Here’s how you should include skills on a resume like a pro!
Having killer skills on your resume is essential. Modern resumes need to include the right talents to quickly prove to a hiring manager — and an applicant tracking system — that you are worth contacting.
By skills, we mean the technical and interpersonal abilities you need to thrive as a candidate. You’re a talented and qualified applicant — the skills on your resume should prove it.
ZipJob’s professional resume writers know how to identify the resume skills you need to put on your resume, developed by our team of resume experts, professional writers, and former Fortune 500 hiring managers. We blend strategy with applicant tracking system hacks to ensure your resume gets noticed. Want to learn more? Read on to see how to find the best skills to put on a resume this year. Here's what we'll cover:
“Having the right combination of skills is key to passing the ATS scans,” says career expert, Jennifer Johnson.“ You need to showcase the skills that are most relevant to the job you are applying for. Deciding which skills to list is important; don’t list everything you’ve done, but rather what you’ve done that positions you for where you want to go.”
What to do before listing skills on your resume
Ready to get started? Here’s what you should do first.
1. Identify your key skills
Before you put skills on your resume, you need to know what they are. Make a list of your strongest skills. Ideally, these are workplace skills; however, don’t rule out personality traits, academic skills, or skills from volunteer work and side hustles. Having trouble? Try mulling over these prompts:
What types of things do you do every day? What tools or talents help you perform those tasks?
What are you better at than most other people?
What skills have you used to make an impact in your past jobs?
What hard skills do you most enjoy using at work?
What sort of traits do people compliment you on?
You can also try taking some free career assessments for inspiration.
2. Research common skills in your industry
This is vital for people who are trying to switch into a new career or anyone who hasn’t looked for a new job in a few years. Consult recent job descriptions on top job search sites like Indeed and LinkedIn and use them to add to your resume skills list.
Check out lists of in-demand skills. These lists are a good reference to see what is popular for the year.
Remember not to add different types of skills just because they’re trendy, and only include skills you actually possess. These lists can help jog your memory, though, or help you determine what skills to emphasize. For example, in 2020, emotional intelligence is one of the top soft skills.
You can also reference resume examples that include education, work experience, and skills for your job title.
3. Answer the job description
Use the job description to figure out what the employer wants to see in terms of skills on resume submissions. Look for phrases such as “required skills,” “technical requirement,” and “must have experience with…” The words that follow are usually necessary qualifications and keywords.
Make sure all required skills appear on your resume at least once. Use the exact word or phrase as the job description. Mention your top skills multiple times, such as in a professional summary, skills section, and while describing your work experience.
Reminder: use a combination of soft skills and hard skills for a resume.
Let’s break down the list above to detail exactly how to incorporate the right resume skills. Here is an example of some good skills a Director of Finance might want to put on a resume:
Your first step to identifying the right skills to put on your resume will follow the same process. Use the list of vital skills to identify your own talents that are valuable to employers. Put these skills on your resume and you’re off to a good start.
4. Consider hard and soft skills
In the resume writing world, there are two types of skills: hard skills and soft skills. The main difference is that hard skills are objective and soft skills are subjective.
This difference is important.
“The best resumes contain a strong combination of both hard and soft skills. The hiring manager needs to know that not only can you do the job well but that your personality will be a good fit,” says Jennifer.
“You want to make it easy for the hiring manager to find your qualifications. Your resume should have a ‘Core Competencies’ section where you can list your hard skills and tailor them for the specific job you are applying to. Then, you want to integrate your soft skills throughout the Summary and Work Experience sections.”
Expert Tip
ZipJob's blog includes hundreds of articles on career resources, resume writing, and the job search written by career experts.
What skills should I put on my resume? 10 excellent examples
To better explain this, let’s split up our list of the 10 most important skills into hard skills and soft skills. If you have experience with these skills, you should definitely include them on your resume.
