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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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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17 Best skills to put on your resume to stand out
The best resume immediately answers a hiring manager's most pressing question: “Does this person have the necessary skills?”
You don’t have much time to answer this question, either. Recruiters scan a resume in just seven seconds to form a first impression and decide whether they’ll offer an interview.
You must understand the key skills for each job application and express your proficiency quickly to get ahead. We’ll discuss how to choose skills for a resume and add them effectively.
What is a resume skill?
A professional skill is a knowledge, ability, or competency to perform specific tasks or respond to challenges. Each skill is either a hard or soft skill . Hard skills or technical skills refer to our ability to perform knowledge-based tasks, like proficiency with a graphic design program.
Interpersonal skills , or soft skills, refer to our interactions with others, like our ability to tap into our emotional intelligence to manage a team or our leadership communication skills .
Learning new skills relevant to your job or reskilling to start a new career is crucial preparation. Every industry and job role requires proficiency in a wide range of job skills, so it's critical to know the most relevant ones for your profession and target the company and highlight them in your resume.
Hard skills for your resume
Hard skills are specific, teachable abilities or knowledge that are often quantifiable and job-specific. Hard skills are gained through experience, practice, and education. They can be measured straightforwardly by our ability to perform a technical task. Hard skills are crucial for performing tasks and functions within a particular field or industry.
Here are a few hard skills you could include on your resume:
- Foreign languages
- Project management
- Marketing fluency, like SEO or SEM
- Computer skills
- Software management, like CRM
- Coding languages, like CSS or Python
- Design, like Photoshop or Illustrator
- Data analysis
Soft skills for your resume
Soft skills are non-technical abilities that relate to how individuals interact with others and navigate social situations. These skills encompass qualities and attributes that shape one's emotional intelligence, communication style, and overall interpersonal effectiveness. They inform how we approach a task or challenge and are unique personal attributes that make us stand out and succeed as employees and leaders.
Unlike hard skills, soft skills are not job-specific but are universally valuable across various roles and industries. Soft skills play a critical role in building strong relationships, collaborating effectively with colleagues, and enhancing overall workplace dynamics.
Here are a few soft skills you could include on your resume:
- Problem-solving
- Communication
- Time management
- Attention to detail
- Collaboration
Soft and hard skills often complement one another. Speaking a foreign language is a hard skill requiring specific vocabulary, diction, and grammar knowledge. The communication skills needed to speak this language effectively — knowing how to work through a concept, tell a story, and keep an audience engaged — are soft skills.
How many skills should you add to a resume?
In general you'll want to have 10 to 15 skills listed on you resume. But this varies depending on your level of experience, the specific job you're applying for, and the resume format you're using . Here are some general guidelines to help you determine how many skills to include:
- Relevance : Focus on skills that are directly relevant to the job you're applying for. Tailor your resume by carefully reviewing the job description and identifying the skills and qualifications the employer is seeking. Highlight the skills that align with the job requirements.
- Balance : While it's important to include relevant skills, it's equally important not to overwhelm your resume with an excessively long list of skills. Aim for a balance that showcases your key strengths without making your resume too lengthy .
- Prioritization : Prioritize the most important and sought-after skills . Place the most relevant and impressive skills towards the top of your resume, particularly in the skills section. This ensures that the hiring manager sees your strongest qualifications early in the document.
- Quantify : Where possible, quantify your skills or provide context. For example, if you are proficient in a programming language, you can mention the number of years of experience you have with it or highlight specific projects where you applied that skill.
- Quality over quantity : It's better to emphasize a few highly relevant and valuable skills rather than listing a wide range of skills that may not be as important for the job. Hiring managers often appreciate depth and expertise in key areas.
- Consider resume length : If you have many years of experience and a lot of relevant skills, you may have a longer resume. However, for most applicants, a one-page or two-page resume is typically sufficient. Ensure that your skills section doesn't dominate the entire document.
