One word skills for resume

Listing skills on your resume is fairly easy. 

Listing the right skills in the right way is a little bit trickier.  

Are you mentioning the right skills for the job, or are you boring the HR manager with irrelevant information? 

The hiring manager for the software development team couldn’t care less about your expertise in marketing. What they’re dying to know, though, is your skill level in Python and how you get along with the team.

In this guide, we’re going to walk you through the process of putting skills on your resume from start to finish. We’ll explain how to identify the right skills and how to list them in a way that catches the hiring manager’s attention!

Here’s what you’re going to learn:

• Hard Skills Vs Soft Skills — What’s the Difference?
• Why Should You List Your Skills on a Resume? 
• 8 Best Skills to Put on a Resume 
• How to List Skills on a Resume 
• 120+ Skills to Put on Your Resume (For 10+ Fields)

New to resume-making? Give our resumes 101 video a watch before diving into the article!

Hard Skills Vs Soft Skills — What’s the Difference?

Skills are divided into hard skills and soft skills.

To create an effective job application, catch the hiring manager’s attention, and land your next job, you should mention both hard and soft skills in your resume.

But what exactly is the difference?

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

• Machinery skills. E.g., operating a road roller, pallet-stalker, forklift, etc.
• Software skills. Depending on the field, you need to know how to use different software, such as the Adobe Creative Suite for graphic designers or the Ableton Live Suite if you’re a DJ.
• Tools. Say you’re a digital marketer. You’ll need to know how to use tools like Stethoscope, Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Ahrefs, and the sorts.
• Multilingualism. The more customers you can communicate with, the more valuable you are as an employee. Some sought-after languages today include German, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic.
• Computer skills. If you’re a web developer, your hard skills will likely include coding languages such as Python, C++, etc. Even if you’re not though, most jobs will require that you have at least some basic computer knowledge in MS Office and G-Suite, emailing and presentations, etc.
• Techniques. E.g. frequency analysis, Crystallization.
• Mathematics. Many professions, such as accounting and finance, require mathematical skills.
• Data analysis. Businesses are always looking for professionals who can gather and analyze data for various stakeholders, which makes data analysis a very in-demand hard skill.

…and just about any field-specific skill. While hard skills are essential to complete tasks in about any job, they’re also teachable and easily measurable.

Soft skills, on the other hand, are attributes and habits that describe how you work individually or with others. They are typically not job-specific but rather transferable skills that indirectly help you adapt to the work environment and company culture. 

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

• Communication
• Teamwork
• Creativity
• Problem-solving
• Leadership
• Organization
• Adaptability
• Openness

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

While you can acquire computer skills through a technical course, you’ll need to work much harder to develop, say, your communication skills. 

In the workplace, for example, you’d need to practice active listening, learn how to notice nonverbal cues, and practice your oral communication skills as much as possible.

What’s the Difference Between Hard Skills and Soft Skills

Here are the two main differences between hard skills and soft skills: 

1. How you obtain them. You can obtain hard skills through work experience, education, training, and certification. Soft skills, on the other hand, can be gained through life experience, both on and off work.
2. How you use them. You apply hard skills directly to the job, whereas soft skills 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.

Why Should You List Skills on Your Resume?

The skills section is one of the 3 most important resume sections, with the other two being work experience and education sections. 

If written correctly, the skills section looks something like this:

By now, you’re probably thinking “how hard can this be, right? All I have to do is list all my skills and call it a day!”

Well, not exactly. The process of putting skills on your resume is a bit more nuanced than that, and we’re going to tell you why.

Most companies nowadays use Applicant Tracking Systems 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 software automatically rejects the resume.

Say, for example, the job you’re applying to requires an Expert level in Java. If you haven’t mentioned Java as a skill on your resume, your resume can automatically get discarded.

In fact, 70%+ of resumes are rejected at this stage, never having even been seen by an HR professional. 

And, even if the company doesn’t use an ATS, there’s a good chance that the HR manager is going to skim through your resume looking for the right skill set.

So, whether you’re doing this for the ATS or the HR, it’s important to mention the right skills.

Below, we’re going to explain just how to do this in the best way possible. 

But first, let’s cover some of the best skills to mention in any resume, regardless of your profession. 

8 Best Skills to Put on a Resume

Every profession requires some role-specific hard skills if you want to do it properly. An accountant, for example, needs to know math to do their job right, just like a photographer needs to know how to use photo editing software like Photoshop. 

In most cases, it’s easy to identify such skills and understand whether you’re qualified enough for the job. 

The right soft skills for a job may be harder to point out, but they’re just as essential in today’s job market — 93% of employers say “soft skills play a critical role in their decision about whom they want to hire.” 

To give you an example, if you’re a project manager, you will need to have excellent organizational skills in addition to your project management skills. Or, if you’re a developer, you need to also be an apt problem solver. 

You can find lists of field-related, relevant soft and hard skills later in the article, but for now, here are the top soft and hard skills valued by hiring managers in most professions: 

#1. Communication skills

There are very few, if any, jobs out there that don’t require at least some level of 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 office worker who must communicate with a colleague 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
• Persuasion
• Discussion

#2. Computer skills

By 2016, over 70% of US jobs required 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. As such, 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

#3. Management skills

Management skills are usually associated with management positions, but in reality, that’s not usually the case. Any type of professional can benefit from strong management skills. 

In a nutshell, management skills involve being able to effectively handle people, resources, and processes, including your time, plans, projects, and so on.

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

• People management
• Project management
• Time management
• Risk management
• Logistics
• Action planning
• Conflict Resolution

#4. Problem-solving skills

Problem-solving means you’re able to identify problems successfully, 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. When it comes to managerial, professional, and technical positions, problem-solving skills are essential. 

Problem-solving is a set of skills that includes: 

• Research skills
• Analytical skills
• Critical thinking
• Decision-making skills
• Attention to detail

#5. Organizational skills

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
• Planning
• Scheduling
• Prioritization
• Goal setting

#6. Leadership skills 

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’re 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
• Motivation
• Creativity
• Commitment
• Strategic thinking
• Coaching

#7. Customer service skills

A big part of jobs out there involve dealing with customers. 

From customer support representatives to cashiers, customer service skills are a great asset to have in 2023. Particularly, that’s because it encompasses a number of other valuable skills, such as:

• Persuasion skills
• Positivity
• Product knowledge
• Adaptability
• Attention to detail

#8. Interpersonal skills 

Interpersonal skills refer to how well you can understand and get along with other people. 

It goes without saying that they’re extremely useful for team-oriented or customer-facing roles, as a big chunk of the work involves communicating with other people.

Such skills, however, are also useful for roles where you don’t get to interact as much with people.

Take, for example, writers. To be a really good writer, you need to be able to:

• Understand and communicate with your audience
• Collaborate with your publishing team
• Understand what people are like

Just like most other transferable skills on our list, interpersonal skills are multi-faceted. Here is what they consist of: 

• Teamwork
• Communication
• Networking
• Empathy
• Openness

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

Now that you have a clear understanding of how important skills are — and how some are more relevant than others — let’s talk about how you should list them on your resume. 

