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Soft skills for a resume: 60+ examples and how to list them
Soft skills tell an employer how you work, not just what you know. Use this categorized list of 60+ soft skills — plus the difference from hard skills and how to prove each one — to fill the skills section recruiters actually read.
What are soft skills on a resume?
Soft skills are the personal and interpersonal traits that shape how you work with others and manage yourself — communication, teamwork, adaptability, problem-solving, and time management. Unlike hard skills, they are not tied to a specific tool or certification. On a resume, list the soft skills a job description names and back each one with a concrete result rather than a bare adjective.
Because they apply across almost every job, soft skills are what a hiring manager weighs once two candidates look equally qualified on paper. They belong in three places on a strong resume: named in your resume summary, grouped in your skills section, and — most importantly — evidenced in your experience bullets. The categories below give you 60+ to choose from.
Soft skills vs. hard skills: what’s the difference?
Hard skills are the teachable, measurable abilities a job requires — a programming language, a piece of software, a certification. Soft skills are the traits that decide how well you apply them alongside other people. You need both, and the strongest resumes make each one visible.
| Soft skills | Hard skills | |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | How you work and interact | What you can technically do |
| Examples | Communication, teamwork, adaptability | Python, bookkeeping, SEO, welding |
| How you prove it | Results and behavior in your bullets | Certifications, tools, measurable output |
| Where it lives | Summary, skills, and experience | Skills section and credentials |
One quick test: if you can earn it from a course or certificate, it is a hard skill. If it describes how you show up — patient, persuasive, organized — it is a soft skill.
60+ soft skills examples by category
Scan for the traits that match the job you want, then choose six to ten — not the whole list. The categories map to what each skill signals, so you can match it to the story a bullet tells.
Communication
Active listening · Verbal communication · Written communication · Public speaking · Presentation · Persuasion · Storytelling · Giving & receiving feedback · Negotiation · Facilitation
Leadership & management
Delegation · Coaching · Mentoring · Decision-making · Conflict resolution · Motivating others · Strategic thinking · Accountability · Vision-setting · Change management
Teamwork & collaboration
Collaboration · Relationship building · Cross-functional coordination · Empathy · Consensus building · Cultural awareness · Reliability · Team building · Supporting teammates
Problem-solving & critical thinking
Critical thinking · Analytical thinking · Creativity · Resourcefulness · Attention to detail · Research · Logical reasoning · Troubleshooting · Design thinking
Adaptability & resilience
Flexibility · Resilience · Learning agility · Stress management · Openness to feedback · Comfort with ambiguity · Growth mindset
Self-management & work ethic
Time management · Organization · Prioritization · Self-motivation · Dependability · Initiative · Goal-setting · Follow-through · Multitasking
Emotional intelligence & interpersonal
Emotional intelligence · Self-awareness · Patience · Diplomacy · Approachability · Networking · Customer orientation · Positivity
How do you show soft skills on a resume?
Listing “great communicator” convinces no one — every applicant claims it. Soft skills only count when a recruiter can see them in action. Turn each trait into evidence with these four steps:
- Mirror the job description. Copy the exact soft skills the posting names into your skills section and summary, so both the ATS keyword match and the recruiter register them.
- Prove each one in a bullet. Instead of “strong communicator,” show it: “Presented quarterly results to a 40-person leadership team and drove sign-off in one meeting.”
- Lead your summary with your top three. Open your resume summary with the two or three soft skills most central to the role, each tied to a quick result.
- Keep the list tight. Group six to ten relevant soft skills; a wall of thirty adjectives reads as filler and dilutes the ones that matter.
The pattern is always the same: name the skill, then show the outcome. Draft each bullet in the resume builder, or borrow phrasing from real resume examples in your field.
Which soft skill clichés should you avoid?
Some soft skills have been repeated so often that they now signal nothing. If any of these vague phrases sit on your resume, click through for stronger, provable replacements and a before-and-after example:
- Instead of “Team player”See stronger words & an example→
- Instead of “Detail-oriented”See stronger words & an example→
- Instead of “Hard worker”See stronger words & an example→
- Instead of “Results-driven”See stronger words & an example→
- Instead of “Go-getter”See stronger words & an example→
The fix is the same every time: replace the buzzword with a specific action verb and a number. Browse the full list of resume action verbs, then check the result with the free ATS resume checker.
Questions
Soft skills FAQ
01What are soft skills on a resume?
Soft skills are non-technical traits — like communication, teamwork, adaptability, and time management — that describe how you work with people and handle your job. On a resume they belong in your skills section and summary, and each should be backed by a real example in your experience bullets rather than left as a bare adjective.
02What are the best soft skills to put on a resume?
The best soft skills are the ones the job description names. Across most roles, communication, collaboration, problem-solving, adaptability, and time management carry the most weight. Pick six to ten that fit the posting, and prove your top few with a measurable bullet instead of listing thirty generic traits.
03What’s the difference between soft skills and hard skills?
Hard skills are teachable, measurable abilities tied to a tool or field — coding, bookkeeping, welding. Soft skills are the interpersonal and self-management traits that shape how you apply them. A strong resume pairs both: hard skills prove you can do the work, soft skills prove you can do it with a team.
04How do you list soft skills so they pass the ATS?
An applicant tracking system matches the exact wording in the job description, so use the posting’s phrasing — if it says ‘stakeholder management,’ write that, not ‘people skills.’ Keep them in a plain-text skills section, and run the finished resume through a free ATS checker to confirm the keywords register.
Show your soft skills, don’t just claim them.
Upload your resume for a free ATS score that checks whether your skills match the job — then evidence each one in the builder.