- Group skills : You can group similar skills together to save space. For example, you might create categories like "Technical Skills" and "Soft Skills" to organize your skills more effectively.
- Keep it honest : Only list skills that you genuinely possess and can confidently discuss in an interview. Exaggerating or fabricating skills can lead to problems during the hiring process.
Types of skills to add to your resume and cover letter
To show your versatility, try including a diverse set of skills on your resume. Choose a couple from each of the three main categories below:
1. Transferable or functional skills
This covers your competency to perform an action and apply that skill to different tasks, job roles, and industries. Your aptitude to perform a transferable or functional skill is measured by your ability to optimize this skill to various situations.
Transferable or functional skills include:
- Organization and time management skills
- Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- Writing
- Project management
- Active listening and communication
- Customer service skills
2. Personal skills
This covers personality traits, behaviors, or perspectives that guide your approach to a task or situation. These are likely interpersoanl skills you’ve developed since childhood through different life experiences.
Personality skills include:
- Assertiveness
- Independence
- Detail-orientedness
- Strong emotional intelligence
- Ability to perform under pressure
- Relationahip-building skills
3. Knowledge-based skills
This includes a theoretical or practical understanding of a specific task or process learned through consistent work experience or education. These are often industry or career-specific and, depending on the expertise required for a particular position, the most in-demand.
Knowledge-based skills include:
- Computer skills, including programming languages, web development, or experience with specific programs like Microsoft Office, Excel, or Quickbooks
- Analytical skills, including data analysis, strategy, or economic forecasting
- Industry-specific skills, including a content creator with social media apps or marketing skills or a software engineer with specific expertise in Python or HTML
Top 3 skills to put on a resume
We recommend choosing transferable, knowledge-based, and personal skills relevant to the job description and the company’s values. When in doubt, you can’t go wrong using these three top skills on your resume:
1. Managerial skills
If you have any managerial experience, add it to the relevant job description. Good managers can see the bigger picture, organize their teams around a common goal, and demonstrate effective communication techniques.
This experience also shows you’re willing to take on more responsibility and can handle different personalities.
Expressing your management skills might look like this:
- 15 years of experience developing multiple teams to [name accomplishment]
- Ideated and managed [project] and increased revenue by [percentage]
- Certified in Conflict Resolution from [institution's name]
2. Communication skills
Strong communication skills are essential at every professional level. These skills include actively listening, speaking effectively, observing people and situations, and empathizing and supporting our co-workers, colleagues, and managers.
Expressing your communication skills might look like this:
- Thrives on constructive criticism
- Four years of public speaking experience
- Certified in Non-Verbal Communication at [institute name]
3. Computer skills
Expertise in various technologies or the ability to learn new ones are great hard skills to advertise. These include knowledge of hardware, software, work platforms, or coding languages.
Computer skills might include:
- Type 145 words per minute
- Fluency in CRM and CSM
- Knowledge of Python, Javascript, and HTML
- Experience with project management softwares like Monday, ClickUp, and Notion
- Adobe Photoshop
17 of the best skills to add to your resume
In addition to the three above, here are some of the most important skills to add to your resume skills section. When updating your resume, be sure to include the most relevant skills for the job you're applying to. Social media marketing, for instance, is more of a must-have skill across various marketing roles but fewer project management roles.
1. Conflict resolution
Conflict resolution involves mediating disputes and finding mutually acceptable solutions. This skill is crucial for maintaining a harmonious work environment and productive relationships among team members.
2. Adaptability
Adaptability is the ability to adjust to new circumstances and challenges. In today's rapidly changing world, individuals who can quickly learn and adapt to new technologies, work processes, or environments are highly valuable.
3. Negotiation
Negotiation skills are essential for reaching agreements that benefit all parties involved. Whether in salary negotiations or business deals, effective negotiation can lead to favorable outcomes.