Hard skills to include on your resume
Hard skills on your resume don’t refer to difficult skills or areas of expertise: they’re the objective technical skills needed to do the job a company is hiring for. You should list your relevant hard skills throughout your resume, such as in your professional summary, skills section, work experience, and education.
From the list above, the first five are hard skills.
1. Knowledge of specific computer applications
You need computer skills on your resume. Hard skills include job specific technical skills such as computer applications, software, and overall digital literacy. Even if you’re not applying for a job in IT, you should include the computer programs you’re familiar with in your resume skills section if they are relevant to the position.
Listing your exposure to virtual tools like Slack, Hootsuite, or Asana shows that you’re tech-savvy.
Being tech-savvy has all kinds of good connotations like being smart, adaptable, and up to date. Plus, if the company uses any of these tools, it won’t have to spend as much time training you and that means it has saved money.
Choose your computer-related strengths and place them in a resume skills section. If you’re short on program and software knowledge, consider adding other computer skills like your word-per-minute keyboarding speed.
In general, you shouldn’t include Microsoft Office on a resume. At this point, it’s expected that office workers know how to use word processors. However, if you’re heavily experienced in Microsoft Excel, you can mention this in the relevant experience section.
Example of using numbers to showcase skills in your experience section:
Implemented inventory management system using Microsoft Excel to track shipments and deliveries, saving an estimated three hours and $250 per week previously spent on redundant orders.
If you are in a highly technical field like IT or engineering, you should have a specific technical skills section on your resume to list all your proficiencies. Head over to our guide on including technical skills on your resume.
2. Applicable certificates or degrees
If you earned a certificate or degree, that hard skill has (probably!) earned a place on your resume. Even if your degree is in a different field from the one you currently work in, your education shows that you are hard-working and committed. You should put these types of hard skills in a section titled ‘Education’ or ‘Education and Certifications.’
When the job posting description includes certifications or degrees as a requirement, be sure to include them on your resume. If you don’t meet these requirements, you may want to hold off applying for this type of job until you have earned them.
Notice that this item says ‘applicable,’ though: there are cases when your education might not help your resume, such as in these examples:
An expired realtor’s license from 15 years ago is not going to help you become the next technical writer for toaster ovens. You can safely leave that out of your skills section.
Your high school diploma is implied if you hold an associate, bachelor, or other higher degree. Save the space for another skill.
Multiple certifications on similar topics might make your resume look cluttered. Pick your top three based on issuing entity, recency, or preference and add the other ones to your LinkedIn.
If you don’t have the training or experience an employer wants, you can always learn a new hard skill! Unlike soft skills, which are mostly innate, hard skills can be acquired and improved all the time.
Check out online skill-building sites. Many are free or a small fee per month, and you can gain skills or industry-recognized certifications.
3. Graphic design skills
Are you creative? Put those skills on your resume. Graphic design is one of the most in-demand skills. If you have experience with graphic design programs like Photoshop or InDesign, this will appeal to most employers.
“Graphic design skills are important when competing in today’s market,” says Jennifer.
“It is a unique skill that conveys both technical acumen and creativity. If I have two candidates that are equally qualified for the job, I will call the one with graphic design experience first.”
To give the skill the maximum impact, include a link to a digital portfolio. While this is common for writer and artist resumes, an engineer who has a graphic design portfolio is surprising and unique. When a hiring manager sees a link, they’re going to want to click it to learn more about a qualified candidate.
4. Computer programming, web, or software development
While there may be some overlap with the computer application knowledge you listed above, computer programming and web or software development skills deserve their own designation because they’re so valuable. If you’re skilled with Python, JavaScript, Ruby, or other coding languages, you should put them on your resume. Experience with WordPress is also worth noting.
On top of the practical need for developers at nearly every business, programming skills demonstrate advanced problem-solving skills that can contribute to a well-rounded professional. Even if the position you're applying for doesn’t specifically require programming skills, it can benefit you greatly to include it on your resume if you have developed these skills.
