examples of key skills on a resume

100 Good Skills to Put on a Resume [Complete Guide]

Jeff Gillis 0 Comments

By Jeff Gillis

Updated 6/4/2022.

When you’re adding skills to a resume, you don’t just want to focus on what you’re good at. Instead, relevancy has to be part of the equation. After all, every job you’re trying to land requires a very specific skill set, one that you need to show that you have.

Choosing the skills to put on a resume when you’re applying to a role isn’t something you should do haphazardly. Instead, you want to use the job description, company mission, and company values as a guide, creating a sense of alignment.

Additionally, it never hurts to have a handy list of skills by your side, making it easier to explore your options. So, if you’re on the hunt for good skills to put on a resume, here’s what you need to know.

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills

There are two basic types of skillsets that a job seeker can have and include on their resume: hard skills or soft skills.

Hard skills are the skills or abilities for a resume that are easily quantifiable…that can be learned through classroom work, apprenticeships, or other forms of learning. These include things like operating tools, computer programming, speaking foreign languages, or different kinds of technical prowess.

Soft skills are more subjective and harder to quantify and are often grouped together by what we know as “people skills.” Some examples of soft skills include communication, relationship building, self-awareness, and patience.

Which Skills Are More Important?

The debate rages on about which of these two types of skills is more important.

According to executive consultant and Forbes contributor Naz Beheshti , “…There is an ongoing debate about the relative importance of soft and hard skills that imply a competition between the two. However, they are both necessary and complementary to one another.”

On the one hand, job seekers with proficiency in a specific hard skill may get hired more quickly. Many employers want to hire people that can deliver value with fewer resources (ex., the need for training, etc.), making hard skills their priority.

However, we are also seeing that many hiring managers are choosing to hire candidates with highly developed soft skills.

In the end, as Indeed puts it, “soft skills are necessary to create a positive and functional work environment.” Plus, hiring managers feel that they can always train the candidate in the hard skill that is required to complete the job, but soft skills are often skills that cannot necessarily be taught.

So, what does this mean for you? Mainly that you can’t simply just pick one or the other and cross your fingers. Instead, the best strategy is to take a balanced approach and make sure that your resume contains both hard and soft skills.

How Do You Choose the Skills to List on a Resume?

Here’s the deal; there’s a good chance you know what you’re good at in a professional sense. Often, you can use your experience, duties, training, and education as a guide, giving you a strong foundation. Then, it’s about diving a bit deeper, looking at traits that could help you stand out, and comparing it all to the job description.

By using a simple process, you can make progress faster. Here’s a quick way to get started.

1. Make a List of the Skills You Know You Have

As mentioned above, the easiest way to get a grip on your current skills is to reflect on your academic and professional experiences. Consider the tasks you’ve taken on, the training you’ve completed, and the courses you had in school. In most cases, that’ll give you some solid ideas about your hard skills.

After that, it’s time for soft skills. Here, you want to think of traits or capabilities that help you engage with others and navigate professional relationships. Often, these are reflections of your personality, so use that as a jumping-off point.

2. “Mine” the Job Descriptions for Must-Have Skills

The next step is to take a look at the job description for the position you are applying for and make a list of the required skills it includes. Then, compare it to your capabilities. Are any of the skills on both of the lists you just created? If so, these are must-haves for your resume.

Now, notice if there are any skills on the job description that you don’t have. If there aren’t any, great!

But if there are…don’t panic. There are things you can do, which we’ll dig into shortly.

If you’re dealing with a vague job description, you aren’t stuck either. Here is a link to a ton of job descriptions that can give you an idea of the skills needed.

3. Tailor Your Skills to the Company/Position

As you may have read in our other blog articles, it is always very important to “tailor” your resume to the company and position you want to land. For an in-depth look into how to make that happen, check out our Tailoring Method article. 

If you want a quick overview, the idea is to focus on capabilities the company wants to find. Every job requires a unique skill set, and you want to show you have it. As a result, it is absolutely essential that skills from the job description make an appearance on your resume.

However, you also want to dig deeper. Spend some more time researching the company, including going through all of their various web properties, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages.

Why? Because they will leave clues about the types of people they hire. That gives you more ideas about the best skills to put on a resume to land a job there, particularly when it comes to soft skills you may not find in a job description.

100 Resume Skills Examples

If you’re struggling with coming up with a list of skills based on your past experience, it can be easier if you have existing resume skills lists to work with. You don’t have to think up every possible skill; you can simply review the list and find the matches.

Here is a list of resume skills examples, divided into hard skills and soft skills, that you can use when applying for a job.

Hard Skills for a Resume

• Advanced Bookkeeping
• Appointment Setting
• Automotive Repair
• Cold Calling
• Computer Programming
• Conversion Testing
• Copywriting
• Customer Engagement
• Customer Service
• Data Analysis
• Digital Marketing
• Electrical Engineering
• Environmental Cleanup
• Forklift Operating
• Graphic Design
• Heavy Machinery Operation
• Installation
• Landscaping
• Mathematics
• Medical Coding
• Paid Online Traffic
• Patient Care
• Photo Editing
• Picking and Packing
• Project Management
• Schedule Management
• Search Engine Optimization
• Server Maintenance
• Social Media
• Spanish Fluency
• Statistical Analysis
• Systems Analysis
• Technical Support
• Telecommunications Systems
• Travel Booking
• Video Editing
• Website Design
• Word Processing

Soft Skills for a Resume

• Accountability
• Active Listening
• Adaptability
• Brainstorming
• Business Etiquette
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Conflict Resolution
• Contextualizing
• Critical Thinking
• Decision Making
• Emotional Intelligence
• Flexibility
• Goal-Setting
• Handling Pressure
• Influencing
• Insightfulness
• Interpreting
• Negotiation
• Open-Mindedness
• Organization
• Prioritization
• Problem Solving
• Relationship Building
• Reliability
• Resource Management
• Responsibility
• Self-Confidence
• Strategical Thinking
• Strong Work Ethic
• Time Management

What If I Don’t Have the Required Skill?

Whether you need to possess a specific skill depends on the job and the skill in question. Usually, here’s where you have to be honest with yourself. If the skills required are part of the core competencies of doing the job, you may want to reconsider your application.

For example, if a golf course posts a job posting for a golf pro, you probably shouldn’t apply if you’ve never swung a golf club.

However, you will come across situations where what you bring to the table is close. In this case, moving forward might be okay.

You need to be able to demonstrate, using examples from your past, that you are capable of doing the required skill, even if you haven’t specially done it. So, go over your work history with a fine-tooth comb and try to come up with a few examples of you doing something in the right ballpark.

They are going to ask about it in your interview, so don’t think you can just wing it, and everything will be fine.

Also, many job descriptions have “nice-to-have” skills on the list. If you happen to possess them, great. But if not, don’t assume you shouldn’t apply if you have the must-have skills. In the end, those capabilities aren’t outright requirements, so don’t screen yourself out based on them.

How To List Skills on a Resume

There are a few different schools of thought when it comes to deciding where to put (or how to list) the skills on your resume.

According to our friends over at online resume-builder Zety.com , “…skills are so very, very important that they should show up all over your resume. Not just in the resume skills section.” In other words, it is imperative that there are elements of your skills throughout your resume, including your resume objective/summary and experience sections.

In addition, there isn’t one right answer for where to include your skill section because that depends on the industry, company, and position you’re trying to land. For example, for a job where technical competencies are of the utmost importance, it is often beneficial to list the skills closer to the top of the resume, right underneath the resume objective or resume summary statement.

However, if through your research you determine that the hiring manager will put more weight into your experience, you may want to lead with your experience. Then, put the skills section further down your resume.

At the end of the day, the selection of the skills themselves is the most important thing. After all, most hiring managers will easily find your skill section regardless of where it is on your resume.

What About Skills for My Job Application?

When you’re looking for skills to put on a job application, you do have to treat it a little differently than skills for a resume. Usually, you’re working with a finite amount of space on an application, not just in an overall sense but in each applicable section.

Since that’s the case, you need to lean heavily on the job description. Look for any capabilities that are listed as must-haves or that are repeated through the job ad. Then, make sure those skills are featured prominently in several areas, including in work history descriptions and skills areas.

If you have to answer essay questions, discuss those skills there, too, whenever possible. Use any other relevant capability as a supplement, treating it as supporting information instead of the primary point you’re sharing.

However, if an essay question asks about a skill that’s not in the job description, feel free to dig in a bit. It’s a capability that’s clearly on the hiring manager’s mind, so touch on it occasionally to show you shine in that area.

Putting It All Together

If you were wondering, “What are some good skills to put on a resume?” you should now have a solid answer. The most important thing to remember is to select skills that are relevant to the position you are interviewing for and, more important than that, skills that your company puts a tremendous amount of value in.

Once you get your skills straightened out, you should make sure that the rest of your resume is congruent with the skills you just selected, namely, that your experience shows that you both used those skills in a work environment and developed the skill with on-the-job tasks.

Co-founder and CTO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Jeff is a featured contributor delivering advice on job search, job interviews and career advancement, having published more than 50 pieces of unique content on the site , with his work being featured in top publications such as INC , ZDnet , MSN and more.

Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

About The Author

Jeff gillis.

Co-founder and CTO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Jeff is a featured contributor delivering advice on job search, job interviews and career advancement, having published more than 50 pieces of unique content on the site , with his work being featured in top publications such as INC , ZDnet , MSN and more. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

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100+ Key Skills for a Resume in 2024 (Examples for any Job)

Learn how to professionally and efficiently list your skills on a resume.

How to List Skills on a Resume 

Your skills are just as important as your work experiences. Skills show a recruiter what you can do for the company -- without taking up too much space in your resume. 

Skills can be anything from “creativity” (a soft skill) to “JavaScript” (a hard skill). It’s important to include a mix of both on your resume.

Don’t know what skills you have? Read on to learn the difference between “soft” and “hard” skills, or skim our 250+ skills for each industry to jump right into the resume writing process. 

Beautiful resume templates to land your dream job

Soft Skills vs Hard Skills

“Soft” skills are those that are not quantifiable, such as leadership. These skills also cannot be learned, but  are rather a facet of your personality. Nevertheless, soft skills are still critical to have, for they demonstrate that you are personable and competent.

‍ Tip: Use some of the soft skills as adjectives when writing your profile summary . For example, try “enthusiastic entrepreneur,” “empathic childcare worker,” “organized nurses’ aid,” “supportive administration assistant” or “detail-oriented sales associate.”

The resume below is for a Childcare Worker and includes many soft skills that companies look for, including Creativity and Organizational skills.

In contrast, “Hard” skills are those that are learned -- either in school or through a certification program. These skills are quantifiable and can be continuously expanded upon through further education. Today, most hard skills have to do with computer technology, such as SEO, CSS/HTML, or Microsoft Suite. Even if you aren’t tech-savvy, chances are you still have a few hard skills.

Tip: Be specific about your hard skills. Instead of listing “Programming Languages,” specify which ones you know -- Python, Java, C, etc. Same with photo editing software and any other platforms you are familiar with.

The resume below is for a Content Marketing Associate, and includes manyhard skills that companies in the marketing industry look for, including experience with Social Media tools. Remember, it's important to be specific in terms of defining and listing what softwares you know.

How to List Your Skills

Whether you’re a jack of all trades or a master of one, you absolutely must list some skills on your resume. Skills offer additional insight into what you can offer the company as an employee, and may just push your resume over the edge and into the interview pile. 

• Only list relevant skills . If you’re applying for a position as an engineer, don’t brag about your marketing abilities. Instead, save the space to list the software and programming languages that you know. 
• List around 5 Skills . Writing too many skills on your resume can be an overwhelming experience for the recruiter. He or she may not fully register your skills, and instead just blankly skim the long list. Conversely, listing too few skills is only selling yourself short. You definitely have more than two skills -- no matter your experience level! So shoot for around 5 skills, with a little wriggle room. 
• Include both hard and soft skills . Even if your profession seems to rely on soft skills more than hard skills -- or vice versa -- including both makes your resume stronger. For example, if you’re applying to work as a laboratory assistant, list soft skills such as “teamwork,” “problem-solving,” “time management,” or “organization.” If you’re in a more creative field, hard skills include softwares such as “Adobe Creative Suite” and talents such as “photography,” “writing & editing,” or “videography.” 
• Note your experience level . With each skill, specify whether you are a “beginner,” “expert,” or somewhere in between (using words like “intermediate” and “moderate”). Our resume templates have bars beneath each skill that you can toggle to reflect your expertise. 

The resume below is for a Human Resources Manager, and includes all of the above tips.

250+ Skills for Each Industry  

Although we’ve split these skills up by industry, please note that many skills are applicable to a variety of careers. For example, someone working in marketing might find knowledge of JavaScript just as useful as someone working in the computer science field. 

Let’s jump in!

Office and Administrative Job Skills

• Answering Phones
• Bookkeeping (Excel, Turbotax)
• Office Equipment
• Welcoming Visitors
• Calendar Management
• Organization 
• Time Management 
• Problem Solving
• Attention To Detail
• Adaptability 
• Written Communication 
• Email Platforms (E.G., Gmail And iCloud Mail)
• Word Processing Software (E.G., Google Docs)
• Spreadsheet Software
• Digital Calendars
• Prioritization 

Sales, Retail, and Customer Service Job Skills

• Product Knowledge
• Lead Qualification
• Lead Prospecting 
• Customer Needs Analysis
• Referral Marketing
• Contract Negotiation
• Self Motivation
• Increasing Customer Lifetime Value (Clv)
• Reducing Customer Acquisition Cost (Cac)
• CRM Software (Salesforce, Hubspot, Zoho, Freshsales)
• Cashier Skills
• Knowledge Of Products And Services 
• Customer Service
• Communication (More Specifically -- Verbal Communication Skills, Listening Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Written Communication Skills, Public Speaking Skills, Presentation Skills)
• Math Skills
• Negotiation 
• Persuasion  
• Diplomacy  
• Cold Calling
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Lead Generation
• Buyer-responsive Selling
• Buyer Engagement

Nursing and Healthcare Job Skills

• Patient Assessment
• Taking Vital Signs
• Patient Care
• Recording Patient Medical History
• Wound Dressing And Care
• Urgent And Emergency Care
• Record-keeping
• Patient Education
• NIH Stroke Scale Patient Assessment
• Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
• Medicine Administration
• Blood Pressure Monitoring
• Rehabilitation Therapy
• Hygiene Assistance
• Use Of X-ray, MRI, Cat Scans
• Glucose Checks
• Electronic Heart Record (EHR)
• Decision-Making Ability 
• Critical Thinking
• Leadership 
• Thorough Understanding Of HIPPA And Privacy Policies
• Ability To Take And Record Vital Signs
• CPR And First-Aid Certifications
• Perform And Evaluate Diagnostic Tests
• Maintain Patient Charts

IT Job Skills

• Programming Languages
• Web Development
• Data Structures
• Open Source Experience
• Machine Learning
• Front-End & Back-End Development
• Cloud Management
• Agile Development
• CSS Preprocessors
• Graphic User Interfaces (GUI)
• Git/Version Control (Github, gitlab)
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Application Programming Interface (API)
• Adobe Photoshop, InDesign
• Content Management Systems (CMS)
• Testing/Debugging
• Responsive Design Principles
• Mobile and Web Development (e.g. iOS, Android)

Engineering & Technical Job Skills

• STEM Skills
• Prototyping
• Troubleshooting
• Project Launch
• Lean Manufacturing
• Workflow Development
• Computer Skills
• Technical Report Writing
• Programming Languages HTML, CSS, CRM tools

Advertising & Marketing Job Skills

• SEO (SEMRush, WordPress, and Ahrefs)
• SEM (i.e., Google Adwords)
• CRO and A/B Testing
• Social Media Marketing and Paid Social Media Advertising
• Sales Funnel Management
• CMS Tools (WordPress, Weebly)
• Graphic Design Skills (Adobe Creative Suite)
• Email Marketing (MailChimp, Constant Contact)
• Email Automation
• Data Visualization
• Print Design
• Photography and Branding
• Communication 
• Creativity 
• Data Analytics (Google Analytics )
• Web Analytics
• Email Writing 
• Google Adwords
• Social Media And Mobile Marketing 
• Paid Social Media Advertisements
• Consumer Behavior Drivers
• Brand Management
• B2b Marketing
•  Writing Advertising Copy
• Soliciting Feedback From Customers
• Cutting Costs
• Leadership skills
• Task Delegation 
• Strategic Management
• Proposal writing
• Problem-solving
• Problem solving
• Website Management
• Social Media Outreach
• Video Production
• Campaign Management
• Photo Editing
• Logo Creation
• Digital Printing
• Interactive Media Design 
• Color Sense & Theory
• Social Media Publishing
• Storytelling
• Financial Analysis
• Consumer Research
• Statistical Analysis
• Videography 
• Technical Writing 

General Management and Project Management Job Skills

• Agile Project Management (Kanban)
• Managing Cross-Functional Teams
• Scrum Management
• Performance Tracking
• Financial Modelling
• Ideation Leadership
• Feature Definition
• Forecasting
• Profit and Loss
• Scope Management
• Project Lifecycle Management 
• Meeting Facilitation
• Risk Management 
• Cost Management 
• Data Analysis 
• Collaborative 
• Collaborative Programs (Slack, WhatsApp, Dropbox)
• Adobe Creative Suite

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• 17 Best Skills to Put on Your...

17 Best Skills to Put on Your Resume (with Examples)

20 min read · Updated on July 30, 2024

Everything you need to know about adding the right skills to your resume

Whether your resume has been through 19 revisions lately or you're just revisiting it for the first time in years, spending some time taking stock of your skills section can generate more interest in your candidacy and be the key to winning interviews. 

However, there's a lot of conflicting information online and in books about maximizing the effectiveness of this section. 

Do you simply list all of your key skills on the resume? 

What are the right skills to put on a resume? 

What order is best? 

How will a jumble of technical qualifications help you stand out? 

And what about those  soft skills ?

Let's tackle those questions one at a time and learn the 17 best skills to put on your resume – starting at the beginning.

Why is the resume skills section there in the first place?

The number one reason to spend a fair amount of time crafting your skills list is employability. Being employable means that you have the right skills – academic skills, applied knowledge, technology skills, vertical and lateral thinking abilities, and interpersonal skills – that employers value and are willing to pay you for. 

When the hiring manager picks up your resume to determine whether you're a fit for the role they have open, one of the first things they'll look at is your skill level. Having the right skills on your resume is also important to ensure your CV pops up in recruiter searches. 

There are three key reasons to include the skills section in your resume and to organize it well:

To list your skills and abilities in one place for easy reference and scanning

To highlight the match between your background and the job requirements for the position you're interested in

To get your well-crafted resume through keyword screening by applicant tracking systems

The right mix of resume skills will get you past the first hurdle and towards a conversation. Here's a blueprint for making the most out of your skills section:

Relevancy is critical

Including a jumble of skills on your resume, beefed up with some basics that pretty much everyone knows (like Microsoft Office, as an example) won't help you to stand out. In fact, listing out skills that are considered to be a common baseline can actually hurt your candidacy by making you look like you're scrambling to establish credibility. 

PRO TIP: As a general rule, basic user-level proficiency with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and email applications is  assumed to be a given . However, if you have advanced Excel skills (expert-level proficiency with macros and advanced analysis capabilities, for example), you should list those.  

Rather than go back to basics, you'll want to focus only on skills that look good on a resume.

So how can you tell that a skill is relevant? That's easy! Read the  job description . 

Interpret the job description

As you dissect the job description to learn what will be required of you if you're hired for the position, pay special attention to the “requirements” and “qualifications” bullets, as that's where you'll find the majority of the keywords your resume will need. Again, the goal is to ensure that your resume speaks to that particular job so you can impress the hiring manager. 

Let's say you're applying for a job as an Account Manager. You may see these bullets under the “requirements” part of the job description:

Build lasting relationships with new and existing clients

Maintain client records, including contract renewals 

Develop sales plans to meet key performance indicators

Understand product offerings to meet customer needs and upsell when available

The keywords you need to focus on in each bullet are:

Client relationships

Client records and contract renewals

Sales plans and KPIs

Product offerings, customer needs, and upsell

The question you then need to ask yourself is, “Do I have the skills to back up these keywords?” If the answer is “Yes,” then these skills should appear on your resume. 

This is called  tailoring your resume  and should be done with every job that you apply to. For example, if you are applying to be a Floor Manager at a store that sells musical instruments, your proficiency with inventory management and your ability to play guitar would both be relevant for the job.

The four main types of skills for your resume

As a human being, you have technical and interpersonal skills in a broad range of areas. You might be an expert whitewater rafter, or maybe you have advanced a World of Warcraft character all the way to level 80. Both of those accomplishments require dedication, practice, and technical proficiency, but they're probably not going to help you land a job. 

The general recommendation on standout skills for a resume is to only list skills that will, directly or indirectly, help you to be more effective in your job. 

To do this, you have to understand the different types of skills that employers look for. 

1. Hard skills for a resume

These are learned abilities that you've picked up during your career, either through education, training, or experience. They can be honed over time. When you add hard skills to your resume, you'll want to include numbers –   measurable accomplishments  – as often as possible. 

2. Soft skills for a resume

Soft skills are characteristics you possess that improve your ability to get along with others, solve problems, and communicate effectively. You'll find that hiring managers love soft skills. 

No matter how technical your position is, it will require interacting with people, dealing with deadlines, and adapting to change. It's not as easy to quantify soft skills as it is hard skills, but employers still want you to prove that you possess these traits.

While most skills can be categorized as hard or soft skills, there are other types of skills, too!

3. Transferable skills for a resume

In addition to hard and soft skills, you might consider whether you have any transferable skills. This becomes especially important if you're changing careers, as they allow you to provide tangible proof of your ability to adapt to new circumstances and use lateral or vertical thinking to apply knowledge about one thing to something else. 

When you're leaning on  transferable skills to sell your qualifications  to the hiring manager, you must take the time to relay how those skills will benefit them and their new team. So, rather than saying that you have good time management skills, prove it by demonstrating what you do to manage time and how this has benefitted previous employers. 

4. Adaptive skills for a resume

You can also show resiliency through skills in your resume if you're not changing careers. Let's face it, if there's one thing that's certain in life and work, it's that things change. If you're the type of person to leverage change as a learning opportunity, then you should definitely be highlighting your adaptability on your resume. 

The 17 best skills to put on your resume

Now that we've defined what types of skills you can use on your resume, let's explore some specific examples of different skills you can include.

1. Computer skills and programming languages

When the job description wants you to prove that you possess programming skills, you can add “ Proficiency in Python, Java, or HTML, ” for example. This signals to employers that you can do everything from coding to automation and makes you a valuable candidate in the tech space.

Some roles that require an understanding of computer languages include:

Software Engineer

Computer Scientist

2. Data analysis

Saying that you possess data analysis skills allows you to demonstrate that you can interpret raw data and draw actionable insights to fuel change. It's adaptable across industries and can be easily backed by quantifiable data. 

Some roles that require an understanding of data analysis include:

Data Scientist

Marketing Consultant

Senior Accountant

3. Project management

You don't have to be a Certified Project Management Professional to include an ability to manage projects on your resume. If you're good at leading, organizing, and delivering successful outcomes, then you should add that you know how to manage projects. 

Some roles that require an understanding of project management include:

Construction Contractor

Industrial Engineer

IT Project Manager

4. Creativity

Creativity is one of the most highly sought-after skill sets. Not only can you leverage it to create tangible marketing pieces that connect with target audiences, but it can also be used to solve problems and bring fresh perspectives to projects. Creativity also signals that you're adaptable to dynamic environments. 

Some roles that require you to be creative include:

Graphic Designer

Digital Marketing Manager

Brand Manager

5. Languages

The world gets smaller every day, so being able to speak more than one language is a skill that you should definitely include on your resume. Adding multiple languages to your application makes you highly valuable in a globalized, connected working world.

Some roles that require you to be speak other languages include:

International  HR Director

Foreign Exchange  Investment Banker

Some  Teacher  roles

6. Communication

Every job everywhere requires employees to have good communication skills. But instead of simply saying that you are a good communicator, be prepared to demonstrate that you understand the value of everything from active listening to properly articulating complex concepts. 

Some roles that require great communication include:

Sales Representative

Public Relations

Nurse Practitioner

7. Teamwork

A lot of people will throw the word “teamwork” into the skills list on their resume without giving it much thought. However, given the vast amount of hybrid and remote working environments, teamwork is more important than ever. A happy team that works together reduces burnout and increases morale. 

Some roles that require good teamwork include:

Sports Fitness Coach

Product Manager

Scrum Master

8. Leadership

If you're applying for a role that will involve guiding others, then including leadership skills is a must. When you add leadership to your resume, you highlight that you're not afraid to take the initiative to make decisions that drive outcomes. 

Some roles that require you to be a leader include:

Director of IT

Sales Manager

9. Critical thinking

When you're known for making well-informed decisions by analyzing information and evaluating situations objectively, you possess critical thinking skills. You may see this pop up in job descriptions where the employer is seeking someone with high emotional intelligence. Basically, if you can navigate your way logically through problems, then critical thinking is probably something you should add to your resume.

Some roles that require critical thinking include:

Data Engineer

Telecommunications Professional

10. Cultural competence

Diversity, equity, and inclusion have become buzzwords in today's workforce. People want a voice and value having a psychologically safe place in which to get things done. This is even more true when you have people coming together from different cultures. 

Some roles that require you to have cultural competence include:

Military-to-Civilian

11. Quality assurance

Quality assurance has implications across a number of fields, including software development and cybersecurity. There is an emphasis on quality assurance in roles that require you to maintain compliance with regulations or particular guidelines and best practices. 

Some roles that require an understanding of quality assurance include:

Aviation Mechanic

Cyber Security Specialist

12. Time management

Ranking right up there with creativity as far as top-rated skills go, being able to properly manage time is critical in today's workforce. It's not only something that's found in professional settings, but across industries and jobs worldwide. A simple search of job descriptions will reveal that the majority of them want people who can meet deadlines, at the minimum. 

Some roles that require good time management include:

Administrative Office Assistant

Finance Director

Project Manager

13. Conflict resolution

Being able to de-escalate situations with irate clients by demonstrating empathy and clearly defining options for a resolution means you're probably good at conflict management. However, conflict management isn't only demonstrated in client interactions. You may also be able to showcase conflict resolution skills if you've solved problems within team environments, too. 

Some roles that require conflict resolution skills include:

Retail Merchandising

Insurance Agent

Information Technology

14. Sales and upselling

Sales is all about employing active listening to ascertain customers' needs, to sell the right product or service at the right time. Whether you're connecting with target audiences to get them to buy something through a digital marketing campaign or you're trying to sell someone a product, meeting client needs is critical to demonstrating that you're good at sales and upselling. 

Some roles that require you to be able to sell and upsell include:

Marketing Manager

Consulting Manager

Real Estate Manager

15. Data entry

As you progress in your career, showcasing that you're good at data entry will become less and less important, however, there are still some roles that value candidates who can quickly and accurately input data into a system. 

