--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Build your skills not your resume." description: "\"Build your skills not your resume.\" — Sheryl Sandberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/sheryl-sandberg-439_build_build-your-skills-not-your-resume-228382_2283822.png" --- # Build your skills not your resume. ![“Build your skills not your resume.” quote by Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/sheryl-sandberg-439_build_build-your-skills-not-your-resume-228382_2283822.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/sheryl-sandberg-439_build_build-your-skills-not-your-resume-228382_2283822.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/sheryl-sandberg-439_build_build-your-skills-not-your-resume-228382_2283822.png) > “Build your skills not your resume.” [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prioritize developing practical abilities over merely listing credentials; skills drive real impact. **In simple terms:** Build abilities, not just a résumé. Key Takeaway Invest in skill acquisition. Themes career skill development growth leadership Mood motivational practical Type career self-improvement When to use this quote - job interviews - promotion negotiations - project leadership - entrepreneurship Key Concepts human capital learning theory Questions to Reflect On - Which skill will you develop next? - How can you demonstrate skill without a résumé? A Different Perspective Resumes still matter for initial opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Build](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/build/) [Build Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/build-skills-1600444/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Resume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resume/) [Resumes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resumes/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) [Skills Resume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills-resume-1953093/) ## Related quotes > [I have always admired Zab's skills, and his resume speaks for itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulie-malignaggi/i-have-always-admired-zab-s-skills-and-his-resume-speaks-for-itself/) [Paulie Malignaggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulie-malignaggi/) > [A Twitter account AND a new Call of Duty? Looks like a test for those "time management" skills my resume is always bragging about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-twitter-account-and-a-new-call-of-duty-looks-like-a-test-for-those/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whatever the job you are asked to do at whatever level, do a good job because your reputation is your resume.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/whatever-the-job-you-are-asked-to-do-at-whatever-level-do-a-good-job/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [I think diversity is very key to anybody's resume, and also for your mental well-being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-liu/i-think-diversity-is-very-key-to-anybody-s-resume-and-also-for-your/) [Lucy Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-liu/) > [There's two things I gotta do. One is, I gotta update my resume. And then, I have to call my mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/there-s-two-things-i-gotta-do-one-is-i-gotta-update-my-resume-and/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [Eulogies never talk about what was on your resume. Be remembered for how you made people feel and your passions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/eulogies-never-talk-about-what-was-on-your-resume-be-remembered-for/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [When you first start working, you take whatever job is offered, because you have to build your resume. But you don't think about what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/when-you-first-start-working-you-take-whatever-job-is-offered-because/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [I think if you were to look at my resume in total you would see a lot of things that are kind of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cheadle/i-think-if-you-were-to-look-at-my-resume-in-total-you-would-see-a-lot/) [Don Cheadle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cheadle/) > [When you're at the beginning of your career, there are a lot of, "I don't care about this," jobs that you take because it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-porter/when-you-re-at-the-beginning-of-your-career-there-are-a-lot-of-i-don/) [Billy Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-porter/) > [Sometimes legends find themselves remembered more for what they have not done than for their accomplishments. But those resume gaps can also help drive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-yaeger/sometimes-legends-find-themselves-remembered-more-for-what-they-have/) [Don Yaeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-yaeger/) > [The thing that drives me nuts is when I get stopped in a crowded place, and they look at me and say, 'Who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabella-sciorra/the-thing-that-drives-me-nuts-is-when-i-get-stopped-in-a-crowded/) [Annabella Sciorra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabella-sciorra/) > [In other words, If you don't take action, you won't get any results You are not your resume, you are your work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/in-other-words-if-you-don-t-take-action-you-won-t-get-any-results-you/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Where I came from, the idea of going into show business was just ridiculous; in fact I didn't tell anybody because I knew people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-pfeiffer/where-i-came-from-the-idea-of-going-into-show-business-was-just/) [Michelle Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-pfeiffer/) > [I don't have to pad my resume. Normal people are astounded by my resume, because normal people never let their dreams get beyond their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-layfield/i-don-t-have-to-pad-my-resume-normal-people-are-astounded-by-my/) [John Layfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-layfield/) > [Boxing was the only career where I wouldn't have to start out at the bottom. I had a good resume.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-ray-leonard/boxing-was-the-only-career-where-i-wouldn-t-have-to-start-out-at-the/) [Sugar Ray Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-ray-leonard/) ## More by Sheryl Sandberg > [“Still, my argument was that if she was going to work for the next 30 years, what difference does "going back" 4 years really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/still-my-argument-was-that-if-she-was-going-to-work-for-the-next-30/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Reverend Veronica Goines sums this up as, “Peace is joy at rest, and joy is peace on its feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/reverend-veronica-goines-sums-this-up-as-peace-is-joy-at-rest-and-joy/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [ “\[Eric Schmidt\] explained that only one criterion that mattered when picking a job- fat growth. When companies grow quickly, there are more things to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/eric-schmidt-explained-that-only-one-criterion-that-mattered-when/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [When I went to college, as much as my parents emphasized academic achievement, they emphasized marriage even more. They told me that the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-i-went-to-college-as-much-as-my-parents-emphasized-academic/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Go to a playground: Little girls get called 'bossy' all the time, a word that's almost never used for boys. And that leads directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/go-to-a-playground-little-girls-get-called-bossy-all-the-time-a-word/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“One of my favorite quotes comes from author Alice Walker, who