Add a Skill: 

You can also add any technical (hard) or transferable (soft) skill(s) that you learned to your resume. Listing a technical skill on your resume shows that you hold basic proficiency in that skill. Employers want to see if you have developed your skill(s) through impactful professional experiences that you should be able to briefly demonstrate confidently prepared to explain how you use them if asked. 

Generally, the skills section is toward the bottom of your resume and focuses on your technical (hard) skills. Some examples include: 

Computer Skills: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Canva, Adobe Photoshop (Basic)

Skills: Tableau, Power BI, Python, and SQL (Basic Proficiency), Certified SHRM Member

Skills: Digital Strategy, Instagram, Public Speaking 

Professional Development: Data Analytics for Marketing, Experiential Marketing Campaign 

Add as a Project or Experience: 

In this case, you can add a Skills Lab to a project section by developing bullet points that reflect what you did during the event and the relevant skills gained from that experience.

1. Identify the transferable skill(s)  developed in the Skills Lab (communication, leadership, time management, conflict resolution, digital literacy, etc.)
2. Connect the skill to your experience in the Skills Lab
3. Use the “What, How, Why” formula to create your bullet point
   • What you did
   • How did you do it 
   • Why the result/purpose of the skill matters
4. Reference the Skills Lab directly in a bullet point or as an experience under a section titled “Professional Development”. One way to format this on your resume may look like:  

Binghamton University Skills Lab: Measuring Bacterial Growth and Introductory Laboratory Skills,       Binghamton, NY  

Lab Participant April 20XX

• Participated in an experiential learning experience (Skills Lab) to enhance basic laboratory skills such as measuring culture turbidity to monitor bacterial growth in real-time, developing high-level accuracy and consistency in liquid handling and measurement, and applying quantitative reasoning to create calibration curves and analyze data

A cover letter should show that you know how to use the skill instead of just making a statement that you attended a workshop. The Skills Lab is meant to provide direct experience utilizing a specific skill and demonstrate readiness for the role. Students should pick one skill from the Skills Lab that the employer clearly values to ensure that the Skills Lab reference feels intentional and relevant:

• If the role requires skills like communication, teamwork, leadership, or professionalism → highlight a transferable skill.
• If the role requires skills such as Microsoft Office, Google Suite, statistical software, or utilizing specific lab equipment → highlight a technical skill. 

You can use this formula as a reference for creating a paragraph for your cover letter to keep the tone confident and avoid sounding like you’re writing for a class assignment:

Skill + What You Practiced in the Lab + How You Applied It + Why It Matters for the job/internship of interest

Sample Sentence Templates

“Through a recent Skills Lab on [transferable skill], I practiced [application of skill], which I now use to [direct application of learned skill in a real-world setting and relevance to position of interest].”

Example: “Through a recent Skills Lab focused on the application of basic laboratory techniques, I utilized simple turbidimetric monitoring methods of bacterial culture to develop high-level accuracy and consistency in liquid handling and measurement and applied quantitative reasoning to create calibration curves and analyze data.”

“Attending the Skills Lab on [technical skill] enhanced my ability to [discuss application of skill]. My knowledge of this skill would allow me to [direct application of learned skill in a real-world setting and relevance to the position of interest]

Example: “Attending the Skills Lab on Trello project‑management techniques enhanced my digital organizational abilities. My knowledge of this skill allows me to plan weekly tasks for my student organization. This skill would be especially valuable to meet the organizational demands of the existing fast-paced workflow at your company.”

Sample Paragraph Template for Cover Letter

One way that you could write about your learned skill(s) from the Skills Lab is included below. This is only a template to help you while you’re writing and should be customized to reflect you! 

“In addition to my academic and leadership experience, I’ve strengthened my [technical skill] through my participation in the Skills Lab offered by the Fleishman Career Center. In a recent session on [name of Skills Lab], I practiced techniques for [technical skill(s) developed in Skills Lab] and applied them while coordinating group assignments. I would bring this same clarity and adaptability to your organization by [tailor how this experience is relevant to the company/organization].”