Some roles that require data entry include:

Recent Graduate

Mid-Career Professionals

16. Tech-savviness 

Being tech–savvy means that you're always on the cutting edge and consistently keep up with emerging technologies. It helps you to deliver innovative solutions that help your company remain competitive in the ever-changing IT landscape.

Some roles that require candidates to be tech-savvy include:

DevOps Engineer

Technical Project Manager

Senior Software Engineer

17. Continuous learning

Today's employers value job seekers and employees who are fastidiously committed to ongoing education and skill development. Most even provide some sort of knowledge bank or in-house professional development courses to allow you to engage in continuous learning. 

Some roles that value a commitment to continuous learning include:

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Electrical Engineer

Mechanical Engineer

How to add skills to your resume

Keep your skills specific and clear.

A common pitfall when it comes to resume skills is to list broad categories of abilities without going into sufficient detail. The problem with that approach is that it won't get your resume found in keyword searches, because they are looking for specific proficiency statements.

So, instead of writing “familiarity with accounting software,” list “Quickbooks, Quicken, Sage, and Xero.” 

Use numbers and descriptive words where appropriate – 

How many projects have you managed using Teamwork Projects? 

How many people have you trained to use Salesforce? 

A few well-placed quantifiers can position you as a serious candidate with supported qualifications.

Organize your skills list

When creating a long list of skills for a resume, consider how you organize everything. Ordering your skills strategically will make your resume easier to read and call the right attention to the right skills in the right place. 

This is especially true considering that our brains look for patterns. A well-organized skill section on your resume will improve the aesthetics and help the hiring manager to skim through it to find just what they're looking for. 

PRO TIP: There isn't a hiring manager alive who is reading your resume. They're  scanning through it in just a few seconds . This makes keeping things organized all the more important.

Another organizing tip is to list the most important skills for the job first. Specifics will vary by industry, but think through the critical technical skills that will drive your effectiveness and success in the role and put them at the top.

When you're starting to group your skills list together, deciding which is most important depends on the job description. While most employers want employees who are good communicators and can solve problems, you have to take the industry and employer preferences into consideration. 

Job relevance: This goes back to tearing the job description apart to find the relevant keywords

Industry trends: Stay on top of things that may be changing in your industry and highlight any new skills that come into demand

Employer preferences: Take some time to research the company and learn what they do, why they do it, and for whom – this will help you to get a feel for their company culture, so you'll know which soft skills will impress them the most

The best place to put skills on your resume

The placement of the resume skills section itself on the page is up to you. Many people prefer to have it positioned near the top of their resume, but it works at the bottom too.

PRO TIP: If you have a lot of skills to list, consider breaking them up (for example, technical skills at the top and additional skills at the bottom).

No matter where you place the skills section, the layout is critical in catching the eye of hiring managers and showcasing your qualifications in a way that helps you to stand out from the crowd. 

At the top of your resume

Technically speaking, your skills list shouldn't be at the top. The first things on your resume should be your  contact information ,  headline , and  summary paragraph . So, when we say “at the top of your resume,” we mean beneath the summary paragraph. 

When you put your skills list at the top of your resume, you call immediate attention to some key selling points. It's an effective technique if you have a strong set of skills that directly align with the job requirements. 

Here's what a skills list at the top of your resume would look like:

FIRST NAME, LAST NAME

City, ST 12345 • LinkedIn URL • [email protected] • 111-222-3333

REGIONAL MANAGER

Operations Management | Project Management | Sales Management | Business Analysis

Innovative and ambitious executive-level management professional offering extensive experience and an accomplishments-driven career in sales, marketing and operations, and key account management. Leverages an entrepreneurial spirit to orchestrate tactical business plans that challenge the status quo, allowing for reformation of process. Intuitive business acumen and skilled strategist who uses the most up-to-date business practices to create, implement, and oversee business continuity. Naturally assumes leadership roles to oversee and achieve organizational success.

Business Development • Executive Leadership • Strategic Business Planning • Data Analysis • Team Training & Development • Policy & Procedure Development • Marketing & Territory Expansion • Procurement, Sourcing, & Negotiation • Relationship-Selling • Customer Relations

This resume example actually has two skills lists. One just beneath the title and then the regular one beneath the summary paragraph. It's an effective way to separate out the skills that are most important – the specialized abilities that you want to call immediate attention to. However, if you do it like this on your resume, the skills listed beneath the title should only be one to two lines max!

At the bottom of the resume

If you've reached a point in your career where your work history and career achievements outshine your skills, then it's a good idea to place the skills list at the bottom of your resume. 

Here's what your skills could look like at the bottom of your resume:

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

[List your career history in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent and working backward about 10 years]

[List the degrees you've earned and the schools where you obtained your degrees. You can also mention any professional development classes you've taken and certifications or licenses you possess]

Core proficiencies:

Project Management | Lean Management | Change Management | Operations Management | 3PL | Inventory Management | Inventory Control | Inventory Planning | Logistics Management | Distribution & Processing | Budgeting | Procurement | Purchase Orders

Soft skills:

Team Leadership | Coaching | Persuasion | Creative Problem Solving | Negotiation

Technical skills:

Epicor | PeopleSoft | XAL(Concorde) | HighStage | Deltek (Costpoint) | KBM | Syteline | Kinaxis | Glovia (Oracle-based) | Oracle | Adept | Workflow | Data Vault (Oracle-based) | Intralink

English |  Spanish |  French

Throughout your resume

Since your resume is more than a list of skills, you should know that your master list of abilities and the keywords you've culled from the job description aren't limited to being placed only in a skills list. You can – and should – include hard, soft, adaptive, and transferable skills throughout your entire resume. 

After your contact information, the first thing that should appear on your resume is a headline. A lot of people will simply put a title, but if you take a moment to spruce it up and turn it into a headline, you'll be able to inject a few keywords on the top line of your resume. 

For example, if you're applying for a role as a Real Estate Broker, here's the difference between a title and a headline:

Title: Real Estate Broker

Headline: Real Estate Broker with Expertise in Property Valuation and Team Management

Put yourself into the shoes of a hiring manager and ask yourself, which of those would give you more information about the job seeker? The headline not only indicates which role you want, but also includes two keywords – property valuation and team management. 

Summary paragraph

As you move on to write your career summary, that appears just beneath the headline, you'll want to continue adding relevant skills from your career that are mirrored in the job description. Doing this will ensure that your resume presents a cohesive and powerful message that your experience and achievements will serve the new company well. 

In sticking with the example of Real Estate Broker, perhaps you find that the new company wants you to coordinate marketing events and client activities, write weekly reports, and have a solid understanding of the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) platform for listing properties. 

The keywords to include in your profile paragraph would be:

Marketing events

Client activities

Multiple Listing Service (MLS)

Thus, your profile paragraph could look like this:

Veteran real estate professional with a strong background in orchestrating impactful marketing events for single and multi-family residences. Specializes in managing client activities that turn passive consumers into active clientele. Proficient in maximizing MLS to enhance property visibility and streamlining documentation and reporting processes. Known for creating a culture of excellence and client satisfaction by maintaining an open-door policy that encourages communication among team members.

As you can see, the profile paragraph isn't a long and drawn-out diatribe of things you've done in your career. Rather, it's a short paragraph that matches your skills to the job you're applying for. 

Work experience

Let's move on to the meat of your resume - the part the hiring manager is going to spend the most time on – your  career history . You may be wondering how you can put future-facing keywords into the historical part of your resume, but all it takes is a bit of finesse. 

For example, if you have a history of closing multi-million-dollar deals in high-end neighborhoods, you could work a few keywords into an achievement bullet like this:

• Closed 5 multi-million-dollar property sales per month by leveraging MLS for property exposure

While you could stop after you say how many multi-million-dollar deals you closed, because that's a great achievement statement, expanding the bullet to include a keyword makes your overall resume all the more compelling. 

TopResume wants to do more than write your resume. We want to give you the tools you need to succeed in your job search and career. Click on the following link for more  resume and career advice .

Stand out from the crowd

When you master including the best skills in your resume, you reach a level of job search preparedness that propels your resume to the top of the pile. The whole idea is to make it easy for potential employers to see how you'll fit within the folds of their organization and team. That's where tailoring the skills on your resume comes in – wherever you include them. 

Want to see how your resume stacks up? Try out our  free resume review  today!

Recommended reading:

How to Write a Powerful LinkedIn Summary

How to Format a Resume for Multiple Jobs at One Company

The Best Resume Format to Get Hired  

Related Articles:

7 Signs Your Resume is Making You Look Old

Don't “Snowplow” Your Kids' Job Search — Set Them Up for Success Instead

Why a Simple Resume Layout is a Successful Resume

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101 Essential Skills to Put on a Resume in 2024 [For Most Jobs]

Skills make a huge chunk of a potential employer’s decision to hire you. 

You might think this section of your resume is easy - you just list your skills and you’re good to go.

But listing your skills the right way is a bit trickier.

How do you know if you’re mentioning the necessary skills for the job or if you’re just giving the hiring manager irrelevant information? 

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

In this guide, we’re going to walk you through the process of putting skills on your resume from start to finish.

You’re going to learn:

What Are the Different Types of Skills?

• Why Should You List Your Skills on Your Resume?
• How to List Skills on a Resume
• 12 Best Skills to Put on Any Resume 
• 400+ Skills to Put on a Resume for Different Professions

Let’s dive in!

Skills are the various abilities and attributes that you bring to the table when you’re applying for a job.

Your skills can be your ability to do a specific task or solve a problem with some level of proficiency, and they’re typically divided into hard skills and soft skills.

If you want to create an effective resume that catches the hiring manager’s attention, you need to mention both hard and soft skills.

Let’s break down what each means:

Hard Skills

Hard skills involve the technical knowledge or know-how one can gain through experience, training, or education. 

While hard skills are essential for completing tasks in just about any job, they’re also teachable and easily measurable. 

For example: 

• Machinery skills. Some fields require operating specialized machinery or equipment. (E.g., operating a road roller, pallet-stalker, forklift, or others.)
• Software skills. Depending on the field, you need to know how to use different software, such as the Adobe Creative Suite for designers or the Ableton Live Suite if you’re a DJ.
• Tools. If you’re a digital marketer , you’ll need to know how to use tools like Stethoscope, Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Ahrefs, and SEMrush.
• Languages. Being able to communicate in more than one language is an extremely useful skill. The more customers or teams you can communicate with, the more valuable you are as an employee. Some of the most sought-after languages today include German, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic.
• Computer skills. Most jobs will require that you have at least some basic computer knowledge in MS Office and G-Suite, emailing, and presentations. If you’re a web developer , your hard skills will likely include more specialized software knowledge or proficiency in coding languages such as Python, C++, or PHP.
• Techniques. Different specialized techniques you’ve learned can be listed as individual skills. (E.g.: frequency analysis, crystallization, gamification, or even CPR and first aid.)
• Mathematics. A lot of professions, such as accounting and finance, require mathematical skills. If you’re applying for a position in a field that uses advanced mathematics, such as a research assistant , you should be more specific with the types of mathematical skills you have. (E.g.: statistics, trigonometry, calculus, algebra, etc.)
• Data analysis. Businesses are always looking for professionals who can gather and analyze data for various stakeholders and help make strategic decisions, making different types of data analysis a very in-demand hard skill.

…so, just about any field-specific skill is a hard skill you can list on your resume.

Soft Skills

The attributes and habits that describe how you work individually or with others are known as soft skills .

Generally speaking, soft skills aren’t job-specific, so they’re transferable skills that indirectly help you adapt to the work environment and company culture. 

Some examples of the most in-demand soft skills include: 

• Time management
• Communication
• Adaptability
• Problem-solving
• Interpersonal skills
• Attention to detail
• Emotional intelligence
• Conflict resolution
• Stress management
• Critical thinking
• Organization

Soft skills are essential for just about any job out there.

While some soft skills can be critical to doing your job well, such as communication with a customer support representative , others ensure that you get along with your coworkers and foster a positive work environment.

Like hard skills, you can also learn how to develop soft skills, but it’s significantly harder. 

While you can acquire computer skills through a technical course, you’ll need to put in a lot more effort to develop your communication skills. 

For example, you would need to practice active listening in the workplace, learn how to notice nonverbal cues and practice your oral communication skills as much as possible to improve.

What’s the Difference Between Hard Skills and Soft Skills?

There are three main differences between hard skills and soft skills.

• How you obtain them. You can obtain hard skills through work experience , education, training, and certifications. Soft skills, on the other hand, can be gained through life experience, both in and out of work.
• How you use them. While you apply hard skills directly to the job, soft skills usually come into play indirectly and may often complement your hard skills. For example, you may be a communicative marketer or an office manager with great leadership qualities.
• How you list them. Hard skills and soft skills should be listed separately on your resume, but unlike soft skills, hard skills can include your level of proficiency. You can say you’re an advanced user of Adobe Photoshop, but you can’t measure how creative you are in the same way.

When it comes to your employability, both sets of skills are crucial for your resume.

If a hiring manager is on the fence about two candidates with the same hard skills, it’s the soft skills that are going to tip the scales in someone’s favor.

Why Should You List Skills on Your Resume?

The skills section is one of the two most important resume sections , with the other being your work experience.

In fact, 41% of hiring managers notice skills on your resume first.

Let’s look at an example of a well-written skill section:

At first glance, listing some skills on your resume looks easy.

In reality, though, putting skills on your resume the right way is a bit more nuanced than that, and here’s why:

Most companies nowadays use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to help them go through the hundreds and thousands of resumes they receive every day.

This software scans your resume for keywords relevant to the job you’re applying for, and if it doesn’t find them, the ATS automatically rejects your resume.

For example, let’s say you’re applying for a job as a software engineer , and the job requires an expert level of proficiency in Javascript.

If you focus on other programming languages and don’t mention Java as a skill on your resume, the ATS will probably discard it immediately.

Resume statistics show that nearly 75% of resumes are rejected at this first screening stage, and they never make it to a hiring manager .

But let’s assume the company doesn’t use an ATS, and your resume ends up on a hiring manager’s desk.

There’s a good chance the hiring manager is only going to skim through your resume in less than six seconds , looking for the right set of skills.

So, regardless of whether you’ll need to breeze past the ATS or the hiring manager, you have to mention the right skills.

How to List Skills on a Resume (And Stand Out)

Now that you have a clear understanding of how important skills are, let’s talk about how you should list them on your resume.

We’ve divided the process into a step-by-step guide you can follow, starting with:

#1. Tailor Your Skills to the Job

The key to an effective skills section is making sure the skills you list are relevant to the job.

For example, if you’re applying for a job as a backend developer, the customer service skills you gained working as a server during college don’t belong on your resume.

So, only list skills that are useful for the job you are applying for.

Start by thoroughly reading the job advertisement to find out what skills to include on your resume.

Job ads usually list a set of requirements or skills they expect from candidates. Take note of which skills and experiences you have, and remember to write them down on your resume.

Let’s look at an example of a job ad for a line cook position in a restaurant:

At Restaurant X, we are dedicated to delivering an exceptional dining experience that reflects the heart of French cuisine. We are currently seeking a skilled Line Cook to join our team for the summer season. This is an exciting opportunity to work in a fast-paced, prestigious environment under the mentorship of our acclaimed chef.

Key Responsibilities:

• Efficiently prep ingredients for service, ensuring high standards of quality and freshness.
• Execute recipes to exact standards, contributing to the creation of signature dishes that delight our guests.
• Maintain meticulous attention to detail in the plating and presentation of each dish.
• Uphold the highest standards of cleanliness and sanitation in the kitchen before, during, and after service.

Requirements:

• Proven experience as a line cook in a fast-paced kitchen environment.
• A passion for French cuisine and a strong desire to learn and grow within the culinary field.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills, with the ability to work effectively under pressure.
• Knowledge of best practices for food handling, safety, and sanitation.

From this job description, we can see that the restaurant is looking for someone who:

• Is committed to excellence and is highly professional
• Works well under supervision and as part of a team
• Has experience working in a fast-paced kitchen environment
• Pays great attention to detail when it comes to cooking and presentation

Based on this, some of the skills you should definitely mention in your resume include:

• Culinary Expertise
• Food Preparation
• Knife Skills
• Plating Techniques
• Time Management
• Attention to Detail
• Safety and Sanitation
• Stress Management

Don’t mention skills that aren’t directly related to the job. For example, a line cook doesn’t need to list computer skills on their resume, even if those skills are relevant for most other jobs.

#2. Create a Skills Section

Once you’ve identified all the right skills to add to your resume, create a dedicated “Skills” section to list them under.

A dedicated section will help you pass the ATS, and it makes it easier for hiring managers to find the skills they’re looking for.

Here’s an example of what a skills section can look like on a resume:

We recommend keeping your resume skills section somewhere near the top of the page so that the hiring manager can see it quickly. Usually, they should go either next to or after the work experience section, depending on your resume layout .

Next, here are a few tips you should keep in mind when listing your skills:

• Be specific. “Verbal and written communication” sounds significantly better than just “communication.” 
• Sort your skills by relevance. Order your skills based on how crucial they are for the role. The more important skills should go at the top, and the nice-to-have ones should go after them.
• Format skills accordingly. Not everyone has dozens of skills they can show off on their resume, and that’s okay. If you don’t have a lot of skills, you can list both your hard and soft skills in a single section, just like the example we used above.
• Don’t lie or exaggerate. If you don’t have one of the required skills for the role or you’re not very experienced, just be honest. It goes without saying that you should never lie about what you can do. The employer will find out you lied eventually, your professional reputation will bear the consequences, and you could even lose your job.

#3. Match Each Skill With Your Proficiency Level

While some skills are hard to measure, others can be put on a proficiency scale .

We recommend only using a proficiency scale for some hard skills, such as specific tools or software programs. Soft skills are difficult to measure objectively, so there’s no point in putting them on a scale.

Here’s how to show your proficiency level:

• Beginner. You are just starting to learn this skill, or you haven’t practiced the skill through experience. This usually applies to students with no experience who only understand concepts through theories or classroom experience.
• Intermediate. You have applied this skill in practice, and you rarely need help with it, but you still have room to grow.
• Advanced. At this level, you know your stuff. You don’t need help with this skill anymore, and you can teach beginners how to use it.
• Expert. You’re a recognized authority when it comes to this skill, and you’re the go-to person if anyone has any questions.

#4. Back-Up Your Skills in Other Resume Sections

Only listing your skills in their dedicated section will get you so far. After all, everyone else is doing the exact same thing. 

If you want to take your resume from good to great, you need your most critical skills to make an impression from the get-go.

This is where the resume headline and work experience sections come in.

Resume Headline

Your resume headline can be either a resume summary or a resume objective.

The resume summary is a short, two to four-sentence-long paragraph that summarizes your resume. When done right, it shows the hiring manager your strongest selling points as a candidate right from the start.

Here’s an example in action:

But if you don’t have a lot of experience, you can use a resume objective instead.

The resume objective is a two to three-sentence statement of your career intent that goes at the top of your resume. It can include a snapshot of your professional experience, skills, achievements, and professional goals.

Here’s what it looks like:

Both the resume summary and resume objective go at the top of your resume, either before or after your contact information section .

Regardless of which resume headline you go for, the goal of this section is to pique the hiring manager’s curiosity and make them want to read your whole resume. You should always add one or two of the most necessary skills from the job description here.

Work Experience

Once you’ve mentioned some of your top skills in your resume headline, you have to prove you actually have them.

The best way to do that is by listing some impressive achievements in your work experience section and explaining how your skills helped you.

Let’s look at what the work experience section could look like for the data entry specialist from our resume summary example:

• Achieve a 99% accuracy rate, surpassing departmental accuracy goals by 15%.
• Leveraged advanced organizational abilities to streamline data entry processes, reducing task completion times by 20%.
• Employed superior communication and interpersonal skills to resolve 95% of customer inquiries on the first contact, earning an Employee of the Month award.
• Managed and maintained a complex database of over 10,000 records, ensuring data integrity and accuracy through effective office management practices.

Hobbies and Interests

Another section where you can back up your skills is your hobbies and interests section .

If you have leftover space on your resume, you can use this optional section to list a couple of hobbies or areas of interest that relate to your skills.

For example, let’s say you’re applying for a job as a writer, and the ad says you need to be creative, collaborative, and familiar with pop culture.

In that case, if one of your hobbies is playing a popular tabletop role-playing game with your friends, like Dungeons and Dragons, make sure to list it.

A hobby like that shows that you are genuinely creative, like writing for fun, and are capable of organizing with multiple people for a mutual goal.

#5. Put Transferable Skills to Use 

If you’re looking for your first job or if you’re making a career change , transferable skills are something you should make use of.

Transferable skills are skills that aren’t directly related to the job you are applying for, but they’re still useful and likely relevant for most jobs.

For example, if you're writing a career change resume and you’re going from a role as a sales associate to a copywriter, there are several transferable skills you can list on your resume.

Some of them include:

• Written communication. Both roles involve communicating through text. A salesperson needs to send cold outreach emails, while a copywriter has to write newsletter emails.
• Persuasion. A copywriter needs to create copy that drives sales, while a salesperson needs to be persuasive in person.
• Computer skills. Both jobs require some degree of computer literacy. For a salesperson, that might mean using Customer Management Software, while for a copywriter, that’s publishing content online.

12 Best Skills to Put on Any Resume

Now that you know how to put skills on your resume, it’s time to talk about which skills you should add.

Every profession requires some role-specific hard skills. For example, a photographer needs to know how to use photo editing software like Photoshop. 

But when it comes to soft skills, a lot of them are universal across different industries.

Soft skills are the skills that define your approach to work, how well you cooperate with others, and if you can fit into a company’s culture.

And while the right soft skills for a job may be harder to point out, they’re just as essential in today’s job market. In fact, 93% of employers say that soft skills play a critical role in the hiring decision.

There are very few, if any, jobs out there that don’t require at least some level of communication skills .

So, let’s look at some of the most highly valued skills for any resume:

#1. Communication skills

Whether you’re a writer who needs to communicate a message to your readers, a marketing specialist who needs to communicate an advertising campaign to your client, or an employee who needs to communicate with a coworker to complete a task, communication skills are vital. 

Communication is a multi-faceted skill that includes several skills, such as: 

• Oral and written communication
• Non-verbal communication
• Active Listening
• Presentation
• Public-speaking
• Negotiation

#2. Problem-Solving

Problem-solving means you’re able to identify problems, find the root cause behind them, and come up with creative solutions.

Considering there isn’t a single job where you won’t face problems in one way or another, problem-solving skills are a great asset to have.

Throughout your career, you might have to troubleshoot technical glitches, resolve customer complaints, streamline processes, or drive strategic initiatives. In any of these cases, strong problem-solving skills will be crucial to your success. 

But problem-solving is a broad set of skills that can include:

• Analytical thinking
• Root cause analysis
• Data gathering and evaluation
• Creative thinking
• Decision making
• Strategic planning
• Risk assessment and management

Whether you’re an IT professional debugging code or a manager implementing operational improvements, problem-solving skills let you tackle challenges head-on.

#3. Conflict Resolution

When working with diverse groups, disagreements are bound to happen. So, having the skills to resolve conflicts in a constructive manner is extremely valuable in any organization.

Conflict resolution skills are essential for managers addressing performance issues, HR professionals mediating workplace disputes, sales teams negotiating contracts, or coworkers with clashing personalities.

This multifaceted skill involves:

• Impartiality and objectivity
• Assertive communication
• Creative problem-solving
• Persuasion and influence
• Patience and composure

#4. Computer Literacy

Over 70% of jobs require medium-to-high-level digital skills.  

This means that computer and technical skills are priceless assets, even if your job isn’t centered around technology. So, computer skills are almost always a great addition to any resume.

Here are some valuable computer skills for every professional: 

• Office suites (MS Office, iWork)
• Social media
• Database management
• Web (Internet savviness, basic HTML, CMS)
• Troubleshooting
• Equipment installation and configuration
• Fast Typing

#5. Research

Effective research abilities are essential for making informed decisions and driving successful outcomes across any industry.

Whether you’re conducting market research to identify consumer needs, gathering data to explore a scientific hypothesis, or investigating to build a legal case, strong research skills are invaluable.

Some research skills include:

• Finding credible sources
• Evaluating information objectively
• Organizing data
• Identifying patterns
• Documenting and reporting findings

#6. Teamwork

Teamwork skills enable you to work effectively with others towards a common goal.

Since teams tend to drive most major projects and workplace initiatives, learning how to work well with others is essential to most jobs. You might be part of a project team, a committee, or just coordinate across departments someday.

What you need for strong teamwork skills is:

• Active listening
• Reliability
• Flexibility
• Motivating others

#7. Project Management

Project management skills are usually associated with dedicated project manager roles, but in reality, that's not usually the case. Any type of professional can benefit from strong project management skills.

In a nutshell, project management skills involve being able to effectively handle resources, timelines, deliverables, and processes for driving projects to successful completion.

Here are some of the most in-demand project management skills:

• Resource allocation and management
• Project planning and scheduling
• Risk identification and mitigation
• Logistics and coordination
• Action planning
• Task planning and prioritization
• Stakeholder management

#8. Leadership

Leadership includes both the ability to manage and inspire others. Managers are not always great leaders, but leaders almost always make good managers. 

People who are good at leading are emotionally intelligent, good communicators, and natural-born influencers. They can motivate others to reach their full potential and work together towards common goals. This makes leadership another great skill to have for many professions out there. 

Some important soft skills related to leadership include:

• Relationship-building
• Strategic thinking

#9. Organization

Organizational skills are a set of soft skills that help you keep track of information, materials, and even your time in such a way that you can tackle short and long-term tasks efficiently.

Organizational skills are among the top skills recruiters are looking for in 2022, primarily because they help employees be more productive, save companies time and money, and facilitate a more positive work environment. 

Here is what organizational skills consist of: 

• Physical organization
• Prioritization
• Goal setting

#10. Time Management

Time management is the ability to effectively prioritize and organize your tasks and responsibilities.

Needless to say, it’s a crucial skill in nearly every job, since being able to manage your time well allows you to increase productivity, meet deadlines, and maintain a healthy work-life balance .

Time management includes:

• Task prioritization and planning
• Task delegation
• Avoiding and Ignoring distractions
• Adapting to changing priorities

#11. Customer Service

A lot of the jobs out there involve dealing with customers. 

From customer support representatives to cashiers, customer service skills are a great asset to have in 2024. Particularly, that’s because it encompasses a number of other valuable skills, such as:

• Persuasion skills
• Product knowledge

#12. Networking

Networking skills refer to how well you can build professional relationships and connections.

It goes without saying that they're extremely useful for roles like sales, business development, or entrepreneurship, as a lot of the work involves meeting and engaging new people.

However, these skills are also useful for roles where you don't expect to rely on professional networking as much.

Take, for example, project managers. To be really effective, they need to:

• Understand the needs of stakeholders
• Collaborate with various teams across the organization
• Build rapport with people at all levels

Just like most other skills on our list, networking skills are multi-faceted. They include:

400 Must-Have Skills for Different Professions

Still not sure which skills to mention in your resume? We’ve got you covered.

We compiled a list of some of the most relevant skills on the market in 2024, for all sorts of different fields!

