The Best Skills To Put On Your Resume

A good skills section will enhance your resume and boost your chances of a job interview. But develop your skills list thoughtfully. Otherwise, it may confuse hiring managers and hinder your document’s performance on applicant tracking systems (ATS). The best way to approach this section is by focusing on specific skills from your background and target job rather than generic strengths any job seeker could claim.

In the guide and examples below, we’ll show you how to find the right skills to showcase on your resume and cover letter.

How a Skills Section Can Help

A skills section is optional but often useful on the modern resume. It overviews the (possibly various) ways you can serve an organization, letting managers see at a glance you’re a good fit. And as part of your resume’s introduction, it lets you feature any important details absent in your profile paragraph. The skills section can also boost your resume’s performance on ATS by emphasizing relevant keywords from an online job posting.

Resume Skills Defined

You may be unsure what information to include in your skills section or even what “skill” means in this context. A skill is simply anything you’ve learned how to do well or proficiently. The key word here is “learned,” as skills are generally separate from natural traits like integrity or determination.

For the purposes of this resume section, use only brief terms or noun phrases (no more than four words) that you could plug into the sentence “I’m skilled in X.” So a term like “data analysis” is correct, but a similar phrase like “highly analytical” is incorrect.

How To Write a Resume Skills Section

When determining how to list skills for a resume, the first step is to carefully review the job description. The job listing typically contains key terms and phrases that highlight the skills the employer values most. By matching your skills to these keywords, you increase the likelihood that your resume will be selected by both hiring managers and applicant tracking systems (ATS).

For example, if a job ad emphasizes “project management” and “cross-functional collaboration,” you should ensure these exact terms appear in your skills to put on a resume—provided you possess them. This targeted approach ensures that your resume resonates with the needs of the employer and passes through ATS filters effectively.

It’s also important to tailor the skills you list based on the role and industry you are applying for. For entry-level positions, focus on basic technical and transferable skills that demonstrate your ability to adapt and grow. Mid-level professionals should emphasize a blend of hard skills and leadership capabilities, while senior-level applicants can prioritize strategic skills, team leadership, and industry-specific expertise. Each level should showcase skills that reflect the expected responsibilities and impact for that role.

For instance, a senior software engineer’s resume should highlight skills like software architecture design and cross-team collaboration, while an entry-level developer would be better served by emphasizing proficiency in specific programming languages like Python or Java. By aligning your skills to the specific requirements of the role, you create a resume that stands out.

Follow these three steps to create a skills section that’s both comprehensive and targeted to the job you want.

Step 1: Brainstorm

Take some time to create a complete list of professional skills you’ve gained in your life so far. For the moment, don’t worry whether each skill is relevant to your job search — just write everything down. (To help you get started, see our lists of the best resume skills for popular industries below.) When you’re done brainstorming, save this master skills list as a separate document you can revisit and add to as your career progresses.

As one example, here’s the initial skills list you might come up with if you’re a sales manager with early experience in restaurant service:

• Client engagement
• Consultative sales strategies
• Cost reduction
• Customer service and satisfaction
• Efficiency improvement
• Food safety procedures
• Inventory management
• Menu development
• New market penetration
• Process streamlining
• Product promotions
• Revenue and profit growth
• Staff training and coaching
• Team collaboration
• Team leadership and motivation
• Vendor relations

Step 2: Review and highlight

Now, go over your list and highlight the skills you expect to use in your target job – these will form the basis of your resume’s skills section. Plan on omitting any skills that don’t pertain to your current application, even if they are rare or objectively impressive.

Remember this section’s rule of thumb: Every item should be a skill you both (a) possess and (b) expect to use in your next position. Obviously, it’s important to cite only skills you actually have. But it’s also important to cite only the skills that speak to a hiring manager’s needs. As with your other resume sections, the focus here is not on your background “in general” but on your background in relation to the job opening at hand. When in doubt, refer to the job posting for insight on what skills the employer is looking for.

Continuing the above example, say you want to get out of management and back to a direct sales position. Below (highlighted) are the skills that most likely pertain to that new goal:

• Client engagement
• Consultative sales strategies
• Cost reduction
• Customer service and satisfaction
• Efficiency improvement
• Food safety procedures
• Inventory management
• Menu development
• New market penetration
• Process streamlining
• Product promotions
• Revenue and profit growth
• Staff training and coaching
• Team collaboration
• Team leadership and motivation
• Vendor relations

Step 3: Showcase

Finally, organize and present on your resume the relevant skills you’ve identified. Typically, this list should appear as a separate section toward the top of your document, right under your profile. Label this section “Key Skills,” “Areas of Expertise,” or “Core Competencies.” Order your skills list by relevance or alphabetically if they’re about equally relevant, as in this finished example:

See how the above list accurately shows and emphasizes direct sales skills. At the same time, it leaves out management and service-industry skills like “Food safety procedures,” which would not be helpful to someone hiring for a sales position.