There are several things you need to do to stand out: 

#1. Tailor Your Skills to the Job

Relevance is key; the customer service skills you acquired working as a server during college won’t come in too handy when you start work as, say, a data analyst. 

So, the first thing you should remember is to only list skills that are useful for the job you are applying for. To find out what these skills are, you should scan the job listing.

Job ads usually list a set of requirements or skills they expect a good candidate to have. Make sure you don’t leave any of those out on your resume.

For example, imagine you are applying for a line cook position in a restaurant:

• “Here at ‘ABCD’ we are committed to creating a one-of-a-kind experience for our guests. Our French restaurant is looking for a professional line cook for the summer season to work directly under the supervision of our chef. Responsibilities include prepping and cleaning food, creating and cooking meals, and cleaning up the working area. Impeccable attention to detail in food cooking and presentation is needed.”

The underlined bits in this job description are the role’s responsibilities. By paying a closer look, you can understand that ABCD is looking for someone who:

• Is committed to excellence and is highly professional
• Works well under supervision, and with others
• Can prep, clean, and cook food
• Pays great attention to detail in cooking and presentation

Based on this, some of the skills you should definitely mention in your resume can include teamwork, attention to detail, communication, food prepping, and culinary skills. 

As a given, you wouldn’t mention anything that isn’t directly related to the job. As a line cook, you’re not going to be using a lot of tech, so you wouldn’t include your computer skills in your resume (even though such skills are relevant for a ton of other jobs).

#2. Create a Skills Section

Once you’ve identified all the right skills to add to your resume, create a “Skills” section to list them under. This way, the hiring manager will be able to check whether you have the right skills more easily and the ATS software won’t disqualify your resume. 

Here’s what you should remember while making this section:

• Be specific. “Verbal and written communication” sounds significantly better than “communication.” 
• Sort your skills by relevance. Order your skills based on how critical they are for the role. More important skills go on top, and the nice-to-have ones go on the bottom.
• Don’t lie or exaggerate. It goes without saying that you should never, ever, lie about your skills. The employer will know you lied the moment you have to work on a task that requires that very skill.

#3. Match Each Skill With Your Proficiency Level

For each skill that you list on your resume, use the competencies proficiency scale to show your proficiency level:

• Beginner. You are just starting to learn or have not practiced the skill through experience (usually fresh graduates that only understand concepts through theories or classroom experience).
• Intermediate. You have applied the skill in practice, and require assistance with it on rare or special occasions. You still have room to grow.
• Advanced. You know your stuff! You don’t need help with the skill anymore. You can also teach beginners how to use it.
• Expert. You are a recognized authority on this skill, the go-to person if anyone has any questions. You have consistently proved to be excellent in this skill. You could even write a whole book about it!

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

Listing your skills in a separate section will only get you so far. After all, everyone else is also doing exactly the same thing. 

To take your resume from good to great, you want your most critical skills to “pop” from the get-go and to prove to the hiring manager that you actually possess them.

Here is where the resume summary and work experience sections come in. 

The resume summary is a short, 2-3 sentence-long summary of your resume that, done right, shows hiring managers your strongest points as a candidate the moment they lay eyes on your resume. 

Positioned right under your contact information section, this is the first place where you can mention that you possess one or two of the most role-critical skills listed in the job description. 

Here’s how the resume summary of the line cook example we mentioned above would look in practice: 

• Detail-oriented line cook with over 5 years of experience prepping and cooking over 200 Mediterranean cuisine recipes. Collaborative professional who puts the needs of the team first. In my last position, was able to help the chef handle rush hour work of over 100 tables with 100% accuracy and approval rate from our customers. 

Once you’ve grabbed the hiring manager’s attention by including your top skills on your resume summary, it’s time to prove that you have them. 

The best way to do that? List some accomplishments in your work experience section and explain how utilizing a particular skill helped you achieve them. 

Here’s how that would look like in practice: 

• Prepped and helped cook food for over 500 customers in the past two years, receiving high praise and positive recommendations for the restaurant continuously. 
• Helped restaurant to receive positive reviews for 3 years in a row from Gastronomica magazine for attention to detail and food aesthetics and presentation.

#5. Put Transferable Skills to Use 

If you’re an entry-level candidate or if you’re switching careers, you should definitely put transferable skills to use. Transferable skills are not directly related to the job you are applying to but are still useful, as well as relevant to most jobs. 

Let’s say, for example, that you’re going for a career change from sales to copywriting. You can benefit from listing at least some of the skills acquired in sales in your copywriter resume, such as: 

• Written communication. Both roles involve communication via text. A salesperson needs to send cold 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 knowledge. For a salesperson, that’s using Customer Management Software, while for a copywriter, that’s publishing content online.

150+ Must-Have Skills (for Every Field)

Are you 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 2023, 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. Soft Skills 

Soft skills are essential for just about any job out there. While they’re not necessarily critical to doing your job well, they ensure that you get along with your coworkers and foster a positive work environment.

When evaluating two candidates with equal hard skills, the hiring manager is always going to pick the one that has better soft skills.

So, it’s very important to mention your soft skills in your resume.

Here are some of the most in-demand soft skills today:

1. Time management
2. Effective communication
3. Emotional intelligence
4. Conflict management
5. Teamwork skills
6. Stress management
7. Problem-solving
8. Productivity & Organization
9. Critical thinking
10. Attention to detail
11. Adaptability

#2. Marketing Skills

With new technologies developing faster than ever, it becomes essential to move beyond the basics of traditional marketing. Here are some of the most relevant marketing skills these days, including both cutting-edge online tools, as well as classic marketing skills:

1. Data analysis
2. Web analytics 
3. SEO/SEM
4. HTML & CSS
5. WordPress
6. Email marketing
7. Web scraping
8. CRO and A/B Testing
9. Data visualization & pattern-finding through critical thinking
10. Search Engine and Keyword Optimization
11. Project/campaign management
12. Social media and mobile marketing 
13. Paid social media advertisements
14. B2B Marketing
15. The 4 P-s of Marketing
16. Consumer Behavior Drivers
17. Brand management
18. Creativity
19. Copywriting
20. Storytelling
21. Sales
22. CMS Tools

#3. Management Skills

As a manager, you need to have the right mix of soft and hard skills.

Below are the management skills needed to not only get the job but to also enhance employee and company productivity in the long run.

1. Six Sigma techniques
2. The McKinsey 7s Framework
3. Porter’s Five Forces
4. PESTEL 
5. Emotional Intelligence
6. Dealing with work-related stress
7. Motivation
8. Task delegation
9. Technological savviness
10. People management
11. Business Development
12. Strategic Management
13. Negotiation 
14. Planning
15. Proposal writing
16. Problem-solving
17. Innovation
18. Charisma

#4. Sales Skills

The art of selling has stayed the same despite technological advancements. Humans still strive for contact with other humans. Despite channels of communication becoming digital, communication and empathetic skills take priority in the sales industry. 

A comprehensive must-have skill list for salespeople includes:

1. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
2. Cold-calling
3. Negotiation
4. Public speaking
5. Closing
6. Lead generation
7. Buyer-Responsive selling
8. Buyer engagement
9. Product knowledge
10. Persuasion
11. Effective communication and sociability
12. Empathy
13. Social media/digital communication
14. Teamwork
15. Time management

#5. Design Skills

Today, knowing the basics of design does not suffice anymore. To get hired as a designer, you must know how to create killer branded content for the web and for social media channels. 