If you happen to possess some of these skills, make sure to mention them in your resume. If not, it’s never too late to learn something new!

#1. Retail and Sales Skills

Retail and sales are at the heart of successful business interactions.

Despite the rise of technology, the essence of sales hasn’t changed much . People still need contact with each other, and even with channels of communication becoming digital, communication skills and empathy still take top priority in this industry.

So, here’s a list of must-have skills for salespeople and retail workers :

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Cold-calling
• Merchandising
• Product demonstration
• Public speaking
• Inventory management
• Lead generation
• Buyer-Responsive selling
• Buyer engagement
• Point of Sale (POS) proficiency
• Effective communication and sociability
• Social media and digital communication
• Listening skills
• Personalized selling
• Service-based selling
• Follow-up techniques
• Up-selling and cross-selling
• Knowledge of return and exchange policies
• Organizational skills
• Multitasking capabilities

#2. Customer Service Skills

Customer service requires a specialized skill set centered around excellent communication and problem-solving. Success in this field relies on effectively managing various communication platforms and maintaining customer satisfaction through attentive service.

Some skills crucial for any customer service representative include:

• Telephone etiquette
• Data entry proficiency
• Customer needs assessment
• Crisis management
• Multitasking
• Ticket tracking systems
• Scripted responses
• Technical troubleshooting
• Complaint resolution
• Record-keeping
• Team collaboration
• Understanding of privacy and confidentiality
• Customer education techniques
• Feedback collection
• Call center operations
• Email Etiquette
• Live chat management
• Help desk support
• Client retention strategies
• Cultural sensitivity

#3. Hospitality Skills

Hospitality is all about making guests feel welcome and appreciated, no matter the setting - whether it’s a bustling hotel, a serene resort, or a cruise ship. Professionals in this field need to create memorable experiences for guests by providing impeccable service and making sure their every need is met with a smile.

Some of the most sought-after hospitality skills are:

• Customer service excellence
• Effective communication
• Foreign languages
• Reservation management
• Event planning
• Specialized software proficiency
• Front desk operations
• Tour and activity coordination
• Guest Relations
• Guest information management
• Concierge services
• Personalized guest experiences
• Safety and security protocols
• Marketing and upselling
• Health and hygiene standards
• Loyalty programs management
• Quality control
• Emergency response handling
• Environmental sustainability practices
• Check-in and check-out procedures

#4. Food and Beverage Skills

The food and beverage industry is one of the most dynamic and fast-paced environments you can work in. Here, professionals have to continually adapt to customers’ changing preferences, stay updated on culinary trends, and provide exceptional service.

Here are some skills that would look great on any food and beverage worker's resume:

• Menu planning and design
• Recipe development
• Food safety and hygiene
• Culinary arts
• Plate presentation
• Portion control
• Cost control and budgeting
• Wine pairing
• Beverage service
• Detailed menu knowledge
• Order taking and processing
• Table setting and arrangement
• Food preparation techniques
• Dietary restrictions and allergen awareness
• Staff training
• Quality assurance
• Health and safety regulations compliance
• Event catering management
• Customer feedback management
• Upselling techniques
• Point of sale (POS) system operation
• Kitchen equipment operation and maintenance
• Communication skills

Looking for more skills? Check out our server resume example here.

#5. Marketing and Advertising Skills

With new technologies developing faster than ever, it’s essential to move beyond the basics of traditional marketing and advertising to succeed in the industry. New skills keep popping up, and even the biggest marketing executives out there need to stay up to date on the latest developments.

So, here are some  of the most important marketing and advertising skills for any level:

• Data analysis
• Web analytics 
• Email marketing
• Web scraping
• CRO and A/B testing
• Data visualization
• Pattern-finding through critical thinking
• Project/campaign management
• Social media and mobile marketing 
• Paid social media advertisements
• B2B Marketing
• The four P-s of Marketing
• Consumer Behavior Drivers
• Brand management
• Copywriting
• Storytelling
• Digital advertising
• Multichannel marketing
• Public relations
• Content strategy
• Market research
• Budget management
• Compliance and legal considerations
• Affiliate marketing

#6. Administrative Skills

If you work in an office setting, there are some skills you should know, regardless of your job. Whether you’re a secretary, office manager, or executive assistant , you can put these skills on your resume.

Some basic administrative skills include:

• Microsoft Office
• Google Suite
• Filing and paper management
• Bookkeeping
• Research and data analysis
• Office management
• Technical writing
• Cloud networking and file sharing
• Prioritization and task management
• Customer service skills
• Meeting planning and coordination
• Event management
• Travel management
• Document preparation
• Confidentiality and data protection
• Minute taking
• Report generation
• Problem-solving skills
• Calendar management
• Expense reports
• Reception duties
• Correspondence handling
• Presentation skills
• Project management skills

#7. Human Resources Skills

Human Resources is a field that needs a strategic blend of soft and hard skills.

HR specialists are essential for managing diverse workforce needs and enhancing employee and company productivity in the long run.

Here are some examples of HR skills that always come in handy:

• Emotional Intelligence
• Motivation techniques
• Technological savviness
• People management
• Business development
• Strategic management
• Negotiation skills
• Recruitment and selection
• Training and development
• Performance management
• Knowledge of compensation and benefits
• Employee relations
• Labor law compliance
• Succession planning
• HR analytics
• Diversity and inclusion initiatives
• Change management
• Employee engagement strategies
• Workplace safety
• Talent acquisition strategies
• Policy formulation and implementation
• Employee counseling and support
• HR information systems (HRIS)
• Cross-cultural communication

#8. Business Skills

Business professionals are increasingly vital to organizations since they offer operational support and strategic insights that can drive growth.

Experts in the business industry need a broad set of skills to analyze trends , optimize processes, and predict future outcomes so their companies remain competitive and responsive to changes in the market.

Here are some examples of skills any business professional could add to their resume:

• Financial forecasting
• Profit and loss management
• Market analysis
• Trend identification
• Competitive analysis
• Risk management
• Project management
• Operations management
• Leadership and team building
• Stakeholder engagement
• Supply chain management
• CRM software proficiency
• ERP systems
• Business reporting
• Compliance and ethics
• Sales and marketing strategies
• Customer service
• Business writing
• Analytical reasoning
• Cloud computing
• E-commerce management
• Social media strategy
• Digital marketing
• Innovation management

#9. Finance and Accounting Skills

The days of filing financial data and taxes by hand are long behind us, and now there are countless digital platforms and apps you can use instead.

So, it goes without saying that anyone working in finance or accounting should be familiar with the most popular skills and tools in the industry.

Some examples include:

• Microsoft Excel
• Enterprise Resource Planning 
• Big Data Analysis
• Know Your Customers (KYC)
• Cognos Analytics (IBM)
• Visual Basic
• Accounting Software
• Revenue recognition
• Anti-money laundering
• Clear communication
• General business knowledge
• Numerical competence
• Financial reporting
• Cost accounting
• Tax preparation and planning
• Financial modeling
• Investment analysis
• Credit analysis
• Cash flow management
• Portfolio management
• Compliance and regulatory management
• Audit coordination
• Project financing
• Mergers and acquisitions

#10. IT Skills

New technology is popping up every other day, and that’s a great reason for anyone working in IT to keep their skills updated.

That said, if you are proficient in a programming language or two, you pretty much have a leg up on the competition.

Here’s a list of some of the most useful skills for any IT professional out there:

• Programming languages (Python, Java, C#)
• Web development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
• Frameworks (React, Angular, Vue.js)
• Mobile app development (iOS, Android)
• Database management (SQL, NoSQL)
• Cloud computing services (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
• DevOps practices (CI/CD, automation)
• Containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Network security protocols
• Cybersecurity best practices
• Data analysis and visualization
• Machine learning and AI algorithms
• Version control systems (Git, SVN)
• Agile and Scrum methodologies
• Software testing and debugging
• System architecture design
• API design and development
• Performance optimization
• IT project management
• IT support and troubleshooting
• Operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux)
• Scripting (Bash, PowerShell)
• IT infrastructure management
• Virtualization technologies
• IT compliance and governance
• UX/UI design principles
• SEO and web analytics
• Blockchain technology

#11. Nursing and Healthcare Skills

More than any other profession, healthcare professionals need to stay updated on the latest technologies, medicines, and techniques.

While the skills a registered nurse or other healthcare professional needs are countless and can be extremely specific to their specialization, the most basic skills boil down to:

• Mathematics
• Paperwork/record-keeping abilities
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
• Physical endurance 
• Infection control
• Surgery preparation
• Medication administration
• Emergency room care
• Psychiatric support
• Geriatric health
• Pediatric nursing
• Oncology knowledge
• Patient education
• Medical software proficiency
• Phlebotomy skills
• Vital signs monitoring
• Palliative care
• Obstetric and neonatal care
• Medical terminology
• Ethical decision-making
• Team coordination
• Cultural competency

#12. Art and Design Skills

Today, knowing the basics of art and design isn’t enough. To get hired as part of a creative team, be it as a designer or illustrator , you need to know how to create content with different tools and for different channels, like the web and social media.

Some of the most important art and design skills for your resume include:

• Graphic design
• Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop)
• Dreamweaver
• Infographics
• Web and app development (HTML, CSS, UX/UI)
• Photo Editing 
• Typography (spacing, line height, layout, choosing fonts)
• Storyboarding
• Targeting and marketing through visual communications
• Logo creation
• Digital printing
• Integration of visual communication in social media platforms
• Attention to detail and aesthetics
• Interactive media design
• Color sense and theory
• 3D modeling and animation (Blender, Autodesk Maya)
• Video editing (Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro)
• Motion graphics (Adobe After Effects)
• Print design
• Packaging design
• Branding and identity design
• Environmental graphic design
• Exhibition design
• Illustration
• Sketching and conceptual visualization
• User interface design
• User experience design
• Prototyping (digital and physical)
• Content management systems (WordPress)
• Accessibility standards for design
• Composition
• Crafting and use of traditional media
• Client relations and communication
• Augmented reality (AR) design
• Virtual reality (VR) design

#13. Education Skills

You might have three PhDs and still struggle to get the latest educational programs to work in front of your classroom. You’re likely missing some crucial skills for your field.

Teaching methods have evolved, and so have the skills you need to be a teacher or professor at the top of your game. So, here are some essential skills if you want to work in education:

• Updated curriculum knowledge
• Educational platforms (Elearn)
• Technological and digital literacy
• Lesson planning
• Classroom management
• Student assessments
• Differentiated instruction
• Educational theory and practice
• Parent and community engagement
• Child psychology
• Educational policy knowledge
• Student safety and welfare
• Career counseling
• Technology integration in the classroom
• Remote learning management
• Curriculum adaptation
• Educational software proficiency

Looking for a job in academia? Learn how to write an academic CV to get started.

Bonus Infographic: Skills to Put on a Resume

FAQs About Putting Skills on Your Resume

Do you still have some questions about what skills you should put on your resume and how? Check out the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions here:

#1. What kind of skills should I include in my resume?

Your resume should include a combination of two types of skills: hard skills and soft skills.

Hard skills involve job-specific skills that are acquired through education, training, or work experience, while soft skills involve personality traits that can be indirectly useful at the workplace and help you adapt to the company culture better.

Depending on your industry, some examples of hard skills you can list on your resume include copywriting, database management, graphic design, foreign languages, public speaking, and more.

Examples of soft skills include communication, creativity, leadership, teamwork, time management, and conflict resolution.

#2. What top skills do employers look for?

Currently, some of the top hard skills hiring managers are on the lookout for include blockchain development, SEO, virtual reality development, data analysis, artificial intelligence, business analysis, Java development, affiliate marketing, UX design, machine learning, project management, video production and editing, sales, and business development .

The top soft skills hiring managers are looking for include creativity, collaboration, persuasion, adaptability, and emotional intelligence.

#3. How can I identify my skills?

If you want to identify your skills, start by considering your greatest accomplishments . Have you been recognized for a specific achievement? What skills helped you do it? You’re probably still skilled in those areas.

Next, consider asking friends and coworkers. Sometimes, it’s easier for others to recognize your strengths . If you’re new to the job market, you can ask former professors and classmates to give you some insight, too.

#4. Where do skills go on a resume?

Your skills should go under a separate ‘Skills’ section on your resume, typically placed right below or next to your work experience section.

That said, you should further prove that you have the skills you list in this section. Weave the most relevant skills for the job in other resume sections, such as the resume summary and your work experience sections, to show the hiring manager how those skills are put to use.

#5. How many skills should I include in my resume?

The number of skills to add to your resume depends on the job you’re applying for, as well as your level of expertise and work history.

If you’re a seasoned professional with plenty of job-related skills, you should definitely include them in your resume.

As a rule of thumb, listing up to ten skills on your resume is typically a safe choice, as long as they don’t make your resume spill over to page two .

#6. What are the best skills for a candidate with no experience?

If you’re a student with no experience and few job-specific skills, you can benefit from adding transferable skills to your resume. These are skills that can be applied to many jobs across several industries.

Some examples of good skills for a no-experience resume include communication, organization, problem-solving, teamwork, adaptability, and computer skills.

#7. What are the top 12 skills to put on your resume?

There are several skills that could go on just about any resume, regardless of your targeted job. These include both hard skills and soft skills that can be used in any industry.

We recommend including skills like communication, problem-solving, conflict resolution, computer literacy, research, teamwork, project management, leadership, organization, time management, customer service, and networking.

#9. Does a CV need skills?

There are a few differences between a CV and a resume . But for the most part, if you’re writing a CV for a job application, the structure should be similar to a resume.

So, you should add a skills section to your CV and list skills relevant to the job you’re applying for. The only exception to this rule is when you’re writing an academic CV, in which case skills are optional or even discouraged.

#10. What’s the best way to list skills on a resume in 2024?

To really impress with your skills in 2024, don’t just list some random skills under a separate section and call it a day!

Instead, make them more credible by finding out more about the company culture, tailoring your skills to the job description, mentioning the most critical skills in your resume summary or resume objective, and using your achievements to explain exactly how you used your skills to your advantage.

Key Takeaways

And that’s all there is to putting skills on a resume!

By now, we’re sure you’re a pro and ready to impress the hiring manager with the skills on your resume.

But before you go, let’s sum up the most important things we mentioned in this article:

• One of the most important sections on your resume is the skill section, and over 41% of hiring managers check it first.
• The skill section is crucial for making it past the ATS because some of the most important resume keywords are skills you should list on your resume.
• Skills are divided into hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are technical skills you can gain through experience, training, or education, while soft skills can be attributes or habits related to how you work.
• Your resume should only list skills that are relevant to the job. Find out which skills these are by scanning through the job ad picking out the required skills that you have, and adding them to your resume.
• Some skills are universally useful across different professions, like adaptability, communication, and teamwork.

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150 Top Skills for Your Resume + How to List Skills in 2024

• Best General Skills

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills

• How to Include Skills on Your Resume
• Job-Specific Skills
• Skills FAQs

When it comes to your resume skills, the more specific you can get, the better. That’s why we broke down the  most in-demand job skills by career type .

Still, it can be helpful to start by looking at the skills employers generally might be wanting right now.

We analyzed countless job descriptions across all careers and identified 150 of the most sought-after and widely applicable skills you can put on your resume (like this one) in 2024.

Software Engineer Resume

or download as PDF

20 Good Skills to Put on a Resume

While we’re going to give you plenty of job-specific resume skills you can add to your AI cover letter and resume, there are some that work across just about any field. These can add value for candidates who either lack work history or are creating an  entry-level resume .

• Data Analysis
• Problem-solving
• Collaborative
• Detail-oriented
• Written Communication
• Public Speaking
• Critical Thinking
• Multi-tasking
• Interpersonal Skills
• Time Management
• Accountable
• Results-oriented
• Project Management
• Compassionate/ Empathetic

Before we jump into which skills to put on your resume, we need to get some definitions out of the way:

• Hard skills  are the tools and software you use to get your job done. Excel and QuickBooks are examples of hard skills.
• Soft skills  are those that are hard to measure or prove expertise in. “Communication” is a textbook example of a soft skill.

Quickly distinguish between hard and soft skills by asking, “Is there a specific tool or software associated with the skill?” If “yes,” you’re likely dealing with a hard skill. If not, you’re talking about a soft skill.

As we explained earlier, companies often use an ATS to filter out job applicants based on whether they include the right skills on their resumes.

The ATS filters are looking primarily for hard skills; they want to be sure the people they end up hiring know the right tools and software needed to succeed.

This doesn’t necessarily mean you should exclude soft skills from your resume. Why? After the ATS approves your resume, it’s passed on to the human hiring manager. They’ll likely want to see soft skills depending on the kind of industry and role you’re applying to.

Try out this quick guide to determine whether to put soft skills on your resume:

Should I include soft skills on my resume?

If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, you should likely include soft skills on your resume (we’ll detail how in the next section). 

• Technical roles are those primarily dominated by hard skills (software engineering, data science, accounting, etc.)
• Just listing soft skills on your resume isn’t as impactful as  showing how you used them to do your job .
• For example, if you’re in sales or customer service, you need the ability to communicate persuasively with customers!

Examples of hard skills according to industry

• Predictive Modeling (Finance)
• eQUEST (Energy)
• Crop Rotation (Agriculture)
• eZee Frontdesk (Hospitality)
• Google Classroom (Education)
• X-ray Diagnostics (Healthcare)
• Mailchimp (Marketing)
• AutoCAD (Engineering)

Examples of soft skills

• Self-starter
• Conflict Resolution
• Attentive to Details

How to List Skills on Your Resume

Now that you know whether you should put hard skills, soft skills, or a combination on your resume, how do you actually include them?

• When it comes to your resume skills, the presentation can matter just as much as the content! 
• Before we get to structure,  a word of warning :

Don’t list too many skills  in your skills section! While it’s all right to dump all sorts of skills into your  resume outline , it’s a big red flag to the hiring manager if they see a resume where an applicant lists 15+ skills.

First, it might mean the applicant is exaggerating their skillset (a big no-no). Second, a hiring manager would rather hire someone who’s a master of a few skills than a novice in many.

Different  resume formats  may display your skills in various ways, but regardless of the layout you choose,  there are three places you should mention your most important skills : 

• In your resume objective or resume summary (if you include this section)
• In a dedicated “skills” section on your resume
• In your work experience or projects ( show how you used your skills to do your job)

Your resume objective should only be two to three sentences , so you should include your top one to two skills most relevant to the job you’re applying for here. In addition to our objective sample below, we’ve got plenty more great examples of how to mention your best skills in your  resume objective  or  resume summary .

Organized, considerate administrative assistant with a history of remaining cool under high-pressure situations where multiple priorities are managed. Genoa Telepsychiatry is doing invaluable work for underserved housing populations, and I would be an asset in enabling Ms. Garcia to focus on that mission by alleviating her organizational burden.

How to organize skills on your resume

When it comes to skills for a resume, there are a couple of ways you can structure them:

• By skill category (technology type, soft skills vs. hard skills)
• Experience level

These kinds of breakdowns aren’t mandatory. You can just list all of your skills in your skills section, provided you keep the number to under 10.

First,  you can break up your skills by category . This is most appropriate if you’re applying for a technical role since you can group different technologies you use by type.

For example, as a data analyst, you might want to divide your skills by the different facets of your job (programming, modeling, and data visualization).

This breakdown of your skills can also work well if soft skills are your biggest strength. For example, you can chunk your soft skills into categories like leadership, customer service, communication, etc.

Another way to classify your skills on your resume is by your experience level . Convey your expertise either in terms of years of expertise with that skill or by a rating you choose (beginner, intermediate, expert, for instance).

Here’s an example of this skills breakdown in action:

And again, you can also just list all of your skills without categories like the example below if there are fewer than 10:

Let your work experience vouch for your job skills

Now that you’ve got your top one to two skills in your resume objective and a dedicated skills section, it’s time to talk about how you’ve used your skills in your previous roles and projects.

This is especially important for soft skills.  Put yourself in the shoes of the hiring manager .

Does seeing that someone described themselves as “attentive to detail” in their skills section mean much without seeing that skill in action?

It’s much more valuable if you highlight a time you were attentive to detail in a previous job. So, if you’re an administrative assistant, you might say you “re-organized thousands of customer contacts in HubSpot without losing any customer data.”

Remember, it’s one thing to say you have a skill, but  showing your knowledge of that skill in a work or personal project carries far more weight  in the eyes of the hiring manager.

Let’s make this practical with an example: This software engineer lists NodeJS and Django in her resume skills list.

This won’t be the last we see of these skills, though. Take a look at this job seeker’s work experience at MarketSmart. For instance, see how she weaves NodeJS into improving CTR? And even her intern experience shows how Django played a role in increasing reporting speed.

Pro tip: Try starting with specific work experience and then work backward to determine which skills you used instead of the other way around.

Regarding technical skills, try to be specific about what you did with the tool/ software you’re describing. Microsoft Excel is a program that can be used for many different applications, for example. Discuss specifically which functionality you used to accomplish your task (pivot tables, vlookups, etc.).

Match your resume skills to the job description

How can you identify the most common skills for the industry or role you’re applying for? The best way is to look at job ads for positions that grab your attention.

Try this two-step process to list skills on your resume:

• Look across 5-10 different job descriptions for roles you’re interested in and identify the 10-15 most common skills in those job listings.
• For each specific role you apply to, choose the 5-7 skills from your list that are most relevant to that job .

Yup, this means you’ll have to  customize your resume  for each role. Customizing your skills section, however, will vault you into the top five percent of applicants and is the quickest way to increase the number of interviews you get!

Let’s walk through an example of how to customize your skills for a specific job.

Say you’re looking for a position as a digital marketer, and after looking at some job descriptions, you notice the most common skills employers are looking for are the following:

• CRM: HubSpot, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Pipedrive
• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Mixpanel, Heap
• General Tools: Microsoft Excel/ Word/ PowerPoint, Google Sheets/ Docs/ Slides
• Optimization: A/B testing, customer segmentation, attribution modeling
• Paid Ads: Facebook, AdWords, LinkedIn, Google Display Network, retargeting
• Social Media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn
• Email Marketing: Mailchimp, ConvertKit, Drip
• SEO: Content creation, keyword research, backlink building

Now, you’re specifically interested in a digital marketing role at Barnes and Noble with the following job description:

Digital marketing manager

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Develop and execute data-driven marketing strategies and campaigns with a strong focus on driving acquisition, engagement, and retention across multiple channels (e.g., SMS, mobile, email, social media, etc.) on time and on budget.
• Aim to generate revenue and deliver on key business objectives, ROI, and KPI targets.
• Own, measure, deliver, and optimize key metrics and reporting on marketing activities across channels and platforms.
• Identify trends and insights, optimize segments, spend, and performance based on data.
• Utilize strong analytical ability to evaluate end-to-end customer experience across multiple channels and customer touchpoints and work cross-functionally to drive qualified traffic, improve conversion, and identify new opportunities to boost user engagement and retention through A/B and multivariate testing.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Minimum 5-7 years of digital marketing experience with a minimum of 3 years demonstrated success in mobile, email, social media, PPC, and SEM marketing from concept to completion with a proven track record of success.
• Results-driven mentality with exceptional detail orientation and knowledge of metrics, A/B testing, and ROI analysis.
• Experience with testing and optimization platforms.
• Strong track record of distilling actionable insights from data to improve multi-channel marketing strategies.
• In-depth familiarity with email service providers and knowledge of marketing automation platforms.
• Solid understanding of website analytics tools (Google Analytics, Amplitude, Appsflyer), email systems (Sailthru, Salesforce Marketing Cloud), and ad-serving tools (Adroll, Facebook.)

Finally, we cross-reference our list of 10-15 skills with the skills this specific job is looking for (underlined above). This leaves us with the remaining five key skills:

• Optimization: A/B Testing, Segmentation
• CRM: Salesforce
• Web Analytics: Google Analytics
• Paid Ads: Facebook
• Social Media: Email Marketing

There you have it! These skills are what will make up your skills list for this specific role. Don’t forget to include the seemingly most essential skills in your resume objective (for this position, we’d say those are optimization and A/B testing) and mention relevant work experience where you used some of these skills.

Remember, it’s important to be truthful about which skills you know and which you don’t. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself whether you’d be comfortable being interviewed about a skill. If the answer is “yes,” then include it. Otherwise, it’s best to leave it off your resume. 

And for the grand finale to this digital marketing example: Check out how this resume integrates key skills into the career objective, skills section, and work experience.

Digital Marketing Manager Resume

Why this resume works.

• Starting with the most obvious section—the skills section—Giselle lists skills important to Barnes & Noble, grouping them in easy-to-read categories.
• Don’t be deterred, even if you lack experience in an area or two! Demonstrating a willingness to learn is highly valuable.
• The work experience section is a prime opportunity to showcase skills in action. Like Giselle, start with active verbs to show how you used skills, software, and tools to impact the company positively. 

Job-Specific Resume Skills

We promised an extensive list of resume skills, organized by profession, and we’re not ones to break our promises!

Below, you’ll find countless role-related skills you can put on your resume, along with informational tidbits for each profession.

Remember that honesty is critical when you  build a resume , so we stand behind a shorter list of genuine skills rather than a slew of half-truths you’ll blush over later in an interview.

Web developer skills for your resume

Web developers build the web apps we interact with in our everyday lives. From banking to transportation to Netflix, it’s hard to find a facet of life that isn’t touched by web development.

We did an  extensive analysis of the top web developer skills  employers are looking for in 2024, and below are the results in order of those most in demand.

Top web developer skills

• JavaScript (React, Angular, Vue)
• SQL (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle)
• Cloud Storage (GCP, AWS, Azure)

Data analyst skills for resume

Companies are currently swimming in large pools of data. Marketing, product, engineering, and executive teams all rely on data to make the most effective decisions in the face of uncertainty.

That’s where data analysts come in. To be a successful data analyst, you need the right skills to clean, organize, visualize, and make actionable recommendations from data.

We analyzed over 100 job openings and determined the  most in-demand data analyst skills  needed to get a data analyst position in 2024. Below are the results in order of the most popular skills.

Top data analyst skills

• Business Intelligence Tools (Tableau, PowerBI, Qlik, Looker)
• Excel/ Google Sheets
• Python (Pandas, Matplotlib, Scikit-learn, Numpy)
• R (Dplyr, ggplot2)

Marketing skills for resume

No matter how great a product or website—unless a successful marketing campaign drives customers to that product, it won’t succeed.

Marketers must strike a balance between creativity and science to reach the right people at the right time to make them customers.

To do this successfully, marketers need a wide range of skills.

Top marketing skills

• CRM: Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Pipedrive, HubSpot
• Web Analytics: Adobe Analytics, Mixpanel, Heap, Google Analytics
• General Tools: Google Sheets/ Docs/ Slides, Microsoft Excel/ Word/ PowerPoint
• Optimization: Customer Segmentation, Attribution Modeling, A/B Testing
• Paid Ads: AdWords, LinkedIn, Google Display Network, Retargeting, Facebook
• Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
• Email Marketing: ConvertKit, Drip, Mailchimp
• SEO: Keyword Research, Backlink Building, Content Creation
• Direct Mail

Customer service skills for resume

When a customer has a problem or a question, they need to get a prompt and accurate answer to ensure they remain a customer.

