Well, maybe “Required: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)” is limiting the requirement, not defining it, in which case it’s pretty reasonable. Office includes stuff besides Word, Excel and PowerPoint. There’s Access, and that unbelievable piece of garbage, Publisher.
I think that for person just graduating from college today, with a degree in anything at all, but especially a CS degree, proficiency with a PC is assumed. There’s no need to mention it.
I understand the vagaries of hobbyist would be stupid, but what about giving your actual computer use history? I mean, I’m nearly certain that my past familiarity with computers, before they were so easy to use, is why I find it so much easier to adapt to new technical things. I do in fact know more about computers than most people who grew up with them, even though I learned about them unofficially.
Is there any way for me to communicate this on a resume?
I won’t put it on a resume, but if you get an interview, there’s no reason not to mention that sort of thing should the topic arise. My job is a little hard to summarize but involves using lots of computer programs (I maintain our website, host and support meetings in online meeting platforms, I’m an admin for our few Moodlerooms courses, use video editing software etc), and when I was asked why I was interested in that sort of thing, I shrugged and explained I’ve always had an affinity for computers, ever since my parents taught me to program in Basic the summer before first grade. This amused the interviewers, one of whom is now my boss.
But even before an interview cover letters are an okay place to state you’re good with X and give some examples, so maybe there instead of your resume. Resumes are for facts but cover letters are for selling yourself, so they’re less cold, IMHO.
A bit over 100 years ago just about anyone with a car had to be an “auto hobbyist” since driving it anywhere required a good bit of knowledge of what went on under the hood. 35 years ago the same was true for computer users. Today, not so much.
I don’t see any CS resumes which say this stuff. Programming languages, yes.
Might be a good thing to say when applying for a job with someone who is scared of computers. Otherwise, list specific skills.
BTW, don’t assume anyone over 50, say, is clueless about computers. Those of us who had over a decade of programming experience when the PC came out probably have a better intuitive understanding of what goes on inside a PC than a recent grad, since we had to deal with the nuts and bolts before they got hidden by gigabytes of OS crud which wipes your nose for you.