know some really basic bash scripting like:

• variable usage
• loops
• comparisons
• some linux commands like grep, tail, etc.

Are those enough to include it in my resume? Can I get some input on these particularly from those of you who hire co-op students? Thank you very much.

Related:

When do you say “I have learnt this new language”

Answer 1

I'd say be honest about it. If you know "basic scripting", put "basic scripting knowledge" on it. If you have room, take the examples you have above and include them. Definitely don't put positive modifiers (expert, experienced, etc) unless you can back it up. Interviewers feel that their time is being wasted if they pick someone to interview based on fake claims - I have turned down many an interviewee for this myself. On the other hand, don't leave it out if it's relevant to the job. Hope this helps. Good luck on the interview!

Answer 2

For example, if I know some really basic bash scripting like:

* variable usage
* loops
* comparisons
* some linux commands like grep, tail, etc.

Are those enough to include it in my resume?

Sure. Just note it honestly: "experience with..." rather than "proficient with" (or the like) and prepare to qualify its inclusion during an interview.

As long as it is not listed as "candidates must have extensive experience with..." in the job description, having limited experience is forgivable. What isn't is lying or exaggerating.

Answer 3

If you're a student or a new grad, include anything that you had some exposure to in your studies/projects that may help in the position you're applying for.

Employers know that students are just starting off their careers and they usually want to know what you've been exposed to, to see how they can develop you and make you more useful to the company.

If they need more detail, they'll ask or test you in the interview.

Answer 4

I'm going to include a link to a good resource for job seeking skills at the end of this post. But first:

The short answer: based on your example, I would advise to include Bash scripting.

Use the body of your resume to explain how you have used Bash -- list the basic scripting things that you have done, and be honest.

Reasoning: the person reviewing your resume knows that you are fresh out of school. You are not claiming to be a bash guru.

Long answer:

One of the most important components of getting into a job that you want is to your resume in front of the hiring manager (or better yet, met him or her). That may seem obvious, but nearly all companies use their Human Resources department as a filter for weeding out candidates that they don't want. The problem is that the HR person is not an IT or development expert. So if possible, you want to bypass the HR department (if you know someone at a firm, ask them to present your resume, or better yet, to introduce you to the hiring manager).

The HR screening process is an elimination process -- that is, their function is filtering, so they are looking for things that will disqualify you. You have to assume that the HR person has only average technical knowledge. They are looking for things like "is java in the resume?" ".net?", ok.

The HR screener is just looking for keywords. So, when you list the technologies that you konw, make sure to include anything that you feel reasonably proficient in.

In your body, you can discuss what you've done with the technology (that part is for the hiring manager to read).

But really, the most important thing that you can do is bypass HR, get yourself (or at least your resume) in front of the hiring manager.

Here's a great blog: http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/

Make sure to read the basics: http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/basics.htm

Answer 5

First off, I agree with Ed B (and voted him up) that the standards are different for a fresh from school person, and you should write down everything you've used in a class for some project or other. If they need 5+ years experience in something, they have no business interviewing new grads.

However, don't go hog wild. You shouldn't just put down stuff you saw a snippet of in a book somewhere. The best rule is to not put down anything you wouldn't feel comfortable being asked to use, either because of ignorance or because you dislike using the thing.

This actually goes for everyone. As the years have gone by I've taken languages and tool suites off my resume, because I really didn't want to land a job and find out they wanted me to use that. The flip side of this is that you should find a way to put down things you are very interested in using.

Another piece of advice would be to divide your skills into categories based on how well you know them. I think I did it by semesters of use. That way both you and the interviewer can feel you are being honest about it.