More than that, a strong customer service representative will build relationships with customers to help identify potential new features or directions to take a product.

To do this successfully, you need a potent blend of people skills while also knowing the tools of the trade.

Top customer service skills

• Strong Communication & Interpersonal Skills
• Curious, Empathetic, and Professional
• Willing to Learn
• Goal-oriented
• Enterprise Software
• Experience with Business Processes
• Microsoft Excel
• Zendesk, HubSpot, Helpscout

Management skills for resume

No matter how effective a person is as an individual contributor, management is an entirely different job that requires an altogether different skill set.

To be an effective manager, you must first understand and relate to your employees while ensuring company initiatives are hit on time. To get this done, you need a mix of different skills.

Top management skills

• Financial Analysis
• Self-motivation
• Conflict Resolution & Management
• Managing Career Growth
• Performance Reviews
• Ability to Motivate
• Foster Team Environment
• Ability to Work Under Pressure
• Result-driven

Accounting skills for resume

Accountants are the unsung heroes of any well-oiled company. A company is only as successful as it can demonstrate through its financial reports.

Accountants need to be wizards with reporting and data while maintaining a culture of rigorous organization. Accounting is a field that requires knowledge of particular hard skills.

Top accounting skills

• Financial Reporting
• General Ledger Accounting
• Quarterly Close Processes
• Quarterly Financial Statements
• Tax Accounting
• GAAP Accounting Principles
• Expense Reporting
• Accounts Payable & Receivable
• Account Reconciliation

Project manager skills for resume

Project managers keep the trains on the rails. To be a successful project manager, you must know how to ensure deadlines are met on time and on budget.

In this role, you’ll need the ability to communicate with diverse teams and technical knowledge to help engineers remove roadblocks they encounter that will prevent them from getting their job done.

Top project manager skills

• Project Management Software (Jira, Trello)
• Microsoft Office/Google Suite (Excel/Google Sheets, PowerPoint/Slides)
• Project Management Frameworks and Methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, Kanban)
• Programming Languages and Frameworks (JavaScript, Node.js, Python, Django)
• CRM Experience (HubSpot, Salesforce)
• Digital Marketing

Sales skills for resume

An effective salesperson can form meaningful relationships with new sales prospects very quickly.

To be able to sell a new customer on your product or tool, you first need to intimately understand their pain points and what they’re trying to solve.

In addition to solid soft skills, you need to know the technical tools to track and manage prospects through the sales pipeline.

Top sales skills

• Strong Communication
• Negotiation
• CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce)
• Presentation Skills
• Lead Generation (LinkedIn, Email)
• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Administrative assistant skills for resume

When it comes to a career as an administrative assistant, there’s no skill more valuable than organization. How can you help others be at their best without ensuring all ducks are in a row?

Of course, other skills are needed to succeed as an administrative assistant, and we’ve analyzed numerous administrative assistant job openings to determine the most in-demand skills for this career.

Top administrative assistant skills

• Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets
• Microsoft Word/Google Docs
• Microsoft PowerPoint/Google Slides
• Scheduling (Microsoft Outlook/Google Calendar)
• Words per Minute you Type
• Languages you Speak
• Database Management
• CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot)
• Personable and Welcoming

Nursing skills for resume

The value of nurses in our society has never been more apparent than during the COVID-19 crisis.

A good nurse must have a rigorous understanding of the medical procedures and documentation they need to complete while also maintaining the soft skills necessary to build trust and understanding with patients.

It’s a very tricky balance to strike. To help you pursue a new job in nursing, we compiled the most popular skills employers are looking for across a wide range of nursing disciplines.

Top nursing skills

• EMR Systems
• Ambulatory Care
• Emergency Care
• CPR Certified
• Best Practices
• Long-term Patient Care
• Compassionate
• Organized & Reliable
• Infant & Child Care
• Medical Documentation

Teacher skills for resume

With the shift to remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the skills required to be an effective teacher from afar are also changing.

Teachers now need to be more in tune with the technologies used for remote learning to reach students.

Still, there are some skills required to be a great teacher that haven’t changed. Based on our analysis, here are the top skills schools want when they hire teachers.

Top teacher skills

• Lesson Planning
• Blackboard/Moodle
• Google Apps (Gmail, Sheets, Slides)
• SMART Boards
• Remote Teaching (Zoom)
• Safe, Supportive Classrooms
• Accountability
• Communication with Parents and Students
• Organization
• Focused on Student Performance

Software engineer skills for resume

Software engineer is a broad, all-encompassing term. There are hundreds of specific disciplines within this umbrella that require different skills.

Still, there are fundamental and common skills that all developers must have. First and foremost, you need to be able to program! 

We collected the most in-demand skills for software developers to help you make the best resume possible.

Top software engineer skills

• Python (Django)
• Java (Spring)
• Ruby (Ruby on Rails)
• PHP (Laravel)
• JavaScript (Node, React, Vue, jQuery)
• SQL (MySQL, PostgreSQL, NoSQL)
• AWS, GCS, Azure

Business analyst (BA) skills for resume

Business analysts combine skills from many areas to help drive outcomes that materially improve a customer’s core metrics.

A BA is a great communicator, a robust data analyst, and an effective project manager. After a project is complete, the BA then has to be able to communicate the outcomes to the executive team.

Top business analyst skills

• SQL (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server)
• Excel, Google Sheets
• PowerPoint, Google Slides
• Tableau, Looker, Chartio
• Salesforce, NetSuite, HubSpot, Pipedrive
• A/B testing, Linear Regression, Logistic Regression
• Project Management (JIRA, Trello)

Student skills for resume

When you’re a student, it can be challenging to know which of your skills you should highlight when applying for your first job or internship.

It varies depending on the position, but at this point in your career, hiring managers don’t expect you to be an expert in all the tools you’ll need for the job.

The key is to mention which skills you have some familiarity with and express an openness to learning on the job.

Top student skills

• Microsoft Outlook/Gmail
• Hard-working
• Social Media
• Collaboration

Data scientist skills for resume

Data scientists are hybrid programmers and statisticians. It can be tough to figure out which of your technical skill sets should be the focus of your resume.

Touch on your primary programming language and put context around the modeling techniques you use regularly.

After studying over 100 data scientist job openings, here are the top skills employers are looking for in these roles.

Top data scientist skills

• Python (Numpy, Pandas, Scikit-learn, Keras, Flask)
• R (Dplyr, Shiny)
• SQL (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle)
• AWS (Redshift)
• Supervised Learning (Linear and Logistic Regression, Decision Trees, Support Vector Machines, Recommendation Engines)
• Unsupervised Learning (K-Means Clustering, Principal Component Analysis)
• Customer Segmentation, Price Optimization

Human resources (HR) skills for resume

When it comes to the skills you need to get your next job as a human resources manager, it’s important to demonstrate a combination of people skills (it’s in the job title, after all), but you also have to show command of the tools needed to get the job done.

You should demonstrate which phases of HR you have experience in. Whether that’s recruiting, benefits, compensation, or a combination thereof, these should be clear.

Top human resources skills

• ATS (Workday, Jobvite, Greenhouse)
• Compensation & Benefits
• Performance Management
• Recruiting (Sourcing & Interviewing)
• Employee Onboarding
• Benefits Planning & Administration
• Employee Coaching
• LOA, FMLA, PLOA, Disability
• Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint
• Recruiting Coordination
• Compliance (OFFCP, FLSA, Unemployment)
• Employee Retention
• Organizational Strategy
• Labor Relations
• Succession Planning
• HR Analytics

Product manager skills for resume

Product managers help steer the direction of a company by working to understand new features and products customers are looking for.

A successful PM should have the technical skills to communicate fluently with engineers. They also need strong data analysis skills to determine whether new feature launches are working.

Top product manager skills

• Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Mixpanel
• Google Tag Manager
• A/B Testing
• Optimizely, Google Optimize
• Basic Python scripting, APIs
• Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, Kaban
• Jira, Github, Confluence
• Google Analytics, Microsoft Excel

Recruiter skills for resume

Since recruiters are the first people prospective employees interact with in a company, they must have strong people skills.

Outside of that, a recruiter needs to be familiar with using an ATS to keep track of candidates as they go through the application funnel.

In addition, they need to know various tools to effectively source prospective candidates for a job opening.

Top recruiter skills

• Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word
• HR Information Systems (Workday, Oracle HCM, Zoho, SAP)
• ATS (Greenhouse, Lever, Workable, Breezy HR, BambooHR)
• Sourcing Tools (LinkedIn Recruiter, TalentNest, Connectifier)
• Full Cycle Recruiting, Intakes, Sourcing, Screening, Evaluating Talent
• CRM (HubSpot, Marketo, Hootsuite)

Scrum Master skills for resume

As a Scrum Master, it’s vital you demonstrate which project management frameworks you have experience in on your resume.

Scrum Masters help ensure project deadlines are hit by establishing and monitoring incremental goals along the way.

Communication and management skills are must-haves, in addition to a few technical tools.

Top Scrum Master skills

• Agile Development & Best Practices
• Agile Frameworks—Scrum, Kanban, XP
• JIRA & JIRA Portfolio
• Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Project, Visio
• User Stories, ATDD, TDD, Continuous Integration, Automated Testing
• Project Planning & Scoping

Social media manager skills for resume

As the name implies, a social media manager must show prospective employers they can use social media to drive customers toward a business.

It’s not enough, however, to demonstrate experience with various social media platforms. You must also clearly understand data and analytics to prove that your campaigns can and will work for a business.

Top social media manager skills

• Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok
• Sprout Social, Hootsuite
• Google Analytics
• Google Docs/Microsoft Word
• Google Sheets/Microsoft Excel
• Paid Social Media Advertising
• Data Analytics

IT manager skills for resume

IT managers need to possess razor-sharp technical skills while demonstrating the ability to mentor and guide employees under their leadership.

Since the number of potential technical skills an IT manager can have is vast, you must demonstrate a firm command of at least a few skills.

On your resume, it’s much better to demonstrate expertise in a few skills than a weak command of a large number of tools.

Top IT manager skills

• Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
• Agile/Lean Methodologies
• Network Infrastructure (DNS, DHCP, SSL)
• Linux/ Unix

Design skills for resume

As you might imagine, designers need to convince the hiring manager reviewing their resume of their creative ability. This is usually done via a portfolio.

Outside of your creativity, you also need to quickly and effectively communicate which tools you use to complete your design work. One of the first things a prospective employer will check is whether you have the technical skills they’re looking for in a designer.

Top design skills

• Design Principles
• Color Theory
• Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)
• Storytelling
• Canva, Vectr
• Print Design
• Photography

Your skills should directly correlate with the job you’re applying for so recruiters can tell what makes you special at a glance. Refer to the job description for keywords or mission statements that show what the organization values and what the job role emphasizes. Prioritize skills that relate directly to your profession over those that could enhance your qualifications for other fields.

Try to limit your array of abilities to just 6 to 10 skills per resume. If you have more to choose from, choose to meet the optimal resume skill range with abilities that specifically answer the call of the job description. You don’t want a skills list that looks too “hodgepodge,” so hone your skills to a trade-specific edge that demonstrates your expertise.

Soft skills are the tools you use to socially function with grace and efficiency. They refer to your interpersonal abilities like negotiation, communication, and team delegation (just to name a few!). Keep in mind that you don’t want to overdo your skills list and appear disorganized, so select only the most relevant soft skills to list. You can use them as context for your professional experiences.

Technical skills, or hard skills, can refer to anything from software proficiency to specialized actions or tasks you can perform that relate to your job. Physical technology or machinery, digital meeting programs, and the ability to interpret industry-specific data all count! These important skills show off your specialties and highlight your unique candidacy for the job role.

Every skills list should be technical, but yours especially so: This is your opportunity to demonstrate your expertise instantly. By naming precisely which software programs you use (think: Adobe Photoshop, AutoCAD, or Salesforce to name a few) instead of generalizing, you effectively spotlight your skills ahead of time. Recruiters often skim the skills list first since they move fast, so seize the chance to align yourself with the job!

Honestly, that depends on you! Which of your resume sections is the strongest: skills, experience, internships, or stuff like your degree and academic achievements? Resume layouts with a side column can put your skills list in a highly visible space. If your experiences are super strong, you can also list your skills at the bottom of the page. Just make sure your best qualities are the most eye-catching!

The Right Way to Add Skills to Your Resume in 2023 (With 250+ Example Skills)

Stripped down to the core, the most important thing to show employers in any job search is your skills.

Everything in your application and candidacy comes down to your skills: Your past experience shows how you’ve used your skills to help other employers, your interview shows you understand what skills an employer is looking for and proves you have both the hard and soft skills needed to work well as part of their company, and your skills test…well it’s right in the name. Even checking your references—that’s just asking other people to vouch for how you’ve used your skills in the past.

If you’ve heard that employers care about all your interactions throughout the hiring process—like how you’ve greeted receptionists, how you’ve answered emails, and whether or not you sent that thank you note —that’s true, and it’s because these things show off your communication , interpersonal , and other professional skills.

Skills matter. And your first encounter with most employers is going to be via your resume. So how you put skills on your resume can make or break your job search.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Hard vs. soft skills

There are two major categories of skills:

• Hard skills are the abilities or knowledge you need to complete specific work tasks. For example writing software code, driving a specific kind of vehicle, and scheduling social media posts are all hard skills.
• Soft skills are the traits and qualities that categorize how you work and relate to the people you work with. For example, managing your time well, motivating others, and being curious are all soft skills.

For any job, you’ll need a mix of soft and hard skills—and you’ll want to show them both on your resume. Hard skills are fairly clear cut: You either have them or you don’t. They’re also easier than soft skills to prove that you possess—and to add to a resume. Meanwhile, soft skills are a bit more open to interpretation—for example, everyone’s definition of a good leader is different. But you can still show them on your resume if you use the right techniques.

Read More:   Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills: What the Heck Is the Difference?

Top skills for your resume

Every resume will need skills that are specific to the job you want. For example, to be a software engineer you’ll need coding skills. But here are some of the types of skills that can be valuable for any job or industry:

1. Communication skills

Whether you’re a teacher interacting with students all day, a copywriter making sure you understand the needs of a given project, or an employee working in any other role, you’re going to need to give and receive information. Employers are always looking for those who can communicate clearly and effectively—in writing , in person, or over the phone, email, or any other platform.

Read More: Your Communication Skills Matter for Every Job—Here’s How to Use, Improve, and Show Off Yours

2. Time management skills

Time is a social construct, but unfortunately it’s one we’ve all more or less agreed on. Every job will require you to get tasks done on time, show up for scheduled meetings and events, and organize your schedule effectively. If you’re applying to a role with many different responsibilities or one where you’ll be managing or collaborating with a team, time management skills are even more vital to ensure that you’re hitting goals.

Read More: These Time Management Skills Can Make You a Better Employee—and Improve Your Work-Life Balance

3. Organizational skills

Organization is more than just making sure a physical area is well arranged and clean—though it is that too! Organization skills also encapsulate ensuring digital files are accessible, teams are well coordinated, events and projects are efficient, your work is on schedule, and a lot more. Though the type of organization you’ll be doing will vary from job to job, the need to logically arrange and plan is universal.

Read More: Your Guide to Organizational Skills on the Job—and During the Job Hunt

4. Technical skills

Technical skills are the knowledge you need to use a certain piece of technology, equipment, or technique. They’re a subset of hard skills and most jobs will require specific technical know-how to complete core tasks. However, there are also broader technical skills that are useful for all or many jobs such as the ability to use email, office suite software, and common communication programs like Zoom.

Read More: What Are Technical Skills and How Should You Include Them On Your Resume? (Plus a List of Examples)

5. Computer skills and literacy

Technology is constantly changing, and of course you can’t know how to use any new feature or piece of software immediately after it comes out. But if you can show employers that you have digital literacy, they’ll be confident in your ability to quickly adapt to new technology and troubleshoot basic computer issues.

Read More: Computer Skills You’ll Need in the Workplace—and How to Show Them Off on a Job Search

6. Management and leadership skills

You don’t need to be an executive or anyone’s boss to need management and leadership skills. These are the skills that help you plan, coordinate, motivate (both yourself and others), and complete any project or initiative. They also help you hit long-term goals and allocate resources well.

Read More: How to Improve Your Management Skills (and Show Them Off in a Job Search)

7. Analytical skills

Lots of jobs have the word “analyst” right in the title, but these skills aren’t just for them. Analytical skills cover any of the skills you need to take in or gather information, organize and synthesize it, and use it to make decisions or predictions.

Read More: No, Analytical Skills Aren’t Just for Analysts—Here’s How to Show Yours Off in a Job Search

8. Interpersonal skills

These are the skills that help you work, communicate, and build relationships with others. Employers are always looking for people with strong interpersonal skills like empathy, persuasion, and conflict resolution because it allows them to work well as part of a team. Employees with good interpersonal skills are better at resolving and avoiding issues with others, which helps keep companies working efficiently. For jobs where you’d be working with clients or customers, interpersonal skills are especially important to help drive business and uphold a company’s reputation.

Read More: How Strong Interpersonal Skills Can Help You at Work—and in Your Job Search

9. Problem-solving skills

Most roles are created to solve a problem the company is facing—whether it’s broad like “we need more business” or specific like “we need an expert in Javascript who has experience boosting page-load speed to make our web pages more appealing to the Google algorithm.” Even if a job feels like it’ll follow a set daily routine, issues are still going to pop up, and employers are more likely to hire people who can spot and identify potential or ongoing problems, communicate those problems, look for causes, brainstorm solutions, and/or implement them. 

Read More: How to Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills (and Show Them Off in Your Job Hunt)

10. Decision-making skills

Many jobs require you to make choices all the time. For example, picking a new vendor for office supplies, making cuts to a budget, deciding to bring other people in to solve an issue, or prioritizing work tasks on your to-do list all require decision-making skills. Employers want to know you can identify options, weigh the pros and cons, and choose a path in a logical way.

Read More: You’ll Need Decision-Making Skills in Any Job—Here’s How to Get Them, Use Them, and Show Them Off

11. Other transferable skills

Broadly speaking, your transferable skills are any abilities you gained or used in one context that are also helpful in another. Some transferable skills, like the ability to communicate in a second language, pay attention to detail , or manage a project can be useful in almost any job or workplace. But others might be transferable in only certain situations.

For example, maybe you managed the budget for a club in college and now you’re applying to a position where you’d be managing a budget for freelancers. Or maybe you’ve used Excel to do data analysis in the past, but the company you’re applying to uses Excel to track project progress.

As you’re making your resume, don’t discount any of your skills just because you haven’t used them in exactly the same way and context this job opening calls for.

Read More: Transferable Skills: The Key to Landing Your Dream Job

How to list skills on a resume

Here are some tips for making sure anyone who reads your resume comes away with the right impression of what you can do for them if they hire you.

1. Identify which skills belong on your resume.

Recruiters and hiring managers don’t necessarily have a lot of time to devote to looking at your resume for the first time—about 7.4 seconds, according to the most recent data . So your resume has to make it very clear very quickly that you’re qualified for any job you apply to. The best way to do this is to tailor your resume —or change your resume for every application to match the specific requirements and language of the job description . Take a good look at any posting you’re applying to and note any mentions of skills you have. Also, think about any experience or skills you have that might be transferable to the role. These are the skills that belong on your resume.

For soft skills, you might need to read between the lines a bit. Some postings might mention that they’re looking for a skilled multitasker, but you’re not necessarily going to get an explicit list of all the qualities the employer is looking for in a hire. So think about which of your soft skills can help you accomplish the duties of the job. If there’s a lot of mentions of other teams you’ll be working with, for example, you’ll want to emphasize your collaboration abilities in your resume. Or if you’ll be giving a lot of presentations, you might want to highlight your public speaking chops.

And don’t feel like you need to include every skill you have. Scuba diving is a hard skill, but only relevant to very specific jobs. Remember, hiring managers are reviewing your resume with the job you applied for in mind, so keep your skills at least tangentially relevant to avoid a “Wait, why did they apply for this?” reaction.

2. Don’t oversell or undersell your skills.

Before you add skills to your resume, be honest with yourself (and companies you’re applying to) about your ability level. A hiring manager in the finance industry once told Muse writer Lily Zhang that he hated it when people listed skills in their resume and then added the word “basic” in parenthesis next to it. If you only have a basic understanding of something, it may not belong in your skills section. But if you’re saying your skill level is basic just to be modest, maybe don’t do that. Your future employer can’t pick up how humble you are from this document—you’ll just look less qualified than you are.

Hiring managers might also use your skills section to judge how truthful a candidate has been in their application. If a candidate lists a string of 20 programming languages, but only has done projects in one, it’s not a good look. In general, a good rule of thumb is to only include skills you’re comfortable talking about in an interview.

3. Create a skills section.

A skills section is one of the most important parts of your resume. Remember that 7.4-second initial look that you get from recruiters? That’s why the skills section exists. If you’re applying for a role where a certain skill or skill set is absolutely required for consideration, it’s not unusual for the reader to take a little shortcut and scan the skills section of all the resumes submitted to see if they’re there—and only look at those more intently.

Generally, your skills section is a list of the skills you have without any additional context. If you have a lot of skills to list, consider grouping your skills to make the section even easier to scan. For example, a web developer may have a “design skills” and a “coding skills” subheading within their skills section.

Note that your skills section is usually reserved for hard skills over soft skills.

4. Put your skills section in the right place.

Most commonly, you’ll place your skills section after your work experience section, toward the bottom of the page. But in certain situations , you may decide to put it elsewhere—most commonly near the top of the page just after your heading or your summary (if you have one). You might do this if:

• You’re using a hybrid resume format. As opposed to the more common chronological resume , a hybrid resume puts your skills at the top of the page along with some additional context around how you’ve used your skills.
• You’re in a career where skills sections commonly go at the top of the page. For example, product management resumes often list skills before experience. Look for example resumes for your field to see if they have any specific quirks
• You’re changing or pivoting careers. If your previous job titles might make someone reading your resume assume you applied to the wrong position, consider putting your skills section first. Career pivots and transitions are often dependent on transferable skills or skills you’ve picked up outside of your main work experience. (For career changes, you should probably also lead with a resume summary to help clear up any confusion.)
• You’re in any other situation where your skills boost your qualifications more than your past work experience. For example, if you’ve recently graduated, you may choose to put your skills ahead of your experience (though often after your education section) rather than have a reader comb through your internships, part-time jobs, and extracurriculars looking for what you can do.

5. Show how you’ve used your skills in your bullet points.

Anyone can list skills in a skills section. To really prove that you have them, you need to show how you’ve used your skills in the past—and that you’ve gotten results. Your skills section should actually be rather redundant. Ideally, a close read of your experience section should get across all your hard and soft skills.

Rather than just listing job duties under your past positions, phrase your bullet points as accomplishments . Then, add in the skills you used to achieve those accomplishments and what the results were. Inserting numbers when possible will also show anyone reading your resume just how much your skills have done for your past employers.

Tuck soft skills into your bullets rather than adding them to your skills section. Making the first word relate to your soft skills is particularly effective. For example, instead of, “Assisted with annual corporate retreat,” you could write, “Collaborated in a group of four to plan and facilitate annual corporate retreat for 200 employees.” While both bullets describe the same task, only the second one shows that you’re a team player. Instead of, “Attended monthly sales meetings,” you could write, “Presented product insights to 12 clients in monthly sales meetings,” to demonstrate strong communication skills.

For example, here’s a solid bullet point for your resume with the skills bolded:

• Produced and edited three 10-minute “Day in the Life” videos for different jobs at the company; running initial brainstorming meetings for each over Zoom ; coordinating and communicating with 10+ employees for each video using Airtable, Google Calendar, email and Slack ; arranging shot composition, lighting, and sound and overseeing shoots ; editing using Final Cut Pro and Adobe Creative Suite ; and uploading to YouTube resulting in 200K views and a 10x boost in job applications for focus jobs.

All your bullet points don’t need to be this hefty, of course. But it shows just how many skills can go into one professional accomplishment.

6. Include your skills in other resume sections.

Your work experience isn’t the only place you can drop in those skills. You can also weave them into your:

• Resume summary
• Education section (especially if you’re a recent graduate)
• Volunteer section
• Activities section
• Projects section
• Awards section

7. Add certificates, classes, and certifications that prove your skill set.

If you’ve gotten certifications that prove you’re skilled at something, like project management, don’t forget to put that on your resume. If you’ve taken courses to further your professional development, you can add those too—particularly if you haven’t gotten the chance to use all the skills you learned in your day job yet.

8. Use the same language as the job description.

Most employers use applicant tracking systems (ATSs) to parse and organize candidate’s resumes. Hiring managers and recruiters will search ATSs for the most relevant resumes using skills as their search terms. So whenever possible, use the same language as a job description to describe your skills to increase your chances of landing an interview. For example, if a job listing wants experience with project management software, say “project management software” on your resume, not just “Trello.”

List of skills for different jobs

Below are some examples of specific roles you might be applying for and skills that could be appropriate to list, but remember that a job posting is always the best place to find the skills you need for a specific role. To get a more robust list for your specific industry, you can check out O*NET , a resource developed by the U.S. Department of Labor that breaks down occupations by skills, tasks, and activities.

Accountant resume skills

• Accounting software
• ADP Workforce Now
• Analytical software
• Budget forecasting
• Cash flow analysis
• Cost accounting
• Credit/debt management
• Estate planning
• Financial accounting
• Financial compliance
• Financial reporting
• Forensic accounting
• Google Sheets
• Income tax planning
• Intuit QuickBooks
• Management accounting
• Microsoft Excel
• Payroll management
• Reconciliation
• Revenue forecasting
• SPSS Statistics
• Tax preparation

Administrative assistant resume skills

• Administrative support
• Booking travel
• Calendaring
• Customer service
• Google Workspace
• Meeting coordination
• Meeting minutes recording
• Microsoft Office Suite
• Office support
• Proofreading
• Social media management
• Video conferencing software

Back-end developer resume skills

• Application scaling
• Back-end framework
• Back-end programming languages
• Database administration
• Front-end web technologies
• Hosting environment
• Load changes
• Security compliance
• Version control (e.g. Git)

Customer service resume skills

• Account management
• Chat support
• Language skills (spoken and/or written)
• Phone support
• Resolutions

Data scientist resume skills

• Apache Hadoop and Spark
• AWS software
• Data analysis
• Data cleaning
• Data modeling
• Data sampling
• Data structure
• Git and GitHub
• Key libraries
• Scikit-learn
• The MathWorks MATLAB
• UNIX command line

Executive assistant resume skills

• Corporate communications
• Editing and proofreading
• Preparing agendas
• Report generation
• Reviewing contracts

Financial analyst resume skills

• Microsoft Dynamics
• Montgomery Investment Technology FinTools
• Montgomery Investment Technology Utility XL
• Oracle Business Intelligence
• S&P Capital IQ
• SAP software
• SAS Financial Management

Front-end developer resume skills

• Back-end data display
• Dynamic web page design
• Framework templates
• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Software workflow
• Styling and color design
• Web page creation
• Website content display
• Website navigation optimization

Full-stack engineer resume skills

Graphic designer resume skills.