5. Foreign language proficiency
¿Hablas español? ¡Si!
Knowing and listing multiple languages on your resume ranges from helpful to essential for client-facing roles. Being bilingual also displays intelligence. If you are fluent or proficient in another language, you should always mention it on your resume!
You can include your level of proficiency in the final sentence of your resume summary, or you can list multiple foreign languages in a skills section.If knowing another language is a job requirement, be sure to list your skill prominently.
Example of including language skills in your experience section:
Translated 2000 word article from French to English for a client in the digital health industry
To summarize, hard skills refer to knowledge or ability in specific areas. They can be proven through measurable tests of ability and can be easily quantified. Hard skills are usually the more important skills to highlight on your resume because they can be vital to the job function. Including these skills will help your resume pass the applicant tracking system (ATS) test and get onto the hiring manager’s radar.
Soft skills to include on your resume
Do you have soft skills on your resume? Since soft skills are often people skills, hiring managers and HR professionals are always on the lookout for them. Soft skills can make or break your candidacy, and are important if you’re applying for highly-nuanced, creative roles in marketing, advertising, or customer service.
Continuing down the list of top skills, the remaining five professional skills are examples of relevant soft skills.
6. Problem-solving / creativity
Problem solving skills show an ability to approach difficult situations and work through them. This is something that nearly every employer wants in an employee. Similarly, creativity shows you’re an adaptable applicant with a mind for design.
Unlike hard skills, you shouldn’t list soft skills in a skills section unless you are new to the job market and lacking in other useful skills. Instead, you should match your soft skills with examples or descriptive adjectives and include them in your work experience section.
To showcase your problem solving and creativity skills, you can use the STAR method: situation, task, action, result. This is a common interview technique, but can also be an excellent way to demonstrate your impact on your resume.
Example of using the STAR method to show problem solving skills:
Solved inventory management deficit by redesigning inventory control system, quality controls, network integration, and training; on-time order fulfillment improved by 45%, profits increased by 23%, and canceled orders decreased by 82%.
Expert Tip
Make your bullet points stand out by using the STAR method on your resume.
7. Communication
When we’re talking about good skills to put on a resume, this skill is a must-have. For nearly every resume because communication or interpersonal skills are listed on virtually all job descriptions. Define your specific communication strengths.
“Think about how you communicate and how it advances your professional success. For example, don’t just list ‘negotiation’ as a skill. Add an adjective/descriptor that demonstrates how you negotiate. Say something like ‘Persuasive Negotiator’ or ‘Strategic Negotiator.’ The right adjective can set you apart as an achiever vs. a doer,” suggests Jennifer.
Your communication skills should ideally be listed in terms of how they helped you achieve something. If you are a ‘persuasive negotiator,’ it’s far more persuasive to include the results of your skill, preferably using numbers.
Example of showing communication skills on your resume:
Reduced price of green coffee by $1.29 per pound (-36%) by leveraging negotiation and interpersonal skills
8. Time management
Time management is essential for any applicant with multiple tasks to manage. It comes down to a matter of organization, and proving you can be effective with competing priorities.
Include this skill with specific examples under work experience. This skill is often related to other organizational skills you should include on your resume such as the ability to meet deadlines, collaborate with a team, and delegate assignments.
9. Teamwork
When it comes to the best soft skills to put on your resume, this is a big one. Teamwork is an indicator of emotional intelligence, an increasingly valuable skill that many companies are focusing their hiring efforts on. As teams are becoming more diverse, leading a team is more about emotional intelligence than technical skill.
Show your teamwork skills by mentioning a shared achievement in your work experience, or include an example of your teamwork prowess in your resume summary. Don’t list it in your skills section.
Expert Tip
The ability to collaborate with a team is a key skill to highlight for remote jobs. For more insights, read our guide on How To Write A Resume For Remote Work.
