How To Show You're Detail-Oriented on Your Resume

Most employers value individuals who are detail-oriented because this skill helps you accurately and thoroughly complete your work. Attention to detail takes multiple forms that you can include on your resume. However, when you list a skill such as attention to detail, you need to provide supporting evidence to show how you’ve used this ability in the workplace. Understanding how to highlight skills on your resume correctly can help you stand out to potential employers.

In this article, we discuss detail-oriented skills and we offer examples to show how to list them on your resume.

What does it mean to be detail-oriented?

Being detail-oriented means you have a set of soft skills that allow you to gain a full understanding of your job duties and perform those duties correctly. Listing detail-oriented skills on your resume refers to your ability to focus on the job you are doing, pay close attention to the small details of your profession and ensure accuracy in your work. Listing detail-oriented skills on your resume and supporting it with specific examples can help you stand out to employers for almost any position in any industry.

Related: 5 Examples of Critical Thinking Skills

Why detail-oriented skills are important in the workplace

Detail-oriented skills are crucial to employers because they show you will pay close attention to the work you are doing and ensure you can do your work properly the first time without a supervisor checking your work. If you are detail-oriented, you are less likely to make careless mistakes in the workplace and can be more efficient at your job. These skills are often inherent skills we develop naturally and are valuable to employers because they can focus strictly on teaching you the technical aspects of your job.

Related: The Importance of Cognitive Ability in Your Career

How to show you are detail-oriented on a resume

Follow these steps to showcase your detail-oriented skills to a potential employer:

1. Identify experiences.

2. Be specific.

3. Proofread your resume.

4. Prepare for the interview.

1. Identify experiences

Your first step to showing you are detail-oriented on your resume is to identify the experiences you have that prove this ability. You will use these experiences to support your claim of being detail-oriented in the skills and experience section of your resume and during your interview. Make a list of experiences that require close attention to detail, such as working with numbers, extensive knowledge about a specific topic and an in-depth understanding of procedures. If you have received any awards or recognitions for your attention to detail, include these also.

2. Be specific

To highlight detail-oriented skills on a resume, you need to show the employer how you are detail-oriented rather than telling them you are. When you are trying to show you are detail-oriented on your resume, be specific about what you have done that proves you are detail-oriented. For example, instead of merely saying “detail-oriented,” try including a statement like “analyzed data to check for errors and inaccuracies.”

3. Proofread your resume

Proofreading your resume is a critical step to using your resume to show you are detail-oriented. Detail-oriented people are careful to review their work and ensure there are no errors or inaccuracies. Proofreading your resume for spelling and grammar errors and double-checking for inaccuracies is a great way to use your resume to prove you are detail-oriented. For example, an employer would not think highly of a candidate for a copy editor role if their resume included any grammatical errors.

4. Prepare for the interview

If you list detail-oriented skills on your resume or if the position you are applying for requires strong attention to detail, the employer will look for evidence of these skills during your interview. People who are detail-oriented make sure they prepare for an interview thoroughly by researching the company and the position they are applying for. During your interview, you should be able to answer questions with specific information about the company or details from the job posting to prove you are detail-oriented.

Related: The Best Ways to Strengthen Your Logical Thinking Skills

Examples of how to show you are detail-oriented on a resume

Listing detail-oriented skills on your resume can show you care about accuracy, can identify inconsistencies in various contexts and that you value completing your job duties correctly. You can include detail-oriented skills on your resume as either a skill or experience. Regardless of how you choose to highlight this skill, ensure you can support the claims you make about being detail-oriented with specific examples.

As a skill

When you have a separate section on your resume for skills, list your skills in a way that makes you stand out to an employer. When you are referring to hard skills, such as the specific skills needed to perform a job in the technical industry, you can usually use a bullet-point list to display these skills. When you are referring to soft skills like attention to detail, you will need to include additional supporting information in your experience section to prove these skills.

As an experience

Including specific examples of how you used your detail-oriented skills to succeed or excel in your prior work experience can be powerful on a resume. If you have stated you have detail-oriented skills in your skills section, employers will likely check your experience section for supporting evidence of how you have displayed those skills in the workplace. Here are a few examples of how to describe attention to detail in the experience section of your resume:

• Handled money and credit card processing at the point of sale

• Counted cash in the drawer at the start and end of each shift to ensure accuracies daily

• Organized charity events by finding vendors and securing their reservations

• Prepared legal documents and took detailed notes during meetings between attorneys and clients

• Processed biweekly payroll for 250 employees