Areas of Expertise: How to Highlight Your Skills on a Resume

An area of expertise is a skill set that qualifies you for the job you want. Job applicants list their areas of expertise in a skills section of their resume, in the introduction or skills portion of their profile on a job-seekers website, and on cover letters. By promoting your areas of expertise, you can improve your chances of catching a hiring manager or recruiter’s eye.

Areas of expertise can be either technical or general. For example, if you’re applying for a job as a designer at a newspaper, you may choose to highlight layout design and time management as areas of expertise. Or, if you’re applying for a software engineering position, you could highlight your specialization in specific programming languages like Python or Java.

There are several notable reasons to highlight your areas of expertise when applying to a new job.

1. 1. Stand out from the competition. Candidates who promote the specific skills employers are looking for have a better chance of landing a job interview.
2. 2. Support your professional experience. Although your resume might be filled with impressive job titles, providing examples of skills in use helps an employer understand your level of qualification for a specific job. For example, if you’re applying for a project management role, experience working with a particular project management software would be a plus.
3. 3. Demonstrate industry knowledge. Specific industries require employees to have licensing or certification in a particular skill. For example, when applying for a role in the healthcare industry, you must be CPR-certified. If you already possess key skills related to the position you’re applying for, it demonstrates to the employer that you understand the requirements of the industry.

There are four main types of expertise.

1. 1. Soft skills: Soft skills are broad and aren’t directly related to a specific field of expertise. Examples of soft skills include strong communication, adaptability, critical thinking, time management, and problem-solving abilities. Although soft skills are difficult to measure, candidates can point to specific examples from their work experience that demonstrate their proficiency in each skill.
2. 2. Hard skills: Hard skills are specific areas of expertise that an employer can easily measure. For example, a person who works with a bilingual customer base needs to speak several languages fluently. The ability to speak several languages would be considered a hard skill. When applying to a job that requires hard skills, it’s wise to specify your level of expertise (beginner, intermediate, or expert).
3. 3. Transferable skills: Transferable skills are broad skill sets that can apply to a wide variety of different jobs. For example, strong customer service skills are just as relevant to being a grocery store clerk as a sales and marketing director.
4. 4. Job-related skills: Job-related skills are technical skills that apply to a specific job listing. When a recruiter is looking for qualified candidates with expertise in a particular area, they often prefer candidates with technical skills. For example, a job posting for a web developer may require expertise in a specific coding language. Candidates with years of experience working with a particular coding language are likely to be selected since they won’t need further technical training or education to perform the job.

Combine what you know best with the requirements needed for the kind of job you’re interested in to decide on the areas of expertise you wish to highlight.

• List and rank your skills: Make a list of all of your areas of expertise. Include any soft skills, hard skills, and job-related skills you can think of. Next to each skill, specify your level of expertise by writing novice, intermediate, or advanced. Arrange the list so that your best skills are at the top.
• Identify relevant skills and provide examples: Consider which of your areas of expertise is most relevant to the job you’re applying for. Ensure that these are at the top of your resume so that the hiring manager doesn’t miss them. Back up your list of areas of expertise with examples of how you used those skills—you can mention these in the job description section of your resume or in your cover letter. For example, if you’re applying for a social media marketing position, you may list familiarity with social media apps and analytics tools as areas of expertise, and provide examples in the job descriptions of how you used these tools to increase user engagement.
  
• Use the keywords included in the job description: Most job descriptions list areas of expertise the ideal candidate possess. Be sure to tailor your resume to fit these keywords. Some hiring managers use applicant tracking systems that scan your resume for keywords that pertain to specific skillsets. By including these keywords in your resume, you have a greater chance of getting their attention.

Get the MasterClass Annual Membership for exclusive access to video lessons taught by business luminaries, including Sara Blakely, Chris Voss, Robin Roberts, Bob Iger, Howard Schultz, Anna Wintour, and more.