4. Creativity
Creativity involves thinking outside the box to generate innovative ideas and solutions. It's particularly valuable in roles that require problem-solving and innovation, such as marketing or product design.
5. Strategic planning
Strategic planning is the process of setting long-term goals and developing a roadmap to achieve them. This skill is crucial for leaders and managers responsible for guiding an organization's direction.
6. Public speaking
Public speaking is essential for presentations, pitches, and effective communication with large audiences. Confidence and clarity in public speaking can enhance your professional image.
7. Mentoring and coaching
The ability to mentor and coach others in their professional development is valuable for leadership roles and fostering a positive workplace culture.
8. Crisis management
Crisis management involves responding effectively to unexpected and high-pressure situations, minimizing damage, and maintaining business continuity.
9. Risk management
Identifying and mitigating risks is vital in fields such as finance, insurance, and project management to protect against potential losses.
10. Data privacy and security
With increasing concerns about data breaches and privacy, knowledge of data security measures and compliance with regulations is essential, especially in IT and healthcare industries.
11. Foreign language proficiency
Proficiency in a foreign language can open up opportunities in international business, diplomacy, and global organizations, enhancing your marketability.
12. Sales and marketing
Sales and marketing skills involve promoting products or services and persuading customers to make purchases. These skills are vital in sales and business development roles.
13. Conflict management
Conflict management focuses on identifying, addressing, and resolving conflicts within teams or organizations to maintain a productive and harmonious work environment.
14. Research and data analysis
Strong research and data analysis skills are valuable in fields like market research, academia, and policy analysis, enabling evidence-based decision-making.
15. Digital Marketing
Digital marketing skills, including SEO, social media management, and online advertising, are crucial for businesses looking to expand their online presence and reach.
16. Problem-solving skills
Problem-solving skills are vital for identifying, analyzing, and creatively resolving challenges. They enable individuals to make informed decisions, find innovative solutions, and adapt to changing circumstances.
17. Project management skills
Project management skills involve planning, organizing, and coordinating resources and teams to achieve specific goals within set constraints. Effective project managers excel at goal-setting, task breakdown, and timeline management. They ensure projects stay on track, meet deadlines, and stay within budget, making them highly sought after across industries.
How to add skills to your resume
There are endless resume templates to choose from when designing your resume, and most offer a skills section. We’ve outlined four tips for adding skills to catch a recruiter's attention with resume skills examples to help you get started.
1. Choose wisely
Study the company by visiting its website, LinkedIn profile , and other public sources. What values do they promote? Which team members do they highlight and why?
Read through the job ad and take note of the responsibilities, job requirements, and skills listed by the employer. Use this research to choose skills for your resume. It’s a good idea to list skills the job posting specifically seeks.
Here’s an example of how to translate a job responsibility into skills when describing work experience on your resume:
Responsibility: Fact-check, proofread, and edit content for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Skill on resume:
- Eight years of copy and content writing experience with brands and PR agencies
- Wrote objective-oriented, SEO-driven content for brands
- Versed in workflow apps, Google Office, and grammar platforms
2. Include a skills section
If a hiring manager spends just seven seconds on a resume, make sure yours is readable. Design the resume to direct the reader's eye to critical information, and include a skills section close to the start. Use relevant action verbs to sell your experience and describe your skills from the beginning.
Don't over-clutter — insufficient white space will deflect the eye rather than attract it. This section should include bullet points with concise information.
3. Subtly mention skills in other sections
Sneak skills throughout your resume, including in the summary and work experience sections. Frequently referencing them will help show the hiring manager you really do possess the skills.
Here are two examples of a writer's position:
Resume summary with a mixture of transferable and personal skills:
- Curious, creative, and self-motivated journalist and content writer with six years of experience working independently for agencies and publications.