Some of the most important design skills for your resume are:

1. Adobe Creative Suite: Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop
2. Dreamweaver
3. Infographics
4. HTML & CSS
5. Photo Editing 
6. Typography: spacing, line height, layout, choosing fonts
7. Storyboarding
8. Targeting and marketing through visual communications
9. Logo creation
10. Digital printing
11. Integration of visual communication in social media platforms
12. Creativity
13. Attention to detail & aesthetics
14. Interactive media design
15. Color sense & theory
16. Ad design
17. Active listening

#6. Basic Technical Skills

These are skills that almost everyone working in an office should know. You can put these skills on your resume if you are applying as a secretary, office clerk, or any other type of office employee.

The basic technical office skills include:

1. Microsoft Office Pack: Word, Excel, Access, Publisher, Outlook, Powerpoint
2. Filing and paper management
3. Data entry
4. Bookkeeping through Excel or TurboTax
5. Research and data analysis
6. Basic knowledge of user interface communication
7. Technical writing
8. Cloud networking and file sharing

#7. Accounting & Finance Skills

Goodbye, filing by hand. Hello, countless platforms and apps. Accountants and financial specialists should familiarize themselves with these skills in order to have a successful career:

1. Microsoft Excel (Advanced)
2. Enterprise Resource Planning 
3. Big Data Analysis & SQL
4. Know Your Customers (KYC)
5. Cognos Analytics (IBM)
6. Visual Basic
7. Accounting Software
8. Revenue recognition
9. Anti Money Laundering
10. Clear communication
11. General business knowledge
12. Numerical competence
13. Accuracy
14. Attention to detail

#8. Education Skills

How many times have you witnessed a 50-year-old honorary doctor with three PhDs struggle to play a YouTube video during undergrad or grad school? Teaching methods have evolved, and so have the required skills to be part of the education industry.

Some of the most essential educational skills are:

1. Updated curriculum knowledge
2. Research & Data analysis
3. Communication
4. Educational platforms (software like Elearn)
5. Stress management
6. Technological & digital literacy
7. Patience
8. Critical thinking
9. Enthusiasm
10. Motivation

#9. Web Development Skills

It seems like there’s new technology popping up every other second now, a good enough reason for web developers to keep updating their skills. 

That said, if you are proficient in HTML, CSS, and Java, you pretty much have a leg up on the competition. All other skills on this list derive from or build upon the three basic programming languages. You can learn or improve your web development skills here.

1. HTML/CSS
2. CSS preprocessors
3. Javascript
4. WordPress
5. Graphic User Interfaces (GUI)
6. Git/Version control (Github, GitLab)
7. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
8. Application Programming Interface (API)
9. Adobe Photoshop, InDesign
10. Content Management Systems (CMS)
11. Testing/Debugging
12. Responsive design principles

#10. Business Analytics

BAs are very in demand right now by businesses, and for a good reason! They perform an almost magical task of analyzing past and present data to give future predictions. To perform their magic, they need some analytical spells:

1. SQL (a must) and Hive (optional)
2. Programming language (R, Python, Scala, Matlab)
3. STATA, SPSS, SAS 
4. Data Mapping
5. Entity Relationship Diagrams
6. Wireframes
7. Big Data tools 
8. Microsoft Visio
9. Agile Business Analysis
10. Machine learning 
11. System Context Diagrams
12. Business Process Modeling
13. Technical and non-technical communication

#11. Nursing & Healthcare Skills

More than any other profession, healthcare professionals need to stay constantly updated with new technologies, medicine, and techniques. The skills nursing requires are countless and specific, but the most basic ones boil down to:

1. Mathematics
2. CPR
3. Patient care and assistance
4. Paperwork/record-keeping abilities
5. Compassion
6. Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
7. Telemetry
8. Attention to detail
9. Physical endurance 
10. Acute care
11. Infection control
12. Surgery preparation

Bonus Infographic: Skills to Put on a Resume

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you still have some questions about what skills you should put on your resume (and how)? Check out the answers below:

Q — 

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, multilingualism, public speaking, SEO, etc.

Meanwhile, examples of soft skills are communication, creativity, leadership, teamwork, time management, conflict resolution, etc.  

Q — 

2. What top skills do employers look for?

The top hard skills recruiters 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, on the other hand, are creativity, collaboration, persuasion, adaptability, and emotional intelligence.

Q — 

3. How can I identify my skills?

Some effective ways to identify your skills before adding them to your resume include:

• Consider your achievements. Did you ever get recognized for a specific achievement? What skills helped you do it? You are probably still skilled in those areas. 
   
• Ask friends and coworkers. Sometimes, it’s easier for others to recognize the strengths that you don’t see. Colleagues can definitely be of help but if you’re fresh into the professional world, former professors and classmates can also give you some insight.

Q — 

4. Where do skills go on a resume?

Skills go under a separate ‘Skills’ section on a resume, typically placed right below, or on the side, of the work experience section.

That said, you can further prove that you possess the skills you list in this section, by weaving the most relevant skills for the job in other resume sections, such as the resume summary and the work experience sections. 

Q — 

5. How many skills to 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 work-related skills, you should definitely include them in your resume. Also, if the job you’re applying for requires a number of skills you possess, it’s safe to include them all 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 2.

Q — 

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

Candidates with no experience and few job-specific skills can benefit from adding transferable skills to their resumes. 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, work ethic, and computer skills. 

Q — 

7. What’s the best way to list skills on a resume in 2023?

To really impress with your skills in 2023, 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 on your resume summary or resume objective. 
• Using your achievements to explain exactly how you used your skills to your advantage.

Key Takeaways

Let’s sum up everything we’ve learned about putting skills in your resume:

• You must have a section in your resume devoted entirely to your skills. This helps you pass through applicant tracking systems and get noticed by the HR manager.
• The differences between hard skills and soft skills are in the way they are applied (directly vs. indirectly) and the way they are obtained (through education and practice vs. personality traits and experience)
• On your resume, list only skills that are relevant to the job, scan the job listing for must-have skills and list those (if you have them), pair each skill with a responding proficiency level, back up your skills with other resume sections, and mention transferable and universal skills.

The skills of your CV are arguably the most important section of all. It’s what employers will look at first and it’s what they’ll be basing their decision off of. A good skills section will be attractive to a potential employer, whilst a bad one could put them off without even reading the rest of your application.

Writing a good skills section takes a lot of thought and time. You should spend a lot of time thinking about which skills you want to include, and then writing them in an effective way. In this article, we will help you write the best CV by guiding you through how to write a good CV skills section.

So, let’s get into it… Here are a few tips and CV skills examples to help you craft the skills section of your CV.

Hard skills vs. soft skills

Firstly, when putting together a skills section, you need to decide whether you’re going to include hard skills or soft skills.

Hard skills:

These are the specific skills that you have that relate directly to the role you’re applying for. For example: If you were applying for a job as an electrician, then hard skills would be “I’m qualified to work as an electrician” or “I am qualified to install solar power.”