• Adobe Creative Cloud
• After Effects
• Autodesk AutoCAD
• Data visualization
• Design principles
• Dreamweaver
• Illustrator
• Product Design

Human resource manager resume skills

• Applicant tracking systems (ATS)
• Benefits administration and management
• Benchmarking
• Candidate screening
• Climate surveys
• Conducting background and reference checks
• Conflict resolution and management
• Contract negotiations
• Human resource information systems (HRIS)
• Interviewing
• Legal and regulatory compliance
• Organizational development
• Orientation
• Payroll administration and management
• Performance improvement and management
• Recruitment
• Vendor negotiation
• Writing and posting job descriptions

Marketer resume skills

• Audience building
• Blog writing
• Brand management
• Content creation
• Content marketing
• Conversion rate optimization
• Customer acquisition
• Copywriting
• Demand generation
• Digital marketing
• Email marketing
• Facebook management
• Google Analytics
• Instagram management
• Lead generation
• LinkedIn management
• Marketing automation and technology
• Market research
• Marketo marketing automation
• Power editor
• Project management
• Search engine marketing (SEM)
• Social media
• TikTok management
• Twitter management

Office manager resume skills

• Billing software
• Document management
• Executive support
• Expense reporting
• Facilities management
• Inventory management
• Office supply management
• Payroll processing
• Reports generation
• Vendor management

Product designer resume skills

• Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)
• ADA compliance
• Crashlytics
• Google Design Sprint Method
• Omnigraffle
• Story mapping
• Style guides/Pattern libraries for React
• Ubertesting

Product manager resume skills

• A/B Testing
• Beta testing
• Customer analysis
• Data analytics
• Financial analysis
• Forecasting
• Quality assurance
• Release management
• Risk management
• Roadmapping
• Scrum management
• SWOT analysis
• Troubleshooting
• User research
• UX/UI design

Project manager resume skills

• Change management
• Client communication
• Deployment management
• Development and testing
• Impact assessment
• Microsoft Project
• Process development
• Process improvement
• Project life cycle
• Project management software
• Quality control
• Resource allocation
• Scheduling and planning
• Scope management
• Stakeholder management

Sales resume skills

• Business analysis
• Business development
• Cold calling
• Consultative selling
• Customer relations
• Executive relationships
• Prospecting
• Relationship management

Teacher resume skills

• Blended learning
• Character education
• Classroom management
• Collaborative environments
• Data-driven instruction
• Inclusive classroom
• Interactive classroom
• MAP Testing
• Mystery Math
• Personalized learning
• Remote instruction
• Social-emotional learning
• Student-guided learning

Web developer resume skills

• Application coding
• Command line tools
• Google Angular
• LAMP development
• Object-oriented design
• Responsive design
• Server-Side scripting
• Writing modules

Lily Zhang  also contributed writing, reporting, and/or advice to this article.

Top 14 Resume Skills to add on your Resume + Examples

By Biron Clark

Published: December 18, 2023

Biron Clark

Writer & Career Coach

Putting skills on a resume is a great way to show hiring managers what you can do for them, while also including relevant keywords on your resume. However, there’s one BIG mistake that I’ve seen many job seekers make with their skills section on a resume… and it can cost them the interview.

So in this article, we’re going to look at real-life examples of resume skills sections, how to write this section and come up with ideas of skills to list, and the biggest mistake to avoid if you want to get the interview.

What Skills Should you add on your resume?

Your resume is essentially your first impression to a potential employer, so it must showcase your skills in the best possible light. Hence, it’s important to understand that there are two types of skills: hard skills and soft skills . 

Hard skills are those that are specifically related to the job at hand, such as technical skills like programming or accounting.

Examples of Hard Skills: 

• Proficiencies with tools or software.
• Hands-on work experience or degrees and certifications.
• Proficiencies in languages.

Meanwhile, soft skills are more personal traits such as interpersonal skills like communication, EQ, teamwork and problem-solving abilities. Additionally, transferable skills are those that can be used across different industries and job types, such as leadership, time management, computer skills and adaptability. Usually, job postings include a bullet list of role requirements that each feature a certain skill, skill set, aptitude, or ability.

Examples of Soft Skills:

• Active listening
• Problem-solving

Essentially, the skills, competencies, or core competencies section of your resume will give hiring managers a quick-glance guide to how closely your abilities match the role requirements.

With this in-mind, let’s take a closer look at each of those hard and soft transferable skills I mentioned above, to see why they really are the best skills to put on your resume. Let’s start with the soft skills because, even if you’ve never had a job or skills training, there’s a good chance you already have many of these skills.

Best Soft Skills to add on your resume:

1. communication skills.

These skills are essential to almost all roles because they allow you to receive and share ideas effectively. These skills are applied through a range of channels and may include both soft skills (like active listening) and hard skills (like social media writing). Communication skills include listening skills, verbal skills, body-language skills, visual skills, and contextual (or versatility) skills like cross-cultural, academic, crisis, professional, and online communication skills.

2. Problem-solving skills

Most roles will see you encountering problems at some point, that’s one of the reasons work can be stressful. Some roles are all about finding and making innovative solutions to problems. Problem-solving skills may include methodologies and various hard skills, but they’re also about the soft skills of defining problems, prioritizing issues, determining causes, brainstorming solutions, considering alternatives, and implementing solutions.

3. Creativity skills

These skills come naturally to some but, in general, can be learned by simply applying yourself to creative pursuits. Aside from the artistic side, however, creativity is a thinking skill that allows you to think outside the box, innovate solutions, imagine new concepts and ideas, and generally do things in an open-minded, original way. This is highly prized by employers who are trying to set their brand apart through creative, innovative products and services.

4. Organizational skills

Organizational skills refer to your ability to manage yourself, your time, and your productivity efficiently and effectively. They’re vital to employers because they indicate that you have a systematic, goal-oriented approach to working. Unless you have the ability to manage your calendar, your time, your thoughts, and your duties in a functional and efficient manner, you will be difficult to manage or rely on, and you certainly won’t be able to manage others.

5. Leadership skills

Some simply have a natural tendency to lead, while others seem ready to follow them–this is important to employers, as few things are more costly than an ineffective leader. Leadership skills, however, can be learned over time, and include a range of other hard and soft skills like communication, critical thinking, versatility, conflict management, relationship building, decisiveness, delegation, project management, and more.

6. Teamwork skills

Teamwork skills are vital to all interactive and collaborative job roles, as they allow you to work efficiently and effectively with others. Teamwork skills are very much a blend of communication and interpersonal skills, but there are specific soft skills, like collaboration, empathy, honesty, and integrity that will determine whether you can thrive in a team setting.

Best Hard Skills to add on your resume:

1. digital skills:.

In 2023 and beyond, you’d be hard-pressed to find a business that doesn’t rely largely on digital interaction and processes to get their products and services to market. So, adding digital skills means that employers will know that you can use a tablet, computer, mobile phone, and the internet to communicate, research, transact, manage tasks, and create. Examples of hard digital skills include market research, social media marketing, SEO, email marketing, digital project management, software development, and much more.

2. Design skills

Design skills start with foresight and imagination, and the ability to envision things that aren’t yet made. In that way, they are similar to creative skills. Other than that, design skills include a range of hard skills that depend on your profession, including coding abilities, branding skills, typography skills, architectural software skills, Adobe apps skills, Illustration skills, physics and engineering skills, and more. Design skills are vital to jobs that involve product innovation, marketing, and more.

3. Project management skills

Whether you’re applying for a post in marketing, product or service development, or something like events planning, project management skills are those skills that allow you to take a project (often requiring numerous employees and teams) all the way from ideation to completion. There are a range of factors involved and a number of hard and soft skills. Examples of PM skills include budgeting, scope planning, risk assessment stakeholder communication, problem-solving, team leadership, delegation, digital project management administration, and more.

4. Data analysis skills

Data analysis skills are important because they allow you to absorb, quantify, categorize, analyze, collate, and draw conclusions from data such as statistics , sales figures, customer queries and complaints, product tests, and more. Data analysis skills are essential to a range of roles and include hard and soft skills such as math, statistics , calculus, linear algebra, detail orientation, logical thought, troubleshooting, speed reading, database management, data mining, and more.

5. Customer service skills

Customer service skills are your ability to offer knowledge and support to prospective and existing customers and to act as the face of a business. As such, these are essential skills for a range of businesses. Core customer service skills include soft skills like discernment and emotional intelligence, communications skills, and persuasion skills, and hard skills like SaaS support, POS skills, FOH skills, outbound call skills, product/industry knowledge skills, and more.

6. Language skills

Language skills include proficiency in native and foreign language reading, writing, listening, and speaking, and they can be included among communication skills as well. In today’s globalized world and online marketplace, multilingual skills are in high demand. Employers are often willing to pay more for multilingual candidates, especially in fields like international business, hospitality, tourism, human resources , and more. Language skills are, however, largely made up of hard skills because language proficiency is a technical and measurable skill set. Correct use and grasp of grammar, syntax, tone, diction, vocabulary, and contextual language are essential in the professional world because they allow you to absorb and offer information in a way that is more accurate, conclusive, concise, and business-like.

7. Content writing skills

Incorporating many of the language skills mentioned above, content writing includes knowledge of formats, annotation systems, referencing skills, and tonal parameters that apply to all different types of business, sales, and marketing content. Companies value content writing skills because, using hard skills like knowledge of online content formats, research and referencing, SEO, and sales funneling, a content writer can target, engage, and convert new customers while retaining existing ones with regular, high-value content.

8. Marketing skills

Marketing is a powerful skill set that incorporates other skills like content writing, customer service, data analysis, communication, creativity, and problem-solving. Marketing allows businesses to target markets, figure out how to appeal to and reach those markets, and then effectively (and in conjunction with content writers, web designers, and other key members) funnel clients down the path to conversion. Marketing includes a broad range of highly technical hard skills as well, including UX design, CRM, CMS, CRO, marketing automation, social media and ad marketing, PPC, SEO, SEM, and more.

How Many Resume Skills Should You Put?

The number of skills to include on your resume will depend on the job you’re applying for, your industry, and your experience level. For example, an experienced software engineer may list 20 skills. However, for an entry-level job seeker, 8-10 skills are sufficient, and any more than that will be unlikely to be read by a hiring manager or recruiter .

Also, someone in a less technical field (like sales or customer service) might only need 8-10 skills on their resume, even if they have a few years of experience.

Overall, my recommendation as a recruiter is that you should have somewhere between 8 and 20 skills on your resume. You should list both hard and soft skills, but it’s more important to include hard skills. These are the skills that hiring managers look for first and foremost on your resume; soft skills are secondary.

Resume Skills Section Guide With Examples

Let’s look at some good examples of resume Skills sections (which you can also name “Core Competencies,” “Professional Skills,” etc.) Your goal when writing this resume section is to highlight your most relevant skills for the job, all in one place. So you want the list to be easy to read. I suggest one or two columns. 

And you don’t just want to list random skills. And you don’t want to list the same skills for every job! You really want to research the job and company (starting with the job description) and put the skills and keywords THEY mention. This is called “tailoring” your resume and will immediately boost the number of interviews you receive. I wrote a guide on the easiest way to do this HERE . (It’s much easier than people think).

So you really need to be looking at the specific job description for keywords.

Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to put together your Skills section. Here are some sample skills sections so you can see what it might look like:

Resume Skills Section Example #1 – Bullet Point format:

This resume skills section example is for a salesperson. You can see it contains a lot of keywords, and also highlights what this person is best at. That’s what you should aim to do.

Remember, don’t just guess which skills and keywords the employer wants. Study the job description.

Resume Skills Section Example #2:

This is another example of a simple layout for this section on your resume, this time using two columns.

Choose a format that is simple and not distracting. You want the employer’s attention to be on your skills and qualifications, not on your resume’s formatting.

If you take one idea away from these sample skill sections of a resume, it should be that the section is meant to be simple and clutter-free, and should only feature your top relevant skills for the jobs you’re pursuing now. It’s not a place to list every single skill you’ve ever used, and it shouldn’t have as much content as other, more important, sections like your resume work experience.

Resume Skills Section Example #3 – Skills Matrix Format:

Communication | Problem-Solving | Time Management | Teamwork | Technical Skills

Excellent verbal and written communication skills | Strong analytical and creative problem-solving abilities | Proficient in prioritizing tasks and meeting deadlines | Collaborative and able to work effectively in team settings | Proficient in MS Office and Google Workspace

Now, let’s look at examples of resume skills sections for popular professions:

1. Software Developer:

• Programming Languages: Java, Python, C++
• Web Development: HTML, CSS, JavaScript
• Database Management: SQL, MySQL
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and debugging skills
• Collaboration: Experienced in working in Agile development teams

2. Marketing Coordinator:

• Digital Marketing: SEO, SEM, PPC
• Social Media Management: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
• Content Creation: Copywriting, blogging, content strategy
• Analytics: Google Analytics, data analysis
• Project Management: Organizing campaigns, coordinating with stakeholders

3. Registered Nurse:

• Patient Care: Assessing, planning, and implementing patient care
• Medical Procedures: IV insertion, wound care, medication administration
• Communication: Effective patient and family communication
• Critical Thinking: Rapid decision-making in emergency situations
• Team Collaboration: Working closely with doctors and healthcare professionals

4. Sales Representative:

• Relationship Building: Cultivating and maintaining client relationships
• Negotiation: Effective in closing deals and achieving sales targets
• Presentation Skills: Delivering persuasive sales presentations
• CRM Software: Proficient in Salesforce or other CRM platforms
• Prospecting: Identifying and pursuing new sales opportunities

5. Graphic Designer:

• Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
• Typography: Knowledge of various typefaces and layout design
• Branding: Creating visually consistent brand identities
• User Experience (UX): Designing intuitive user interfaces
• Attention to Detail: Ensuring accuracy and precision in design wor

More Ideas of Skills to Include

If you’ve read the tips above and are still thinking, “I don’t have enough key skills to put on my resume,” here are a few ideas to help you… Along with looking at the job description for the role you’re applying for, you can also look at job descriptions for roles you’ve previously held. Which skills did you use most?

Look at current or most recent work, too. What did your typical week look like? Sit down and think about which skills you used the most throughout a normal week. Remember to think about hard skills and soft skills. That should help you come up with more ideas.

You can also look at LinkedIn’s list of skills that are available for your LinkedIn profile . (LinkedIn suggests skills when you go edit this section of your profile).

You can look at peers/colleagues on LinkedIn, too, to see which skills they’ve chosen! Look at a few current coworkers, for example. Which skills are they mentioning? Those are good skills to list on your LinkedIn and your resume, too. The LinkedIn skills section is a great way to get resume ideas overall.

You can also learn something new that will make you more attractive to employers…

I recommend doing this by taking a course via LinkedIn Learning and then adding it to your resume Skills section). This is a great option if you’re job searching after being unemployed because it shows employers you’re keeping your skills current and staying active.

You can learn soft skills like body language (this could help you if you’re in sales, customer service, etc.) or hard skills like front-end web development, social media management, and more.

Tip: Employers Want to See Where You Used Each Skill, Too

In general, employers want to see where and when you used each skill (especially for hard skills). So don’t just rely on a Skills section. You should put equal (or more) time into writing your work experience section and your resume bullets ).

Also, put effort into your resume summary paragraph.

I typically read those sections first as a recruiter. That’s where I can see which key skills you’ve used most in your career. In fact, even if you put your skills section very high up on a resume, I usually skip it and only return to read it AFTER I check out your recent work experience and bullets!

The bottom line is: Recruiters and hiring managers don’t want to see a big list of skills with no reference to where each skill was used… at least not at first. And they especially do not want to see a long list of soft skills. They’re mostly looking for hard skills and key skills from the job posting when they first glance at your resume.

So keep this in mind when writing your skills list. The hiring manager might skip it and look for your experience section first.

This resume section still has value – as a secondary place to show off your abilities and core competencies, and as a place to fill your resume with great keywords so you can get past the ATS (applicant tracking system). But the biggest mistake I see job seekers making is relying on the skills section too much to get interviews or get the employer’s attention.

Be Prepared to Answer Interview Questions About the Skills You’ve Listed

If you say you’re an expert in Phone Sales, Digital Marketing , Social Media Marketing, Customer Service, or any other hard skill… you need to be ready to defend this in an interview. If you say you’ve done a lot of time management, be prepared with examples. If you say problem-solving is one of your strengths , be ready to back it up with a success story!

They will want to know where you used that skill and details about how you used it and what results you got in recent jobs. And if you say you’re an “expert” at something, they might ask what makes you an expert. So if you’re not an expert or highly proficient, don’t say you are. You can still list the skill, but don’t exaggerate and go overboard by saying “expert.”

I made this mistake early in my career, costing me the job! I said the word “expert” when describing my Microsoft Excel skills, and they asked me about it in an interview and I completely crumbled. I wasn’t an expert and I wasn’t ready to defend why I had said that on my skills list.

Also, don’t list skills you’ve never used. Even if they do hire you, you could immediately be fired if they discover you lied about your skills in your interview. Lying in your job search is usually not a good tactic. So be honest when listing skills on your resume, and review your own resume as you prepare for the interview so you’re not caught off-guard by the interview questions they ask .

You should be ready to answer questions related to any or all skills mentioned in your resume skills section – both soft and hard skills.

What Not to Include in Your Resume Skills Section

Quality over quantity always wins, and this applies while listing resume skills. Highlighting the most relevant skills in your resume is important. Otherwise, your resume may look disorganized and unfocused. Therefore, avoid listing every skill you possess, and follow these tips to ensure your skills align with the job posting. 

1. Irrelevant Skills : Only include skills directly related to the job you’re applying for. Avoid listing unrelated or outdated skills, as they can take up valuable space on your resume and distract from your qualifications.

2. Generic Skills : Avoid using overly broad or generic skills that are not specific or actionable. Instead, highlight skills specific to the job and industry you’re targeting.

3. Obvious Skills : Skip listing skills considered basic or commonly expected in the industry. For example, including “proficient in Microsoft Office Suite” may not be necessary, as it is generally expected in most professional roles.

4. False or Exaggerated Skills : Be honest about your skills and avoid exaggerating or fabricating information. Employers may verify your skills during hiring, and misrepresenting your abilities can have negative consequences.

Recap: Putting the Right Skills in a Resume

• Choose 8-20 skills, depending on your industry and level of experience
• Put mostly hard skills and skills that relate directly to the employer’s job
• Avoid putting too many soft skills; employers will judge this primarily in the interview and aren’t looking for soft skills as much on your resume
• Whenever listing a hard skill, make sure also to mention it on your work experience; employers want to see where you used each skill, too, and this is how to show them
• Use the job description to identify important skills for this position
• Include exact phrases from the job description to improve your chances of getting past automated job application systems
• If you need more ideas for which skills to put, review past jobs you’ve held and/or look at peers on LinkedIn to see skills they’ve chosen
• Use one or two columns and simple formatting to make your Skills section easy to read
• Never put your Skills section before your Employment History section on your resume
• If you’re an entry-level job seeker, never put your Skills section before your Education section
• Be prepared to answer interview questions about any skills listed on your resume
• Avoid including irrelevant or generic skills, obvious skills, and false or exaggerated skills in the skills section. 

If you read the tips above, you now know how to write a great skills section of a resume, including examples of what it should look like.

You also know the other important pieces to focus on, like your resume work experience . If you follow these guidelines that I shared, you’ll get more interviews and get noticed by better employers in your job search.

About the Author

Read more articles by Biron Clark

More Resume Tips & Guides

Crafting the perfect resume for teens (template & expert advice), are resume writers worth it, don’t say you’re a quick learner on your resume, what do recruiters look for in a resume, chronological resume: the best format (and how to write it), the 3 best colors for a resume, career change resume: examples and tips from experts, what makes a good resume 9 ways to know, how long should a resume be, walk me through your resume: answer examples.

300+ Resume Skills to Use on Your Resume in 2024

Wondering what skills to put on your resume? Dive into our list of 300+ resume skills we’ve extracted from analyzing over 1,000,000 resumes, learn how to include them in yours, and increase your chances of landing a job interview.

3,908 happy customers shared their experience.

Our resumes get people hired at top companies:

Skills are great but…

Making a resume is more than just skills. Use our resume builder and let us take care of the design while you focus on your skills and experience!

Have you considered how difficult it is to select the right skills for your resume ?

You have to curate resume skills that:

• reveal as many details about your proficiency; without going over the two-page limit .

Writing about your skills seems daunting - like you're fighting an uphill battle.

Yet, the potential wins are worth it: from landing an interview to getting a job offer.

So, here's our explicit guide on how to write about your skills on your resume:

• Over 150 popular niche skills for over 15 industries.

The difference between hard skills and soft skills

Recruiters look for both hard and soft skills in a job application.

Before we get into the details of what both types of skills imply, we'd like to focus on how the skills are acquired, used, demonstrated, and measured.

Skill acquisition

Hard skills are attained via on-the-job experience, education, training, or certification.

While soft skills are obtained in a more intangible manner: via life or work experience.

Skill usage

Hard skills are used directly within your role - you need them to complete specific tasks.

Soft skills are most often related to how your flexible mindset is able to adapt, communicate, and excel within a new (potentially unfamiliar) work environment.

Skill showcase

It's easy to demonstrate your hard skills through various resume sections - showing recruiters what you're capable of.

Soft skills often complement your hard skills, thus providing unique value to your professional resume.

Skill measurement

Hard skills can be quantified based on your achievements, certifications, proficiency level, etc.

While soft skills could be a bit more difficult to pinpoint and could mainly be understood via your resume highlights.

Now, for a more brief definition of the two types of skills.

Hard skills comprise of the technical know-how and capabilities you possess: they are learned through studying and can be measured based on your performance.

Some of the more popular hard skills include:

• Foreign Languages - opening doors to more international opportunities.

Soft skills are transferable skills: characteristics and habits that are most associated with you as a person. They indicate to recruiters just how well you will adapt, perform, and grow within a new environment.

Recruiters are constantly on the lookout for these types of soft skills:

Presentation

Why listing skills is important.

Your skills are one of the most important sections, as they help your potential employers to identify whether you would be a good fit for the role.

Consider the whole recruitment process from the recruiter's point of view.

You have a thousand applications for the same role.

You’ll either briefly skim the document to identify relevant skills. Or work with an Applicant Tracker System (ATS) to identify relevant keywords .

So, including a separate skills section, gives recruiters the opportunity to familiarize themselves with:

• the specific (or unique) potential you'll bring with your in-demand, rare, or relevant skills.

Lack of relevant skills (keywords), placed at the top of their resume, often leads to a rejection from the ATS.

To avoid this, include this separate skills section to hint that:

• you can bring the desired skill set to the table.

The best skills to put on your resume

Building your skills section would very much depend on the role you're applying for.

For example, say you’re applying for a Cloud computing architect job. In this case, your ability to implement relevant technologies are a prerequisite for recruiters.

But if you do include instances where you've had to present information to stakeholders, this would set you apart from other candidates.

Software Development and Programming

With the rise of technologies, these will continue to be one of the most in-demand hard skills for the next decade or so.

Demonstrating your software development knowledge could be via various resume sections - as long as you've noted the outcome of your use of the particular skill.

As this is a pretty vast field that includes numerous abilities - Web and Mobile Development; Version Control; Various Frameworks and Databases; Agile Methodologies; Software Testing and more - we've listed some of the most popular technologies:

Data Analysis and Statistics

Data has become one of the most valuable assets - those with the ability to understand and interpret it will discover many opportunities ahead.

This field again includes various hard skills, from Data Manipulation and Mining to Big Data and Machine Learning.

Discover a list of some of the most popular Data technologies:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

With the rise of ChatGPT and similar platforms, one thing is evident - AI will continue to expand into uncharted territories.

And as a skill set, both AI and ML will continue to be in demand and take over multiple industries.

So, brush up on your:

Cloud Computing

Your knowledge of cloud platforms could land you the dream job in a dynamic environment.

Make sure you constantly upgrade your skill set with the most recent certificates , as this field is ever-evolving.

Meet job requirements by demonstrating your knowledge of:

• Azure Functions
• Cybersecurity

As a cybersecurity professional, it’s important to show on your resume not just your relevant certification, but adaptability in particular skills.

Referencing experience to project labs you’ve experimented with in your free time, can show your knowledge of the industry.

Here is a list of popular cybersecurity hard skills for your resume:

• Digital Forensics

Project Management

Project management includes a combination of both hard and soft skills you'll need to be able to showcase via your resume.

While the end results are important, highlight instances where you've had to use any of these skills for successfully delivered projects:

• Project Closure and Evaluation
• Digital Marketing

Digital marketing encompasses many different roles, responsibilities, and industries.

Our advice is to highlight the skill set that would be most useful for your chosen career path.

For example, if you’re applying for a role in social media, include on your resume your experience with different channels and how your communication strategy succeeded.

Digital marketing skills may include:

• Influencer Marketing

Graphic Design

While imagination and creativity may be at the center of the graphic designer's work, there are plenty of technologies that are important to success.

The list of graphic design skills includes:

UX/ UI Design

UX/UI design contains multiple skills from research, architecture, and wireframing to design and analysis.

Discover our top picks for your resume:

• Accessibility Design

Financial Analysis

Plain and simple, financial analysis skills are focused on understanding data to make informed decisions.

They integrate an abundance of hard and soft skills, such as:

• Data visualization tools

Foreign Languages

When listing foreign languages on your resume, it’s vital you explain your capabilities via your proficiencies and specializations.

It’s not enough to say you know a certain language - you need relevant certification or at least some widely-accepted reference as to your reading, comprehension, listening, and speaking skills.

Make sure to note your:

• Interpersonal Communication
• Communication

Perhaps your ability to communicate is one of the most important soft skills you'd need to show to recruiters - for any role.

Make sure that your communication efforts are always linked with relevant achievements.

Popular communication skills include:

• Cultural awareness
• Collaboration

Collaboration is your ability to participate within a team environment with the end goal of success.

While collaboration also covers various communication soft skills, here's the list of some other abilities you could list within your resume:

Problem-Solving

Problem-solving requires demonstrating your analytical abilities and shows the way you think in certain situations.

Can you take time-sensitive decisions or under pressure?

Skills that are linked with problem-solving include:

• Systematic thinking
• Critical Thinking

Like problem-solving, critical thinking is another must-have cognitive skill recruiters are on the lookout for.

Apart from your projects , you could also demonstrate your approach by incorporating various achievements through your resume as a result of your critical-thinking skills.

Showcase some of these skills to further prove your critical-thinking abilities:

• Effective Communication

Adaptability

Within the past three plus years, it has become more and more evident that individuals who can navigate through dynamic environments (and thrive) become the most sought-out professionals.

Showcase you can adapt to new challenges on your resume via these skills:

Effective leaders are able to enable their teams to progress while creating a work environment with a vision.

While your leadership approach may be more evident during the interview stage of your application process, it's a good idea to note cases where you've shown some of the following skills:

• Fostering a culture of growth

Organization

If you're apt at maintaining an organization's efficiency, definitely list your skills within your resume.