Work experience section with a mixture of technical and interpersonal skills:
Digital Content Writer, [Company name], [time frame]
- Experience in Google Workspace, Surfer SEO, and workflow platforms
- Responsible for writing 10 1500-word SEO and keyword-driven articles weekly
- Detail-oriented and personable — never missed a deadline and facilitated feedback calls with clients directly
4. Be specific about your proficiency level
Always be clear about your level of expertise. You’ll likely be asked to showcase some of your skills in an interview, so it’s best to be upfront.
Here are a few examples:
Languages spoken:
- English, native
- Spanish, fluent
- Japanese, intermediate conversation and listening comprehension, beginner written
- High-level expertise in Python and Java
- Mid-level expertise in CSS
Feel confident about the skills on your resume
Building a good resume takes a lot of work. You have to read through the job description and tailor resumes to each post to make sure your profile best aligns with what the recruiter is looking for.
But the effort is worth it. You've spent your entire career learning and nurturing new skills — show them off in your resume and you'll be one step closer to getting the job. You’ve worked hard to get where you are, and listing the right skills will help hiring managers see that.
Understand Yourself Better:
Big 5 Personality Test
Maggie Wooll, MBA
Maggie Wooll is a researcher, author, and speaker focused on the evolving future of work. Formerly the lead researcher at the Deloitte Center for the Edge, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Princeton University and an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. Maggie is passionate about creating better work and greater opportunities for all.
How and when to write a functional resume (with examples)
Resume best practices: how far back should a resume go, how to put babysitting on a resume: 6 skills to highlight, best work accomplishments to list on your resume (with examples), how to create a resume with chatgpt, 7 types of resumes to suit various scenarios, 7 best ai resume builders of 2024 to land your dream job, chronological resume: how and why to write one, unique skills for resumes to attract attention, hard skills versus soft skills and which to use on your resume, all eyes on it: how to make a page-turning portfolio, use these honors and awards resume examples to land your next job, what are professional skills, and which should you add to your resume, 7 tips to make your resume stand out and get that job, 20 marketing skills professionals should have in 2023, what are hard skills & examples for your resume, stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..
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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 September 11, 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 to put on a resume – 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 to put on your resume is also important to ensure it 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 to put 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 are some of the skills to put 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.
When you talk about adaptive skills on your resume, be sure to provide specific examples as they can be the powerhouse statements that win you an interview .
The 17 best skills to put on your resume
Now that we've defined what types of skills to put 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 the skills to put on your resume 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, which 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 to put on your resume comes in – wherever you include them.
Want to see how your resume stacks up? Try out our free resume review today!
This blog was originally written by Marsha Hebert and has been updated by Ronda Suder.
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:
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Don't “Snowplow” Your Kids' Job Search — Set Them Up for Success Instead
What Kind of Job Candidate Are You?
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CVs & Résumés
100 key skills to pu..., 100 key skills to put on your résumé (list of examples).
They’ll help you show your value to your future employer.
- Updated 3 Oct 2023
- 10 min read
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 2024 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.
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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!
Stephen is the co-founder and CEO of BeamJobs. He started his career in data fulfilling the dream of little kids everywhere: working for an insurance company. He then moved on to work in edtech for a company called Chegg before venturing out to start BeamJobs. Things have come a long way after countless “learnings” (fancy word for mistakes), and BeamJobs has now helped 2.5M+ people create their perfect resume. Stephen and BeamJobs have been featured on awesome sites like Business Insider, Chicago Tribune, Dallas News, Baltimore Sun, the Daily Press, Zendesk, HubSpot , and loads more.
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.
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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20+ key customer service skills to list on your resume in 2024 (with examples).
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Best Customer Service Resume Examples and Templates For 2024
A strong customer service resume highlights skills, experience, and accomplishments relevant to the job.
Focus on showcasing soft skills (communication, problem-solving) and technical skills (CRM tools).
Tailor resumes to each job by aligning achievements and experience with the company’s needs.
To demonstrate impact, quantify achievements, such as satisfaction scores and response time improvements.