10. Leadership skills
Are you applying for a supervisory position? Don’t forget to include leadership skills on your resume. Leadership skills on a resume demonstrate professional flexibility and growth potential, which is beneficial regardless of the position. It’s not essential, but if you can think of a good example in which you’ve applied solid decision making and leadership skills, put it on your resume.
Key Takeaway
When you're including management skills on your resume, it's important to know which skills best showcase your abilities.
“Don’t forget to include your soft skills on your resume!” says Jennifer. “Most hiring managers today are more selective than ever before because they understand how the right culture and work atmosphere can impact productivity and employee retention rates. They don’t want to just know that you can do the job — they want to know you will fit in with their organization. A solid combination of soft and hard skills will help land you the interview.”
Why are skills so important on my resume?
Three words: Applicant Tracking Systems.
Nearly all companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to filter through resumes. These systems scan through resumes to look for specific keywords, such as certain skills necessary for the job.
The ATS scan summarizes your skills based on the keywords you chose on your resume. If the skills section of your resume doesn’t exactly match the job description, your resume may be rejected by the applicant tracking system (ATS) before it ever reaches a human.
Example of an ATS skills report
Depending on the program, the ATS scan also gives weight to your core skills. Based on the words you use and the frequency of each, the computer will parse your resume and generate a report that briefly explains to the employer how skilled you are.
The screenshot below was pulled from our in-house ATS software — the same tech big companies use to parse your resume.
You’ll see our ATS pulled information about computer systems (including Microsoft Office — more on that later!), foreign language proficiency, and problem solving skills in addition to the industry (Information Technology) and the core skill (data mining).
This information was generated from a resume submission, as opposed to a ZipJob professionally written resume, so other IT-related computer programs, degrees, and so on were not optimized for the ATS. We’ll talk about how to optimize your resume for ATS scans next.
Curious about what your resume says to an ATS? Try our free resume review.
How to make your skills jump out in the ATS scan
“Your skills section should be front and center, easy for both the hiring manager and the ATS program to scan quickly,” says Jennifer.
To find the exact words they’re looking for, refer to the job description. The better the skills on your resume match the keywords, the better your chances are to pass the ATS scan and reach the hiring manager’s hands.
It is good practice to order your skills strategically, as well as group related skills together. You don’t have to label different categories. Simply grouping your related skills together will make them easier to sort through. The wrong way to list skills:
Photoshop
Fluent in Spanish
Illustrator
Proficient in German
The right way to list skills:
Photoshop
Illustrator
Fluent in Spanish
Proficient in German
See how much easier it is to read through the second list? While this won’t help you with an ATS scan, it will help the hiring manager. Keep it visually balanced and intuitive.
The format matters when including skills on your resume
You can set the information apart visually by adding a line or even a border, but avoid using a text box or table. Not all systems are capable of reading these features yet, and your skills section is too important to risk losing.
Your skills section should be very clean and easy to read. You don’t want it to look cluttered, so being selective is key. Use bullet points to keep your skills lined up, or try one of the other formats below.
How to list skills on a resume: Formatting ideas
1. The bullet point
Always list your skills in bullet point format, rather than full sentences or paragraphs. This will help hiring managers to quickly identify your relevant abilities and qualifications.
2. The vertical bar
In this example, the skills are more detailed and complex. Since each skill takes up a different amount of space, a bullet point list would look messy and uneven. Instead, you can use a vertical bar key to separate each core proficiency. With this method, limit yourself to two or three lines of text to focus on the most essential of your proficiencies.
3. The symbol
By using bullet-type symbols, this list keeps each skill visually distinct. Some of the skills take up less space than others, but none of the items are too lengthy as in the vertical bar example. Again, limit yourself to two or three lines of texts for this method.
Notice that in each example, the section is clearly labeled, the bullet points are all lined up, the capitalization is consistent, and the section is not packed full of related keywords.
Expert Tip
View 200+ more professional resume samples for all industries, along with a guide to writing resumes from our career experts.
How do I stand out as a job applicant?