Organization skills hint at your abilities as a manager, but also, include:

• Adaptation to technology
• Negotiation

Navigating complex discussions, reaching agreements, and building relationships - that's what the ultimate outcome of your negotiation skills is.

Include as many of these relevant soft skills to highlight your negotiation abilities further:

• Relationship building

The ability to think outside the box, while driving forward-facing initiatives, is surely impressive.

Highlight innovation on your resume with these soft skills:

• Growth mindset

Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills help you to build positive relationships with others: whether those be third-party vendors, stakeholders, or team members.

Demonstrate your interpersonal skills via these abilities:

• Valuing contributions

The ability to deliver information in a manner that's informative, engaging, and persuasive is one that leaves a lasting impression on recruiters.

Hone your presentation abilities with these soft skills:

• Visual and verbal communication alignment

Within the next section of this guide, discover more practical advice to writing your resume skills.

How to list skills on your resume

To list skills on your resume, consider what works in light of the job requirements and will match your authentic skill set (and voice).

We've discovered six best practices that highlight strategy, space, and thought process, so you could make the most of your resume skills.

Find skills the company is looking for

First, read the advert job description.

It is most often the case that recruiters include all relevant keywords under the requirements or qualifications section.

As a final step to your research process, check out the company's website for even more gold nuggets related to what the company is all about.

This way, you'll be able to identify if you'll be a good match for the company culture (and vice versa - if it'll match your expectations).

What if the job advert you have doesn't provide enough information?

Search on other popular recruitment platforms for the job advert. The missing link is out there somewhere - you just need to find it.

Another option, in this case, will be to reach out to recruiters on LinkedIn - ask them just a few questions about the desired, specific skill set.

Match your skill set with the company's ideal profile

The ugly truth is that when every single company is hiring, they have an ideal candidate profile in mind. They might make a couple of compromises for an "out of the blue" Cinderella, but...

... practice goes to show that skill alignment is no fairy tale.

Here's where you have to learn to read between the lines of the advert.

Not just because you have to consider the technical capabilities as described, but also because you have to look deeper into the tone of voice, soft skills, and preferred culture.

Aim to synthesize this information for yourself, so you can better understand what is it that the company needs from the specific candidate:

• A nod to the future - what would my potential be in the job?

Ultimately, your application shouldn't be set to just fill in a tangible (or not) vacancy but it should answer your and the company's expectations.

Here's an example with a job description for a UX Copywriter. We've highlighted the hard skills in green, while the soft skills are in blue. This exercise should help you better understand the preferable skill set of the ideal candidate.

• Collaborate with Product Managers, UX Designers, UX Program Managers, and other key stakeholders to develop online device setup instructions and engagement pieces.
• Maintain brand voice and alignment with packaging through copyediting.
• Create and maintain editorial style guides and master copy documents.
• Ensure the highest standards of style and writing (e.g., grammar, spelling, syntax, diction, punctuation, brand alignment).
• Help improve processes for how content is created, delivered, and maintained.
• Proofread all final documents before print.
• Work closely with the subject matter experts, advocating for product and documentation innovation on behalf of the customer.
• Pursue automated content development.
• Create and maintain standards/guidance for localized translations.
• 3 years of design experience.
• An available online portfolio.
• Degree in English, Technical Writing.
• Experience in writing and editing technical documentation.
• Strong written and verbal communications skills.
• Ability to earn trust, engage, and influence people and teams at every level in the organization.
• Experience with content management systems and project management tools.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

Want to make your resume stand out even further? Always match each skill with precise role accomplishments.

This would give social proof that you're adept at the skill and that your application is as close to the ideal candidate profile as it can be.

Use the STAR methodology to talk about your skills and experiences

The STAR method is one of the recruiters' favorite tools during behavioral-based interviews.

The acronym stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result(s).

Apart from the interview stage, you can also use the S-T-A-R methodology to describe specific achievements which really stand out.

• Results or final outcomes: highlight precisely what “fruit” did your efforts bring in? BONUS: if you can add numbers and data to the results stage, then this will make quite an impression on recruiters.

Here are six more reasons why recruiters are huge fans of the STAR method.

These types of responses:

• show how you'd handle similar situations.

The STAR method also brushes up on your reflection skills - as any professional should be able to look back on their work and highlight what worked.

So, even when writing your resume, it's helpful to think about various situations or projects where you can apply the STAR method .

The outcome should be strong, evidence-based answers that highlight your suitability for the position. Check out this example:

Situation : a DevOps engineer for a finance website

Task : eliminate poor website performance during peak hours (stock opening hours)

Activity : migrated the existing website's database to a more optimal noSQL solution

Result : reduced complaints rate to 3% and 100% website uptime during peak visit hours

Communicate your skills proficiency

Which one sounds more professional to you, when listing your language skills - "French C2" or "French"?

Adding your level of proficiency helps employers better understand just how good you are at using that particular skill.

• Building trust with the organization from the get-go with transparency and honesty about your unique skill set.

But how can you - all by yourself - evaluate your skill set proficiency?

A popular framework that's used is the National Institutes of Health one; here's how it classifies the different experience levels:

• Expert - with unparalleled knowledge that surpasses that of most professionals, you're recognized as a thought leader in the industry. With experience that spans years (or decades) on end, you've mastered various challenges and situations to always achieve an outcome. You're able to mentor others to achieve even higher peaks in their skill set.

There are many ways to map your skill proficiency. Our practice has shown us that some of the best ways include visual level bars and charts, used in more creative resumes , and simple labels, used in most modern resumes .

Make a separate resume skills section

A separate skills section serves to improve your score with the ATS - and also helps recruiters understand whether you have the expertise they're searching for.

First, consider the skills that are listed closer to the top of the advert. Those will be most vital for the role.

Next, reflect upon your skill strengths - those should also be listed within the dedicated skills section with more prominence.

Don't forget about including a couple of soft skills - this will help you align your profile even further with the ATS.

If you want to take this activity a step further, create a separate, niche skills section. One that could list, for example, your technology proficiency or specific soft skills.

Back up your skills in other sections of your resume

The more you can integrate skill keywords within your whole resume, the better you’d meet recruiters’ requirements. Here are five other sections that could include your skill set.

• List accomplishments and skills in the experience section of your resume

Your experience bullets are the perfect opportunity to provide recruiters with some proof of your skill capabilities.

By quantifying your expertise with achievements (and possibly data), you'll provide them with the necessary background to better understand your skill set.

The more impressive your achievements were, the closer they should be to the top of your list (under each experience item).

Also, do consider what the requirements are for the job and use those to qualify your experience and skill set.

For example, if the role requires you to be able to apt in community management, your resume could list that you:

"Implemented communication strategies to attain a feeling of closeness amongst community members to attain a 107% growth and 65% more structured community management"

Let's take a look at a well-structured experience section that communicates the relevant skills of the applicant.

• • Significantly reduced past due receivables from $7M to $5M within four months, accelerating cash flow
• • Reduced company costs 50% through centralized purchasing
• • Trained and supervised more than 4 summer interns each for a period of 3 weeks

Write a summary of qualifications

Going back to the top one-third of your resume, we have the summary and headline .

The resume summary - those brief three-to-five sentences - is the best chance you'd get to integrate your skills.

Once again, go back to the advert at hand and select up to five skills that you feel most confident in (that are important for the job). Use those to structure your resume summary.

Here's an example from our practice:

With your resume headline, you could also make a lasting impression.

Even though it should be short and simple, while matching the job requirements, the headline could integrate one-to-three skills.

Both of these sections provide you with an opportunity to further "stuff" your resume with skill keywords. But you don't want to go over the top with that.

Use the limited space you have wisely to demonstrate your highlights, achievements, and unique skill set.

Use certifications and courses

The hidden gem of the certifications and courses resume sections is that they allow you to further expand on your skill set. They are also a must in certain industries, such as cybersecurity.

Including a certification section on your resume will:

• showcase your professional recognition.

A courses section is recommended for entry-level roles, where certifications (or more experience) are yet to be attained.

The courses could once again highlight the skills you've learned via your education or in your free time.

Showcase your transferable skills if you’re switching between career fields

Transferrable skills are universal skills you can easily apply from one role or responsibility to another.

They are basically what makes your experience unique and show that you can thrive within any work environment.

150+ Must-Have Skills (for Every Field)

Soft resume skills

Including this category of skills within your resume showcases the transferable skills and unique value you’d bring about as an applicant.

• Work Under Pressure
• Flexibility
• Independent
• Analytical Thinking
• Collaborative
• Strong Work Ethic
• Decision Making
• Detail Oriented
• Organizational
• Problem Solving
• Responsibility
• Interpersonal
• Team Leadership
• Time Management
• Coordinating
• Reliability
• Multi-Tasking
• Creative Thinking
• Strategic Thinking
• Dealing with Ambiguity
• Emotional Intelligence
• Active Listening
• Transferable
• Fast Learner
• Public Speaking
• Conflict Resolution
• Willingness to Learn
• Dealing with Objection
• Creating Good Rapport
• Resource Allocation
• Goal-Oriented
• Remote Work Skills

Computer skills for your resume

Computer skills are your technical competencies - basically, your ability to use various computer software and applications.

• Microsoft Access
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Office
• Data analysis and interpretation
• Database management (e.g., SQL, Oracle, MySQL)
• Programming languages (e.g., Python, Java, C++)
• Web development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
• Front-end frameworks (e.g., React, Angular, Vue.js)
• Back-end frameworks (e.g., Node.js, Django, Laravel)
• Cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
• Networking protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP)
• Cybersecurity principles and best practices
• Virtualization and containerization (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes)
• Data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI)
• Machine learning and data mining
• Artificial intelligence (AI) concepts and frameworks
• Natural language processing (NLP)
• Big data technologies (e.g., Hadoop, Spark)
• Statistical analysis software (e.g., R, SAS, SPSS)

Design resume skills

With design skills, you have to be able to showcase to recruiters that you’re able to use an array of technology (and/or software), yet also have a creative vision.

Perhaps the strongest asset you have that demonstrates your graphic design skills are your past projects and portfolio. Make those easily discoverable by recruiters with links within the resume header .

• Videography
• Graphic design
• User interface (UI) design
• User experience (UX) design
• Branding and identity design
• Print design
• Mobile app design
• Layout design
• Illustration
• Icon design
• Logo design
• Visual communication
• Color theory
• Composition
• Motion graphics
• Video editing
• 3D modeling and rendering
• Infographic design
• Data visualization
• Art direction
• Photo editing and retouching
• Virtual reality (VR) design
• Augmented reality (AR) design
• Game design
• Brand guidelines
• Style guides

Business and management resume skills

Show that you’re the top candidate by featuring the right skills on your resume. Explore a list of the most popular business and management skills in 2022 below.

• Client Relations
• Stakeholder Management
• Team Management
• People Management
• Procurement
• Contract Management
• Implementation
• Fundraising
• Sustainability
• Client Management
• Crisis Management
• Manufacturing
• Performance Management
• Quality Management
• Microsoft Project
• Event Management
• Report Writing
• Inventory Management
• Relationship Management
• Risk Management
• Lean Six Sigma
• Process Improvement
• Quality Assurance
• Faciliation
• Vendor Management
• Financial Modeling
• Asset Management
• Customer relationship management
• Supply chain management
• Key performance indicator (KPI) tracking

Accounting and finance resume skills

Accounting and finance skills could open your doors to opportunities within various sectors. Your proficiency and technological capabilities would be a definite must for some roles.

These are also transferable skills, as they focus further on growing your analytical thinking and the ability to back up your decisions via data.

The more numbers that pinpoint results you could integrate (e.g. that show how your financial decisions have brought about a 56% increase in ROI), the better you’d be able to demonstrate your success.

• Budget Management
• Financial analysis
• Financial reporting
• Financial modeling
• Tax preparation and planning
• Risk management
• Cost accounting
• Managerial accounting
• Financial statement analysis
• Cash flow management
• Revenue recognition
• Accounts payable
• Accounts receivable
• General ledger management
• Financial planning and analysis (FP&A)
• Internal controls
• Financial systems and software (e.g., QuickBooks, SAP, Oracle)
• Compliance and regulatory knowledge (e.g., GAAP, IFRS)
• Financial statement preparation
• Variance analysis
• Investment analysis
• Capital budgeting
• Treasury management
• Financial risk assessment
• Cash management
• Financial operations management
• Cost control and reduction
• Financial reconciliation
• Financial statement consolidation
• Financial data analysis and interpretation
• Microsoft Excel proficiency (advanced functions, pivot tables, macros)
• Financial forecasting and planning
• Inventory management and costing
• Financial controls and procedures
• Debt management and financing
• Forecasting

Engineering resume skills

Engineering skills encompass various fields - from mechanical and chemical engineering to aerospace and civil engineering. It's no surprise that there's an array of skills that you could demonstrate across your resume.

Once more, remember to select the ones that are most relevant for the job you're applying for. In this industry, it'll be very often that your technical competencies would serve as your base for getting the job.

Soft skills are also a very good at showing not only your people skills but that you're adaptable to growth.

• Prototyping
• Technical drawing and drafting
• Engineering design and analysis
• Mathematical modeling and simulation
• Technical documentation and reporting
• Risk assessment and management
• Quality control and assurance
• Materials selection and testing
• Manufacturing processes and techniques
• Electrical circuit design and analysis
• Mechanical design and analysis
• Structural analysis and design
• Thermodynamics and heat transfer
• Fluid mechanics and hydraulics
• Control systems and automation
• Systems engineering
• Environmental sustainability in engineering
• Engineering ethics and professionalism
• Root cause analysis
• Failure analysis and prevention
• Statistical analysis
• Geotechnical engineering principles
• Engineering

Marketing resume skills

Marketing encompasses many different activities (e.g. social media, content creation, PPC strategies) all aiming to bring brands closer to audiences.

It's an ever-evolving sector that presents opportunities for professionals with different levels of proficiency.

One of the best things you could do, if you're looking to grow into the field, is to get as much hands-on experience as possible and always stay up to date with relevant technologies.

• Lead Generation
• Content Management
• Storytelling
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
• Social Media Management (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc.)
• Content Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Online Advertising
• Mobile Marketing
• Video Marketing
• Affiliate Marketing
• Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
• Google Analytics
• Social Media Analytics
• Marketing Automation
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Marketing Strategy
• Marketing Campaign Management
• Market Research
• Competitor Analysis
• Consumer Insights
• Brand Development
• Brand Positioning
• Brand Messaging
• Brand Management
• Copywriting
• Content Creation
• Website Copy
• Community Management
• Public Relations (PR)
• Event Planning
• Customer Acquisition
• Customer Retention
• Customer Segmentation
• Customer Experience (CX)
• A/B Testing
• User Experience (UX)
• Landing Page Optimization
• Marketing Analytics
• Data Analysis

Sales resume skills

Demonstrate your sales skills with the actual achievements of your role, like maintaining a 95% positive customer feedback score or the number of units you've sold.

Your resume should also showcase the technology you feel comfortable using (e.g. Salesforce) and put a particular focus on your communication skills.

As in the words of Jeff Gitomer, "Great salespeople are relationship builders..."

• Telecommunications
• Cold Calling
• Product Knowledge
• Customer Service
• Prospecting
• Sales Process Knowledge
• CRM Software
• Territory Management
• Sales Forecasting
• Team Collaboration
• Goal Orientation
• Consultative Selling
• Rapport Building
• Objection Handling
• Value Proposition Development
• Competitive Analysis
• Strategic Account Management
• Cross-Selling
• Solution Selling
• Qualifying Leads
• Pipeline Management
• Relationship Development
• Relationship Marketing
• Customer Satisfaction
• Sales Presentations
• Sales Funnel Management
• Closing Techniques
• Contract Negotiation
• Sales Analytics
• Relationship Building
• Business Development
• Customer Engagement
• Sales Training
• Key Account Management
• Territory Planning
• CRM Administration

IT and Data management resume skills

Data has become the most valuable asset across our digital-driven world. That's why professionals with expertise in data management and information technology will be presented with a multitude of chances for professional growth.

IT careers allow professionals to experience versatile industries with ever so many rising challenges that require a new, more adaptive skill set for creative problem-solving and innovation.

But, as a starting point, make sure you can demonstrate how you can use your knowledge in the real world with projects , experience items , and technical skills .

• Active Directory
• Database Management
• Data Management
• Penetration Testing
• Data Warehouse
• Technical Support
• Mathematics
• Machine Learning
• Integration
• Artificial Intelligence
• Software Testing
• Data Modelling
• Data Collection
• Data Center
• Statistical Analysis
• artificial intelligence
• data center
• data collection
• data management
• data modelling
• machine learning
• microsoft access
• penetration testing
• software testing
• data warehouse
• microsoft office
• statistical analysis

Office resume skills

These skills are indispensable in any industry (or sphere) as they prove your ability to communicate and how you handle some office software.

If you're looking to find an admin role, definitely showcase your office skills, supported by relevant strengths, within your resume.

This particular skill set is also a nice-to-have for more entry-level candidates and candidates with less ( or no ) professional experience.

• Documentation
• Administrative
• Data Entry and Management
• Office Equipment Operation
• File Management
• Record Keeping
• Calendar Management
• Office Supply Management
• Office Space Planning
• Office Decorum and Etiquette
• Document Sharing and Collaboration Tools (e.g., SharePoint, Google Drive)
• Presentation Software (e.g., PowerPoint, Keynote)
• Task Management Tools (e.g., Trello, Asana)
• Web Conferencing Platforms (e.g., Zoom, Microsoft Teams)
• Customer Complaint Resolution
• Risk Assessment
• Performance Tracking
• Data Reporting
• Workplace Ergonomics
• Employee Relations
• Knowledge of Labor Laws and Regulations
• Benefits Administration Support
• Recruitment and Onboarding Coordination
• Workplace Culture Enhancement
• Employee Engagement Initiatives
• Employee Recognition Programs
• Workplace Wellness Initiatives
• Diversity and Inclusion Support
• Business Correspondence Etiquette

Food service resume skills

Bring your A-game to the table with your previous experience and food service skills.

The food and beverage industry allows professionals to grow a multitude of unique (and transferable) skills, from customer service to system operations and creativity.

On a side note, your patience and active listening skills should be at a superior level.

• Food Safety and Sanitation
• Menu Knowledge
• Order Taking
• Food Preparation
• Food Presentation
• Cash Handling
• POS Systems
• Menu Specials Promotion
• Food Handling Equipment
• Cleanliness and Organization
• Knowledge of Dietary Restrictions
• Menu Planning
• Inventory Ordering and Management
• Quality Control
• Culinary Skills
• Recipe Development
• Food Cost Analysis
• Portion Control
• Knife Skills
• Food Sourcing and Procurement
• Food Plating Techniques
• Food Styling
• Beverage Service
• Wine and Beer Knowledge
• Coffee Brewing Techniques
• Cash Register Operation
• Cross-selling
• Table Setting
• Dining Etiquette
• Special Event Catering
• Buffet Setup and Management
• Food Allergies and Dietary Restrictions
• Safe Food Handling and Storage
• Menu Engineering
• Health and Safety Regulations
• Food Service

Medical and healthcare resume skills

From patient care to managing various software, creating a separate resume section to showcase your medical and healthcare skills is always a good idea.

Take the time to consider which medical skills would be most relevant for the job and align those with your experience .

Also, include your healthcare skills within various parts of your resume. This should also be done to showcase your commitment to the industry and the steps you've taken to ensure that you're the most up-to-date with recent R&D.

• Patient Assessment
• Administering Injections
• Patient Care
• Taking Vital Signs
• Medical Administration
• Recording Patient Medical History
• TB Test Clearance
• Teamwork Abilities
• Medical Procedures
• Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
• Medical Terminology
• Diagnostic Testing
• Infection Control
• Surgical Assistance
• Medical Equipment Operation
• Clinical Documentation
• HIPAA Compliance
• Medical Ethics
• Emergency Response
• Patient Education
• Quality Improvement
• Cultural Competence
• Healthcare Regulations
• Patient Advocacy

Legal resume skills

All rise for the honorable legal resume skills!

While the skills may encompass various roles within the legal system, the field of regulatory compliance has been gaining more traction in the past decade or so.

The best way to highlight your legal capabilities (apart from the dedicated skills section ) is also to boost your relevant legal certification and trial/ jury/ job success.

• Contract Law
• Civil Litigation
• Legal Writing
• Legal Research
• Commercial Litigation
• Criminal Law
• Legal Analysis
• Case Management
• Contract Review and Negotiation
• Litigation Support
• Legal Document Preparation
• Legal Terminology
• Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility
• Oral Advocacy
• Legal Citations
• Client Counseling
• Legal Due Diligence
• Legal Compliance
• Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
• Legal Software and Technology
• Courtroom Procedures
• Document Drafting and Editing
• Contract Drafting
• Deposition Preparation
• Legal Brief Writing
• Trial Preparation
• Mediation Techniques
• Legal Research Methodologies
• Legal Research Databases (e.g., Westlaw, LexisNexis)
• Discovery Process

Customer service resume skills

Anyone who's ever had a customer-facing role, can let you know one thing - the experience teaches you so many personal skills in handling communications.

It's all about taking the time to understand the party opposing you, to find ways to show them both empathy and compassion, and - in the end - have a tangible outcome.

The STAR methodology could be a great way to showcase your customer service skills on your resume within the projects section .

Another good idea would be to create a supplementary experience section that focuses more on your soft and customer service skills.

• Dispute Management
• Oral Communication
• CRM Systems
• Technical Expertise
• Knowledge of Policies and Procedures
• Complaint Handling
• Follow-Up and Resolution
• Telephone Etiquette
• Customer Feedback Analysis
• Customer Service Training
• Problem Escalation and Resolution
• Customer Retention Strategies
• Upselling Techniques
• Customer Satisfaction Enhancement
• Customer Needs Assessment
• Service Recovery
• Social Media Customer Service
• Customer Service in Multilingual Environments
• Professional Phone Etiquette
• Knowledge of Industry Regulations
• Customer Education and Training
• Product Demonstrations
• Technical Troubleshooting
• Knowledge Base Creation and Management
• Continuous Improvement
• Service Level Agreement (SLA) Management
• Customer Success Management
• Voice of Customer Analysis
• Service Recovery Strategies

Warehouse resume skills

There's an array of warehouse resume skills that entangle various aspects of operations. Those include third-party vendor communications and logistics to operating equipment and workplace health and safety procedures.

Your resume allows for a multitude of opportunities to list these skills - so don't miss your chances to include them, for example within your headline . Thus, optimizing it for the ATS and recruiters.

Look no further for inspiration as to your warehouse resume skills.

• Cleaning Equipment
• Forklift Operation
• Loading and Unloading Trucks
• Record-Keeping
• Lifting Heavy Items
• Warehouse Operations
• Order Fulfillment
• Shipping and Receiving
• Warehouse Organization
• Safety Compliance
• Physical Stamina
• Problem Identification
• Vendor Coordination
• RF Scanner Usage
• Warehouse Safety Training
• Lean Principles
• Warehouse Software Proficiency
• Cycle Counting
• Stock Replenishment
• Hazardous Materials Handling
• Inventory Auditing
• Cross-Docking
• Shrinkage Prevention
• Material Handling
• Workflow Optimization
• Reverse Logistics
• Space Utilization
• Stock Rotation
• Returns Processing
• Freight Management
• Customs Compliance
• Container Unpacking and Consolidation
• Inventory Forecasting
• Routing and Scheduling
• Warehouse Layout Design
• Supplier Negotiation
• Supply Chain Management

Human Resources (HR) resume skills

If you're apt at working with people and supporting the acquisition functions (or funnel) of an organization - this next list is especially for you.

Demonstrate your abilities to support one of the most crucial areas of the business - that is talent management - with an array of hard and soft skills that support your understanding.

Have you implemented any changes that have improved the lives of individuals or perhaps increased interest in the organization? Make sure you dedicate a special section to those, and also quantify the impact your decisions have made.

• Human Resource Management (HRM)
• Applicant Screening
• HR Strategy Creation
• Career Coaching
• HR Reporting
• Recruitment and Selection
• Employee Onboarding
• HR Policies and Procedures
• Training and Development
• Compensation and Benefits
• Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) HR Systems
• Employee Engagement
• Labor Law Compliance
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Employee Performance Improvement
• Employment Law Knowledge
• Compliance Reporting
• Ethics and Confidentiality
• Employee Wellness Programs
• Employee Performance Evaluation
• Succession Planning
• Employee Benefits Administration
• Organizational Development
• Employee Engagement Surveys
• Employee Coaching and Development
• HR Policy Development
• Workforce Planning
• Compensation Analysis and Benchmarking
• HR Training and Facilitation
• Talent Acquisition and Retention
• Human Resources

Technical resume skills

Technical skills have to do with the specific technologies that are a must to complete a job.

The best way to showcase your technical expertise, of course, is by showing the skills' practical side with on-the-job experience, projects, and relevant certification.

The more results of your technical skills you can include, the better it'd be for recruiters to understand precisely your understanding of the given technology.

Speaking of which - in some cases - it could be good to also note your proficiency level.

• Lean Manufacturing
• Payment Processing
• Linear Regression
• Programming Languages (e.g., Python, Java, C++, Ruby)
• Web Development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
• Database Management (SQL, Oracle, MySQL)
• Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)
• Version Control Systems (Git, SVN)
• Agile/Scrum Methodologies
• Network Administration
• System Administration (Windows, Linux)
• IT Troubleshooting
• Cloud Computing (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
• DevOps Tools (Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins)
• Scripting Languages (Shell Scripting, PowerShell)
• Big Data Technologies (Hadoop, Apache Spark)
• Data Analysis and Visualization (Excel, Tableau, Power BI)
• Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
• Natural Language Processing (NLP)
• Data Mining
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• Mobile App Development (Android, iOS)
• User Interface (UI) Design
• User Experience (UX) Design
• Web Frameworks (React, Angular, Django)
• Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)
• Test Automation (Selenium, JUnit)
• Quality Assurance (QA) Testing
• Data Structures and Algorithms
• Data Warehousing
• Mathematical Modeling
• Embedded Systems
• Computer Vision
• Operating Systems (Windows, Linux, macOS)

Hospitality resume skills

In spite of the global pandemic, the hospitality sector continues to thrive and be an indispensable part of people's lives.

With that being said, perhaps one of the most important skills within hospitality is the ability to adapt (and accept) change.

By managing customers' expectations and experiences of the given hospitality service, you've surely also attained a variety of other soft, transferrable skills.

Even if a certain skill doesn't seem that important to you, yet it's a must-have on the job advert, and you have relevant, result-driven experience of it - make sure you dedicate some resume space to quantify your experience.

• Hotel Management and Operations
• Maintenance and Cleaning
• Staff Management
• Central Reservation System “CRS”
• Event Planning and Coordination
• Front Desk Operations
• Property Management Systems (PMS)
• Sales and Marketing Knowledge
• Housekeeping Coordination
• Concierge Services
• Wine and Beverage Service
• Event Setup and Breakdown
• Venue Management
• Guest Satisfaction Enhancement
• Time-sensitive Issue Management
• Venue and Room Management
• Staff Training and Development
• Revenue Management
• Hospitality

Key Takeaways

Frequently asked questions about resume skills, what are the top skills to list on your resume.