Additional Tips (Cover Letter):

• Try to avoid saying: “I attended a Skills Lab.” You want to show your direct engagement with the experience, and this statement does not provide insight into your involvement in the Skills Lab
• Try to avoid describing the workshop in detail; focus on using that space in your cover letter to elaborate more on the skills that you mentioned in your resume
• Try to avoid making the Skills Lab the main story; instead, use it as evidence of your professional growth with relation to your career/profession of interest
• Try to avoid listing multiple Skills Labs; choose the one most relevant to the job/ internship that you plan on applying for

Making a LinkedIn post to highlight what you learned at a Skills Lab is a great way to share your new skills and insights with your connections. It’s also an excellent way to connect with alumni and employers looking to recruit students with a particular technical skill. Consider discussing what skills you learned, an impactful lesson you learned from alumni, and how your experience helped you develop your career goals. If you’re not on LinkedIn yet, now is a great time to get set up because it is one of the primary platforms employers use to find and learn about candidates. Check out our Career Guide, or schedule an appointment at the Fleishman Career Center, for tips and advice on building a strong LinkedIn profile that showcases your experiences and skills!

1) Add a skill to LinkedIn 

If you learned a particular skill during a Skills Lab, you can add it to your LinkedIn profile following these steps:

1. Click the ‘Add section’ button in your introduction section
2. Click ‘Core’ and select ‘Add skills’ from the dropdown
3. In the pop-up window, you can type the name of a skill and select it from the dropdown list
4.  Click ‘Save’ to save all changes and updates to your profile 

2) Add a skills lab as a ‘project’ to your profile 

1. Repeat the first two steps as if you were adding a skill to LinkedIn
2. Click ‘Add a project’ and include the name of the skills lab, a description of what you learned
3. Tag the top skills you learned from the experience 
4. Add the Skills Lab logo and include samples of your work or other photos taken during the event 
5. If you worked in a team for the Skills Lab, add your team members as contributors and include the presenter. This will help to grow your network and highlight the great work you have done!
6. Lastly, share a post about your experience. When you save the project, LinkedIn will prompt you to create a post based on your newly added project. This is a great opportunity to tag the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development, the presenter, and other peers to maximize the impact of your post. 

Here’s an example of one possible way to discuss your Skills Lab experience on LinkedIn: 

“I recently had the opportunity to attend the Fleishman Center’s Skills Lab, Strategies for Building a Career in Financial Services, with alumnus Kevin Boda ‘03. During this experience, I enhanced crucial technical skills and personal branding tips that will assist me as I pursue a career in finance. This Skills Lab strengthened my knowledge and understanding of SQL and Python by learning about how programming languages are used in the financial services industry. It was amazing to gain new professional insights from Kevin during this Skills Lab. Being involved in this experience reinforced my understanding of the competitive nature of the financial industry and helped build more self-confidence as I prepare for a career in this field. I’d like to thank Kevin for his time and expertise, and the Fleishman Center at SUNY Binghamton for hosting an informative Skills Lab!”

Highlighting the skill taught in a Skills Lab is a great experience to discuss during an interview. While your resume includes a brief excerpt about the skill being taught, an interview serves as a chance for you to elaborate on how this skill can be applied to a company/organization that shows alignment with the desired position. Here are some tips on developing talking points and conversation around the skill developed in a Skills Lab: 

• Use the CAR method to talk about Skills Lab as an immersive experience rather than being a passive attendee at an event 

C- Context  “During a Skills Lab on …We were asked to practice/apply…””

A- Action: “I used … strategy/ technique

R- Result: “This helped me…, and I’ve since applied it by….”

• Discuss how you have used the skill since participating in a Skills Lab
  • Example: “I’ve utilized the project software management tool, Trello, to maintain the organization and ensure the timely completion of assigned tasks for all group members who are involved.”
• Emphasize how this skill is directly tied to the role you’re interviewing for:
  • “My capabilities in using software like Trello allow me to confidently and professionally delegate tasks to colleagues, and managing deadlines and due dates to meet important deadlines is a skill that I would gladly bring to this role”.  
• Final Tips For Interviews:
  • Interviewers care about hearing about your growth after developing this skill. Focus on how attending this event has directly contributed to your professional development within the field
  • When describing a skill, anchor it with a moment where you had the opportunity to apply it outside of the workshop 
  • Be confident when speaking about your professional development and relevant skills during the interview!