What Skills Should You Include on Your Resume?
When applying for a position, the skills section of your resume plays a critical role in catching employer attention. But which skills should you actually list? Are you including the right technical and soft skills that hiring managers value? The answer depends on the specific job posting and your career field.
Your resume needs to highlight both hard skills and soft skills that match the job description. Employers use ATS scanners to filter resumes, so tailoring your skills section to relevant keywords from the posting increases your chances of moving forward in the hiring process.
Hard Skills vs Soft Skills: What's the Difference?
Understanding the distinction between hard skills and soft skills is fundamental to creating an effective resume. Hard skills are technical abilities you learn through education, training, or experience in specific fields. These include programming languages, project management tools, data analysis, financial systems, or industry-specific software.
Soft skills, meanwhile, represent interpersonal and professional qualities like communication, leadership, time management, and conflict resolution. While employers value soft skills highly, they often require hard skills to actually perform the role. The key is balancing both types strategically throughout your resume.
How to List Skills on Your Resume Effectively
Where should skills go on a resume? Should you separate them by category? How many skills should you include? These questions guide your decision on creating a skills section that stands out to both ATS systems and human recruiters.
#1 Tailor Your Skills to the Job Description
Never submit the same resume to every position. Instead, read the job posting carefully and identify key skills employers require. Match your technical abilities and professional experience to their specific needs. If the posting emphasizes data analysis, ensure you list relevant analytical skills. If leadership matters for the role, highlight management experience.
This tailoring approach shows potential employers you understand what the position requires. It also increases the likelihood your resume passes ATS scanning software, which searches for specific keywords from the posting.
#2 Separate Skills by Category When Appropriate
Organizing your skills section by type helps employers quickly locate relevant information. Consider these common categories:
- Technical Skills (programming, software, tools)
- Analytical & Financial Skills (data analysis, budget management)
- Professional & Management Skills (leadership, project coordination)
- Language Skills (fluency levels in multiple languages)
- Soft Skills (communication, teamwork, problem-solving)
When you separate skills logically, employers find information faster. This organized approach also demonstrates your ability to think systematically—a valuable trait in most industries.
#3 Match Each Skill With Your Proficiency Level
Don't just list skills without context. Indicate your level of expertise: proficient, intermediate, or fluent. This honesty prevents awkward moments during interviews when employers ask you to demonstrate knowledge you've overstated.
If you claim expert-level Excel skills but can't create complex formulas, that gap becomes obvious in a technical interview. Be specific about what you actually can do with each tool and skill.
#4 Back-Up Your Skills in Other Resume Sections
Your skills section shouldn't stand alone. Throughout your work experience and education sections, provide examples of when you used these abilities. Did you mention project management? Describe a specific project you managed. Did you list communication skills? Show how you led a team presentation or supported customer success.
This reinforcement strategy makes your skills credible and helps potential employers visualize you actually performing these functions in their organization.
What Are Good Skills to Put on a Resume?
Different career fields value different skill sets. However, some abilities remain valued across industries. What skills do employers actually want regardless of the role?
| Skill Type | Examples | Why Employers Value It |
|---|---|---|
| Communication Skills | Writing, presentation, active listening, email correspondence | Essential for collaboration, client interactions, and knowledge sharing |
| Time Management | Priority setting, deadline management, workflow organization | Demonstrates reliability and ability to handle multiple projects |
| Leadership | Team management, decision-making, mentorship, strategic thinking | Critical for advancement and team success |
| Interpersonal Skills | Conflict resolution, collaboration, empathy, relationship building | Improves workplace culture and customer satisfaction |
| Problem-Solving | Critical analysis, creative thinking, technical troubleshooting | Valuable for addressing challenges and improving processes |
| Technical Abilities | Software proficiency, programming, data analysis, systems management | Directly enables job performance in most modern roles |
Skills for Different Career Fields and Job Types
What skills matter varies significantly depending on your industry and specific position. How do you organize skills based on your career type?
Skills for Marketing Positions
If you're applying for a marketing role, emphasize data analysis, SEO knowledge, content creation, social media management, and campaign development. These technical marketing skills combine with soft skills like creativity, communication, and analytical thinking.
Skills for Leadership and Management Roles
Leadership positions require strong management experience, strategic decision-making, team development, budget oversight, and organizational skills. Your soft skills become increasingly important—can you inspire teams and handle difficult conversations?
Skills for Technical and IT Positions
Technical roles demand specific hard skills like programming languages, system administration, cybersecurity knowledge, database management, and software proficiency. Don't neglect soft skills though—communication and teamwork matter even for highly technical positions.
Skills for Entry-Level Jobs With No Work Experience
What skills should you list if you have no work experience? Focus on education-based skills, academic projects, internships, volunteer work, and relevant coursework. Include soft skills like attention to detail, active listening, collaboration, and willingness to learn. Many employers understand entry-level candidates lack professional experience—they want to see potential and foundational abilities.
Should You Include Certifications in Your Skills Section?
Certifications deserve special attention. Should you list them in your main skills section or separately? Create a dedicated certifications section when you hold industry-recognized credentials like PMP, CPA, AWS, or Google Analytics certifications.
These credentials add credibility and demonstrate you've invested in professional development. They also appeal to employers seeking specific qualifications and help your resume when passing through ATS systems that specifically search for certification keywords.
How Many Skills Should You Include on Your Resume?
There's no magic number, but quality matters more than quantity. Most career experts recommend listing 10-15 skills total across all categories. Too many skills dilute impact and waste valuable resume space. Too few fail to demonstrate your capabilities.