Hard skills might include proficiency in things like:

1. Computer programs
2. Foreign languages
3. IT skills
4. Professional qualifications (e.g., degree, certificate, etc.)
5. Technical skills (e.g., graphic design, Microsoft Office, etc.)

The most important thing to remember is that your hard skills should be specific and relate directly to the role you’re applying for. For this reason, you should always have a CV template so that you can plug and play different sections in depending on the job. For example, if you were applying for an engineering job , then you would include a specific CV engineering skills section.

Soft skills:

These are skills that are transferable and that you will be able to use in a large variety of different roles. For example: “I’m a quick learner” or “I have the ability to work well under pressure.”

Soft skills might include proficiency in things like:

1. Communication
2. Interpersonal skills
3. Networking
4. Relationship skills
5. Teamwork
6. Self-management (e.g., time management, goal setting, etc.)
7. Stress management (e.g., taking time out, prioritizing tasks, etc.)
8. Work ethic (e.g., ability to work long hours without complaining)

The most important thing to remember is that your soft skills should be transferable skills that you can use in many different roles. This means that these are skills that are useful beyond a specific industry or role. For this reason, it’s a good idea to have an 80/20 rule when putting together your skills section. In other words, 80% soft skills and 20% hard skills.

You should be careful about including proficiency in software programs as these can become dated quite quickly. The same goes for foreign languages.

Therefore, You should write both hard and soft skills in your CV, but more of one than the other depending on what type of job you’re applying for.

It’s important to note that not all managers will care about technical skills, and you may have to display the same soft skills on your CV as you would for a more routine type job.

What Skills Can I Include on my CV?

A CV is a document that provides an overview of your work experience, skills, and education. When you send in your CV to apply for a job, it’s usually the first thing that the employer will see before they look at your application form. If you do not have any previous qualifications or are just starting out in the workplace, then it is likely you will include skills from vocational courses such as First Aid at Work or Emergency Life Support.

Here is how the skills should be placed in the right order with good presentation:

How to identify your best skills

To identify your best skills, you need to think about the evidence you have that supports the skills that you claim. This should include official documents, awards or certificates from work or school, and examples of how you’ve used specific skills.

It could be a good idea to use some form of a mind-mapping tool like MindMeister to help put all of this together. Mind-mapping is highly effective for visualizing complex information and involves linking together different ideas through clear connections.

You can then organize your thoughts so that you can clearly see what your best skills are. This will make it easier to highlight the most important skills.

It’s also useful to create a list of the best skills you have when doing this exercise as it could help you decide which ones to highlight in your CV.

Tips:

• Be realistic with your hard skills. If you are claiming to be good at something that’s completely unique to you, then other employers may find this difficult to believe.
• If your hard skills are related to the role you’re applying for, then make sure you include it in your section.
• Similarly, try to avoid claiming to be an expert at anything.
• If you’re having difficulty identifying your best skills, ask friends or family members for feedback.
• You may need to do some research on what soft and hard skills are important for the industry you want to work in.
• Try different techniques for brainstorming your best skills. For example, you could try mind mapping , mind writing , word association or drawing pictures .
• The importance of your hard and soft skills should be about the same. A good rule of thumb is 80% hard and 20% soft skills.
• Make sure you write down as many skills as possible so that you have a complete picture of your skills.
• Try to highlight your best skills in bold and most important ones in italics.

How to write your skills section

The skills section of your CV is often referred to as the “Hobbies & Interests” section. You need to be careful about how you write this, as some employers may take a negative view of people who have a large number of hobbies or interests. Therefore, it’s best to highlight the ones that are relevant.

Here are some tips for how you can write a good skills section:

1. Showcase your hard skills first so they will stand out from the other items on your CV.
2. If you have a hobby that involves skills, then include it in your CV. This will make it much easier for recruiters to see that you can transfer what you’ve learned in your hobbies in the workplace.
3. Try to avoid writing a single line for your skills as it will look very poor on your CV. Instead, aim to write at least four or five lines.
4. Try to include more than one skill in each section. This will help recruiters understand that you have a broad range of skills that fit with the role you’re applying for.
5. If you’re having difficulty selecting which skills to highlight, take a look at your CV and ask yourself which things or experiences stood out to you during the process of looking for work.
6. Try to avoid writing over one page as this can make it look like you’re trying too hard and not being casual about it.
7. Make sure your grammar, spelling and punctuation is good. This will show that you are attentive to detail and care about the quality of your work.
8. Don’t list hobbies that aren’t relevant to the job or industry you want to work in.

How to make your skills section stand out

1. Difficult to Obtain – These are the skills that are special or unique. If you can walk into an interview and tell recruiters about something you’ve done that they haven’t heard before, you’re ahead of the crowd. This could be something as simple as organizing a sports team or being on a charitable committee, but what’s important is that it stands out from other people’s experiences.
2. Relevant – These are skills that a lot of people have, but not necessarily the skills you need to be successful in the job or industry you want to work in. These might include basic administration tasks, such as how to deal with a customer complaint correctly.
3. Transferable – These are skills that can be used in many different roles and industries. You don’t need to be very good at something if it will allow you to apply for and go into lots of different jobs.
4. Works Confidently – This is a very important skill. It shows that you are prepared to take control of a situation or project. Recruiters want to hire confident people so if it looks like you’ve been hired because of previous work experience, consider whether you are confident in your ability to get the job done and make decisions.
5. Active – This is essentially the opposite of “Works Confidently”. If you’re not interested in exploring how your skills can be applied, then don’t put this skill on your CV in big letters.

How to place these skills in order

You may think that if you’re a hard worker, it should be easier to pick out your best skills and highlight them. Unfortunately, this isn’t true. Some of the most important skills are the ones that you have no idea how to use or they are very different than what you’re looking for in a job. In this case, it’s much better to list the skills that you find easiest to understand. This will make it easier for recruiters to decide what skills you should highlight.

Firstly, write down all the skills that you know how to use. If you’re not sure about something, ask a friend or family member if they can help you find out more information about it.

Secondly, think about the difficulty of each skill in relation to looking after a dog and helping someone with an injury. If it’s very easy, then it may not be highlighted on your CV – perhaps place it in a skills section at the bottom of the page. If it’s very difficult, then consider putting it at the top of your skills section.

How to choose what skills to highlight

When looking for a new job, don’t make the mistake of not considering each skill that you have in the same way as Hiring Managers do. It’s true that not all skills are relevant to everything, but you can use the following tips to help you decide how important each skill is.

1. Consider how easy or hard it would be for you to learn or use this skill in your next job or career.
2. Consider what skills are needed for you to be successful in the job or career that you want to have.
3. Think about how often this skill is used in your ideal role and industry and other roles within the same industry.
4. Consider the profession that you’d like to work in and the industry that you are looking for. You might find that one skill is relevant to all industries, but that it can’t be highlighted on your CV because it’s not needed in every industry.
5. Think about how useful this skill is for other jobs or careers. If it’s too specific, then you may need to narrow it down or leave it as a hobby/interest.

Example skills to put on a CV

Here is the list of popular and most used soft and hard skills to put on a cv. A cv should show your enthusiasm, interest, and knowledge in certain skills. Check this and use them in your cv.

