When it comes to landing interviews, your resume must do more than summarize your work history—it needs to persuade. One of the fastest ways to do that is by showcasing the right skills. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems (ATS) scan for key skills to assess whether you’re a strong match for the role. Choosing which skills to include on your resume can be surprisingly tricky. List too few, and you may miss out. List too many, and you risk looking generic—or dishonest.
In this article, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about which skills to put on your resume, how to choose them, where to put them, and how to tailor them to each opportunity.
Overview of Skill Types
Hard Skills
Hard skills are measurable, teachable abilities that are specific to a job or industry. Examples include proficiency in software, foreign languages, machinery operation, or financial modeling. They’re often learned through education or training and are essential for performing technical tasks.
Examples:
- Python programming
- Data analysis in Excel
- Bookkeeping
- AutoCAD design
- Foreign language fluency
Soft Skills
Soft skills are personal attributes and interpersonal abilities that shape how you work and interact with others. They’re often harder to quantify but are critical in nearly every job.
Examples:
- Communication
- Adaptability
- Problem-solving
- Time management
- Leadership
Why Listing Skills Matters
From a recruiter’s perspective, your skills determine whether you can handle the job—and how you might contribute to the team. From an ATS perspective, the right keywords (i.e., skills) determine whether your resume is even seen.
Benefits of including a dedicated skills section:
- Improves ATS compatibility
- Makes your qualifications easy to scan
- Supports other sections of your resume
Failing to clearly present your skills can lead to quick rejection—even if you’re highly qualified.
How to Choose and List Skills
- Analyze the job description Review the job listing carefully. Highlight all listed skills, responsibilities, and tools. These are your target keywords.
- Align with the company’s ideal profile Look beyond the job description—check out the company’s values, culture, and tone. This helps you tailor soft skills and cultural fit.
✨ Jobalope Tip: Tailoring your resume to every job can be a slog—but it doesn’t have to be. Jobalope uses AI to analyze job descriptions and automatically suggest the right skills to include, saving you hours while improving your chances of landing interviews.
- Use the STAR method for context When reinforcing skills in the experience section, use the Situation, Task, Action, Result (STAR) format to show how you used them.
- Show proficiency levels Add context when appropriate: e.g., “Fluent in Spanish,” “Advanced Excel user,” or “Beginner in Salesforce.”
- Create a dedicated skills section Use bullet points or a grid layout. Keep it organized and categorized if needed.
- Reinforce skills in other sections Mention skills in your summary, experience descriptions, certifications, and courses.
Resume-Worthy Skill Categories and Lists
Soft Skills
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Leadership
- Adaptability
- Emotional Intelligence
- Critical Thinking
- Time Management
- Conflict Resolution
- Decision Making
- Creativity
Hard/Technical Skills (by Field)
Computer Skills
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Google Workspace
- Keyboarding (Typing speed)
- Data entry
- Troubleshooting
Design Skills
- Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)
- UI/UX Design
- Figma, Sketch
- Typography
- Branding
Business & Management Skills
- Strategic Planning
- Project Management (e.g., Agile, Scrum)
- Budgeting
- Stakeholder Management
- Business Analysis
Accounting & Finance Skills
- QuickBooks
- Financial Reporting
- Auditing
- Forecasting
- Reconciliation
Engineering Skills
- CAD (AutoCAD, SolidWorks)
- MATLAB
- Lean Manufacturing
- Prototyping
- Electrical Circuit Design
Marketing Skills
- SEO/SEM
- Google Analytics
- Content Marketing
- Social Media Advertising
- Email Marketing Tools (e.g., Mailchimp)
Sales Skills
- CRM Software (e.g., Salesforce)
- Lead Generation
- Cold Calling
- B2B/B2C Sales
- Sales Forecasting
IT & Data Management Skills
- SQL
- Cloud Computing (AWS, Azure)
- Systems Administration
- Cybersecurity
- Data Warehousing
Office/Admin Skills
- Calendar Management
- Filing Systems
- Document Preparation
- Appointment Scheduling
- Meeting Coordination
Food Service Skills
- Food Safety & Sanitation
- POS Systems
- Menu Knowledge
- Customer Service
- Table Setting
Medical & Healthcare Skills
- Patient Care
- Electronic Health Records (EHR)
- Vital Signs Monitoring
- HIPAA Compliance
- Medical Coding
Legal Skills
- Legal Research
- Case Management Software
- Document Drafting
- Deposition Summaries
- Legal Compliance
Customer Service Skills
- Conflict Resolution
- Order Processing
- CRM Tools
- Phone Etiquette
- Client Retention
Warehouse/Operations Skills
- Forklift Operation
- Inventory Management
- Order Picking
- Logistics Coordination
- Safety Protocols
HR Skills
- Recruitment & Onboarding
- Benefits Administration
- Performance Reviews
- HRIS Systems
- Employee Relations
Technical & DevOps Skills
- CI/CD Pipelines
- Kubernetes
- Docker
- Git/GitHub
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Hospitality Skills
- Concierge Services
- Reservation Systems
- Event Coordination
- Multilingual Communication
- Housekeeping Protocols
Resume Sections Where Skills Should Appear
- Summary: Emphasize your most job-relevant skills.
- Experience: Show how you applied your skills with results.
- Skills Section: Present a keyword-friendly snapshot.
- Certifications: Reinforce technical expertise.
- Courses: Show self-motivated learning.
- Headline: Highlight a core skill (e.g., “Bilingual Customer Service Representative”).
Special Cases
- Career Changers: Focus on transferable skills (e.g., leadership, analysis, communication).
- Informal Experience: Include self-taught skills or freelance experience in context (e.g., “Built a portfolio website using HTML/CSS”).
Transferable Skills: Your Secret Weapon in a Career Shift
Transferable skills are abilities you’ve gained in one job or life experience that can apply to many different roles or industries. They’re especially useful if you’re changing careers, reentering the workforce, or applying to roles outside your usual field.
Common transferable skills include:
- Communication
- Leadership
- Problem-solving
- Time management
- Organization
- Customer service
- Project management
- Collaboration
- Data entry or analysis
To make the most of these, frame your experience around results, not just tasks. For example:
“Led a 10-person team across departments to improve turnaround time by 20%.”
Even if your previous job was in retail and you’re moving into tech, skills like team leadership, client interaction, and operational efficiency are still highly valued.
Jobalope’s resume tools can help identify and frame your transferable skills for the job you’re targeting, making them easy for recruiters and ATS software to spot.
Final Tips & Key Takeaways
- Prioritize relevance over volume—tailor your skills to each job.
- Back up soft skills with examples.
- Don’t “stuff” your resume with buzzwords without evidence.
- Use your entire resume—not just the skills section—to highlight capabilities.
FAQs
- What are the best skills to list? The best skills to list are those mentioned in the job description and those you can confidently demonstrate.
- How many skills should I include? Aim for 8–15 skills in a dedicated section, and reinforce them elsewhere.
- Should I list soft skills? Yes, especially those relevant to the role—just ensure they are supported by your experience.
- How do I tailor skills to a job? Extract key terms from the job description and reflect them in your resume’s wording and structure.
Can I include informal or self-taught skills? Absolutely—just include them in context and be ready to discuss them in interviews.
In today’s competitive job market, knowing which skills to put on your resume—and how to show them—can be the difference between getting an interview or getting overlooked. Be strategic, be honest, and always tailor your approach.