How To Format Your Skills Section

Often the best way to format your skills list is by placing a pipe symbol between each item. This style is both easy for the reader to scan and easy for you to modify based on each job application.

You can also format this section as a simple list of bullet points.

However, if you have a long list of skills, avoid the bullet-point style, as it can waste space on the first page of your resume. Instead, consider presenting your skills in two or three columns.

Hard Skills Versus Soft Skills for Your Resume

Hard skills are the daily duties or regular tasks you’re charged with within your profession. They may also be specific technical programs or systems in which you have expertise. Thus tech job seekers are more prone to list plenty of hard skills on their resume. (Note: If you’re versed in many technology products, consider making them a separate technical skills section.)

By contrast, soft skills reflect your approach to your work and the type of business culture you can help build. They’re usually more transferable than hard skills since you can apply them in many different industries or vocations. If you’re making a drastic career change, your relevant soft skills may be central to your candidacy and resume.

Common resume hard skills

• Budgeting and cost accounting
• Business needs assessment
• Client relations
• Cost reduction and elimination
• Customer service and satisfaction
• Data gathering and analysis
• Data visualization
• Efficiency improvement
• Employee relations
• Equipment repair and maintenance
• Inventory management
• Lean manufacturing
• Microsoft Excel
• Organizational development
• Policy development
• Process streamlining
• Project management
• Regulatory compliance
• Reporting and documentation
• Revenue and profit growth
• Risk management
• Salesforce.com
• Staff training and development
• Stakeholder relations
• Strategic business planning
• Talent retention
• Targeted resource allocation
• Vendor negotiations

Common resume soft skills

• Active listening methods
• Conflict resolution
• Continuous improvement
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Public speaking
• Task prioritization
• Team collaboration
• Team leadership and motivation
• Time management

(Note: Some soft skills can also be considered hard skills. For instance, team collaboration may be both part of your work style and a formal duty of the role you’re after.)

Best Resume Skills for Popular Jobs and Industries

The following examples will help you brainstorm a skills list that’s catered to your field and job search.

Accounting and finance

• Asset management
• Business data analysis
• Cost reduction
• Internal and external audits
• Portfolio management
• Portfolio rebalancing
• Profit growth
• Regulatory compliance
• Risk management

Business

• Change management
• Client relations and retention
• Coaching and mentoring
• Performance management
• Project and program management
• Reporting and documentation
• Revenue and profit growth
• Strategic business planning
• Succession planning
• Targeted resource allocation
• Team leadership and motivation

Construction and maintenance

• Budgeting and cost accounting
• Cost reduction
• Customer relations
• Equipment repair and maintenance
• Facility management
• Project management
• Team collaboration
• Workplace safety

Education

• Classroom management
• Curriculum development
• Differentiated instruction
• Educational technology
• Parent and guardian relations
• Student engagement

Health care and wellness

• Medical documentation
• Medication administration
• Patient-centered care
• Patient and family relations
• Process streamlining
• Task prioritization
• Team collaboration
• Vital signs monitoring

Law

• Client confidentiality
• Client relations
• Legal research and analysis
• Public speaking and presentations
• Reporting and documentation
• Settlement negotiations

Management

• Conflict resolution
• Cost reduction and elimination
• Efficiency improvement
• Process streamlining
• Project management
• Staff training and coaching
• Team motivation

Office and administration

• Data entry and analysis
• Efficiency improvement
• Facility management
• Operations management
• Process streamlining
• Reporting and documentation
• Quality assurance (QA)
• Work scheduling

Restaurant and hospitality

• Customer service and satisfaction
• Efficiency improvement
• Food and beverage service
• Inventory management
• Menu development
• Point-of-sale (POS) systems
• Team collaboration
• Vendor negotiations

Sales and marketing

• Client engagement
• Consultative sales strategies
• Data gathering and analysis
• Market strategy development
• New market penetration
• Product promotions
• Revenue and profit growth
• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Social media marketing
• Team collaboration

How to List Skills on a Cover Letter

While your resume presents a snapshot of your abilities, your cover letter can provide context and detail on how you’ve applied these skills in professional settings. Rather than simply listing your skills as you would on a resume, use your cover letter to demonstrate their real-world impact through specific examples.

Follow these steps to list and highlight skills on a cover letter:

Step 1: Choose the Most Relevant Skills

Start by selecting the key skills that are most important for the job you’re applying for. These should match the requirements outlined in the job description and focus on areas where you can bring the most value to the employer.

