FresumeResume writing
Skills to put on a resume, with 100+ examples by job
The right skills are the ones the job actually asks for. Use this guide to pick hard and soft skills by profession, write them so an ATS reads them, and find the exact skills each posting wants. Updated for 2026.
What skills should you put on a resume?
Short answer: The best skills to put on a resume are the ones the job description actually asks for. Mix hard skills — software, tools, and certifications an employer can verify — with a few proven soft skills like communication and problem-solving. List 8–12 in a dedicated skills section, then prove the important ones inside your experience bullets.
A skills section is not a place to list everything you have ever touched. It is a targeted match to one specific role. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems scan for the terms in the posting, so a focused list of relevant skills beats a long, generic one every time. The sections below break skills down by type, then by job, so you can build a list that fits the role you want.
Hard skills vs. soft skills
Every skill on your resume is either a hard skill or a soft skill, and a strong list needs both. Hard skills are teachable, measurable abilities — tools, languages, and certifications. Soft skills are how you work with people and problems. Hard skills get you matched by the software; soft skills, when you prove them, get you hired by the human.
| Hard skills | Soft skills | |
|---|---|---|
| What they are | Specific, teachable, verifiable abilities | How you work, communicate, and adapt |
| Examples | Python, Salesforce, Excel, GAAP, IV therapy, AutoCAD | Communication, leadership, problem-solving, adaptability |
| How to list them | Name them exactly as the posting does, in a skills section | Prove them with a result in an experience bullet, not just a label |
| ATS weight | High — these are the literal terms filters search for | Low on their own — they need evidence to count |
Tip: Never list a soft skill as a bare adjective. “Team player” and “detail-oriented” are claims every applicant makes. Replace the label with a bullet that shows it — and reach for a stronger opener from our resume action verbs list.
Skills to put on a resume by job
The most relevant skills change with the role. Below are high-signal hard and soft skills for 13 common career areas. Treat each list as a prompt for terms you may have missed, not a checklist to copy — only include the skills you honestly have, and match the posting’s exact wording. Each group links to a full resume example in that field.
Software & IT
Python, Java, JavaScript, SQL, Git, REST APIs, CI/CD, cloud (AWS/Azure), debugging, unit testing, Agile/Scrum. See the software engineer resume example or the IT support resume example.
Data & analytics
SQL, Excel, Python, R, Tableau, Power BI, data visualization, statistics, A/B testing, data cleaning, dashboarding. See the data analyst resume example or the data scientist resume example.
Marketing
SEO, Google Analytics (GA4), content strategy, paid media, HubSpot, copywriting, email marketing, A/B testing, social media. See the digital marketing resume example or the content writer resume example.
Sales
Salesforce, pipeline management, prospecting, cold outreach, negotiation, CRM, quota attainment, forecasting, account management. See the sales executive resume example or the account executive resume example.
Customer service
Zendesk, CRM, conflict resolution, active listening, multitasking, ticketing, de-escalation, empathy, product knowledge. See the customer service resume example.
Healthcare & nursing
Patient care, Epic EHR, triage, BLS/ACLS, vitals, medication administration, HIPAA compliance, care plans, phlebotomy. See the registered nurse resume example or the medical assistant resume example.
Finance & accounting
Excel, QuickBooks, GAAP, reconciliation, month-end close, forecasting, financial modeling, accounts payable/receivable, NetSuite. See the accountant resume example or the financial analyst resume example.
Administrative
Calendar management, Microsoft Office, scheduling, data entry, travel coordination, minute-taking, expense reports, office management. See the administrative assistant resume example or the executive assistant resume example.
Project & product management
Agile, Scrum, Jira, roadmapping, stakeholder management, risk management, budgeting, PMP, sprint planning, cross-functional leadership. See the project manager resume example or the product manager resume example.
Engineering
AutoCAD, SolidWorks, MATLAB, technical drawings, quality control, project specifications, testing, GD&T, compliance standards. See the mechanical engineer resume example or the civil engineer resume example.
Education
Lesson planning, classroom management, curriculum design, differentiated instruction, Google Classroom, assessment, IEPs, student engagement. See the teacher resume example.
Design & creative
Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), Figma, typography, branding, UX/UI, layout, wireframing, motion graphics. See the graphic designer resume example.
Retail & hospitality
POS systems, cash handling, upselling, inventory management, customer service, food safety, order accuracy, scheduling. See the retail associate resume example or the server resume example.
