Latest / The Resume Room with Fexingo: Resume Writing, Cover Letters, and Application Strategy / How to List Adjacent Skills on Your Resume
Transcript
- Lucas: Here is a pattern I see constantly in the applicant tracking systems right now, especially heading into the fourth quarter of twenty twenty six. Candidates are treating the skills section of their resume like a keyword stuffing exercise, mirroring the exact verbs and nouns from the job description word for word. Luna: Right, because they think that is what gets past the algorithm. But it often makes them look like a generic template rather than a person with depth. Lucas: Exactly. The problem is that mirroring only confirms you can do the entry-level tasks. It does not show you can solve the problems that keep the hiring manager up at night. Today we are talking about adjacent skills—the secondary competencies that prove you understand the broader context of the role. Luna: I love this distinction because it shifts the focus from compliance to contribution. What does an adjacent skill actually look like in practice? Lucas: Let us take a concrete example. Imagine a senior marketing manager applying for a product operations role. The job description asks for customer journey mapping and data analysis. A standard applicant lists those two things. An applicant using the adjacency strategy also lists stakeholder alignment and revenue forecasting. Luna: Because those are the hidden mechanics of product ops that aren't always spelled out but are absolutely critical to success. Lucas: Precisely. Revenue forecasting tells the hiring manager that this marketer understands the financial implications of product decisions. Stakeholder alignment shows they can navigate the internal politics that usually derail new initiatives. These are adjacent because they are not the primary function, but they are necessary conditions for excelling in it. Luna: So it is about demonstrating systemic thinking rather than just task execution. How do you determine which skills qualify as adjacent versus just random noise? Lucas: You use what I call the adjacency matrix. You draw a line between the core hard skill and the business outcome it drives. Then you look for the bridge skill that connects the two. In the marketing example, the core skill is data analysis. The outcome is optimized customer retention. The bridge skill is forecasting. Luna: That is a really practical way to visualize it. It stops people from just throwing every software tool they know onto the page. Lucas: It prevents the laundry list effect. I had a client last week who was trying to move from supply chain logistics to general operations management. She listed inventory control and vendor negotiation. Those are great, but they are very vertical. Luna: So she needed to find the horizontal skills that would appeal to a broader operations leadership team. Lucas: She added cross-departmental process improvement and budget variance reporting. Suddenly she wasn't just a logistics expert; she was a cost-conscious operator who could speak the language of finance and engineering. That is the power of adjacency. Luna: It changes the narrative from someone who fits a slot to someone who adds value across multiple functions. Lucas: And it addresses the modern concern about siloed workers. Companies in twenty twenty six are still recovering from efficiency drives that cut headcount. They need people who can wear multiple hats without needing extensive hand-holding. Luna: Which means listing a skill like process improvement signals immediate utility. It reduces the perceived risk of hiring someone from outside the traditional pipeline. Lucas: Exactly. Now, there is a trap here that catches many experienced professionals. They list adjacent skills that are too junior. For instance, a director might list basic spreadsheet formatting or email etiquette. Luna: That actually hurts you. It makes you look like you are padding the space with low-value items instead of focusing on high-leverage competencies. Lucas: It dilutes your seniority. If you are applying for a leadership role, your adjacent skills should be strategic. Things like change management, public speaking, or mentorship development. These show you are ready for the next level, not just competent in your current one. Luna: So the rule is: if the skill doesn't elevate your perceived level of responsibility, leave it off. Lucas: Correct. And this brings me to the placement issue. Where do these adjacent skills live on the document? They shouldn't just be buried in a generic list at the bottom. Luna: They need to be woven into the narrative. Maybe in the professional summary or integrated into the bullet points of recent roles. Lucas: Both. I recommend a hybrid approach. Use a dedicated skills column for quick scanning, but ensure the top three adjacent skills are explicitly mentioned in your most recent role description. This gives the recruiter the keyword match for the filter and the contextual proof for the human reader. Luna: That creates a double layer of validation. The system sees the keywords, and the manager sees the application of them. Lucas: Yes. Let us talk about the technical side of this. In fields like software engineering or data science, adjacent skills are often tools or frameworks that support the main discipline. Luna: For a backend developer, maybe cloud architecture or DevOps practices. For a data scientist, perhaps data visualization or storytelling with data. Lucas: Those are perfect examples. A backend developer who also understands CI/CD pipelines is infinitely more valuable than one who just writes clean code. It shows they care about the deployment lifecycle, not just the isolated output. Luna: It signals collaboration. Most big tech teams don't work in isolation anymore. Showing you understand the surrounding ecosystem makes you a safer hire. Lucas: It reduces onboarding time. Hiring managers love candidates who can hit the ground running because they already understand the broader infrastructure. Luna: This feels like a very efficient way to market yourself. You aren't changing who you are; you are just clarifying the full scope of your capability. Lucas: It is clarity, not deception. You have likely used these skills before. You just haven't framed them as part of your strategic value proposition. By naming them, you invite the interviewer to ask deeper questions. Luna: Which is exactly what you want. You want to steer the conversation toward your strengths, not just answer the questions they thought to ask. Lucas: Before we wrap up, let us touch on the digital presence aspect. LinkedIn often forces you into rigid skill categories. How do you handle adjacency there? Luna: You use the featured section or the about section to explain the connection. The algorithm picks up the keywords, but the human reads the context. Lucas: Agreed. On LinkedIn, I suggest pinning a post or an article that demonstrates one of those adjacent skills. If you are a writer with data skills, pin a case study where you used data to inform a narrative. It proves the adjacency visually. Luna: That is smart. It turns a static list into dynamic proof of competence. Lucas: We deliberately don't run ads on these. If you want to support that choice, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Your listener support keeps the research deep and the advice free. Thank you for keeping the lights on. Lucas: It allows us to stay focused on the craft without chasing clicks. Back to the strategy. Luna: One final question. How do you advise someone who genuinely lacks adjacent skills and feels exposed? Lucas: Then you lean into learning. Even a certification or a completed course in an adjacent area counts. It shows initiative and intellectual curiosity. You are signaling that you are actively expanding your toolbox. Luna: It transforms a gap into a growth story. That is often more compelling than having ten years of stagnant experience. Lucas: Absolutely. Career velocity matters more than tenure in today's market. Showing you are adaptable and eager to learn the broader context is the best hedge against obsolescence. Luna: So the takeaway is simple: stop listing just what you do, and start listing how you connect the dots between functions. Lucas: Exactly. Map your adjacency, place it strategically, and watch your interview callback rate shift. It is a small tweak with a large impact on how you are perceived.