core skills for resume

30 Best Core Competencies For Your Resume (+ Examples)

3 key takeaways 

• Core competencies are broad strengths and capabilities unique to you. 
• Identifying your core competencies makes it easier for hiring managers to find you. 
• Teal’s AI Resume Builder helps you add in the right core competencies. 

When hiring managers look at your resume, they’re not just looking at your GPA, degree, or previous experience. Many employers are moving toward skills-based hiring, evaluating your core competencies. In fact, according to Salesforce’s 2023 digital skills survey , 82 percent of leaders surveyed stated that skills are the most important attribute when evaluating candidates. 

Your core competencies refer to your hard and soft skills , abilities, and personal qualities. If the competencies on your resume match the key qualifications listed in the job description, you have a better shot of grabbing a hiring manager’s attention.

Systematically listing your core competencies on your resume communicates that you have the skills and attributes required for the role.

This guide on adding core competencies to a resume covers how to identify your core competencies and how to list core competencies on your resume.

Struggling to land interviews with your resume? Get started with Teal’s AI Resume Builder for free.

What are core competencies?

Core competencies are attributes that show your proficiency in a particular skill or ability. Your core competencies are made up of your unique personality traits, professional experience, and key skills. These are broad one- or two-word terms that highlight what you bring to the table. 

For example, a manager might list “Leadership” as a core competency. An event coordinator could list “Problem-solving.” A sales professional could list “Persuasion.” When done right, resume core competencies quickly illustrate your professional assets and knowledge.

What do core competencies mean on a resume?

Core competencies on a resume are typically a short list of the main attributes and strengths a candidate brings to the role. You might have a range of core competencies, but because your resume offers limited real estate, only list the ones that directly pertain to the position. 

Another word for core competencies on a resume is core capabilities. Other near synonyms for core competencies include core qualifications, strengths, specialty, expertise and talent.

Core competencies vs skills on resume

When you’re job hunting, there’s an emphasis on putting your best skills on your resume. While eerily similar, core competencies are different from skills. So what does core competencies mean on a resume compared to skills?

Alexandria Agresta , a leadership development expert and employee retention and wellbeing consultant explains that:

“Core competencies encompass a broader range of attributes, including attitudes and behaviors, that are essential for organizational success often known as the ‘soft skills.’”

In comparison, she describes skills as:

“Specific abilities or expertise that are often technical or task-oriented, such as proficiency in software, languages, or processes.”

Core competencies and skills are different, though the two overlap in some ways.

Here are a few examples that illustrate the differences between competencies vs. skills.

To understand the difference between core competencies and skills, check out this post on the resume skills section .

Importance of core competencies in a resume

Resume core competencies distill your professional attributes and strengths in a couple of words or less. Including core competencies in a resume is important because they succinctly showcase your strengths.

When a hiring manager is scanning resumes in seconds , your core competencies can pop out and make you stand out from other candidates.

Having a list of core competencies can also get your foot in the door. Many companies use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) as part of the hiring process. ATS software can pick up on specific keywords. So if your resume has competencies that match what’s in the job ad, you may have a higher chance of moving forward to the next step. 

Understanding which core competencies to add comes down to understanding the job description. Teal’s Matching Mode helps you add relevant keywords from the job description to your resume. Having keywords that match the role can show your core competencies to a hiring manager. 

As a job seeker, you know there are many stages between submitting an application to getting hired. The goal of an application is to score an interview. Having the right core competencies listed could make your application rise to the top. 

Knowing which competencies to highlight when can make the difference between recruiters seeing you as a strong candidate or an average one.

How to identify your core competencies

It might be easier to identify your skills or achievements, which seem more specific and tangible. Core competencies can be more difficult to pinpoint, as they’re overarching and broader. Here’s a step-by-step guide on identifying your core competencies for your resume.

Step 1: Take an inventory

Start by taking an inventory of your personal traits that help you succeed in the workplace. Consider your unique capabilities and skills and how they’re used at work. 

To identify your core competencies, Agresta shares her expertise, providing these three tips to get started:

1. Self-Assessment: Reflect on your strengths, achievements, and feedback received from peers and supervisors. Consider the aspects of your work where you consistently excel and feel most engaged. 2. Feedback: Seek input from colleagues, mentors, and supervisors who can provide insights into your strengths and areas of excellence. 3. Professional Development: Engage in training, workshops, and educational opportunities to enhance and recognize your core competencies.

Using these tips, you can look both internally and externally to help guide you to make your own list. 