Focus on including skills that directly relate to the position you're pursuing. Every entry should answer the question: \"Does this skill help me perform this specific job?\"
Active Listening and Communication Skills
Why do these soft skills appear repeatedly in job postings? Active listening means fully understanding what colleagues, clients, and managers communicate—then responding appropriately. This skill prevents misunderstandings, improves decision-making, and strengthens professional relationships.
Communication skills encompass more than just talking. They include writing quality emails, creating clear documentation, presenting ideas effectively, and adapting your message to different audiences. Employers specifically value employees who can explain complex concepts simply.
Creating an ATS-Friendly Resume Skills Section
Modern hiring relies heavily on applicant tracking systems. These software tools scan resumes for specific keywords before human recruiters ever see your application. Understanding how ATS systems work helps you create a resume that passes both automated screening and human review.
Use keywords directly from the job posting. If they mention \"project management,\" use that exact phrase rather than synonyms. Include industry-standard software names exactly as written. Format your skills section cleanly with clear category headings and consistent styling.
ATS Best Practices for Skills Sections
- Use standard formatting without graphics, columns, or creative fonts that confuse ATS systems
- Include relevant keywords from job descriptions naturally throughout your resume
- Place your skills section in a prominent position (usually after work experience)
- Use bullet points for easy parsing by automated systems
- Match the specific language employers use in their posting
- Avoid abbreviations unless the posting uses them
- Include both hard and soft skills to appeal to ATS filters
Technical and Analytical Skills Employers Require
Data has become central to business decision-making across industries. Even non-technical positions increasingly require analytical abilities. What specific technical skills should you include?
| Industry/Field | Key Technical Skills | Key Soft Skills |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Services | Excel, SQL, financial modeling, compliance systems, risk analysis | Attention to detail, communication, integrity, client management |
| Supply Chain Management | Logistics software, inventory systems, data analysis, procurement tools | Problem-solving, leadership, organizational skills, teamwork |
| Human Resource Management | HRIS systems, recruiting software, employment law knowledge, payroll systems | Interpersonal skills, confidentiality, conflict resolution, empathy |
| Marketing & Sales | CRM platforms, Google Analytics, social media tools, SEO/SEM, email marketing | Creativity, communication, persuasion, active listening |
| Engineering & Tech | Programming languages, CAD software, version control, cloud platforms | Critical thinking, collaboration, documentation, problem-solving |
Action Verbs That Strengthen Your Skills Section
The language you use matters. Rather than passively saying you \"have\" communication skills, show you \"developed,\" \"implemented,\" or \"led\" using these abilities. Action verbs add energy and specificity to your resume.
- For leadership skills: Managed, coordinated, directed, mentored, oversaw, supervised
- For problem-solving: Resolved, analyzed, diagnosed, optimized, streamlined, improved
- For technical skills: Built, programmed, engineered, developed, deployed, configured
- For communication: Presented, articulated, facilitated, negotiated, authored, collaborated
- For creative work: Designed, created, conceptualized, initiated, innovated, transformed
How to Highlight Work Experience That Demonstrates Skills
Your job descriptions should prove you actually possess the skills listed. When describing previous positions, include specific examples where you used technical abilities, displayed leadership, or solved complex problems. Did you increase sales through customer relationship skills? Improved efficiency through process analysis? Led team initiatives? These examples transform generic skills into credible evidence of capability.
Frequently Asked Questions About Resume Skills
What kind of skills should I include if I'm changing careers?
Transferable skills become critical when changing fields. Highlight abilities like project management, communication, leadership, and analytical thinking that apply across industries. Also include any technical training you've pursued in your new field, even if you lack direct experience. This shows employers you're serious about the transition.
Are there any skills that are always valuable to list on a resume?
Certain abilities transcend industry boundaries. Communication, teamwork, time management, problem-solving, and attention to detail benefit every role. Leadership potential, willingness to learn, and adaptability also appear on most employers' wish lists. When in doubt, include these foundational professional skills.
Should I include certifications even if they're not required for the position?
Relevant certifications demonstrate expertise and professional development commitment. If your certification relates to the field or position type, include it. However, skip irrelevant credentials that consume resume space—employers care about qualifications that support their specific opportunity.
Can I include skills I'm currently learning or developing?
Be cautious here. Listing skills you haven't mastered invites interview questions you can't answer confidently. Instead, use language like \"developing expertise in\" or \"pursuing certification in\" for emerging abilities. This honestly reflects your current capabilities while showing professional growth initiative.
How do I describe language skills accurately on my resume?
Use standardized proficiency levels: fluent, professional working proficiency, limited working proficiency, or elementary. If you claim fluency, be prepared to conduct part of your interview in that language. Employers may test your language abilities, particularly for roles emphasizing customer or international support.
Making Your Skills Section Stand Out
Beyond simply listing abilities, strategic presentation catches attention. Group related skills together logically. Place your most relevant and powerful skills first where they capture immediate attention. Use specific metrics or examples where possible—\"Advanced Excel skills including pivot tables and VLOOKUP\" proves more than just \"Excel.\"
Remember your resume competes against hundreds of other candidates for each position. Every word serves a purpose. If a skill doesn't strengthen your candidacy for that specific role, it doesn't belong on your resume.
Next Steps: Creating Your Optimized Skills Section
You now understand what skills matter, how to organize them, and why employers value different abilities. The key to success is reading job descriptions carefully, matching your genuine abilities to their requirements, and presenting everything clearly.
Your skills section can determine whether your resume reaches a recruiter or disappears in an ATS filter. Make it count by being strategic, honest, and relevant. Update your resume regularly as you develop new abilities through projects, training, and professional development opportunities.