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I'm filling the Europass CV format. It's my first contact with such type of CV format, and I'm a bit confused.

My job experience is pure development (server and WWW, mostly Java+SQL). I've had typical set of technical (computer-related) skills with which my CV was filled. In europass, however, the non-computer skills are accented.

The most confusing for me is section "technical skills", since it is described as technical skills other than computer skills.

Another problematic section is "social skills". It's not the case that I don't have social skills, because it's not the case. The case is, I'm generally not using them during work. For work-oriented conversations I'm using purely technical language and when social skills are in use, it's rather a break than the job ;)

I've googled a bit for examples and I've found as technical skill the analytical thinking, and for the social skill open-minded. I think those are quite universal and are passing good to developer's CV.

But, I have no experience with Europass, so I'm asking here, are those the good choices to fill those sections, or should I choose something else? I have the most problems with the lack of example values for those fields.

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I'm not sure I'm the best for this, having never had to do it myself, but I'd be tempted to use "Computer skills" for documentation languages, COTS products and other technical tools I was familiar with - including SDEs, automated test frameworks, etc.

For "Technical Skills" I'd hit:

  • Development processes I had worked in previously - Waterfall, Agile, etc.
  • Quality control and improvement processes I had knowledge of - Lean 6 Sigma, CMMI (and level)
  • Particularly relevant certifications - I may put specific application-based certifications in computer skills (like Oracle DBA), but I'd put the generic certifications here (like CISSP, CSSLP, etc)
  • Any domain specific knowledge - for example, awareness of HIPPA guidelines from working in the health industry, awareness of NIST best practices in security, etc.

If I went with anything as open ended as "creative problem solver" or "analytical thinking", it would be for something that makes me stand out from the pack. For example, I am a pretty communicative person (case in point... this answer...) and so I may say "strong technical communication skills" in there, because it's a discriminator.

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Their explanation of technical skills is

Technical skills and competences refer to mastery of specific kinds of equipment, machinery, etc. other than computers, or to technical skills and competences in a specialised field (manufacturing industry, health, banking, etc.).

with the examples

Good command of quality control processes (I was responsible for the implementation of quality audit in my dept)

By technical skills, they mean specific skills related to a particular field job. These are skills you would acquire/improve by working in that field or job, but may not find in other jobs/industries. The reason they say "other than computer" is that they have a section for "computer skills" which is applicable to a very wide audience, not just developers. They describe it as

Computer skills and competences refer to word processing and other applications, database searching, acquaintance with Internet, advanced skills (programming etc.).

with the examples

  • Good command of Microsoft Office™ tools (Word™, Excel™ and PowerPoint™);
  • Basic knowledge of graphic design applications (Adobe Illustrator™, PhotoShop™).

The computer skills section is for your skills using a computer that would aid you in doing your job, but wouldn't be directly related to doing your job.

Listing your development skills (languages and frameworks you've had experience with, platforms you've developed on, software engineering practices you've used) is completely appropriate for the "Technical skills" section, since those are the skills specific to the job you are seeking.

The "Computer skills" section is where you would list your skills with a computer not directly related to performing your job as a developer (e-mail, word processing, etc) that would be useful in a general work environment.

As far as social skills, their explanation is

Social skills and competences refer to living and working with other people, in positions where communication is important and situations where teamwork is essential (for example culture and sports), in multicultural environments, etc.

with the examples

  • Team spirit;
  • Good ability to adapt to multicultural environments, gained through my work experience abroad;
  • Good communication skills gained through my experience as sales manager.

This is where you would describe your ability to work as a member of a team, to follow instructions, and/or to lead a group. Employers will want to know that you can play nice with others in the workplace. Try to translate your non-working social skills into something relevant to the workplace. Friendly socializing off-hours or during breaks can fall into team-building (or a similar category).

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