There are no "top" skills, but rather ones that answer two-part criteria.

The first is the job requirements, and the second - is your capability and practical knowledge of using particular skills.

Now, both criteria could be met by both:

• soft skills - transferrable, personal traits that showcase the unique value of working with you as a professional.

How many skills should I list on my resume?

It's not a question of how many, but rather which skills showcase you as the best fit for the role and also prove your unique expertise and knowledge.

Asses what are the key skills for the job advert (select between five and ten) and align those with the five to ten skills you're best at.

Remember to strike a balance between hard and soft skills, and to make use of every section of your resume to demonstrate your achievements.

Can I list soft skills on my resume?

Of course - soft skills are hints of how you'd adapt and grow within new work dynamics and environments.

Soft skills support your experience and tell a further narrative: that you've grown up both as a professional and a person.

They make a fantastic first impression on more experienced recruiters who are on the lookout for more than just the check-box-fitting candidate.

Should I tailor my skills to the job description?

This is perhaps the best strategy out there for creating your professional resume. First, take notice of what skills are important to the role, recruiters, and subsequently the organization.

If from the get-go you take the time to target your skills section to the advert at hand, this would go to show that you're ready to take the next steps and subsequently - are more than prepared for the role.

As you know, the whole job application process is one of meeting expectations and aligning visions.

How do I showcase my skills on my resume?

Make use of all the resume space (or real estate) you have to highlight your versatile skill set.

What this means is that you shouldn't just limit this to a dedicated skills section. You could also talk about these capacities within your resume:

• niche/specific skills section.

It's entirely up to you to choose which sections of your resume would best fit your skill set.

When talking about your hard and soft skills, remember to also quantify your achievements.

Instead of saying you're apt at using "AutoCAD", note that you've "created 65+ full building plans in AutoCAD that have helped make the design 35% more understandable and efficient for contractors".

You could also use the STAR methodology (situation, task, action, result), when talking about your skills.

Can I include skills I learned outside of work?

If those skills are relevant to the job you're applying for and fully support your application, there isn't a reason why you shouldn't include them.

For example, you could further build your education, certifications, or hobbies section to detail those specific skills.

Test labs that you've done in your free time or side-projects that have taught you a specific skill could also work in showcasing your capabilities.

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CVs & Résumés

• Oct 3, 2023
• 10 min read

100 Key Skills to Put on Your Résumé (List of Examples)

They’ll help you show your value to your future employer.

Chris Leitch

Editor-in-Chief & Résumé Expert

Reviewed by Electra Michaelidou

When writing your résumé or CV, you’ll probably be focusing on your education and experience. But a PhD or a five-year stint at a family-run business will only get you so far. Indeed, employers care more about seeing that you have what it takes to do the job you’re applying for .

And they look at the practical professional skills that you bring to the table to determine this. As such, it’s imperative that you carefully and strategically market your top skills to potential employers during the résumé-writing process if you want a fighting chance in your 2023 job search .

But which key skills should you put on your résumé, and how?

In this article, we’ll answer those questions — and more.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Why include skills in your résumé
• List of skills to include
• How to include them
• Examples for specific jobs

The importance of adding your best skills to your résumé

There are many important reasons to create a résumé skills section.

Firstly, you’re expected to . As one of the five main sections of a résumé , omitting this makes you look careless and unprofessional, and inevitably results in your application’s rejection — even if you are the most qualified candidate.

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, employers want to know you have the abilities required to succeed in the job you’re applying for, and listing your skills in your résumé helps you reveal the important information they’re seeking . Essentially, it’s your opportunity to quickly show what you bring to the table, what you’re capable of and that you’re a perfect fit.

And last but certainly not least, including job-specific skills and keywords in your résumé helps you get past applicant tracking systems . If these tools can’t locate any correlation between your application and the position, they’ll automatically discard your résumé — before it’s even read by a human recruiter.

Top 100 skills to include in your résumé

Need some inspiration? Check out our list of the 100 best skills to put on your résumé, organized by type:

Communication and interpersonal skills

Effective communication is essential for both individual and team success, and is a skill that every single employer looks for in candidates . Some of the best communication and interpersonal skills you should convey in your résumé include:

• Active listening
• Collaboration
• Communication (verbal, non-verbal, visual and written)
• Conflict management
• Emotional intelligence
• Negotiation
• Public speaking
• Presentation

Writing skills

Good writing skills are required in almost every industry and every job, whether it’s at the core of the role or a small part of the position’s responsibilities. Examples of writing skills to put on your résumé include:

• Content management systems
• Proofreading
• Publishing software
• Researching
• Storytelling
• Style guides (such AP and MLA)
• Writing (including copywriting, report writing and technical writing)

Critical thinking skills

Employers want employees who can not only identify problems but also solve them. As such, it’s always a good idea to highlight your critical thinking skills on your résumé, whether it was solving a problem or making a quick decision . Good skills that demonstrate critical thinking include:

• Brainstorming
• Conceptual thinking
• Cost-benefit analyzing
• Creative thinking
• Deductive reasoning
• Evidence collecting
• Inductive reasoning
• Troubleshooting

Time management skills

Good time management helps you achieve bigger goals, reduce procrastination and increase your productivity — which is exactly what employers want from you. Key skills to highlight in your résumé include:

• Goal-setting
• Multitasking
• Organization
• Prioritization
• Resource management
• Strategic thinking
• Time tracking

Accounting and finance skills

Although highlighting these types of skills is mostly beneficial to financial professionals , more and more industries are increasingly requiring some basic form of accounting and finance proficiency. Below are some useful skills worth showcasing:

• Accounting software (such as QuickBooks and NetSuite)
• Billing and invoicing
• Budgeting and forecasting
• Cashflow analysis
• Expense tracking
• Financial reporting
• Mathematical comprehension
• Tax planning
• Vendor management

Management skills

If your current or target role involves managing people or projects (or both), you’ll need to prove to potential employers that you have what it takes to be successful. Key skills for management roles and functions include:

• Adaptability
• Change management
• Employee development
• Problem solving
• Project management
• Risk management
• Team-building

Marketing skills

Since marketing controls the way a company functions, many employers look for employees who possess a variety of skills in this area. Here are 10 good examples for your résumé:

• Customer relationship management
• Data analytics
• Email marketing
• Google Analytics
• Mobile advertising
• Search engine marketing
• Search engine optimization
• Social media marketing
• Video marketing

Retail and sales

If you’re in a customer-facing role, your retail and sales skills should take centerstage on your résumé. Some good examples to list in your skills section include:

• Buyer engagement
• Buyer-responsive selling
• Cold-calling
• Customer service
• Friendliness
• Lead generation
• Product knowledge
• Understanding body language

Design skills

Design skills are no longer restricted to creative professionals who design products and experiences for consumers, and are often required across a wide range of industries and roles. Here are some examples of useful design skills for your résumé:

• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe Photoshop
• Graphic design
• Layout development
• Photo and video editing
• User experience development
• User interface development
• Wireframing

Computer skills

As most jobs today require at least some basic knowledge of information and communication technology, it’s always a good idea to showcase your computer skills on your résumé. Some of the best examples worth listing include:

• Cloud computing (such as AWS and Google Cloud)
• Databases (such as Oracle RDBMS and MySQL)
• Machine learning
• Operating systems (such as MacOS and Windows)
• Presentation software
• Programming/coding (such as HTML, Ruby on Rails and C++)
• Project management software
• Spreadsheets (such as Excel and LibreOffice)
• Systems and networks
• Word processing (such as Google Docs and Microsoft Word)

How to list skills in your résumé

Now that you have a general idea of what skills to put on your résumé, you’re probably wondering how to go about listing them.

Here are some quick tips to keep in mind:

• Showcase your job skills as a bulleted list in a dedicated section towards the end of your résumé. To save space, you can group similar skills together under specific categories or themes — for example: “Frameworks: Django, Laravel, Meteor”.
• Make sure to strategically refer to both your hard and soft skills throughout your résumé — not just in the skills section. For example, adding “Managed a team of 15 outbound sales specialists” as a bullet point in your experience section clearly encapsulates your leadership skills.
• Always choose skills that are directly relevant to the position you’re applying for . Read the job description to get a better idea of what the employer is looking for, and match your unique skill set to the specific job requirements.

Example résumé skills for specific jobs

Here are a few examples of résumé skills sections for different professions:

Web content editor

Web content editors rely on a mix of soft and hard skills that embraces technology to be successful in their job, which they should always highlight in their résumé — as done in the following example skills section:

• CMS platforms (HubSpot, Wix, WordPress)
• Content calendar management
• Content proposals
• Editing and proofreading
• Fact-checking
• Social media management

Working as a nurse requires a very specialized and technical skill set, and employers want to know you have exactly what it takes to succeed on the job. The following list of skills can be useful when writing your nurse CV or résumé :

• Clinical nursing
• Communication
• CPR and BLS skills
• EMR charting
• Medication management
• Patient assessment
• Patient safety and wellbeing
• Urgent care

Teachers require a variety of skill sets to effectively create lesson plans, instruct students and interact with parents, and it’s essential that they market these skills to prospective employers — like in the example skills section below:

• Behavior management
• Compassion and empathy
• Conflict resolution
• Classroom management
• Curriculum planning
• Effective communication
• Leadership skills
• Performance evaluations
• Teaching methods

FAQs about résumé skills

Got questions about résumé skills? We got answers!

What are professional skills?

Professional skills are competencies and abilities that help you succeed in a job . They consist of hard skills (which are learnable, and which allow you to perform job-specific tasks, such as copywriting and graphic design) and soft skills (personal habits or traits that shape how you work, which are developed over time, such as creativity and emotional intelligence).

How many skills should you list in your résumé?

For most jobseekers, listing between 10 and 15 skills is generally adequate. Any more than that, and you risk making your résumé look cluttered and unfocused. The most important thing to remember when listing your skills, though, is to choose the ones that are most relevant to the position you’re applying for.

What skills should you include if you have no experience?

If you’re just starting out in your career or you’re moving into an industry in which you have no (or little) relevant experience, your best bet is to focus on your transferable skills .

These are skills that have been acquired throughout your life (either in a personal, professional, academic or voluntary capacity) and can be applied to any job and work environment. For example, if you led a project team or founded an organization at university, you could use this experience to showcase your leadership skills.

Where is the best place to include skills in your résumé?

Traditionally, skills are listed towards the end of a résumé , after the experience and education sections and before supplemental sections for things like awards and professional memberships.

If you’re using a skills-based format for your résumé, meanwhile, you’ll need to add a skills summary section (immediately after your career profile) in addition to the standard skills section. Here, you’ll focus on 3–5 of your most relevant skills, providing examples of when — and how — you used each one.

Key takeaways

Here’s a quick rundown of everything we covered in this article:

• Including skills in your résumé is a great way to demonstrate your expertise, knowledge and strengths to potential employers.
• Some of the best examples to highlight are communication, critical thinking, management and computer skills .
• They are best featured in a dedicated section towards the end of a résumé , and they should always be tailored to the job you’re targeting.
• Specific professions and industries require specific skill sets; as such, it’s imperative that you understand what is required of you and how you fit the bill .
• When it comes to how many skills you should list, 10–15 usually does the trick .

Remember: listing your best and most relevant skills in your résumé is not an option — it is a necessity. They could, after all, be the make or break of your application, so make sure you get it right.

Got a question or want to suggest some other useful résumé skills? Let us know in the comments section below!

Originally published on September 4, 2017.

Résumé Writing

Hard Skills

Soft Skills

Job Applications

Résumé Sections

Top Personal Skills for CV Success (with Examples)

Personal skills are growing in importance across the job market. More than ever, employers are seeking candidates with excellent personal skills, rather than focusing on technical skills and previous experience. If you want to achieve success with your job applications, it’s a good idea to learn the top personal skills for CVs. In this article, we discuss what are the most effective personal skills for your resume, with examples on how to showcase them.

Understanding Personal Skills

Personal skills are soft skills that show how well you work with other people, and how likely you are to fit into a company’s workplace culture. They showcase aspects of your character and personality that you can put to use in almost any work environment. These skills can affect how you build relationships, how you interact with clients, how you respond to conflict or adversity, and how well you fit into a team. Well-developed personal skills can help you achieve success in your career through fostering positive work relationships and contributing to collective objectives.

Studies suggest personal skills are becoming more crucial than ever in the modern world of work. Forbes has reported that 78% of job postings globally mention foundational soft skills such as interpersonal skills (1) . According to a study by McKinsey, companies are increasingly focused on skill-building among employees, with soft, transferable skills being a key part of efforts to equip the workforce for new challenges (2).

Expert tip:

Use the job description to understand the key personal skills the employer is looking for, but remember to include a few unique personal skills in your CV. Think about the qualities only you can bring to the role, and add personal skills that reflect your personality and working style. This can help you stand out in a crowded field of applicants.

Highlighting Communication Skills on Your CV

Communication skills are one of the top personal skills to add to your CV . Almost every role requires communication skills, and your ability to show these on your CV is likely to be valued by employers. If you want to showcase your communication skills, use keywords like ‘communicate’, ‘present’, ‘liaise’, ‘collaborate’, ‘convey’, ‘network’ and ‘converse’ throughout your CV.

Communication skills can be written or verbal, and also include listening skills. Your CV itself is one of the best places to showcase your written communication skills. You can demonstrate verbal communication skills and networking skills on your resume by mentioning presentations, meetings you’ve chaired or networking conferences you’ve attended. Here are some resume examples of how to show verbal communication skills in your work experience section:

• ‘Presented to a group of 100 executives at a national sales networking conference.’
• ‘Liaised with account management team to ensure smooth customer relations with key clients.’

Showcasing Problem-Solving Abilities

The ability to think on your feet and address challenges head-on is always valuable. Showing employers that you have this skill will reassure them that you can take the ups and downs of work life in your stride. Think about how you’ve overcome challenges in your career to date, and particularly situations where you have figures and evidence to back up the impact you made. This could be recovering falling sales figures, increasing efficiencies or resolving customer complaints. Take a look at these examples of problem-solving abilities:

• ‘Responded to customer complaints in a polite and efficient manner, resulting in a 12% increase in customer satisfaction.’
• ‘Developed a new invoicing system to overcome issues with late payment, improving cash flow while maintaining customer relations.’
• ‘Responded to new environmental regulations by redesigning quality control systems, leading to a 26% reduction in waste.’

Demonstrating Teamwork and Collaboration

It’s rare to work completely on your own in any role, so teamwork is a key skill that most employers expect candidates to possess. Collaboration skills show that you can work in groups towards a common goal, whether internally or with external partners and clients. Teamwork skills incorporate communication, and the ability to deliver in a timely and efficient manner, understanding your role in the wider team.

Most resume formats provide plenty of opportunities for showcasing teamwork and collaboration. Your work experience section is the most obvious section to mention teamwork on CV templates , but you could also show it through hobbies or volunteer roles. Here are some sections from CV examples demonstrating teamwork and collaboration:

• ‘Collaborated with designers, web developers, research and marketing teams to deliver a new company website, increasing traffic by 56%.’
• ‘Volunteered at a food bank, working with 12 other volunteers to deliver 260 food packages per week to local families.’ 

Emphasising Adaptability and Flexibility

Nothing stands still for long in the world of work, so it’s crucial to show you’re adaptable and flexible to changing circumstances. Being adaptable means being open to new ideas and new ways of working, or adjusting to last-minute changes, expectations or demands.

Demonstrating adaptability and flexibility could include any examples where you’ve thrived despite being placed in challenging circumstances. Think of times when expectations have changed, such as shorter deadlines, increased pressure from management or unforeseen difficulties leading to changes in working patterns. Here are some examples that could feature in a resume or cover letter:

• ‘Adapted to rising interest rates by approaching top 10 lenders to offer bespoke mortgage solutions for high-net-worth clients.’
• ‘Adjusted key project deliverables in response to changing social media algorithms, delivering 22% higher engagement.’

Illustrating Leadership and Management Skills

The ability to demonstrate leadership skills for your CV can help your chances of success, even if you’re not applying for a management role. Leadership skills involve guiding a team towards specific goals and objectives, and empowering colleagues to achieve success. Management skills are slightly different from leadership, and reflect the specific ability to manage colleagues, dealing with the challenges that can occur in the workplace and fostering a positive team environment.

Here are some examples of leadership skills you could use for your resume:

• ‘Managed a team of six business development colleagues to exceed sales targets by £950,000, creating a sense of healthy competition while working towards collective goals.’
• ‘Supervised the transition of a team of 30 employees to a remote-first working environment, maintaining high staff retention rates and experiencing an increase in staff satisfaction (from 3.9 to 4.2 out of 5).’

Featuring Time Management and Organisational Skills

In the stressful and busy world of work, time management and organisation are essential skills to help you get through the workday. They not only ensure you can deliver your work on time and on budget, but they also mean you can be a more effective colleague and reduce your stress levels. Effective time managers track their tasks efficiently, organise their workload and understand how they contribute to wider team efficiency.

You can demonstrate your time management and organisational skills on your CV by drawing on these examples:

• ‘Produced project plans for complex, multi-million pound construction developments, detailing deadlines, budgets and key responsibilities for a team of 50 construction employees.’
• ‘Delivered film and multimedia projects to tight deadlines, providing flexibility to client needs and prioritising my workload to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction.’

Showcasing Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is a valuable workplace trait, as it involves the ability to understand and manage your emotions, as well as those of others. Using your emotional intelligence at work means remaining rational, self-aware, even-keeled and in-control at all times. It also means understanding other people’s emotions, showing empathy and compassion and adjusting where necessary to ensure continued team harmony.

These examples can help you show emotional intelligence in your own CV:

• ‘Line-managed a team of three junior employees, creating an open and supportive work environment for them to raise concerns and working together to solve problems.’
• ‘Provided bespoke training and career development to graduate jobseekers, understanding their unique circumstances and suggesting solutions to increase their employability.’

Highlighting Critical Thinking and Analytical Skills

Critical thinking is linked to problem-solving, and involves the ability to come up with new ways of thinking and solutions to everyday workplace challenges. Being a critical thinker means understanding and identifying that there might be better ways of doing something than the established norm. Analytical skills are also highly desirable, and showcase the ability to understand a problem from all sides, unpack data and explain complex concepts and ideas.

If you’re hoping to demonstrate your analytical and critical thinking skills on your resume, take a look at these examples:

• ‘Evaluated company CRM system and developed a new suite of customer management applications to respond to the specific needs of the business.’
• ‘Analysed complex statistical datasets and developed compelling narratives to inform key policy decisions for major clients in local and national government.’

"Well-developed personal skills can help you achieve success in your career through fostering positive work relationships and contributing to collective objectives."

How to Incorporate Personal Skills in a Cover Letter

Your cover letter is the ideal place to emphasise your personal skills, adding to the interpersonal skills on your CV, elaborating and offering further examples for greater impact. While it’s important to keep your cover letter brief and to-the-point, there are opportunities to highlight several key skills and experiences that can help you stand out from other applicants.

Use keywords from the job description to show the employer you have the skills they’re looking for, and tailor your skills to the unique requirements of every role. Pick out a couple of key interpersonal skills that are particularly relevant to the job. Where possible, support your credentials by including feedback from managers or clients, the outcomes of appraisals and any facts or figures that help to prove your skills. These could be sales figures, key performance indicators or even staff and customer satisfaction scores.

Just remember to be concise and clearly explain how your personal skills make you the ideal candidate for the role. Cover letter templates can help you to write an effective cover letter to support your applications, while sticking to an established structure to ensure your letter remains as brief and relevant as possible.

Key Takeaways for Personal Skills on a CV

Almost any job you apply for will require a certain degree of personal skills. Pay attention to the job description and add any of your personal skills that match those listed, offering evidence that shows the impact they’ve had on your career.

Jobseeker’s CV tools and resources can help you showcase your personal skills on your CV. Sign up today and follow the easy steps to create a CV that complements your personal and professional skills. You can also find CV articles with various tips on how to create a winning CV. In addition, our cover letter articles can help you draft a cover letter that really makes an impact with employers.

(1) Forbes: Why Soft Skills Are More In Demand Than Ever

(2) McKinsey: Building workforce skills at scale to thrive during—and after—the COVID-19 crisis

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45+ Best Communication Skills for Your Resume (Examples)

Discover the best communication skills for your resume. From verbal to written communication, learn how to list and describe them to make a lasting impression.

When adding communication skills to your resume, focus on tailoring them to the job ad and using specific terms from the job description. Highlight achievements showcasing your communication strengths, whether it's leading a project, resolving conflicts, or using digital tools like Slack and Zoom. This not only aligns you with what employers are seeking, but also boosts your chances with applicant tracking systems. Always back up your skills with examples to show you can deliver results and work well with others.

Soft skills often get a bad rap for being less important. But they hold serious value — these skills are innate and not always teachable. Yet, simply stating “communication skills” in your resume is too vague to show off your strengths to a recruiter.

Solid communication is key to building relationships, expressing needs, and sharing information — it’s everywhere, including the workplace. The trick is to show your communication skills in a way that highlights what you can achieve and the potential you bring to the company. 

And you can do this through your resume. This article will tell you: 

• All the top communication skills to include. 
• How to list your communication skills on a resume.
• The best ways to improve your abilities for future job opportunities. 

What Are Communication Skills and Why They Matter on a Resume?

Communication skills are how you share ideas, listen, and respond to others, whether verbal, non-verbal, visual, or written. We use these skills every day, so I’ll spare you the full textbook definition — it’s basically how you get your point across and understand others. 

Here’s how the main types of communication can translate into a resume: 

• Verbal communication. We all learn to talk early on, but clear and confident communication is a skill that takes practice. On your resume, you can highlight cases where you led a meeting, conducted a presentation, or explained complex ideas to a colleague.
• Non-verbal communication. This includes body language, eye contact, and facial expressions. Ever noticed how a smile can make someone more approachable? That’s non-verbal communication in action. Demonstrate this on your resume by mentioning roles where you engaged with clients face-to-face, showing approachability and confidence.
• Written communication. Writing emails, reports, or even messages in a chat all fall under written communication. If you’ve ever written a LinkedIn post, a persuasive email, or a detailed report, highlight these experiences on your resume. Show your impact with examples of increased engagement or positive feedback. 
• Visual communication. Using visuals like graphs, charts, or slides to communicate is a great way to get your message across. On your resume, you can mention creating PowerPoint presentations or designing infographics to convey complex ideas or data. 

Many communication skills are considered soft skills because they are personal traits that largely come from everyday experience—think active listening or body language. But many others are hard skills because they require specific knowledge and, usually, on-the-job training—for instance, negotiation techniques or even presentation skills.

With that said, all communication skills are precisely that: skills, not talents . And skills you can learn and improve. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a natural-born communicator, you can take steps to get better at both “hard” and “soft” types of communication skills.

Why do communication skills matter to employers?

Employers want candidates who can clearly express themselves and work well with others — would you really want a Dwight in your office? Good communication can prevent misunderstandings and frustration, making the workplace more productive. 

Communication skills are also crucial across many areas of professional life. You can apply them in business meetings, team projects, customer interactions, or those “networking” sessions in the office kitchen. Showing recruiters you’ve mastered the art of communication is showing them your versatility. 

Here’s a round-up of the top communication skills to include  on your resume: 

Top Communication Skills Examples 

Once your resume grabs the recruiter’s attention, be prepared to discuss all those impressive skills during the interview. Make sure you genuinely understand each skill you’ve listed and how it relates to your experience.

Here’s a rundown of the top communication skills and how they play out in the workplace:

Verbal communication

Verbal communication skills are basically about how good you are with the words and sounds that come out of your or other people’s mouths — about how well you articulate your thoughts and how well you understand what others say. These skills include expressing your ideas, dealing with customers, or persuading your boss to upgrade the office coffee machine. 

Strong verbal communication tells employers you can articulate information, suggestions, and feedback. For roles involving customer interactions or leadership, having solid speaking skills shows you can convey messages clearly and lead with confidence. But remember, verbal communication (like any other form of communication) is a two-way street. Active listening is just as important as speaking clearly.

Most of us can hold a conversation, so be specific on your resume. 

Here are some examples of how to list verbal communication on a resume: 

• Interpersonal communication
• Listening skills 
• Outbound calling 
• Body language
• Foreign languages
• Presenting skills 

Written communication

Written communication skills are about how well you convey information through messages, emails, reports, and notes. You don’t need to be a literary genius, but you should be clear and concise to avoid misunderstandings. 

One key thing to note: even if your job title doesn’t immediately bring “writing” to mind, strong writing skills can still be an asset on your resume.

When you write well, you can inform and persuade through your words, whether drafting reports, creating social media posts, or sending emails. And with so many of us working remotely, knowing how to communicate professionally (without overusing emojis or exclamation marks) is always a plus.

Check out these valuable writing skills for your resume: 

• Sending emails 
• Proposal and report writing 
• Spelling and grammar
• Editing skills
• Paraphrasing 
• Translation 

Giving and accepting feedback 

Giving and accepting feedback helps improve performance and productivity by showing employees and managers what’s working and what needs to change. 

Employers want to know you can handle constructive criticism without feeling like you’re under attack. Including this skill on your resume highlights that you’re committed to growth and can push others to do the same, making you a strong collaborator and proactive learner. 

Here’s how to frame those skills on a resume to show you’re dedicated to your development: 

• Constructive feedback
• Active listening
• Accountability
• Willingness to learn 
• Open-mindedness 

Team-building and collaboration

Team-building and collaboration involve working well with others to solve problems and achieve common goals. Effective team builders can delegate tasks, communicate clearly, and help team members grow. 

Teamwork makes the dream work, so being able to share ideas and listen to others tells employers you can work harmoniously in a group. Highlighting team-building and collaboration on your resume also shows you can motivate and support your team toward success. 

Here are some more skills to show you work well in a team: 

• Team communication
• Delegation 
• Goal setting 
• Adaptability
• Taking ownership 
• Inclusivity 

Leadership skills 

Leadership skills involve firing up your team, setting goals, training employees, and running operations. A successful leader can push their team to their full potential while making them feel valued and appreciated. 

Trust is key, and people work better for managers they believe in — so your ability to build rapport and guide teams in a positive working environment is a must. Nobody feels inspired by a micromanaging boss breathing down their neck, right?

Here are some phrases that will make your leadership abilities shine on a resume: 

• Management abilities 
• Employee training 
• Motivational feedback
• Planning and organization 
• Interviewing skills 
• Customer relationship management

Digital communication

Digital communication skills are essential in today’s remote and hybrid work environments. Knowing your way around Zoom, Slack, Asana and Microsoft Teams ensures easy collaboration and interaction.

Nobody wants to be the person who accidentally sends a private message to the entire team. Including this skill on your resume shows your ability to keep up with the times, especially handy for remote workers, or in areas like customer support or social media. 

Consider listing these skills on your resume to show your technical communication prowess: 

• Online meeting etiquette
• Remote collaboration
• Professional branding 
• Customer support 
• Digital messaging 
• Social media networking 

Conflict resolution 

Conflict resolution skills help navigate and settle any disputes to maintain a positive workplace. Whether you’re negotiating tough deals, dealing with customer complaints, or deciding on the office AC temperature, you can apply these skills to a range of situations. 

