When you understand that the highlights of qualifications section is a pivotal part of the resumé, this can put a lot of pressure on you writing it, especially because it's the section employers often zero in on to see if they're interested in looking at the rest of your resumé.

Take courage though.  There are ways to use this section to your advantage which we explore here.  This article is an expansion of how to write your highlights of qualifications to get an interview, specifically how to organize the content of it. 

Highlights often follow a specific order.  You can use this order of bullets as a framework for writing this section.  All the bullets might not be relevant to you or the kinds of jobs you're applying for.  But it's a good idea to see how they're organized and what they contain so you can write better bullets on your targeted resumé.

You will notice that this order generally matches the order of requirements on a job posting as well. 

Let's go through the highlights bullet by bullet. 

First bullet (Years of experience)

Number the years of experience and consider specifying your years of experience in a specific industry, e.g., "Over three years of experience in the textile industry, with two years of experience tailoring readymade suits for men."

This is adequate for a Canadian resumé but can incorporate some colour from what is expected in the profile of a U.S. resumé all the same, by mentioning things like your unique approach.  

This is key to setting you apart from another person with similar years of experience in the industry, e.g., "Unique approach to assessing the client's needs reduces rework and gains high referral rates", or "Unique approach to determining the right alterations for clients gives polished customized looks."

Side Note #1: Sometimes employers don't ask for years of experience anymore because they are moving away from traditional methods of hiring that depended more on years of experience than they did on a particular set of skills.  But when the level of experience required is ambiguous, it can confuse candidates.  When you come across a posting that seems like it's not entry-level (requires zero to two years of experience), it's worth doing a little more research.  Look for people who have this kind of job on LinkedIn and check out their job history.  And it might be worth calling the employer and asking them how many years of experience a strong candidate would have, or what their previous role would be to help them succeed in this position.  If they divert your attention to skills, you know where to put more of your focus on when writing your resumé. 

Side Note #2: Years of experience is a keyword.  Many candidates don't know that when a posting asks for five years of experience, and they write six, that they're missing the keyword, although they have exceeded expectations!  It is better therefore to write, "Over five years of experience" in this bullet.  This also goes for if you have over ten years of experience and the posting only asks for five, as you risk sounding overqualified and the employer will be afraid that they cannot afford you, and you miss your chance at an interview.  If you declare "over five years of experience" in your highlights, the years accumulated under the experience section of your resumé should count up to this.  You can be selective about which experience entries to mention so it doesn't go over a total of ten, especially by omitting earlier more entry-level roles.  If you lack experience, include your internships, co-ops, part-time, and volunteer experience.  These count up to years of experience (or months of experience) for this bullet. 

Second bullet (Education and training)

Summarize the relevant education the employer asks for, which you will further specify in the education and professional development section.  Why include a summary here, if you're going to detail it in its section anyway?  

Because the highlights section is like a sampler of the whole meal.  It contains everything at a glance and entices the employer to delve into the other sections of the resumé. 

The summary of education doesn't have to include all the programs you include in the education section, but at least one.  

Side Note #1: If a job simply asks for a high school diploma, and you have post-secondary education, you can write in this bullet that you have that and some college.  Then be mindful of how many programs you include under the education section of your resumé, so you don't appear stiflingly overqualified. 

Side Note #2: On the other hand, if you lack a high school diploma, efforts to secure your GED would show great initiative on your part, even if you're not yet completed.  Any vocational courses, especially relevant to the industry in which you're applying, would also help. 

Side Note #3: if they are asking for education that doesn't quite match yours, you can show similarities by mentioning in your highlights certain courses that you completed.  These courses would give you some of the background the employer is seeking.  Many candidates who simply have a certificate or diploma level of education have performed well at jobs requiring a degree level this way.  And it works for candidates who are switching careers who have done courses in their previous programs, or are presently doing courses, on subjects that would interest the employer.  So, mention such a course in this bullet, and detail your education section accordingly. 

Side Note #4: Since this bullet is about both education and professional development, or both education and training, you can list that you have your licenses here, e.g., for regulated professions (nurses, doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers), and/or your certifications, e.g., First Aid, crane operator license, food handlers certificate.  You can then further detail these under the education and training section of your resumé.

Third bullet or third set of bullets (Hard skills)

These are skills pertaining to the job title.  Use one or two bullets or lines to detail them with qualifiers, e.g., “excellent at”, “proficient with”, “familiar with”, etc., or with examples of your experience, e.g., “tailored readymade suits from a range of popular brands from Zara to Dolce and Gabbana”.

You can group similar hard skills in separate bullets, and then detail them by describing your proficiency or by using an example of your experience. 

If you lack experience and it's an entry-level job (that requires zero to two years of experience), you can showcase skills from your education and other jobs or volunteer experience you have included on your resumé.  Most of these skills would need to be relevant to what the employer is asking for on their job posting. 

Languages are hard skills when the position is bilingual or depends on your language skills.  You can detail a language by including your proficiency with it (oral and written), and by mentioning an example, e.g., "Spanish tutor for two years for Grade 12 students". 

Languages also include ASL (American Sign Language), reading and playing music, and programming languages, when the position calls for it.  They can be detailed as well, e.g., "played in second line snare drum in band for varsity games in sophomore year", or "used ASL with hearing-impaired youths at youth camp".   

Side Note: Pay special attention to the proficiency level of the hard skill that is required.  If you exceed it, mention it.  If you are close to it but not quite, it's still worth mentioning.  After all, if you have 50% of the job requirements, it's worth applying, and if you have 70%, you're a strong candidate. 

