Important Computer Skills for Resumes & Cover Letters

Important Computer Skills for Resumes & Cover Letters

When you're job hunting, employers are going to want to know about your computer skills. That's because no matter what the position is, computers will almost certainly be involved. Just think about how ever-present computers are, from smartphones to cash registers to the ordering systems at restaurants. 

Many traditional jobs are going away in favor of new, technologically-driven jobs. Some of those jobs require highly specialized skills, such as computer programming. Others merely help an office run better, such as email management.

What Are Computer Skills?

The name itself may seem obvious, but the truth is that most people are too overwhelmed by the vastness of technology to know what an employer might mean when the job description simply says “computer skills.”

Typically, employers want applicants who can use specific programs, such as Adobe Illustrator or WordPress. However, new technological developments can quickly change the preferences of potential employers.

In the list of types of computer skills below, we’ve categorized them to help you know what employers might be looking for. Read job descriptions carefully looking for as many specific computer skills as possible, and then highlight those skills during your application process.

Types of Computer Skills

Productivity Software

Any office professional must know how to master some of the basics of productivity software. If you are reading this article right now, you obviously know most of the computer basics. For more computer skills popular among administrative or clerical jobs, here is a list.

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Excel





Microsoft PowerPoint





Email Management





Information Management





Data Entry





Digital Calendars (Google, Outlook, etc.)





Instant Messaging





Video Conferencing





Cloud Backup Software (Dropbox Pro, Carbonite, etc.)





Social Media Management

Digital Marketing

Any business that wants to grow needs more customers. More and more customers are searching online for solutions to their problems. Today, the most effective and measurable marketing efforts occur through digital marketing.

Digital marketing includes everything from website development to social media management to paid digital advertising. The increasing capabilities of computers to collect and sort data give marketers more tools to target their ideal customers.

Content Management Systems (CMS)

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)





Automated Marketing Software





Digital Media





Email Marketing





Website Analytics





Search Engine Optimization (SEO)





Web Page Design





Social Media Management





KPI Software

Computer Programming

Computer programming involves creating, launching, maintaining, and testing computer software and applications. There are a number of different jobs that involve software development, including software developer, programmer, software architect, software analyst, and more.

To be able to develop, implement, or test software, you have to have a number of highly technical computer skills, often known more specifically as coding skills. You must be able to analyze users’ needs and create applications that will be useful to them. You generally need to be familiar with various coding languages and web technologies as well.

With the domination of mobile devices, computer programming now includes software development for phones and tablets (known affectionally as “apps). Skills related to either software or hardware development (or both) include:

Automation Software

Software Programming





C





C++





CISC and RISC Architecture





Embedded Processor Hardware Design





Hardware Description Language (HDL)





Hardware Verification Tools and Techniques





HTML





Integrated Development Environments





Java





LabVIEW





Operating Systems





Memory Management





Open-source Software (OSS)





Python





PHP





UI/UX





Unix





XML

Graphic Design

Creating visually-attractive content for documents, posters, and slide presentations is a highly desirable skill. The world of graphic design includes creating signs to video editing and more.

A single project might well pass through multiple computer programs, and a skilled professional needs to know how all relevant programs work and which ones are appropriate at each stage of the project. Graphic design skills that are growing in demand include:

Adobe Creative Cloud 

Adobe Illustrator 





Adobe InDesign





Adobe Photoshop





Art Design





CorelDRAW





Corel WordPerfect





Design





Desktop publishing





InDesign





Integrating Interactive Elements with Websites





Video Creation Software

Databases and Queries

A good spreadsheet or database not only stores information but also makes it easy to reorganize the information quickly to answer new questions, or even conduct certain kinds of data analysis and processing. A spreadsheet can handle anything from payroll accounts to lists of all the characters (and all their characteristics) for a novel.

As we noted above, professional-level skill means more than simply knowing how to use a spreadsheet or database; you also must know which spreadsheet or database program to use and how to structure it for any given project. Skills useful for spreadsheet and database management include:

Data Analytics

Microsoft Excel





FileMaker Pro





Fortran





Hive





HQL





MATLAB





Numeracy





Object Oriented Database Management Systems (OODBMS)





Relational database management systems (RDBMS)





SAS





Spark





SPSS





Statistics





SQL





NoSQL





XML Database Management Systems

IT Troubleshooting

Using computers is one thing. Being able to fix them is another. Basic IT skills begin with knowing how and when to do routine maintenance and how to cope with frozen programs or damaged USB ports. Thorough familiarity with the software and hardware of many different types of computer systems, including all lesser-known features, is key. IT troubleshooting skills include:

Backup Management

Client Server Management





Client support





Configuration





Diagnostics





End User Support





Help Desk





Implementation





Installation





Issue Tracking Systems (ITS)





Modem Hardware Troubleshooting





Router Troubleshooting





Systems Administration





Tech Support





Software Troubleshooting





Remote Access Software

Cybersecurity

In this all-encompassing digital age, power grids and military equipment and more are all managed by computers. Computer hackers have the ability to disrupt major infrastructural functions if companies and governments do not take their cyber security seriously. Among the most important cybersecurity skills are:

Intrusion Detection

Virus Protection Software





Malware Analysis





Malware Reversal





Software Programming





Risk Management





Operating Systems





Information Management





Data Encryption

More Computer Skills

AP Style

Field-programmable Gate Array (FPGA) Development Tools





Client Relationship Management (CRM) Software





PCB Layout Review





Windows Shell





APIs





AutoCAD





Maya





Accounting Software





Customer Service





IP Configuration





Yoast





Journalism





Virtual Advertising





Business Continuity Planning





Acrobat





Artificial Intelligence





Automated Billing Systems





Point of Sale Systems





WAN/LAN





Machine Learning





Coding





Ruby on Rails





Software Installation





Cisco





DNS





DHCP



 https://www.thebalancecareers.com/computer-skills-list-2063738