But it’s not just about settling disputes. Adding conflict resolution to your resume tells employers you value workplace harmony, which can boost productivity. It shows you have solid listening skills and that you consider others’ perspectives and respond thoughtfully. 

Check out these examples of how to frame conflict resolution on a resume: 

• Mediation skills 
• Trust building 
• Employee relations 
• Problem-solving 
• Emotional intelligence 
• Impartiality

Negotiating skills 

Negotiating skills are about reaching mutually beneficial agreements through formal contracts or verbal agreements. Skilled negotiators adapt their communication styles to fit the listener’s requests and avoid misunderstandings.

Pulling off a successful negotiation requires problem-solving, persuasive communication, and reading the room — all abilities that will make you an impressive candidate for future employers. 

Negotiation skills aren’t limited to the bargaining table, though. 

Take a look at some more specific ways to describe them on a resume: 

• Strategic thinking 
• Persuasive speaking 
• Assertive attitude
• Rapport-building 
• Contract negotiation 
• Business negotiation

How to Find the Best Communication Skills to Put on a Resume?

Googling “communication skills” and copy-pasting the first result won’t cut it. Recruiters have seen “listening skills” way too many times.

To make an impression, you need to be smart with your word choice, understand what the employer is looking for, and show exactly how your skills make a difference.

Check the job description

Tweaking your resume to match the job description might seem like extra effort — but it’s an easy way to get inspiration on what skills and experience the employer wants from you. 

Will you be working with a global team? Mention how your remote collaboration skills have helped you build connections. Are they looking for someone with growth potential? Outline your experiences in accepting and acting on feedback.

Using similar terms from the job description shows recruiters you’re the right fit for the role and boosts your chances with applicant tracking systems (ATS) when scanning resumes for keywords. 

Check out this job ad for a product manager position: 

This company’s looking for someone who can communicate in group discussions, so mention times you led projects or regularly contributed to meetings to show you’re a team player. They also emphasized data visualization, so include your knack for explaining complex ideas to non-technical clients. 

You don’t need to quote the job ad word for word — just outline your relevant experiences, and your skills will speak for themselves.

Research skills relevant to your industry

Every industry has its own communication style — whether it’s interviewing in recruitment, content creation in marketing, or interacting with customers in sales. Some working environments require online collaboration, while others have you mingling with your colleagues. 

Recruiters look for candidates who understand the core skills of your chosen industry and can show proficiency in those areas. Doing your homework on industry-specific communication tells employers you have the skills to address the unique challenges and needs of that field. 

Consider your achievements

If your skills list is still looking pretty thin, think about your accomplishments and how you’ve applied your skills in real-world scenarios. 

Look at your past achievements and identify the communication skills that played a key role. Have you successfully led a team project? Emphasize your abilities in team communication, delegation, and even conflict resolution. 

If you’re short on work experience, think about your days in education. Did you navigate a year of online learning during the pandemic? Perfect — you can list skills like remote collaboration, online messaging, and a great deal of patience on your resume.

Still stuck on inspiration? Check out our AI Skill Explorer to dig deeper into any key skills you may have missed.

How to Put Communication Skills on a Resume?

You’ve pinpointed your skills, but you can’t just list them on your resume and call it a day. Recruiters only spend a few seconds on each resume, so your skills must stand out and prove you’re a top-notch candidate. 

Let’s dig into where you should include your skills and how to use them to show off your accomplishments. 

Tailor to the job description

Job postings spell out exactly what they want — so use that to your advantage. 

Start by digging into the job ad and highlighting any specific communication skills listed as requirements. But avoid copying and pasting generic terms like “client support.” These phrases are bland and don’t tell the recruiter what you bring to the table. 

Focus on real wins — if they need someone to handle customer interactions, highlight your successes in customer service. You can also use action verbs, such as “presented” and “collaborated” to make your resume more dynamic and easier to scan by ATS systems.

You don’t need to overhaul your resume completely for each application. Just tweak your word choice and skill selection to match what each employer is looking for, and show how your skills translate into success.

Mention top skills in the resume summary

Your resume summary is your elevator pitch and how you’re going to grab a recruiter’s attention right off the bat. Make it concise, relevant, and interesting by focusing on the communication skills that make you a standout candidate. 

Include the communication skills that are most relevant to the position. If the job requires strong verbal skills, emphasize your expertise in delivering engaging presentations or negotiating with stakeholders. Always aim to link these communication skills to your achievements to show the impact of your abilities. 

Here’s an example of an eye-catching summary with a focus on communication skills: 

Customer service specialist with a knack for effective verbal communication and problem-solving. Skilled in handling customer inquiries, resolving complaints, and presenting product features. Recognized for maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction and maintaining positive client relationships.

Showcase skills via your work experience

Listing skills in bullet points is neat for summarizing, but it’s just that — a summary. Recruiters need to see how you put those skills into action and how they benefit the company. Saying you’re great with phone calls doesn’t mean much if you prefer leaving long voice notes (guilty as charged)!

When describing your work experience , pick specific examples that show how you’ve used your communication skills. Think about times when your communication skills were pivotal and delivered real results. 

Did you lead a successful project meeting? Or negotiate a deal that brought in significant revenue? These are gold for showcasing your abilities. And you can add more weight to your accomplishments by using real numbers to back up your claims. 

Here’s how to show your skills in your work experience section with measurable outcomes:

Administrative Assistant | ABC Company March 2019 — Present • Managed office communications, including emails, phone calls, and scheduling meetings, ensuring smooth day-to-day operations. • Coordinated travel arrangements and itineraries for executives, managing detailed records and expense reports. • Developed and maintained filing systems, boosting data retrieval efficiency by 30%. • Assisted in preparing presentations and translating complex data into clear, concise information for team meetings. • Acted as a liaison between departments, encouraging effective communication and collaboration across the organization. • Organized company events and meetings, ensuring all logistics were handled seamlessly and attendees were well-informed.

Through these experiences, the jobseeker is demonstrating key skills, like conveying complex information, teamwork, and leadership abilities. It's not about cramming “communication” into every sentence, but strategically emphasizing how strong communication skills helped you deliver results. 

Summarize with a list of skills

Once you’ve woven your abilities into your work experience, you can summarize them in your skills section. Including a bulleted list lets recruiters and ATS scanners quickly identify your strengths. 

Here’s an example of how to outline your skills: 

• Presenting data. Excellent at presenting complex information and ideas in meetings and client interactions. • Team Collaboration. Effective in working with cross-functional teams to achieve common goals. • Data Visualization. Adept at explaining data insights to non-technical stakeholders. • Analytical Skills. History of identifying issues and implementing practical solutions. • Project Management. Expertise in planning, executing, and overseeing projects to ensure successful completion. • Technical Knowledge. Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and project management software, like Asana and Trello.

But remember, recruiters will only glance over this section — they might even use it to determine if the rest of your resume is worth investigating. So make sure you tailor your skills to match keywords in the job description. 

While it’s handy to cover the basics, avoid using too many generic terms. Instead, opt for specific skills and tools, such as “Project Management,” “Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software,” or “Digital Marketing Campaigns.”

Spotlight skills using the right format

Many assume that a functional or combination format is the answer to drawing attention to your skills. However, using a functional or combination resume is a risky departure from the standard, recruiter-approved reverse-chronological resume format, which places your work experience front and center. 

Here’s a rundown of the main resume formats: 

• Reverse-chronological format . This widely used format highlights your work history, starting with your most recent position and working backward. Recruiters favor this layout because it clearly showcases your career progression and makes it easy to find key information. I highly recommend this structure to boost your chances of getting noticed. 
• Functional (skills-based) format . The functional format places your skills front and center, but can often lead recruiters to make the wrong assumptions and wonder what you have to hide. This outdated format also doesn’t perform well with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), so I wouldn’t recommend going down this route. 
• Hybrid (combination) format. Combining these two formats can be effective if you want to highlight your extensive skills upfront with extensive work experience. This format is a good choice if you have plenty of work experience, numerous accomplishments, or a diverse set of technical skills. 

My go-to choice would be the reverse chronological format or the hybrid structure, where you place your skills up top with specific examples or achievements that show how you’ve used these skills in real situations. 

Here’s an example from a combination resume: 

Customer Service:

• Resolved an average of 30 customer inquiries per day, with a 95% satisfaction rate. • Implemented a new customer feedback system that improved response times by 50%. • Improved retention rates by over 25% by designing and implementing customized cancellation surveys. • Trained and onboarded 22 Junior Customer Service Representatives.

Organizing your skills like this shows employers exactly what expertise you bring to the table. But you can demonstrate your skills just as effectively using a reverse chronological format — you just need to make sure that your descriptions of past jobs reflect whatever skills you listed in the skills section.

Focus on positive outcomes

You’ve got the gist by now — whenever you mention your skills or experiences, highlight the positive outcomes. So, you wrote social media posts for your company; did they boost engagement? Did your powers of persuasion close any deals?

Focusing on positive outcomes means you’re not just listing responsibilities — you’re showing employers the real impact of your communication skills and your ability to deliver results. Talk about how your clear communication helped finish a project ahead of schedule, or how your presentation skills secured a new client.

Use numbers and metrics whenever you can. Instead of saying you improved customer satisfaction, say you increased it by 20% through adaptable communication strategies.

If you’ve received awards or recognition tied to your communication skills, flaunt them. Mention specific achievements like winning a speech competition or receiving praise for a successful presentation.

Be clear and concise

You can’t claim to be a master communicator if your resume isn’t clear. Your grammar skills, writing style, and ability to tell your story will be under scrutiny — you don’t want to miss an opportunity because of a few typos. 

When crafting your resume, go through it with a fine-tooth comb and remove any unnecessary details or wordy phrases to keep it to the point. Remember, recruiters take less than ten seconds to scan your resume — you want them to focus on the good stuff. 

Space on your resume is precious real estate, so make every word count. Highlight your communication skills and other abilities concisely. Use bullet points to list achievements and skills — it’s easier to read and quickly grabs the recruiter’s attention. 

Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills

You’re probably itching to send out your resume and land that job, not spend more time tweaking your skills. But trust me, sharpening your communication skills is worth it. These skills are versatile and can open up all kinds of doors in any industry you choose. Plus, those improved skills will eventually shine on your resume.

Improving your communication skills is easy. It just takes a bit of self-reflection, a fresh perspective, and a genuine desire to get better. Simple steps that can lead to big results down the road.

Master active listening

The tech boom has made our attention spans shorter — how many times have you glanced at your phone mid-conversation? Start by putting away your phone, closing your laptop, and giving the person your full attention.

Resist the urge to jump in with questions or solutions prematurely. We’ve all been guilty of planning our response before the other person finishes — and people notice. Let them complete their thoughts to show you’re genuinely listening and understanding their message.

Once they’ve wrapped up, take a moment to summarize what you’ve heard. You might say, “So, what I’m hearing is…” This shows you’re paying attention while clarifying any potential misunderstandings.

Show interest and ask questions 

Small talk easily makes it on the list of things I prefer to avoid. You’re not exactly showcasing your communication skills if your go-to topic is the weather. 

Try asking open-ended questions in discussions that get people talking more. Skip the yes or no non-starters and go for open-ended questions like, “How did you tackle that problem?” or “What do you think about this plan?” It shows you’re genuinely curious about their perspective and opens the conversation.

Don't be afraid to dig deeper into topics that interest you or where you need more clarity. Asking follow-up questions shows you’re really processing what’s being said and want to learn more, leading to more engaging chats and stronger connections.

Go out of your comfort zone

Fun fact: Back in my early 20s, I moved to a foreign country by myself — no job, no friends, and no grasp of the language. Did it make me a more confident and self-assured person? Absolutely. 

There’s a reason people tell you to venture out of your comfort zone — and honestly, it’s never as scary as you imagine. 

Challenge yourself with new communication tasks regularly. It could mean stepping up to lead a meeting, speaking up in group discussions, or presenting ideas to a larger audience. Each challenge (whether big or small) adds to your confidence and broadens your skills, making future interactions less daunting.

And you don’t have to dive in headfirst. Let’s say you have a presentation coming up — take some time to outline your points, anticipate questions, and consider how best to get your message across. Practice and preparation are key to making you feel more at ease.

Build relationships

Good communication starts with getting along with the people around you. Take time to connect with your coworkers on a personal level. Ask about their weekend plans or what they do for fun outside of work. 

Approach conversations with a friendly and positive attitude. No one wants to talk to someone who looks like they just had a sour glass of milk. Smile, make eye contact, and use a polite tone to create a welcoming atmosphere where communication flows naturally.

As you build deeper relationships, your confidence will grow, giving you more room to improve your communication skills. Who knows? It might even lead to a promotion or an interesting networking opportunity.

Change your mindset 

Changing your perspective is easier said than done, right? When I first entered the professional world, I wasn’t great at taking feedback. I’d get frustrated and defensive whenever someone pointed out areas for improvement.

But then I realized, how does getting defensive serve me? It doesn't help me learn or grow; it only holds me back. So, I decided to shift my mindset. I started seeing feedback not as criticism, but as valuable insights to help me get better.

Surprise, surprise — once I started embracing feedback and thinking about how I could use it to improve, things got a lot smoother. Those negative feelings I used to have? They faded away.

Feedback is your golden opportunity to learn and grow. When someone gives you feedback, they are ultimately trying to help, so listen with an open mind. Everyone’s got their perspective, so take the time to understand where they’re coming from. And don’t be afraid to challenge your own beliefs — sometimes, our mindset can hold us back without us even realizing it. 

Learn from the experts

We all know someone who can stroll into any room and strike up a conversation with ease. Pay attention to how they talk — their tone, facial expressions, and body language. What makes their communication so smooth and engaging? Reflect on this and apply those techniques to your conversations and presentations.

If your job relies heavily on customer service or client interaction, you can even check out platforms like Coursera and Udemy, which offer a range of courses on communication skills. 

Here are some top recommendations: 

• Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills (edX)
• Finding Your Professional Voice: Confidence & Impact (Coursera)
• The Complete Communication Skills Master Class for Life (Udemy)
• Winning Communication Skills for Telephone & Conference Calls (Udemy)
• Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation Specialization (Coursera)

Look for courses that align with your interests and career goals. Whether it’s nailing public speaking or polishing your writing chops, structured courses can dish out some great tips and techniques.

But I'd only recommend shelling out for a course if your job hinges on strong communication skills. If not, there are tons of freebies out there, like TED Talks and documentaries on communication styles and tricks. Take notes on how top-notch speakers grip their audience, organize their messages, and use language to get their point across.

Here’s a recap of all the tips and tricks you need to know when adding communication skills to your resume: 

• Don’t just say “excellent communication skills.” Instead, mention specific skills like “negotiation,” or “public speaking,” to add clarity and show recruiters what you can offer the company.
• Match your communication skills to those listed in the job description. If they value teamwork, emphasize specific collaborative skills or your experiences working on successful team projects. 
• Start bullet points with action verbs like “presented,” “collaborated,” “mediated,” or “negotiated” to show practical application and boost your chances with ATS scanners. 
• Include numbers to quantify your positive impact. For example, “increased customer satisfaction by 20% through effective communication strategies.”
• Mention specific situations where your communication skills made a difference, such as closing a deal or delivering a key presentation to clients.
• Focus on positive outcomes of your communication efforts, like “secured a new client” or “resolved conflicts efficiently,” to demonstrate results and achievements. 
• If you have many communication skills under your belt, consider a dedicated skills section to list them clearly — just avoid generic statements. 
• Be clear and concise in your descriptions to keep your resume easy to read and impactful, ensuring it grabs the recruiter's attention. 

How do you describe communication skills on a resume?

First, include your most important skills in the skills section. But don’t stop there. Describe your communication skills by outlining your experiences and any positive outcomes. For example, “Negotiated contracts with vendors, resulting in a 15% cost reduction.” By focusing on your accomplishments, you’re telling the recruiter how your skills have a tangible impact.

What is considered an extensive communication skill?

Extensive communication skills cover a broad spectrum of abilities, including verbal (public speaking, storytelling), written (emails, reports), listening (active listening, empathy), and non-verbal communication (body language, eye contact). Mastery in multiple areas, such as conflict resolution, persuasive communication, and digital communication tools, also falls under this category.

How to say you have good communication skills on a resume?

Simply saying you have “good communication skills” is generic and doesn’t tell recruiters what you can bring to the table. Instead, use specific skills to showcase your achievements. For example, “Authored and edited newsletters that increased readership by 40%.”

What is another word for communication?

“Interaction” or “dialogue” can serve as alternatives for communication. Depending on the context, terms like “correspondence” (for written communication) or “engagement” (for interactive communication) could also be appropriate.

Other synonyms for communication skills include “people skills”, “social intelligence”, and “interpersonal skills”. 

What is a good sentence for communication skills?

A good sentence demonstrating your communication skills should focus on specific abilities and how they contributed towards your accomplishments. You could say, “articulated complex ideas clearly, boosting team productivity through improved understanding and collaboration.

Lauren Bedford

Lauren Bedford is a seasoned writer with a track record of helping thousands of readers find practical solutions over the past five years. She's tackled a range of topics, always striving to simplify complex jargon. At Rezi, Lauren aims to craft genuine and actionable content that guides readers in creating standout resumes to land their dream jobs.

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Conceptual Skills: Definition, Examples, and How to Use Them on Your Resume

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by The Muse Editors

You might have read the headline of this article and wondered, “what is a conceptual skill—and do I have them already?” Chances are, you do—it’s just a matter of practicing them and highlighting them in your professional life. Conceptual skills allow you to understand complex situations, see the bigger picture, and develop innovative solutions. They are essential for effective leadership, strategic planning, and successful project management.

You can use these abilities to enhance your  problem-solving skills  and contribute significantly to your team and company. Keep reading to find out how conceptual skills can take your resume and your career to the next level.

What are   conceptual skills ?

Conceptual skills involve the ability to think abstractly, understand complex concepts, and develop strategic plans. These skills help individuals see how various parts of an organization or project fit together and influence each other. Conceptual leadership skills are crucial for  managers and leaders  who need to navigate complex situations and make informed decisions that benefit the entire organization.

For individuals, having strong conceptual skills means being able to identify potential solutions and opportunities, enhancing problem-solving abilities and improving overall performance. For organizations, employees with well-developed conceptual skills can drive innovation, lead teams effectively, and contribute to long-term success. In management roles, these skills are crucial for strategic planning and decision-making, ensuring the organization remains competitive and adaptable.

Technical skills vs.  conceptual skills

Whereas conceptual skills involve strategic planning,  technical skills  are more about specific knowledge and expertise in a particular area. Technical skills are often acquired and improved through education and training. Both types of skills are important, but they serve different purposes.

“With the rise of automation, the need for conceptual skills is likely to shift toward a greater need for data interpretation and strategic insights,” says Stephen Greet, CEO and Co-founder of  BeamJobs . “People will be valued more and more for their ability to make sense of large amounts of data, find patterns, and draw conclusions that are useful as machines take over routine tasks.”

Read full article here

Production Designer Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

This post provides detailed information on the production designer job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

It also highlights the major requirements you will be required to meet to be hired for the production designer role by most employers/recruiters.

What Does a Production Designer do?

The production designer is a person who translates the script and the director’s vision into actual visual elements which complement storytelling.

According to the American Film Institute, a production designer is the head of the Art Department on a film or television show and performs a number of duties, including assessing the script and developing the visual design concept to reflect it.

They are responsible for architecting the visual world of the production through designing and supervising the realization of the sets, props, and general aesthetic that dresses up the story.

A production designer is often directly reporting to a film or television director, where he/she works closely with him/her to understand the creative brief and interpret their vision.

They also liaise closely with other key departments like cinematography, costume design, and visual effects to have a cohesive visual look throughout the production.

You will find production designers working in film studios, TV networks, theatre companies, and even advertising agencies.

Their expertise is invaluable in the conceptualization of environments that transport the audience to places – sometimes other worlds – in movies, television shows, plays, and commercials alike.

A production designer has a strong educational background in art, architecture, or design. Most of them have Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees in either Theatre Design or Film Production, or Fine Arts.

However, formal education is one thing, but in this field, hands-on experience and an open portfolio counts a lot.

The primary responsibilities that make up the production designer job description include conceptualizing the set and sketching it out and drafting out the detailed plan with a budget on production.

Others are overlooking the building process or decoration of sets, liaising with other departments for look consistency, managing and sourcing props, and setting dressing.

Production Designers also have to be involved in location scouts, running design teams, working even on marketing items for the production.

While designers differ across countries, it is easy to argue that their role is a significant one, regardless of how varied the film and television industries may be.

In countries with high active entertainment sectors like the United States, the United Kingdom, and India, production designers are treated as highly regarded professionals as they are instrumental in creating iconic productions.

An employer in this field generally looks for a person with a good eye for detail and having an artistic vision, accompanied by excellent communication skills, while demonstrating the ability to work well under pressure.

In-depth knowledge of art history, current design trends, and aesthetics of various cultures is highly valued.

Although there is no specifically accredited controlling body for production designers in the United States, professional organizations such as the Art Directors Guild are very influential in establishing industry standards.

To that end, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees provides additional training programs and certifications to help a production designer be more proficient and therefore marketable.

Production Designer Sample/Example/Template

The production designer job description consists of the following duties, tasks, and responsibilities:

• Analyze scripts to have a deeper understanding of visual elements of every scene
• Do research into historical periods, particular eras, or places for immediacy
• Develop concept art and mood boards as a way to communicate design concepts
• Revise and approve design concepts in collaboration with directors
• Provide a complete set design detail in both traditional sketching techniques and CAD software
• Collaborate with location scouts in finding appropriate filming locations
• Manage the budget of the art department by allocating its resources
• Collaborate with costume designers to ensure the right visual harmony and balance is achieved
• Work with cinematographers on how to make their set design conducive to lighting and camera angles
• Run a team of set designers, art directors, and other creative professionals
• Develop miniatures or models for complex set designs when necessary
• Liaise with visual effects teams in the proper integration of practical and digital elements
• Develop relationships with vendors/suppliers re: materials/props
• Source and then choose props and set dressings appropriate for a shoot
• Oversee the building and painting of sets
• Attend production meetings to discuss design progress and any problems
• Check set safety and to ensure that industry regulations are followed
• Make any last-minute design alterations due to final script tools or budgetary constraints
• Supervise set dressing and any final touches prior to filming
• Attend shoot to troubleshoot on-set design problems
• Oversee set striking following each use
• Maintain continuity in design details throughout multiple episodes or seasons of a television series
• Design archive and record-keeping for future reference to that show
• Contribute to marketing materials with design elements or proffer ideas
• Keep current on the new technologies being developed and evolution of design in the industry.

Production Designer Job Description for Resume

If you have worked previously as a production designer or are presently working in that role and are making a new resume or CV, then you can craft an effective Professional Experience for your resume by applying the above production designer job description.

You can highlight the duties and responsibilities you have performed or are currently performing as a production designer in your resume’s Professional Experience by utilizing the ones provided in the job description example provided above.

This will show to the recruiter/employer that you have been successful performing the role of a production designer, which can enhances your chances of being hired for the new position that you are applying for, especially if it requires someone with some production designer work experience.

Production Designer Requirements: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities for Career Success

The following is a list of key skills, knowledge, and abilities that are usually required by employers/recruiters when hiring for the production designer role because they help in ensuring success in the career:

• Strong artistic vision and creativity
• Excellent drawing and sketching skills
• Mastery of design software, including AutoCAD, SketchUp, and Adobe Creative Suite
• Good knowledge of fine arts history and the concepts of design
• Knowledge of architecture and construction methods
• Color theory and application of the same on the visual storytelling
• Interpretation of a number of historical periods and aesthetics from different cultural backgrounds
• Project management and organizational skills
• Communicative and presentation skills
• Team leadership and collaboration
• Budgeting and resource management
• Problem-solving and adaptability under pressure
• Knowledge of processes involved in film and television production
• Lighting techniques and how to implement the desired lighting on set
• Current safety regulation compliance and industry standards
• Effective research for historical accuracy and authenticity
• Time management and tight deadlines
• Attention to details coupled with quality control
• Networking ability, in ensuring it makes relevant industry contacts
• Negotiation skills to be able to deal effectively with suppliers and contractors.

Production Designer Employment

The number of production designers in employment currently in the United States of America is given by Zippia, as 58,057.

The private companies provide most of the employments for production designers, with 65% of them working in that sector.

This is followed by public companies and education with 27% and 7% production designer jobs respectively.

Production Designer Jobs by Industry

Survey data on Zippia also shows the following industry-wise employment size for production designers:

• Retail: 13%
• Fortune 500: 13%
• Professional services: 11%
• Manufacturing: 10%
• Education: 6%
• Technology: 5%

Other remaining industries vary with 1% to 4%.

The most common industries for production designers are media, retail, Fortune 500 companies, and professional services.

Production Designer Jobs by States

Also, according to report, States with the highest levels of employment for production designers in the United States include California and Texas, with 4,558 and 2,322 jobs respectively.

These states offer the most opportunities for production designers in terms.

Production Designer Salary

According to Zippia, the average yearly production designer salary in the United States is $54,760 while Salary.com reports $56,863.

Geographic location, education, and experience are the three main factors affecting a production designer’s salary.

Production Designer Salary by Industry

The best industries for a production designer to work in are well-paying, with opportunities available in a number of different sectors.

Some of the highest-paying industries in which production designers can find employment include:

Most production designers find the tech industry to be a major employer that pays well and allows one to grow.

Companies like Meta and Apple come to mind.

• Retail and Fashion

Companies like Gap Inc. and Nike are known for paying their production designers well, at rates that are dictated by the demand of their industry for high-quality visual and product design.

• Consumer Goods

Companies like Shutterfly pay a good amount for a production designer.

Highest Paying Companies for Production Designers

The companies that pay the highest salaries to production designers according to survey report include:

Highest Paying States for Production Designers

The States that pay the highest salaries to production designers in the U.S. include California   and Washington, with average yearly salaries of $82,683 and $82,334 respectively.

Production Designer Job Satisfaction

There is little direct data on production designers’ satisfaction about their jobs.

However, a look at related profession like the set designer may give us some clues about the production designer job satisfaction .

According to Careerexplorer, set designers have an average rating of 3.8 stars out of 5 in job satisfaction, and are in the top 17% of careers.

They find their work significant and enjoyable, suiting their personality well.

And for production designers, their satisfaction with salary might lie a bit lower, but still, all things considered, they will have above-average job satisfaction compared to other design careers.

This is so because, even though the pay may not be ideal, production designers may find their work quite fulfilling and enjoyable since it is aligned with their interest.

This post is an invaluable guide into the world of production designers, who bring to life visual landscapes in film production.

It is an important resource, especially for aspiring designers in search of the right kind of skills and experience to build a career, and for employers seeking to make effective job descriptions to attract the best candidates for vacant production designer roles.

Having some knowledge of the duties and responsibilities of a production designer is useful to everyone in the entertainment industry to gain some insight on how the fantastic big-screen worlds are produced.

References:

Zippia: Salary , Employment

Career Explorer: Job Satisfaction

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