Not seeing your field? Browse all resume examples to see how experienced writers weave skills into real bullets instead of dumping them in a list.
Communication skills to put on a resume
Communication is the soft skill employers name most, and it appears across almost every job description. Listing the word “communication” alone means little — name the specific ability and back it with proof. These are the communication skills worth calling out:
- Written communication — clear emails, reports, and documentation a reader understands the first time.
- Verbal communication & presentation — explaining ideas to a room or a client without jargon.
- Active listening — understanding what a customer or colleague actually needs before responding.
- Stakeholder communication — keeping teams, leaders, and clients aligned across a project.
- Negotiation & persuasion — reaching agreement and moving decisions forward.
- Cross-functional collaboration — working across departments toward a shared goal.
- Conflict resolution — de-escalating and resolving disagreements professionally.
- Giving and receiving feedback — improving work through constructive, two-way input.
Show, don’t label. Instead of “excellent communication skills,” write: “Presented monthly performance reports to a 20-person leadership team and aligned three departments on a new rollout plan.” The skill is obvious — and now it is proven.
How does the ATS match your skills?
Before a recruiter reads your resume, an applicant tracking system scores it against the job description — and skills are the biggest signal it uses. The software indexes concrete terms like tools, certifications, and named methodologies, then checks how many the posting asks for that your resume contains. Miss the required ones and you can be filtered out before a human ever looks.
That is why exact wording matters. If a posting says “project management” and your resume only says “project coordination,” some systems will not connect the two. Mirror the terms you honestly own, spell out acronyms on first use (“Certified Public Accountant (CPA)”), and keep a clean, single-column layout so the parser reads your skills correctly. For the full method, see our guide to resume keywords and beating ATS filters.
How to find the exact skills a job wants
Guessing which skills a posting wants is slow and easy to get wrong. A resume-job match score does it in about two minutes: it compares your resume against a specific job description and shows the skills the job asks for that yours is missing, ranked by how important each one is. Here is the workflow:
- Copy the job description you are targeting.
- Paste your resume and the posting into the free ATS resume checker.
- Read the match score and the list of skills the job wants that your resume is missing.
- Add the missing skills you honestly have, using the posting’s exact wording, to your skills section and bullets.
- Re-check to confirm the score went up before you apply.
Doing this per job beats sending one resume everywhere. Tailoring your skills to each posting is the single fastest way to lift your match score — and it is free to check.
Questions
Skills to put on a resume: FAQ
01What are the best skills to put on a resume?
The best skills are the ones the job description asks for. Combine hard skills the employer can verify — software, tools, and certifications — with a few proven soft skills like communication, problem-solving, and leadership. List 8–12 relevant skills in a dedicated section and prove the important ones in your experience bullets. A targeted list beats a long, generic one.
02What is the difference between hard skills and soft skills?
Hard skills are specific, teachable, measurable abilities — like Python, Excel, GAAP, or IV therapy. Soft skills are how you work with people and problems, like communication, adaptability, and teamwork. Hard skills get your resume matched by the ATS; soft skills, when you back them with evidence, help the recruiter decide to interview you. A strong resume shows both.
03How many skills should I list on a resume?
Aim for roughly 8–12 skills in a dedicated section — enough to cover the role’s key requirements without padding. Prioritize the hard skills and tools the posting names, then add a few soft skills you can prove elsewhere on the resume. Quality and relevance matter more than quantity; a focused list tailored to the job outperforms a long one.
04What communication skills should I put on a resume?
Name specific communication abilities rather than the bare word: written communication, verbal and presentation skills, active listening, stakeholder communication, negotiation, cross-functional collaboration, and conflict resolution. List the ones the role needs, then prove them in a bullet — for example, presenting reports to leadership or aligning teams on a plan — so the skill is demonstrated, not just claimed.
05How do I know which skills a job wants?
Read the posting and highlight every named tool, certification, and required skill — those are the terms the ATS and recruiter search for. To remove the guesswork, paste your resume and the job description into a free ATS resume checker: it returns a match score plus the exact skills the job asks for that your resume is missing, ranked by importance.
Related guides
Build the rest of your resume around your skills: turn duties into results with resume action verbs, get every term past the filters with our resume keywords guide, and start from a clean layout in the resume builder. Then browse resume examples to see skills used in context.
See which skills your resume is missing.
Paste your resume and a job posting for a free match score that shows the exact skills the job wants — then add them before you apply.