Grads: Put skills first in r & eacute;sum & eacute;

What's the first thing on your r & eacute;sum & eacute;, besides your name and address? If you're a recent graduate who got help from the school career center to make a r & eacute;sum & eacute;, there's a very good chance your degree is the first entry.
That's because school career advisers work for schools. They are immersed in the task of preparing students for graduation. When that momentous day arrives, they want to share the accomplishment -- and their school's name -- with every employer who receives the r & eacute;sum & eacute;.
Unfortunately, employers don't care about your degree. They have businesses to run, and they need people with skills, not sheepskins.
Does that mean your degree doesn't matter? Far from it. But it does mean that your achievement of that goal is unlikely to be the top selling point in an employer's eyes. And the employer's eyes are the only ones that matter.
To prepare your r & eacute;sum & eacute; for the market, start over.
Establishing your goal
What kind of job are you trying for? Write your target job on a piece of paper and list beneath it all the things you will be asked to do in that job.
Don't know? Then you're not ready for the job search yet. Get on the phone and talk with people in the industry, or go to the library and look up job descriptions for the position. Then make that list of duties.
Now analyze the list. Which things do you do well? These are the points you will emphasize in your r & eacute;sum & eacute; and, later, in your interviews. Put them at the top of the r & eacute;sum & eacute;, perhaps in bullet form, in a category called "Related strengths" or "Relevant skills."
Since you know your goal job, you can start the r & eacute;sum & eacute; with an objective. But keep it short: Employers aren't impressed with candidates seeking "opportunities for advancement."
Adding the details
Ready for a more substantial category? After "Related Strengths," you need a section that describes some of your experiences as they relate to the job you're going for.
Suppose the position is Web site designer. Your "Related Strengths" section may have listed programming languages or software you can use, as well as your ability to format digital photos. Now you need to provide the proof for those statements. In a section called "Web site experience," list three or four Web sites you have created and the main features that make them unique.
"Work experience" is the next section. If you have recent jobs that relate to Web site design, you might want to fold them into the "Web site experience" section above. But assuming that the Web experience was voluntary or academic, your work experience might be more along the lines of short-term jobs while you were in school. Describe them briefly, including only the details that would interest an employer in this field.
Citing your degree
Now it's time to talk about the degree you just received. If it's in Web site design, label this section "Web training," but if it's in history, stick with the category "Education." Give as much or as little detail as you think the employer will want, keeping in mind that he or she is trying to hire a Web master, not an ex-student.
Which brings us to the cardinal rule of r & eacute;sum & eacute; writing: Emphasize the future, not the past. If your future is Web site design, that's what belongs at the top of your r & eacute;sum & eacute;, not the school program you just completed.
As always, when you read rules about r & eacute;sum & eacute;s, there are exceptions. If your training program is highly respected in your industry and well-recognized, you might want to put it near the top after all. To find this out, ask employers in your target industry how they rank your training program. You might also decide to "front-load" your training if you learn that the interviewer also graduated from your school.
Bottom line? Your r & eacute;sum & eacute; needs to tell the employer you can do the job. Don't rely on degrees and certificates to imply that you have the skills needed. Come right out and say you do, then provide the proof by describing the different ways you've used the skills.
XAmy Lindgren, the owner of a career-consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn., can be reached at alindgren@pioneerpress.com.