Fourth bullet or fourth set of bullets (Soft skills)

Soft skills, a.k.a. transferable skills, are skills that can be transferred from job to job, industry to industry.  They can sound like either people skills or technical skills, but not the hard skills that have directly to do with the job title.  Even so, they are still important for success on the job. 

Soft skills are often categorized into two groups:

1. Self-management skills, e.g., time management, prioritization, punctuality, organizational skills, being detail-oriented, having the ability to work individually as well as in teams. 
2. Interpersonal skills, e.g., communication skills (oral and written), conflict resolution, negotiation, customer service, etc. 

These skills can also be detailed like the hard skills, by mentioning proficiency or examples.  They can also be grouped by similarity in separate bullets. 

Side Note: You can use soft skills to your advantage to find jobs that are a better fit for you.  When there are a cluster of soft skills on a job posting that doesn't sound like your strengths, that job might not be for you.  You might be better at more detailed problem-solving than you are at quickly coordinating things.  Or you might be better at leading and motivating groups than you are at performing finer tasks individually.  It does not mean that your field of work is not right for you.  But it might mean you will excel at a different role within it.  Even so, you may be going for a particular job because it is entry-level and can get you into an organization so you can apply for better opportunities, and that's all well and fine.  But if 90% of the jobs you're applying for have this disparity, you might end up continually feeling like you're a square peg in a round hole.  Identify your strengths, and play them.  There are jobs out there with your name on it. 

Fifth bullet or fifth set of bullets (Other qualifications)

These often include qualifications that aren't technically skills but are still requirements, e.g., having a Driver's License, ability to carry 20 to 50 lbs. of equipment on site, ability to work outdoors summer through winter etc.  

This bullet can also include what qualifications the employer lists as "preferred" or "an asset".  These are not hard requirements, but often makes you a stronger candidate, so include them if you have them, and if you fall-short of a qualification, for instance, by a proficiency level, it would still be worth mentioning that you have it but at your proficiency level.  And if they like you enough, they will reach out. 

Language skills are popular for this bullet when they're not asked for on a posting.  You might ask, why mention languages anyway?  Well, if you know the community has people who speak your language, it's a plus!  You might be the missing link they're looking for on their team.  Whenever you speak of languages, mention your proficiency (oral and written). 

Here's what an example put together would look like. 

Example

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Intended position: Tailor (Men's Suits) at Urban Threads (Vancouver ON)

Highlights of Qualifications

• Over three years of experience in the textile industry, with two years of experience tailoring readymade suits for men.  Unique approach to determining the right alterations for clients gives polished customized looks and gains high referral rates. 
• High School Diploma and vocational certificates in designing and sewing. 
• High level of creativity, strong organizational and problem-solving skills; method of assessing and documenting the client's needs reduces rework and simplifies orders. 
• Client-facing customer service skills, excellent communication skills, team player; team leader for current department during afternoon shifts that include rush hour.  
• Speaks languages in the community: Mandarin (fluent, oral and written) and Cantonese (conversational, oral).  Owns vehicle and can get to multiple branches in the city. 

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If your highlights section turns out looking too bulky, you can always transfer some of the details containing examples to be used as part of accomplishment statements under other sections of your resumé, like experience or education. 

This suits a Canadian resumé, but for a U.S. resumé, instead of a highlights section, they often have a profile section and place skills and other qualifications under a separate section called "Skills" or "Skills and Qualifications".  These two sections, profile and skills, would match the contents of a highlights section.  Wherever you mention skills, in the U.S. or in Canada, detailing them works far better for you than not. 

Side note: Do not worry if your highlights (for a Canadian resumé) or your profile and skills (for a U.S. resumé) ends up taking over more than half of page one of the resumé.  You will be using mostly accomplishment statements to detail your experience instead of job descriptions anyway.  All of this might make your resumé more of a hybrid resumé than it is a chronological resumé, and this is exactly what the current job market expects to see, even if they don't explicitly say it.  Hybrid resumés take the best of both worlds (the experience focus of a chronological resumé, and the skills focus of a functional resumé) to better represent you to an employer.  They are also the best approach for someone who may fall short of the years of experience, but has many of the skills required.

Now you're on your way to organizing your highlights section to your advantage so you can get your foot in the door for that next job you've had your eye on. 

Here's a recap. 

Summary

Organize the highlights of qualifications section in a specific order usually as follows:

1. First bullet (Experience): Years of experience (in the industry).  Consider mentioning your unique approach as well. 
2. Second bullet (Education): A summary of relevant education. 
3. Third bullet or third set of bullets (Hard skills): Skills pertaining to the job title, group them and detail them according to proficiency or by example. 
4. Fourth bullet or fourth set of bullets (Soft skills): Transferable skills, including self-management and interpersonal skills.  Group them and detail them. 
5. Fifth bullet or fifth set of bullets (Other qualifications): Languages, Driver's License, etc. 

Notes

This article contains no text pictures to ensure that every word can be read aloud by a text-to-speech application. And was tested using Google Chrome’s “Read Aloud” add-on.

Resources

Check out my other articles for help in building your targeted resumé. And if you're looking for a resumé writing guide to land that dream job, book me to help. Rates apply.

Bio

Tiffany Persaud is a freelance writer who has written for clients and organizations in Canada and the USA, on topics ranging from books, films and media, to health and employment skills. She has her website (https://tiffany-persaud.writing.io/) where she publishes many pieces just like these each week.