Write a Summary of Your Computer Proficiency
If computer skills are part of what you are selling in a job application, cover letter, resume, or school application, you will need to include a summary of them. Here is how to collect your skills and polish them into a summary that will sell.
Contents
Steps
- Think through your computer skills. ' Start with a blank sheet of paper or blank computer document and start writing down the names of different software you have used. Focus only on the ones you know how to use with at least some confidence.
- Write down which operating systems you know how to use comfortably.
- Write down which suite(s) of office tools you use.
- Review the list of programs on your computer. Write down the ones you know.
- Write down any specialized software you use on the job, such as accounting, analysis, and enterprise database software.
- Go back and fill in whose software it is and what versions you know. That is, if you have written "Excel", you might fill in Microsoft Excel 2007. Include multiple versions if you have used them.
- List any special skills associated with a program, especially a large, complex one that you use professionally. If your advanced spreadsheet skills are important to your job, try listing the skills as well as the software.
- List specific accomplishments. Remember that they can go elsewhere in the document, too. If your computer skills saved time, money, or the day, try writing a sentence about it. Also try this approach to avoid a "laundry list" effect if you want paragraphs rather than bullet points. Compare:
- Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word 98-2007.
- Cleaned a 3000-record mailing list database automatically in Excel and performed a mail merge in Word. Printed custom labels presorted by ZIP code. Avoided manual retyping and sorting.
- Write down programming languages you know and make a note of how well you know them. Which one(s) are you comfortable using professionally?
- Consider what is relevant to your summary. Who is reading this summary? Are they looking for an expert or someone with a working knowledge of the basics? Sometimes you may wish to say how well you know a particular program. Other times, a simple list is enough.
- Decide what you want your reader to see first, especially if you have a lot to list. As with other job and application materials, imagine that your reader is very busy and may only glance at that section for a moment. List your skills in order of importance.
- Weave your skills into a paragraph, if that is called for. In a cover letter, you may have a choice between paragraphs and a list with bullets, but remember that your cover letter focuses on the future: what you can do for the new company rather than what you have done for the old one. You may not need to go into detail about your computer skills in the cover letter if it accompanies a resume that tells the rest of the story.
Tips
- Think about what distinguishes your computer experience from that of others. If you work in a field that relies heavily on computing, it may be understood that you have a basic knowledge of how to navigate common operating systems.
- Many companies and recruiters scan resumes looking for key words. Use your computer skills summary on a resume to include plenty of relevant key words.
- If this is for a resume or cover letter, review the job description(s) to see what they require. Do you have experience using the software they list? Don't worry too much if your computer skills are not exactly what they list, but come as close as you can. It is possible to learn new software on the job. It's easiest to learn programs that are similar to ones you already know. Knowing one spreadsheet makes it easier to learn another.
Warnings
- Don't list skills you don't have. If you don't think you could use a program productively, don't list it.
- Avoid listing obsolete software or skills that might date you, unless they are needed in the job you're applying for (such as a job maintaining an old system or archiving legacy data). There's no need to mention Windows 95 anymore, and your proficiency programming in COBOL is more likely to show your age than to impress most prospective employers. Instead, say that you know the latest version you have used "and previous versions." In a resume bullet point outside your software list, simply omit the version and focus instead on what you accomplished.