1. Communication skills:

Effective communication is often the key to any job. Communication skills are vital in order to be successful at work. Communication skills also have been found to increase job satisfaction and contentment. Having a good ability to communicate can make a great difference between whether or not people decide to take up a job offer. A person can include his communication skills in their CV by highlighting their communication skills and how they have helped develop them in the following ways:

• Written communication
• Active listening
• Public speaking
• Listening skills
• Reading ability

2. Teamwork skills:

Working cooperatively in a team is important for everyone, but especially so when it comes to leadership positions. In a team, you need to be able to compromise as well as motivate others, while knowing your own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the team’s goals. Skills that you can show when it comes to teamwork include:

• Cooperation
• Adaptability
• Reliability
• Empathy

3. Negotiation skills:

A successful negotiation can help you get a job or a higher salary. Knowing how to negotiate is a skill that will increase your chances of success in any career. Being able to negotiate will make you feel more confident and enable you to speak up for yourself without feeling intimidated by others. Knowing how to negotiate will also help you in situations that are outside the office. Negotiation skills are an important part of any job and could include:

• Creative problem solving
• Appropriate compromise
• Dealing with difficult people
• Decision making
• Flexibility of mind
• Leadership capabilities
• Strategic thinking
• Teamwork

4. Time management skills:

A person’s ability to manage their time well is important for both personal and professional life. Being able to manage your time effectively will lead to increased productivity and efficiency. Having good time management skills will also ensure that items are completed on time. Individuals are often faced with the challenge of learning how to manage their time well. A person can show these skills by highlighting his or her ability to manage their time and how this contributed to their success in the following ways:

• Agreeing on deadlines with work colleagues whether this is in the office or outside of work.
• Organizing projects so they run smoothly without last minute panic.
• Dealing with unexpected problems that impact deadlines.
• Planning and prioritizing daily tasks.

5. Management skills:

A person can easily demonstrate their management skills by highlighting their ability to achieve success as a member of a team. It’s important to show that you are capable of working with others and taking on the role of a leader as it shows that you have great people skills. This can be done by adding the following skills to their CV:

• Creativity
• Delegation
• Consistency
• Teamwork
• Continuity
• Planning
• Quick decision making

6. Planning & Organizing Skills:

Planning and organizing skills are important components of efficiency. In order to be successful at work, planning and organizing is essential as these are key characteristics required for every work environment. Planning and organizing skills are particularly important in order to manage to-do lists effectively. This can be demonstrated by highlighting how the following skills have contributed to your success in the following ways:

• Managing your time effectively
• Planning tasks and projects
• Organizing paperwork
• Establishing a routine for daily tasks.
• Being detail-oriented
• Managing multiple tasks at once

7. Teamwork skills:

Teamwork is often a key component in getting the job done. A person’s ability to work cooperatively with others is also important for leadership positions, as well as ensuring that tasks are accomplished among a group of people. The following skills are important for teamwork:

• Cooperation
• Adaptability
• Reliability
• Empathy

8. Problem Solving:

Problem-solving skills are an essential part of any job role. The ability to solve problems effectively can lead to the resolution of tense situations and ensure that projects are completed on time. Being able to develop solutions to problems will also make you feel more confident in your abilities throughout your day. Sometimes the best solution to a problem doesn’t come immediately, so it is essential to raise these issues with your colleagues. Problem-solving skills can also be demonstrated by highlighting your ability to ask questions and think outside of the box when it comes to solving problems or getting creative with solutions.

• Thinking outside of the box
• Collaboration
• Flexibility
• Creativity
• Quick decision making
• Decisiveness
• Planning
• Looking for alternatives in a situation when they are needed.

9.Financial planning:

One of the most important skills to have in your job is financial planning. Why? That’s because financial planning enables you to save money and make wise choices that will lead to a long and prosperous life. It teaches you how to stay away from debt, manage finances, and save for a rainy day. Here are some ways financial planning can be demonstrated in a CV.

• Using cash management systems to track your expenditures
• Budgeting and planning
• Creating a savings plan
• Paying off debt and other financial obligations on time.
• Compiling an annual financial statement and analyzing it to find ways to improve it.

10. Computer skills:

First and foremost, it is important to have a computer or laptop so you can write a CV that will be accepted. The following are some computer skills that will be very helpful and will enable you to write a CV that gets you accepted:

• Using MS Word
• Basic Internet Navigation
• Microsoft Excel
• Internet research
• E-mail communication

11. Time management skills:

Time management skills are not only necessary for personal life and work history, but also in a small business. The ability to manage time well will enable you to be productive, efficient, and stay on top of your emails. You will also notice that having good time management abilities can have a positive impact on your mood and attitude towards the workplace. Time management skills are a crucial skill to have and can be demonstrated by highlighting the following:

• Workload management
• Multi tasking
• Juggling a number of tasks at once
• Managing deadlines
• Overcoming procrastination
• Delegating tasks to others effectively.

12. Critical Thinking Skills:

Critical thinking is very important in today’s world where almost everyone is under pressure after job cuts and social security cutbacks. It is important to be able to think critically in order to solve problems and come up with solutions quickly. Critical thinking skills can be demonstrated by highlighting the following:

• Analyzing information
• Planning out a strategy
• Solving problems and finding solutions
• Dealing with difficult people.
• Making decisions that benefit the group as a whole but do not hurt yourself financially.

13.Customer service skills:

Customer service skills are a crucial part of any job, especially when it comes to finding a job in the customer service sector. Having these skills will enable you to handle customers with professionalism and show that you have what it takes to be successful in your chosen career.
The following are some key customer service skills that should be included in a CV.

• Handling customer complaints and inquires on the phone
• Responding to emails in a timely manner
• Dealing with sales calls and getting “customer satisfaction” (being patient).

14. People skills:

People skills are the key to success at any job and are often highlighted by people who have been successful in their careers so it is important to highlight these if you want to be successful. The following are just some of the ways people skills can be demonstrated in a CV.

• Initiating conversations in order to network professionally
• Handling groups and meetings well
• Dealing with people who may be difficult to handle.
• Dealing with difficult situations and communicating effectively with others.

15. Self-motivation:

Self-motivation is a key skill that will enable you to get the job done on time, despite the obstacles. Self-motivation can be demonstrated by highlighting the following:

• High level of work ethic
• Being able to keep busy when things are difficult
• Taking on extra tasks and accepting work when offered.
• Developing a drive to succeed.

Key Takeaways:

1. The best skills to include are those that demonstrate how you add value to and solve problems for the company.
2. Because of their breadth, soft skills tend to be more impressive than hard skills on a CV.
3. The best skills are those that are quantifiable, can be used in a sentence, and represent something a company is trying to do (i.e., “improving sales” is better than “sales experience”).
4. The best skills to keep at the top of your CV are things that you can demonstrate within 10 seconds of being asked.

Most people have a tendency to put down what they think a company wants to see when they’re writing their CV, as opposed to what would actually benefit the company.

Interested to write a stand-out CV so please check our examples of good CV template for your reference. Also, use our free CV builder.