1. Quantify your skills whenever possible
Saying you are a ‘60 word per minute typist’ has far more impact than a ‘fast typist.’
“Measurables are incredibly valuable to your resume; anything with numbers, percentages, or dollar signs immediately draws the reader’s eye and gives tangible examples of how you made a difference,” says Jennifer.
2. Make sure your resume has a clear message
The hiring manager should know exactly who you are as a professional and what your goals are. Having too much information can confuse the hiring manager about your goals and can frankly cause them to lose interest in reading your resume.
“Do not approach your resume with the mindset that you have to include everything you’ve ever done in your career,” Jennifer advises.
“The hiring manager needs tangible proof that you are qualified for the job they are seeking to fill. For example, if you are applying for a senior-level executive position, it is not relevant to the hiring manager that you worked as a Customer Service Associate in Retail while in college. Eliminate experiences that are not applicable to your goal, and do not exceed a 2-page resume length.”
3. Tailor, tailor, tailor
You should always think of your resume as a living, working document. Always read the job descriptions to understand what the hiring manager is looking for. Review your resume to make sure it aligns correctly.
Before you apply for any job online, spend a few minutes to tailor your resume. Most people don’t do this. When done correctly, however, it can be incredibly effective!
There are two reasons for this:
You’ll look like a great match to any recruiter or hiring manager reviewing your resume.
You’ll look like a great match to the ATS.
The hiring manager should not have to dig through your resume to see if you are qualified. Your most relevant skills should be front and center. The best places to tailor your resume is in the title, subtitle (if applicable), the Summary, and the ‘Core Proficiencies’ sections.
“Hiring managers can tell when someone has customized their resume to match the job description,” warns Jennifer.
“Hiring managers are inundated with resumes each time they open a job, allowing them to be picky when choosing candidates. That ten minutes you spend tailoring your resume to the job description can make all the difference between getting a phone call for an interview vs. getting a ‘thanks but no thanks’ automated email response.”
We have a great guide on How to Tailor Your Resume to Different Positions with examples and advice from our professional resume writers and career experts.
Word of caution: if you don’t have a required hard skill or technical requirement, it’s probably best to not waste your time applying. These are generally the skills a successful candidate will have to perform the job well. If you see particular hard skills show up in multiple job descriptions you would like to apply to, try to learn the skill! Look for online certifications to learn the basics.
FAQs about skills on resumes
What are good skills to put on a resume?
Use a combination of hard and soft skills such as:
1. Communication skills like public speaking, writing, written communication, and active listening.
2. Technical skills like IT skills, engineering skills, programming languages, web development, search engine optimization and industry-specific technology.
3. Analytical skills like critical thinking, problem solving, and research.
4. Transferable skills if you’re changing careers like leadership and time management.
5. Negotiation skills related to management, compromise, and adaptability.
How many skills should I put on a resume?
Putting skills on your resume is not a numbers game. Within your dedicated skills section, limit yourself to 9 to 12 key talents. Use bullet points, text bars, or columns to keep this section organized and easy to read.
What should I call a skills section?
At ZipJob, we like to use a “core competencies” or “core proficiencies” section. Under that heading, include your most impressive technical and hard skills. We don’t recommend using headings like “Skills and Abilities” or “Special Skills.”
The takeaway
Your skills should be included in a skills section and in the other sections of your resume. These words and phrases are your most effective tools to pass an ATS scan. Remember to use keywords from the job description and incorporate numbers when you can. Be specific, and be honest.
Now that you know how to list skills on your resume, it’s time to give it a once over. At ZipJob, we have the resume writing resources that you need to get started. Choose one of our expert packages to give yourself the competitive edge now.
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Written by
Charlotte Grainger, Editor & Content Writer, Charlotte Grainger, Editor & Content Writer
Charlotte Grainger is a freelance writer living and working in Sheffield, UK. She has a passion for career development and loves sharing tips and advice. Follow her on Twitter
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