Use clear formatting, action verbs, and metrics to create an ATS-friendly and easy-to-read resume .
Writing a customer service resume is similar to providing great support. It must be clear and show you understand what a resume should do. Your resume is often the first thing an employer sees, so it’s essential to showcase your skills and experience in the best way possible.
In a field where 78% of customers give up on purchases due to poor service, your resume must highlight your commitment to quality. In this guide, we’ll help you craft a resume that shows your problem-solving abilities. Also, we’ll provide customer service resume examples so you can make the right impression from the start.
Why a Strong Customer Service Resume is Crucial?
Customer service roles are critical to the success of any business. As the frontline connection between companies and their customers, customer service professionals ensure that customers are satisfied and problems are resolved efficiently. With the rise of digital communication, social media, and customer support platforms, companies seek candidates with strong interpersonal skills and familiarity with the latest tools and technologies.
Key Components of a Customer Service Resume
When it comes to writing a resume for customer service representative in 2024, there are several key components that you’ll need to include:
Contact Information: At the top of your resume, ensure your full name, phone number, email address, and LinkedIn profile (if applicable) are easy to spot. This ensures recruiters can quickly contact you.
Objective or Summary: A concise summary at the beginning of your resume gives potential employers an overview of your skills and what you bring. It should focus on your experience in customer service and any specific strengths you have that make you a perfect fit for the job. Keep it short and to the point—2-3 sentences are ideal.
Professional Experience: When listing your work history, always start with the most recent position. For each role, focus on your responsibilities and achievements, particularly those that align with the job you're applying for. Use bullet points to make this section easier to read. For example:
Responded to an average of 50+ customer inquiries daily, maintaining a 95% satisfaction rating.
Assisted in implementing a new CRM system, reducing customer response time by 20%.
Skills Section: Your skills section is essential for showcasing the abilities that make you stand out. In customer service , employers often look for soft skills like communication, patience, and problem-solving and hard skills like proficiency with customer relationship management (CRM) systems, helpdesk software, and typing speed. Be sure to mention any specific skills highlighted in the job description.
Education and Certifications: While some customer service roles may not require advanced education, listing your educational background can still be beneficial. Remember to include any certifications you’ve earned, especially concerning customer service or business communication.
Achievements: If you have any notable achievements, such as "Employee of the Month" awards, special recognitions, or exceptionally high customer satisfaction scores, be sure to include them. Quantifying your achievements (e.g., "Increased customer retention by 15% over six months") adds weight to your experience.
Resume Ideas for Customer Service
Coming up with resume ideas for customer service can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be. The goal is to balance professionalism with personality, ensuring you communicate your unique strengths while keeping the layout clean and easy to read. Here are some ideas to keep in mind:
Focus on Action Verbs: When describing your job responsibilities, make sure to use strong action verbs like “resolved,” “assisted,” “enhanced,” or “streamlined.” These words demonstrate that you took initiative and played an active role in improving customer interactions.
Include Customer Satisfaction Metrics: Numbers can greatly enhance your resume’s impact. If you have metrics from your previous roles, like average response time, customer retention rates, or satisfaction scores, you must include them. These metrics offer concrete proof of your performance.
Tailor Your Resume: Don’t send the same generic resume to every job application. Tailoring your resume to the specific company and role you're applying for will show employers that you’ve put thought into how your experience fits their needs. For example, if the job focuses on live chat support, highlight your experience.
Showcase Your Tech Skills: As customer service continues to shift toward digital platforms, employers will expect you to have a working knowledge of common customer service tools like Zendesk, Salesforce, or HubSpot. Mention these tools specifically if you have experience with them.
Highlight Training and Coaching Experience: If you’ve ever been responsible for training new team members or developing customer service strategies, this is a huge asset. Many companies seek team members who can lead and improve existing processes.
What Does a Customer Service Resume Look Like in 2024?