Frequently Asked Questions

Recommended Reading:

1. Hobbies and Interests to put on a CV
2. CV personal qualiteis and skills
3. How to write references on a CV
4. How to write achivements on a CV
5. Personal details on a CV
6. Best CV format for freshers

A list of skills for CVs based on industries and job roles, along with a comprehensive description of types of CV skills, how to present skills on CV, what are the key skills to be listed on Curriculum Vitaes and more than 150 key skill examples. Use as this as your foundation to understand which skills to put on a CV, as well as a good inspiration of specific qualities employers may be looking for!

When you are describing your difference, your list of skills for a CV
will show the  hiring manager whether you have what it takes to succeed. 

Thinking about your CV skills will keep you up at night, though…. 

How do you showcase your skill set to create an irresistible sales pitch?

There are so many questions. What are some of your strengths?
What are your skills gaps? How do you define your skills? How do you list skills on a CV? When you describe one of your skills, you need it to serve a dual purpose: it starts a conversation about a career win in your past and it also signposts the fit for your future job.

This blog will explore how to create the perfect mix of skills for a CV:

• What are the key skills to include in your curriculum vitae?
• List of 150+ skills for a CV.
• Where and how to include skills in your CV.

When pondering your CV skills, think about the talents, traits and wisdom that you have picked up over the years. Which of these skills will help you take the next step?

What are Key Skills for a CV? 

There are three main types of skills for CV: hard, soft and technical. Below we will dive into what each of those CV skills categories means and how to use them.

Hard Skills

The hard skills
that you might list on your CV are those needed to do a specific task, often with specialist knowledge (software or languages, for example) or with a functional slant. Hard CV skills are easily quantified, are easily improved by training or self-development, and are sometimes tested in the course of the hiring process. 

Hard CV skills are easier for a potential employer to measure and the first stage of many hiring processes will be a scan by the ATS software
to check the hard skills on your CV. If you don’t list the important ones for the role, your CV may not be read by the hiring manager at all. Your choice of CV skills matters a great deal.

Soft Skills

Soft skills
are the more human aspects of your personality, attributes and approach that modify your relations with those around you. Your hard skills show that you have the tools to do the job and the soft CV skills often indicate how you go about using your tools. Outlining your soft skills is critical when it comes to cultural fit.

Communication, creativity, organization, adaptability, decision making, reliability, problem-solving and time management
are all soft skills that can greatly influence both your success and the success of those around you. These skills are not always learned in a classroom. If you care, the trial and error of life lessons is all you need.

Technical Skills

If you work in STEM-led and knowledge-heavy functions such as programming, IT or engineering then you will likely have a list of highly technical skills longer than your arm that no one apart from your immediate boss will understand. Should you include them in your CV? Absolutely. Your technical skill-set is what sets you apart.

There are other areas such as marketing which might seem simple to an outsider, but when you get into the nuances of the role, those with the rarest technical CV skills are worth their weight in job search gold. 

150+ List of Skills for a CV

No matter what role you are looking to secure, every employer will be looking for a blended skill set of hard, soft and technical skills.

The following skill categories should cover the core requirements of most roles, so read between the lines of the job description and consider what exactly your future boss will need from you. How do you piece together the puzzle of how your skills join up to ensure success for you and for all around you?

Communication Skills

Getting your message across to the right people in the right way is the foundation of success. Whether the communication is face-to-face or in a Zoom call, here are some of the communication skills for a CV that are required to ensure that you’re understood.

Communication Skills for a CV
Empathy	Active Listening	Clarity
Rapport Building	Requesting Feedback	Public Speaking
Body Language	Questioning	Friendliness

Organizational Skills

Once you know what needs to be done and the required direction of travel, the next challenge is to make it happen. Organizational skills on your CV should show how you bring people and resources together and ensure that your best-laid plans stay on track.

Organizational Skills for a CV
Setting Expectations	Focus	Operational Excellence
Delegating	Physical Organization	Prioritization
Self-Care	Goal Setting	Time Management

Teamwork Skills

Making sure that you work well with others is one thing, but great teamwork skills for your CV also help to facilitate people working well with you and also with each other. Keeping every looking and moving in the same direction is no mean feat.

CV Skills — Teamwork
Persuasion	Critique	Participation
Collaboration	Patience	Respect
Dedication	Encouragement	Reliability

Analytical Skills

With the rapid proliferation of analysis tools and technology, analytical skills have entered the mainstream in many industries and occupations. Everyone needs to be able to work out what is going on around them and which levers to pull to improve.

CV Analytical Skills
Benchmarking	Audit	Continuous Improvement
Mindfulness	Scenario Planning	Argumentation
Process Analysis	Investigation	Troubleshooting

Leadership Skills

Leadership skills
are easy to talk about, but impossible to perfect when the pressure is on, and expectations are high. These skills help leaders to set an example to both subordinates and colleagues. Be someone who is worth following.

Leadership Skills for a CV
Decision Making	Mentoring	Training
Coaching	Risk Taking	Planning
Ambition	Proactivity	Honesty

Computer Skills

It is a fact of life that most 14-year-olds have more advanced computing skills than a typical adult, but with the inevitable march of technology, computer skills are essential in an increasing number of industries. Learn to code everyone (or at least list your computer CV skills on your application).

Computer Skills for a CV
Word Processing	Coding Languages	Spreadsheets
Systems Administration	Version Management	Development
Network Security	Proofreading	Automation

Problem-Solving Skills

In the world of work, you can either solve a problem (with the help of those around you), or you can pass it on to those around you. These problem-solving skills help to tell the story of how you decrease both your workload and that of your colleagues.

Problem-Solving CV Skills
Research	Flexibility	Inventiveness
Determination	Collaboration	Critical Thinking
Data Gathering	Mediation	Evaluation

Customer Service Skills

For those who provide a service to customers (internal or external), the ability to delight them and send them on their way with a satisfied smile is sadly rare. If you are, however, passionate about customer service, these skills will be familiar.

Customer Service CV Skills
Interpersonal Skills	Dispute Resolution	Diplomacy
Reliability	Adaptability	Problem Solving
Attentiveness	Tenacity	Closing Ability

Creativity Skills

Creating something out of nothing is not a magic trick. It is simply the output of an inquisitive mind and a mix of creativity skills that allow you to challenge assumptions, push boundaries and question everything that you thought was set in stone.

CV Skills describing Creativity
Concept Development	Brainstorming	Visual Thinking
Innovation	Idea Generation	Discipline
Iteration	Design	Exploration & Discovery

Collaboration Skills

We all work with other people, but collaboration skills are all about working with them effectively. Two heads are better than one and ten heads are definitely better. However, working with ten other people definitely requires some effort.

Collaboration Skills for CV
Motivation	Debating	Long-term Planning
Team Orientation	Goal Setting	Compromise
Brainstorming	Engagement	Transparency

Resourcefulness Skills

Much like problem solving, resourcefulness skills centre around finding innovative ways to achieve your goals. Doing things differently to others can bring hidden opportunities and will certainly broaden your outlook on what is possible.

CV Skills — Resourcefulness
Growth Mindset	Adaptability	Drive
Persistence	Continuous Improvement	Proactive Attitude
Questioning	Cultivating Relationships	Out-of-box Thinking

Project Management Skills

If you split your working day into separate tasks, you might find that many of these project management skills will come in useful on a micro scale. Projects come in all shapes, and you don’t have to be a high-flying consultant to benefit from these skills.

