Focus on your achievements rather than the job description. Job expectations are the same for
someone who excels and succeeds as they are for someone who is fired after a week.
Focus on describing specific accomplishments not just what you spent the most time doing. For
example, feature the fact that you wrote a training manual even if you spent most your time just
filing documents.
Begin each accomplishment statement with an action verb. A list of action verbs is available on the
Career Services website or you can use a thesaurus. Do not use the same action verb more than twice.
Ask yourself questions that help to quantify:
How many?
How long?
How much?
How old?
How often?
Ask yourself questions that help to qualify:
Who?
When?
What kinds?
How?
Ask yourself what the results of your accomplishment were.
Was I promoted or rewarded?
Was there an increase in efficiency, revenue, or awareness of a problem?
How did customers, company, industry, or community benefit?
What did others learn?
What did I learn?
7) SKILLS or SKILLS SUMMARY: List skills grouped together by type (film equipment, computers/software,
writing, languages, communication, teaching, etc.). Use adjectives and other describers to specify your proficiency level
in each type of skill (expert, fluent, proficient, expertise in, extensive knowledge of, understanding of, experience with,
awareness of, familiar, familiarity with, working knowledge of, rudimentary knowledge of, basic understanding of, etc.).
Here are some effective examples of how to list your skills:
Highly skilled at cameras (DVC PRO 25/50, HD, Bolex, Arriflex, other DV cameras)
Expertise with sound equipment (mixers for video, Nagra, boom)
Extensive experience in writing, directing, and editing
Expert knowledge of lighting and photography
Proficient editor with extensive experience in AVID, FINAL CUT PRO, ADOBE PREMIERE
Ability to cooperate with directors and grasp their intentions and goals
Skills to analyze raw footage and construct it into a well-structured narrative or documentary
Accomplished instructor with 3 years experience teaching editing at college level
Familiar with PHOTOSHOP, MAC, PC, MICROSOFT OFFICE
Familiarity with Mac OS X, Windows OS, able to navigate the Internet fluidly
Proficient with Mac OS X, Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, HTML, Adobe Photoshop 7.0, multi-line
phones and web-based research
Expertise in Microsoft Office programs, email, & Internet research
Fluent in Japanese and English in speaking, writing, and interpreting
The following statements are okay to use in your skills section (the ones above are better because they are more
specific). If you decide to use something similar to the following, be sure to prove your claim with specific examples in
the Relevant Experience section.
Team player, creative problem solver, attentive to detail, able to meet deadlines
Practical talent for assessing what needs to be done and doing it
Excellent at organizing, instructing, promoting, and presenting
Excellent written and verbal communications skills, creative problem solver
Highly motivated, ability to take initiative, can apply training quickly