2025 Resume Tips: Drop Old Skills, Highlight New Ones

As the job market evolves rapidly, staying competitive in 2025 means keeping your resume fresh and relevant.

Outdated skills can hinder your chances of standing out to employers and navigating through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

Here’s what you need to know about updating your resume to align with current job market demands:

Avoid These Outdated Skills:

Basic Microsoft Office Suite Knowledge:

What to Do Instead: Basic proficiency in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is now a baseline expectation. Highlight specialized software skills relevant to your field instead, such as project management tools (e.g., Asana, Monday.com), data analysis programs (e.g., Tableau, Power BI), or creative design software (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite).

General Social Media Management:

What to Do Instead: Replace broad social media management mentions with specific skills. Focus on content creation, targeted social media advertising (e.g., Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads), and proficiency in analytics tools like Google Analytics. This shows you’re up-to-date with the latest digital marketing trends.

Overused Terms like “Hardworking” or “Dedicated”:

What to Do Instead: Avoid subjective descriptors that can’t be quantified. Demonstrate these qualities through concrete examples, such as detailing a project where you led a team to deliver exceptional results ahead of schedule, thereby boosting operational efficiency.

Basic Customer Service Skills:

What to Do Instead: Since basic customer service is expected, enhance your resume by highlighting expertise in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools like Salesforce or HubSpot. Focus on your ability to resolve conflicts and build long-term customer relationships, which adds more value to your profile.

The Phrase “Team Player”:

What to Do Instead: Instead of the generic “team player,” provide specific instances showing how you collaborate effectively. Describe projects where you contributed to a team’s success, mentioning the challenges and the outcomes to illustrate your collaborative skills.

Including outdated skills on your resume can limit your visibility in Applicant Tracking Systems, which many employers use to pre-screen applications.

These systems filter resumes based on specific keywords that match job descriptions. If your resume contains outdated terms, it might not only miss the relevant keywords but also give an impression of being out of touch with current technologies.

Staying Current:

• Regularly Update Your Resume: Continuously refresh your resume by incorporating new skills and experiences. Stay informed about emerging technologies and industry trends by researching job descriptions and required competencies in your field.

• Tailor Your Resume to Industry Keywords: Make sure your resume includes keywords that are trending in your industry to help pass ATS filters and catch the attention of hiring managers.

By focusing on current, in-demand skills and ensuring your resume reflects up-to-date industry standards, you not only improve your chances of making it past automated screening processes but also enhance your appeal to prospective employers.