CV Skills for Project Managers
Conflict Resolution	Budgeting	Coordination
Team Management	Strategic Planning	Scheduling
Financial Planning	Risk Management	CRM Software

Administration Skills

Behind every bright idea lies a whole heap of hard work and administration. You can’t change the world unless you are on top of all the basic admin skills that surround the attempt. You can’t climb Everest if you have forgotten the tent.

Administration Skills for CV
Data Entry	Documentation	Attention to Detail
Task Planning	Business Administration	Calmness
Prioritization	Executive Assistant	Multitasking

Marketing Skills

The world might not be aware that you exist, but with the rise of social media and a mobile audience of millions, marketing skills often make the difference between success and failure. Build a collective of fans for your corporate or personal brand.

Marketing Skills
Copywriting	Ad Management	Branding
Social Media Management	Marketing Campaigns & Funnels	SEO
Media Production	Data Analysis	Google Analytics

Sales Skills

In a similar vein to marketing, whether you are selling an idea, product or service, sales skills have become an ever more essential and sophisticated part of the professional toolkit. Listen to those buyers and find the fit that works for them.

CV Sales Skills
Product Knowledge	Influencing Skills	KPI Management
CRM Software	Prospecting	Objection Handling
Negotiation Skills	Curiosity	Social Selling

Finance Skills

Finance used to be a dark art that took years of study to understand. Now that the numbers are increasingly crunched and analysed by AI software, finance skills are increasingly about what to do with the insights in the real world.

Finance Skills for your Curriculum Vitae
Business Intelligence	Client Relations	Financial Modelling
Accounting	Cash Flow Management	Reporting
P&L Ownership	Data Management	Mathematics

HR Skills

People still matter. You don’t have to work in human resources to know that many of these HR skills are critical to career progression and management success. 

CV Skills for HR jobs
Training	Recruitment	People Management
Employer Branding	Advising	Onboarding
Employee Relations	Performance Mgmt	Compensation & Benefits

Where and How do I Put Skills on My CV? 

As your future employer reads through, your CV skills should jump off the page at regular intervals. It is not enough to list 5-6 key skills in a dedicated skills section. Your CV should be bursting to the seams with what you have to offer. 

Here are three places where you can list your skills:

CV Summary

The CV summary
section is the most important 3-4 lines on your CV and it should be dripping with your top skills, both described and implied. It is okay to repeat the rarer CV skills that are in your skill section – you need the hiring manager to read that far, after all. Don’t be afraid to bring out the big CV skill guns.

Work Experience Section

Sometimes your skills speak for themselves if you describe your accomplishments well enough. If you mention that you saved 15% on the annual equipment spend you won’t need to state the obvious and wax lyrical about your negotiation skills. Be smart in the language that you use in your CV skills and what lies behind it.

Skills Section

As a typical skills section contains 6-7 key skills, only the rarest and most impressive skills should get on your list. Mostly include your harder and technical skills here as your soft CV skills can come across in what you achieved in your work experience and in your summary. Suggested ratio of 2:1 in favour of hard skills.

Key Takeaways

When you come to writing, reading and re-reading your CV skills, ask yourself about what skills come to mind while you are reading. Which skills lie behind your achievements? How does your skill-set match up to the job description?

All these questions (and more) are central to finding the perfect CVskills blend.

• Find a mix of hard, soft and technical skills (weighted towards hard skills).
• Make sure that every skill is specific to the future job and industry.
• Create a detailed but complementary selection of impressive CV skills.
• List your skills in the summary, work experience and skills sections of your CV.

Are you qualified to be hired?

So how do you list skills on a resume to have recruiters invite you for an interview? What should you do so that recruiters actually believe you?

Learn exactly what with this article.

It’ll show you:

• Examples of the best skills to put on a resume for all jobs.
• What soft and hard skills to include on a resume to get noticed.
• How to list skills on your resume to confirm your qualifications and get interviewed for your dream job.

You’ve been tinkering with that skills list for hours, even though you didn’t need to. Instead, you could use the Zety resume builder and simply drag & drop the skills onto your resume template. So go ahead. Pick one and create a resume that’ll get you the job you actually want.

Sample resume made with our builder— See more examples and create your resume here.

Skip to the following parts of the guide:

• Best Skills to Put on a Resume
• Office and Administrative Jobs
• Sales, Retail, and Customer Service Jobs
• Nursing and Healthcare
• IT Jobs
• Engineering & Technical Jobs
• Advertising and Marketing
• General Management and Project Management
• How to List Skills on a Resume

Best Skills to Put on a Resume

So you must’ve been wondering whether there are universally good skills to put on a resume that every hiring manager would love to see before making their shortlist. Indeed, they’re a mix of soft and hard skills. See the following list of the key skills for a resume to get wind of them all:

• Computer Skills
• Communication Skills
• Leadership Skills
• Organizational Skills
• People Skills
• Customer Service Skills
• Collaboration Skills
• Problem-Solving Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Creative Thinking Skills
• Critical Thinking Skills
• Management Skills
• Teamwork Skills
• Active Listening Skills
• Adaptability
• Negotiation
• Conflict Resolution 
• Empathy
• Decision Making Skills
• Time Management Skills
• Language Skills
• Administrative Skills.

The soft skills listed above are very much transferable skills. Such abilities are universal and not associated with a particular job or industry—they’ll make fantastic employment skills no matter the job title.

This means you should add a few of your most relevant personal skills to a resume, whatever job you’re applying for. That’s especially important if you’re a recent graduate writing an entry-level resume. 

Studies have shown that the most important things to put on a resume for entry-level candidates are soft skills:

• problem-solving (83% of employers) 
• teamwork (83%)
• written communication (80%) 
• and leadership (72%).

See more examples of soft skills and step-by-step instructions for how to list them on a resume: The Best Soft Skills to Put on a Resume

Hard skills are abilities you learn on the job, through formal education, or additional training. They are teachable, measurable, and related to a specific job. For instance, if you work in customer service, your hard skills include Zendesk, data entry, and product knowledge.

On resumes, hard skills show what you can do. Soft skills indicate how you’ll perform your duties.