For example, if the job description emphasizes teamwork and project management, choose skills like team collaboration and project management to highlight in your cover letter.

Step 2: Provide Specific Examples

When mentioning your skills, don’t just list them. Showcase how you applied them in your previous roles. Use specific examples to demonstrate your proficiency and the impact those skills had on your team or organization.

Step 3: Quantify Your Achievements

Where possible, quantify your accomplishments to give your skills more weight. Numbers add clarity and emphasize the value you brought through your skills.

Step 4: Highlight How Your Skills Benefit the Employer

After demonstrating your skills, explain how they will benefit the company you’re applying to. This shows that you’re thinking ahead and understand the needs of the employer.

Sample Skills Section in a Cover Letter

How to Learn Skills for a Resume

In today’s fast-paced job market, continuously updating your skill set is essential for career advancement and ensuring your resume remains competitive. Employers are looking for candidates who not only have the necessary skills for the job but also demonstrate a willingness to learn and adapt.

Whether you’re seeking to enter a new industry, advance in your current role, or make a career change, learning new skills for your resume can make a significant difference.

Here’s how you can acquire valuable skills through various methods like online courses, certifications, workshops, and hands-on experience.

1. Online courses

One of the most accessible ways to learn new skills to put on a resume is by taking online courses. Platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and edX offer a wide range of courses across multiple disciplines, from business and marketing to computer science and design. These platforms allow you to learn at your own pace, and many offer certificates upon completion, which you can include in your resume’s skills or education sections.

Online courses are particularly beneficial for learning technical or hard skills, such as coding, data analysis, digital marketing, and project management. For example, if you’re looking to transition into a tech-related field, taking a Python programming course can give you the foundational skills needed to build a strong resume. Additionally, many employers value candidates who take the initiative to expand their knowledge, so completing online courses demonstrates your commitment to professional growth.

2. Certifications

Certifications are another valuable way to enhance your resume, as they provide formal recognition of your expertise in a particular area. Many industries, such as IT, healthcare, project management, and finance, require specific certifications that demonstrate a candidate’s proficiency. For instance, earning a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation can significantly boost your resume and make you more attractive to employers.

Certifications also help you stand out in competitive fields. For example, if you’re applying for a data analysis position, having a Google Data Analytics or Microsoft Excel certification can give you a competitive edge over other candidates. Certifications not only demonstrate that you have mastered key skills, but they also show your commitment to ongoing education and professional development. Additionally, certified professionals often command higher salaries, making it a worthwhile investment for your career.

3. Workshops and seminars

Attending workshops, seminars, and webinars is another effective way to learn skills to put on a resume. These events are typically short-term, intensive learning experiences that focus on specific skills or topics. Workshops and seminars provide hands-on experience and the opportunity to interact with professionals in your field, allowing you to network while learning.

For example, if you’re a marketing professional, attending a digital marketing workshop or SEO seminar could give you the practical skills and strategies needed to excel in your job. Additionally, many workshops offer certificates of completion, which you can list on your resume to demonstrate your participation and learning outcomes. While workshops may not provide the in-depth training of a full course, they are an excellent way to gain practical knowledge in a short amount of time.

4. Hands-on experience

While formal education and certifications are important, hands-on experience is often the most valuable way to learn new skills for a resume. Gaining real-world experience allows you to apply the knowledge you’ve learned in practical scenarios, which is highly attractive to employers. Internships, volunteer work, freelance projects, and side hustles are excellent opportunities to develop your skills while building your resume.

For example, if you’re trying to break into web development, creating websites for small businesses or non-profits can help you hone your coding and design skills. Similarly, if you’re in marketing, volunteering to manage social media accounts for a charity or community organization can give you valuable experience in content creation, audience engagement, and analytics.

Additionally, shadowing professionals in your desired field or working on personal projects related to your career goals can help you gain hands-on experience and demonstrate your passion for learning. Whether it’s writing a blog, developing a portfolio of creative work, or building your own app, real-world experience will not only enhance your skills but also give you tangible proof of your abilities to showcase on your resume.

5. Networking and Mentorship

Another key way to learn skills to put on a resume is through networking and mentorship. Connecting with professionals in your field can expose you to new skills, tools, and industry trends that you may not learn in formal settings. Mentorship, in particular, allows you to gain insights from experienced professionals who can provide guidance on how to develop specific skills relevant to your career path.

For example, if you’re working in finance and want to learn more about financial modeling, finding a mentor who specializes in this area can help you build your knowledge and skills more quickly. Likewise, attending industry-specific networking events and conferences allows you to engage with thought leaders, stay updated on new developments, and gain advice on how to enhance your resume with the latest skills.

Skills Section Frequently Asked Questions