A friend of mine suggested that I include skill & skill-level pairs on my resume (as opposed to just the skills themselves). Something like this, I suppose:
XHTML/HTML, Expert
CSS, Expert
JavaScript, Advanced
Python, Novice
[…]
It seems like a sensible idea on the outset, but are there any disadvantages to this approach? And, if not, what type of separators and layout would you recommend? For instance, I used commas in the example above, but I suppose colons or hyphens could also be used.
And, the skills-section of my resume is currently in three columns, but would that be too crowded with the skill/skill-level pairs? (So, maybe two columns or just one column?)
Nah. Personally I wouldn’t do it. What one potential employer considers a novice, another might consider expert. If they are hardcore programmers, then they’ll look at your work and talk with you and know where you are, any way. If they don’t know much, you can BS your way into having them think you’re a genius, and just pick it up as you go along. The only listings I’ve ever seen specifying levels like that are recruiter ads, and everyone knows recruiters suxor, and in any case, should always be lied to so you actually get to talk to a person making a hiring decision.