Sometimes while reviewing a prospective employee, a manager will zero in some of the candidate’s listed skills that fall outside of the position.

“Angular? Sure, I know Angular!”

We might have presented someone for a Java role, but the manager notices that our candidate listed AngularJS in their skills section. “Great!” she exclaims. “We’ve been thinking about moving in that direction. A skilled Java developer with Angular could be just what we’re looking for.” In a perfect world, the manager would first ask us to find out how much and what kind of Angular experience this candidate has before scheduling the interview, but sometimes they don’t. And when it turns out that our candidate only has a cursory exposure to that technology, the candidate is probably going to hear about it during the interview, and we will certainly hear about it afterward. Our recommendation, in order to prevent this somewhat embarrassing occurrence, is always keep your skills-list accurate.

Use a Skills Matrix

It’s not a bad idea to list technologies that you have only briefly used, but keep it honest by including the number of years that you have used it. And to keep things extra honest, include something that indicates your self-assessed level of expertise. You can use “beginner, intermediate, advanced, expert” or “1 - 5, with 1 being a beginner and 5 being an expert.” And to really keep it honest, include the last date it was used. Nothing is more frustrating than getting excited about someone who has 10 years of C++ experience, only to find out that they haven’t used it in 20.

Here’s an example:

For skills specifically required for the role you are interested in, include a paragraph or two stating in some detail how you have put those to use. This will help you sell the hiring manager on your ability.

Maximize your chances by following these recommendations.