observed, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/one-of-my-favorite-quotes-comes-from-author-alice-walker-who-observed/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Aggressive and hard-charging women violate unwritten rules about acceptable social conduct. Men are continually applauded for being ambitious and powerful and successful, but women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/aggressive-and-hard-charging-women-violate-unwritten-rules-about/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“When I wrote Lean In, some people argued that I did not spend enough time writing about the difficulties women face when they don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-i-wrote-lean-in-some-people-argued-that-i-did-not-spend-enough/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Survivor guilt is a thief of joy—yet another secondary loss from death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/survivor-guilt-is-a-thief-of-joy-yet-another-secondary-loss-from-death/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [I am a bigger-picture manager because I've lived through something that's a big picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/i-am-a-bigger-picture-manager-because-i-ve-lived-through-something/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Presenting leadership as a list of carefully defined qualities (like strategic, analytical, and performance-ori ented) no longer holds. Instead, true leadership stems from individuality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/presenting-leadership-as-a-list-of-carefully-defined-qualities-like/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [So there's no such thing as work-life balance. There's work, and there's life, and there's no balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/so-there-s-no-such-thing-as-work-life-balance-there-s-work-and-there/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Men can comfortably claim credit for what they do as long as they don't veer into arrogance. For women, taking credit comes at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/men-can-comfortably-claim-credit-for-what-they-do-as-long-as-they-don/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“As Helen Keller put it, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/as-helen-keller-put-it-when-one-door-of-happiness-closes-another/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Forty percent of employed mothers lack sick days and vacation leave, and about 50 percent of employed mothers are unable to take time off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/forty-percent-of-employed-mothers-lack-sick-days-and-vacation-leave/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) [Explore all 557 Sheryl Sandberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) ## More Build quotes > [It's really fun and challenging to build things that have never been built before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/it-s-really-fun-and-challenging-to-build-things-that-have-never-been/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [I build on Christ, the rock of ages; on his sure mercies described in his word, and on his promises, all which I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley/i-build-on-christ-the-rock-of-ages-on-his-sure-mercies-described-in/) [John Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley/) > [The way you get wickets is, you've got to build pressure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-arthur/the-way-you-get-wickets-is-you-ve-got-to-build-pressure/) [Mickey Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-arthur/) > [For rich children, it'd be very easy and convenient never to take any steps to build an identity outside of your association with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-johnson/for-rich-children-it-d-be-very-easy-and-convenient-never-to-take-any/) [Jamie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-johnson/) > [The millennials were raised in a cocoon, their anxious parents afraid to let them go out in the park to play. So should we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/the-millennials-were-raised-in-a-cocoon-their-anxious-parents-afraid/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [You have to build what the market needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-s-miller/you-have-to-build-what-the-market-needs/) [Jamie S. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-s-miller/) > [I oppose any proposal for the federal government to build and operate a nationwide 5G network.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajit-pai/i-oppose-any-proposal-for-the-federal-government-to-build-and-operate/) [Ajit Pai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajit-pai/) > [“Create with the heart; build with the mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/create-with-the-heart-build-with-the-mind/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [Since, however, it is immaterial whether the work is done by assistants or a machine, I decided to build a machine equivalent to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/since-however-it-is-immaterial-whether-the-work-is-done-by-assistants/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For 'Inhuman,' it's a 'chess game' series. You have a lot of pieces moving different ways at once, and it's about what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-soule/for-inhuman-it-s-a-chess-game-series-you-have-a-lot-of-pieces-moving/) [Charles Soule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-soule/) > [What we need to make sure we do as a team is build the quickest car on the grid - if we have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valtteri-bottas/what-we-need-to-make-sure-we-do-as-a-team-is-build-the-quickest-car/) [Valtteri Bottas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valtteri-bottas/) > [Always build. If you start at fever pitch, there's nowhere to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goldman/always-build-if-you-start-at-fever-pitch-there-s-nowhere-to-go/) [Jane Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goldman/) > [I have spent my career helping to build and grow businesses, and if I've learned one thing, it's that being pro-business and pro-consumer are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-phillips/i-have-spent-my-career-helping-to-build-and-grow-businesses-and-if-i/) [Dean Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-phillips/) > [If you can build it, you can unbuild it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-pitts/if-you-can-build-it-you-can-unbuild-it/) [Jake Pitts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-pitts/) > [You don't build your character by doing what everybody else is doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ghosn/you-don-t-build-your-character-by-doing-what-everybody-else-is-doing/) [Carlos Ghosn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ghosn/) [Browse all 1,564 Build quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/build/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Build your skills not your resume.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sheryl Sandberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/build-your-skills-not-your-resume/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Build" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/build-your-skills-not-your-resume/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/sheryl-sandberg-439_build_build-your-skills-not-your-resume-228382_2283822.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/sheryl-sandberg-439_build_build-your-skills-not-your-resume-228382_2283822.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/sheryl-sandberg-439_build_build-your-skills-not-your-resume-228382_2283822.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Build your skills not your resume.” — Sheryl Sandberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sheryl Sandberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Build your skills not your resume.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/build-your-skills-not-your-resume/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/build-your-skills-not-your-resume/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```