In terms of format, clean and modern designs are still the norm. Resumes should be easy to read, with well-defined sections and plenty of white space. Avoid cluttering your resume with too much text. Focus on clarity.
In 2024, more resumes are being created with applicant tracking systems (ATS) in mind. This means avoiding overly complex formatting or graphics, which can interfere with the ATS reading of your resume. Stick to traditional fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman, and save your resume as a PDF to preserve formatting.
Remember to highlight your experience with tools like social media management systems, live chat software, and CRM platforms.
Customer Service Resume Examples
Here are the best customer service sample resume to help you:
John Doe Address Contact Number Email [LinkedIn Profile]
Objective Customer-focused professional with 5+ years of experience in high-volume call centers and fast-paced retail environments. Proven ability to resolve customer complaints quickly, maintain a positive attitude under pressure, and contribute to team success.
Professional Experience
Senior Customer Service Representative ABC Corporation | January 2020 - Present
Assisted 70+ customers daily with product inquiries, troubleshooting, and order processing, maintaining a 98% satisfaction rating.
Trained and mentored 10 new customer service representatives, helping to improve team efficiency by 15%.
Implemented a new ticketing system that reduced customer response times by 25%.
Customer Service Associate XYZ Retail | June 2017 - December 2019
Responded to customer inquiries via phone, email, and live chat, ensuring prompt and accurate service.
Achieved "Employee of the Month" recognition twice for consistently surpassing sales goals and customer satisfaction metrics.
Managed returns, exchanges, and refunds in line with company policies while retaining customer loyalty.
Proficient in Zendesk, Salesforce, and HubSpot
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Strong problem-solving and conflict-resolution abilities
Familiarity with live chat software and social media support
Education Bachelor of Arts in Business Communication State University, 2016
Jane Smith Address
Contact Number
[LinkedIn Profile]
Dedicated customer service professional with over 4 years of experience delivering exceptional customer support in retail and call center environments. Adept at resolving complex issues, enhancing customer satisfaction, and driving loyalty. Seeking to apply proven customer engagement and communication skills to a Customer Service Representative position at XYZ Corp.
Customer Service Representative DEF Financial Services | March 2021 – Present
Assisted over 100 clients per day with inquiries regarding account management, payments, and technical support, maintaining a 96% satisfaction rate.
Improved first-call resolution rate by 20% through proactive problem-solving and in-depth product knowledge.
Collaborated with the product team to identify and resolve recurring customer issues, resulting in a 15% reduction in support requests.
Created training materials for new hires, reducing onboarding time by 30%.
Customer Support Agent GHI Online Retail | July 2018 – February 2021
Managed up to 80 customer inquiries daily via phone, live chat, and email, achieving a 98% customer satisfaction rate.
Played a key role in implementing a new ticketing system, which reduced response times by 25%.
Resolved complex customer complaints, reducing escalation rates by 10%.
Awarded “Top Performer” for exceeding customer satisfaction metrics for three consecutive quarters.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills
Proficient in CRM tools like Zendesk, Freshdesk, and LiveAgent
Experience in managing high-volume customer interactions via multiple platforms
Skilled in handling escalations and providing conflict resolution
Adept at training and mentoring new team members
Associate Degree in Business Administration Springfield Community College, 2017
Certifications
Certified Customer Support Specialist (CCSS) Advanced Customer Service Strategies – Coursera
Volunteer Experience
Customer Support Volunteer Local Food Bank | June 2019 – Present
Provide customer service support by coordinating inquiries and donations for local communities.
Assist with event planning and communication efforts for fundraising events.
Are you gigs for part-time jobs near me or remote employment opportunities ? At Yulys, we have you covered with a wide range of customer service jobs and other exciting roles that fit your schedule. Plus, our free resume builder can help you stand out from the crowd and land your dream job. Take advantage of our tools, designed to make your job search easier and more effective!