Step 2: Create a list

After taking an inventory, create a list of all of your core competencies. They are typically only one or two words, not full sentences or explanations. Some core competencies examples include:

• Collaboration
• Communication
• Team-building 
• Cultural competency
• Technical skills
• Conceptual thinking

Jotting down your core competencies gives you a list to choose from and return to for other job applications.

Step 3: Narrow down options

Here’s the tough part. Once your list is complete, narrow down your options. Since your resume has limited space, it’s generally recommended to include a maximum of five core competencies on your resume.

Dirk Matthews , senior director of Alumni Relations at Columbia College Chicago and President Elect-Elect (president in 2025) at the National Career Development Association (NCDA), recommends adding core competencies that are in demand by prospective employers. 

“When I work with students or adults in developing their careers, I have them focus on their skills and how they fit into competencies desired by employers. For example, one of the key competencies employers look for [in job seekers] is communication. Various skills make up [communication], including writing or public speaking.”

There’s data to back that up, too. According to The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Job Outlook 2024 report , out of eight career readiness competencies communication was rated the most important. Teamwork and critical thinking came in second and third place, respectively. 

So while you narrow down your options, look at which core competencies are in demand. 

Step 4: Compare competencies to job descriptions

Once you have your short list of five core competencies, compare them to what the job requires and what the company is looking at in a candidate. Core competencies might be listed in the job description or on the company website. 

If your competencies don’t match, you may want to swap some out, replacing with options from your comprehensive list that are a better fit. 

And what if your core competencies don’t match at all? It might mean the position or the cultural fit isn’t ideal for you at the moment. 

In addition to surfacing the right skills with Teal’s Matching Mode, Teal’s Resume Skills Management feature can help identify and manage your best core competencies and group them according to job families, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel for every application.

Examples of core competencies

What are core competencies on a resume and why are they important? Core competencies include your personal strengths, certifications, and expertise. They can differentiate you from other candidates 

There are many different types of core competencies and each company may be looking for something different. But there are some competencies that recruiters and hiring managers look for when vetting candidates. 

Here is a list of core competency examples for your resume that are in demand:

• Communication: Shows your ability to share ideas and information clearly in a variety of ways (writing, speaking) to many different people (managers, customers, stakeholders). 
• Adaptability: Highlights your ability to shift and make changes quickly in an evolving environment. 
• Problem-solving: When presented with challenges, the ability to find solutions to problems when they arise. 
• Strategic planning: The ability to identify a company’s long-term goals and how to reach them.
• Leadership: The skills required to inspire, motivate, and manage a team successfully. 
• Teamwork: The ability to work well with others to accomplish larger goals and objectives.
• Decision-making: Navigating the complexities of making an informed decision on important matters. 
• Initiative: The innate drive to pursue or complete tasks and projects without direction. 
• Empathy: Being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and behave in a way that takes others into consideration. 
• Conflict resolution: The ability to work towards a resolution among conflicting parties in a diplomatic and empathetic way.
• Customer-centered: Working in a way that prioritizes customer satisfaction to build long-term relationships and achieve company goals. 
• Relationship building: The ability to connect with others and build organic relationships with customers, staff, stakeholders, community, etc.
• Analytical: Using critical thinking to process data and evaluate challenges and potential solutions.
• Results-driven: The ability to stay focused and motivated to achieve results with excellence.
• Integrity: Working and behaving in a manner that upholds morals and ethics. Being honest and forthcoming, with a high level of discretion. 
• Diversity: Valuing and promoting diverse communities and experiences in the workplace. 
• Flexibility: The ability to go with the flow and not hold too tightly to ways of working or outcomes. 
• Creativity: Generating ideas and possibilities that are outside of the box. Additionally, may refer to a person with an artistic skill set such as design, writing, photography, etc. 
• Time-management: Demonstrates the ability to establish project timeframes and meet deadlines. 
• Detail-oriented: The ability to look at things on a micro-level—always dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.

If you’re looking for core competencies for your resume, this list is a start. You can add your own or take some from the list. Just make sure your professional experience and abilities back up your stated competencies.

30 examples of core competencies by position

The list of core competencies above can provide inspiration and a starting point. But here you can see some examples of core competencies by position. 