Let’s have a look at examples of key skills employers look for in candidates for the most popular professions:

Skills Examples: Office and Administrative Jobs

• Data Entry
• Answering Phones
• Billing
• Scheduling
• Microsoft Office Skills
• Office Equipment
• QuickBooks
• Shipping
• Welcoming Visitors
• Salesforce
• Calendar Management
• Computer Skills

Skills Examples: Sales, Retail, and Customer Service Jobs

• 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)
• POS Skills
• Cashier Skills
• Good Communication Skills

Skills Examples: Nursing and Healthcare

• General Nursing 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
• Phlebotomy
• Rehabilitation Therapy
• Hygiene Assistance
• Use of X-Ray, MRI, CAT Scans
• Meditech
• Glucose Checks
• Electronic Heart Record (EHR)

Skills Examples: IT Jobs

• Programming Languages
• Web Development
• Data Structures
• Open Source Experience
• CodingJava Script
• Security
• Machine Learning
• Debugging
• UX/UI
• Front-End & Back-End Development
• Cloud Management
• Agile Development

Skills Examples: Engineering & Technical Jobs

• STEM Skills
• CAD
• Design
• Prototyping
• Testing
• Troubleshooting
• Project Launch
• Lean Manufacturing
• Workflow Development
• Computer Skills
• SolidWorks
• Budgeting
• Technical Report Writing Skills
• Technical Skills

Skills Examples: Advertising and Marketing

• SEO/SEM
• PPC
• CRO
• A/B Testing
• Social Media Marketing and Paid Social Media Advertising
• Sales Funnel Management
• CMS Tools
• Graphic Design Skills
• Email Marketing Skills
• Email Automation
• Data Visualization
• CPC
• Typography
• Print Design
• Photography and Branding

Skills Examples: General Management and Project Management

• Agile
• Managing Cross-Functional Teams
• Scrum
• Performance Tracking
• Financial Modeling
• Ideation Leadership
• Feature Definition
• Forecasting
• Profit and Loss
• Scope Management
• Project Lifecycle Management
• Meeting Facilitation
• Managerial Skills
• Organizational Skills

Hungry for more hard skills examples and expert tips for how to list them for the greatest impact? See our article: Hard Skills: Definition & List of Best Examples for Any Resume 

Don’t know what skills are best for you? Tired of overthinking what to include? Our builder will do the job for you.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

How to List Skills on a Resume

1. Tailor your resume skills to the job description you’re targeting

If there’s one takeaway here, it’s this:

Customize the skills list on every resume you send to match the job offer requirements.

You’ll show recruiters that you’re made for this job specifically and beat resume-screening bots that scan resumes for relevant keywords.

How to make a resume skills list tailored to the job ad?

• Start with a master list of all your professional skills. List everything that makes you good at your job, both hard and soft skills.
• Read the job description carefully. Pay attention to the “Requirements” or “Key Skills” section of the job ad.
• Look for skills-related words and phrases such as “meticulous time-management,” “knowledge of XYZ software,” “proficient in Lean management,” and so on. Jot them down.
• Compare your master list of skills with those you see in the job ad. All those that match have to go on your resume. 
• Don’t stop there! If the job ad calls for other skills you think you have but forgot to enter on your master list, mention those on a resume, too. 
• Tell the truth, though. If you exaggerate your qualifications on a resume, recruiters will find out at some point.

Let’s see how that works in practice. Below, you’ll find a sample job ad for a customer service representative. 

See those keywords marked in yellow? Those are the key skills and qualifications successful candidates will have to list and prove on their resumes.

Now that you know what’s expected of you show you have the skills they need.

2. Include relevant skills in a separate skills section

This way, you’ll help recruiters spot strengths on your resume in a flash. 

Use a standalone skills section where you put your most important qualifications. Make sure to:

• Be specific and precise (“Written and verbal communication,” instead of “good communicator”).
• Divide the skills into “Hard Skills” and “Soft Skills.”
• Use no more than ten skills in total.

See how it should look in an example below:

You can also indicate how advanced your abilities are using descriptive words, such as “Advanced,” “Intermediate,” or “Basic.” 

3. Add your work-related skills to the experience section

That’s right, your work history section with descriptions of past jobs is evidence of the skills list you’ve just made. That is where you have to prove you can apply your skillset in real-life professional situations.

I’ll use the following sample work history section to respond to the customer service job ad’s requirements that you read a moment ago:

To learn more about how to include skills and abilities in a resume work experience, see: Work Experience on a Resume: Duties, Skills, Achievements

4. Weave the most relevant skills into your resume profile

Yes, you guessed it—for the best resume, you need to mention a few of your most relevant skills in the profile, too. After all, you don’t just tell recruiters about your skills. You show them.

Let’s stick with our example of a customer service job. The job ad calls for skills in:

1. Supporting customers in technical positions.
2. Problem-solving
3. Support tools and software.

See how this candidate shows their skills in the below resume summary:

Customer service specialist with 2+ years of experience working with clients in highly technical roles (1) seeking a Customer Service Associate position with ABC Company. Applied Agile frameworks to facilitate problem-solving procedures (2) for new complaints, slashing ticket resolution time by 40%. A power user of JIRA, Zendesk, and Salesforce (3).

What makes it so great?

Upon reading a 50-word-long paragraph, the recruiter already knows the candidate is skilled in everything that counts for this job.

See tips for making the most of your skills for a job in a resume summary or objective. Read: Resume Summary Samples and Professional Resume Objectives 

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here’s what it may look like:

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaway

Here’s how to list skills on a resume for a job:

1. Be relevant to the position you’re after: pay attention to the required skills mentioned in the job ad and list those on your resume.
2. Create a legible, separate skills section: list up to ten key job skills, optionally adding descriptions of your proficiency level.
3. Refer to your top skills in your resume’s work experience section to show how you put your abilities to use.
4. Add 2–3 most relevant skills to your resume summary or objective.

Thanks for reading my article!

Now, I’d love to hear from you! 

What are the biggest challenges when putting skills on resumes? What skills do you think are the most crucial? Do you need further assistance with your resume skills list? 

Drop me a line in the comments. Let’s chat!

Frequently Asked Questions about What Skills to Put on a Resume

What are the top skills employers are looking for?

The top skills that employers look for on a resume are:

• Technical skills: computer skills, programming languages, social media, and enterprise software
• Problem-solving skills: creativity, critical thinking, and analytical skills
• Customer-service skills: active listening, time management, and prioritization
• Interpersonal skills: communication, teamwork, and empathy
• Leadership skills: decision making, stress management, and organization

What are good skills to add to a resume?

There’s no definitive answer to this question because there are no universally good skills. It depends on what you know and can do and what skills employers are looking for. To hit the nail on the head, read the job description and mark the keywords you’ll later match with your resume.

If you’re writing a resume to change your career, go for transferable skills that are equally relevant to the job you’re applying for. If you’re writing your first resume without much work experience, do the same but with a mix of top-notch employability skills.

What kind of skills to put on a resume?

Include soft and hard skills to respond to every aspect of the job description—desired qualities AND competencies. You need to have both soft skills and hard skills to succeed in virtually every profession, no matter how technical. For example, even for a typical technician job, engineering knowledge is not enough: you also need good communication skills to explain the problem and present viable solutions.

How do I list my skills on a resume for 2023?

Give yourself more credit and weave the skills in your resume in a number of ways:

1. Make sure to include your best skills in a resume summary or objective. It’s the most important and first section of your resume. Recruiters pay attention to every detail there, so do yourself a favor and be explicit.
2. When you write your work experience section, use the PAR formula to build your accomplishment statements. That way, you’ll mention how you brought the results, which gives away your skillset.
3. Create a skills list in resume bullet points tailored to the job description.

Where to put skills on a resume?

It depends on the resume format you choose when making your resume:

• Chronological resume: write your skills list under the work experience section.
• Functional resume: make room right under the career objective to write a skills sum-up. Give a short description of each skill to explain how you used it at a job.
• Combination resume: group your skills right under the header and list several achievements underneath to showcase your qualifications.