Creating a standout customer service resume is crucial for securing a job in 2024. Focus on your relevant experience, demonstrate your tech-savviness, and emphasize key customer service skills to set yourself apart in the competitive job market. Use our customer service resume examples to personalize your resume for each position and include measurable achievements that highlight your value to potential employers.
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COMMENTS
Here are 10 examples of the best resume skills employers may be seeking: 1. Active listening skills. Active listening refers to the ability to focus completely on the person who you're communicating with. Active listening helps you to understand their message, comprehend the information and respond thoughtfully.
Calculating. Modeling. Extrapolating. Predicting. Forecasting. Investigating. Surveying. Statistical analysis. Learn how the skills you put on your resume affect how employers view your candidacy and review a list of 120 skills that might describe your qualifications.
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.
Below, you'll find 22 resume skills examples to enrich your job application. 1. Communication. Communication skills are used for receiving, understanding, and giving all kinds of information. But these skills also include respecting others' points of view, explaining thoughts and ideas, and listening to others.
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.
Here are 12 of the most popular industry-specific hard skills to list on your resume: 1. Design. Companies in nearly every industry need creatives with a strong sense of design to help them develop attractive products and content. Specific examples of design-related hard skills include: UI/UX design. Photography.
1. Transferable or functional skills. This covers your competency to perform an action and apply that skill to different tasks, job roles, and industries. Your aptitude to perform a transferable or functional skill is measured by your ability to optimize this skill to various situations.
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.
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.
11 key skills to include on your resume Here's a list of key skills employers often look for on resumes: 1. Communication skills Communication skills include written, verbal and nonverbal abilities that professionals use to work with colleagues, clients and other businesses. They describe a candidate's ability to receive information through active listening and interpretation and respond ...
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).
Key Takeaways. Top skills for your resume include communication, organization, teamwork, data analysis, and computer proficiency. Hard skills are measurable, require specific training and are generally technical, while soft skills are personal qualities that are unquantifiable and developed through experience.
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.
List of leadership skills. Leadership skills enable employees to guide their team and inspire their coworkers to improve. These skills are sought-after in all position levels and help build trust and dependability. Check out this list of leadership skills: Delegation. Goal-setting. Team building. Conflict resolution.
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 ...
15+ Key Healthcare Skills to List on Your Resume in 2024 (With Examples) Healthcare is a massive and important industry that contains all sorts of professionals. To land a job in healthcare, you must understand what relevant skills employers are searching for. In this guide, we will cover key healthcare skills to include on your resume and why ...
Skills-based resume example. The following is an example of a skills-based resume for a sales representative: Charles Bradshaw. (555) 475-8755. [email protected]. 12207 White Circle, New York City, New York 41789 Qualifications summary. Proven record of increasing monthly sales by 15%.
2. Check the job ad. To create a job-winning resume skills section, list skills that are: relevant to the position. mentioned in the job description. While job descriptions often explicitly mention skills that are required or preferred, job ads sometimes hint at desired skills as well.
How to match your resume skills to the job description. Many companies use an applicant tracking system (ATS), which acts as an electronic filter, to collect, scan, sort and rank resumes to narrow applicant pools to the most qualified candidates. ... are key aspects of any role that deals with online content — from writers and editors to ...
Software. Foreign languages. Operating certain equipment or machinery. Soft skills, on the other hand, are abilities that can be applied in any job. Often, soft skills may be referred to as "people skills" or "social skills" and include proficiency in things like: Communication. Customer service. Problem-solving.
Key Components of a Customer Service Resume. When it comes to writing a resume for customer service representative in 2024, there are several key components that you'll need to include: Contact Information: At the top of your resume, ensure your full name, phone number, email address, and LinkedIn profile (if applicable) are easy to spot ...
Related: 10 Best Skills to Include on a Resume. Image description "Resume Format" is the title of this infographic that shows an image of an example resume. ... You can highlight the right core competencies by reviewing the job description and identifying the key skills the employer is looking for and how your qualifications align with them ...