1. Web designer

• Detail-oriented
• Customer-centered
• Results-driven

2. Marketing professional

• Time-management
• Flexibility
• Problem-solving
• Decision-making 

3. Nonprofit program director

• Strategic planning

4. Sales executive 

• Relationship building
• Adaptability

5. Human Resources manager 

6. Project manager

7. Medical assistant 

8. Construction worker 

• Decision-making

9. Music teacher 

10. Customer service representative

• Initiative 

11. Engineer 

12. Accountant 

• Problem-solving 

13. Hair Stylist 

• Relationship building 

14. Journalist 

15. Manager 

• Conflict resolution

18. Editor 

19. Banker 

20. Administrative assistant 

• Customer-centered 

22. Pharmacist

• Flexibility 

23. Psychologist 

• Conflict-resolution
• Adaptability 

24. IT manager 

25. Real estate agent 

26. Librarian 

27. Food service worker 

28. Career counselor 

• Leadership 

29. Financial advisor 

30. Massage therapist 

These positions make up a wide range of industries and each has a different set of core competencies. If you don’t see your role listed, you can use a position that’s skill-adjacent to help you identify your core competencies.

How to list core competencies on your resume

After you identify core competencies, narrow them down based on the position. Once you have the list ready, here’s how to list core competencies on a resume:

Create a resume core competencies section 

Many people wonder where to put core competencies on a resume and the place that makes the most sense is under your name and contact information. You want them front and center so potential employers can see them right away. 

Choose a format

Remember, your core competencies should be short and sweet. When you add them, choose a format and be consistent. You can use either bullet points or vertical lines to separate them. 

Core competencies on a resume example #1

• Strategic Planning

Core competencies on a resume example #2

Communication | Leadership | Strategic Planning 

Add them to your resume 

The final step is to put your competencies on your resume. Double-check the spelling and formatting. Review the job description again so you can feel confident you’re adding the best ones. 

Pro tip: some organizations actually publish the core competencies they’re looking for, removing the guesswork. That way everyone is on the same page with what’s needed to excel and serve in the role. Of course, you should only list the core competencies that match your strengths, so you’re not starting the relationship with a lie or getting caught in an awkward moment. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) outlines the top eight core competencies required for special agents to excel, including: 

• Flexibility and Adaptability
• Interpersonal Ability
• Problem Solving and Judgment
• Organizing and Planning

If you want to apply for a role with the FBI, identify what items on the list match your core competencies. Then you can create an FBI core competencies resume section. 

Some examples might look like:

Or, you could use vertical bars to keep core competencies to one line: 

Collaboration | Initiative | Problem Solving | Flexibility

To see if you can find any intel, search the name of the company you’re applying to and “core competencies.”

It’s not just companies that use core competencies either. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) published the 15 core competencies for medical students entering school:

• Service orientation
• Social skills
• Cultural competence
• Oral communication
• Ethical responsibility to self and others
• Reliability and dependability
• Resilience and adaptability
• Capacity for improvement
• Critical thinking
• Quantitative reasoning
• Scientific inquiry
• Written communication
• Living systems
• Human behavior

After graduation, doctors are in a public-facing role where quick thinking and adaptability are key. They work with a range of people and handle sensitive information. AAMC clearly communicates the core competencies required to excel in this position. 

You don’t need to work for the FBI or become a doctor for core competencies to be relevant. Every organization has them whether they publish them or not.

Using the Resume Skills Management feature inside Teal’s Resume Builder can streamline this process for you. 

Why you need to add core competencies to your resume 

Having a core competency section on your resume makes it easier for hiring managers to assess your strengths and identify whether you’re a good fit. Tailor your resume and core competencies for every job so it's specific to each role and company. 

Companies want a candidate whose core competencies can help them fill the gaps and drive results. Your goal is to communicate how and why you’re the person who can do that best. 

Revising your resume is easy to do with Teal’s AI-powered Resume Builder and its Resume Skills Management feature. Try it out for free and create new resumes in a few simple steps. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s another word for core competencies on a resume.

Core competencies are included in a resume, but you may not call them that. Another word for core competencies on your resume could be “strengths,” “capabilities,” or “proficiencies.”

What are the seven core competencies?

Core competencies can be used in business. The seven core competencies for business are business acumen, agile frameworks, organizational ability, efficient processes, continuous learning, product and technology development, and customer focus.

What are the four common competencies?

Four common competencies desired by employers include communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and professionalism, according to The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Job Outlook 2024 report. 

What are the three core competencies describe them?

There are a variety of core competencies, but some of the top three are communication, creativity, and collaboration. Communication can include writing and speaking, creativity is the potential for ideas, and collaboration is the ability to work together with others on a project or toward shared goals. 

What are the three levels of competence?

There are different levels of competence and ways they are described. In one example, the three levels of competence can illustrate skill and expertise levels. These include working, journey, and expert.

Melanie Lockert

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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.