Resume sections · Updated October 2026
Skills to Put on a Resume: Examples and How to List Them
Short answer
Put skills on your resume that the job posting asks for and that you can prove. List hard skills (software, tools, equipment, licenses, languages) in a labeled skills section, and show soft skills such as communication or leadership through results in your experience bullets. Most resumes need 8 to 15 skills, grouped by type, in the posting's exact wording.
Key takeaways
- Start with the job posting: every tool, license and method it names is a skill to list if you have it.
- Hard skills go in the skills section; soft skills are believed when an experience bullet shows a result.
- List about 8 to 15 skills in two to four labeled groups, most relevant first.
- Copy the employer's exact wording ("Microsoft Excel", "patient intake", "forklift operation") so keyword searches in applicant tracking systems match.
- Cut any skill you could not demonstrate or talk through in an interview.
What skills should you put on a resume?
The skills that belong on your resume are the ones a specific employer is screening for and that you can back up. That usually means three kinds: job-specific hard skills (software, equipment, procedures, licenses), transferable skills that carry from job to job (communication, problem solving, time management), and any language or certification the posting lists as required.
You find them in three places. The job posting tells you what this employer wants. O*NET OnLine, the occupation database sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, lists the skills and software for almost every job title and flags as "Hot Technologies" the tools employers name most often in postings. Your own work history tells you which of those you can prove.
For the broader skills, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) publishes career readiness competencies that employers and colleges use as a shared checklist, including communication, critical thinking, leadership, professionalism, teamwork and technology. The tables below show how hard and soft skills differ and which ones fit common jobs.
| Compared on | Hard skills | Soft skills |
|---|---|---|
| What they are | Teachable, testable abilities tied to a task | Interpersonal and self-management abilities |
| How you get them | Training, school, certification, practice on the job | Working with people, feedback, practice over time |
| Examples | SQL, phlebotomy, QuickBooks, forklift operation, Spanish | Communication, teamwork, problem solving, leadership |
| Where they go | Skills section, then repeated in bullets | Experience bullets and the summary |
| How to prove them | Name the tool, version, license or test result | Describe the situation, your action and the result |
| Job | Hard skills to list | Soft skills to prove in bullets |
|---|---|---|
| Registered nurse | Patient assessment, medication administration, IV therapy, telemetry, Epic or Cerner charting, BLS and ACLS | Patient education, calm in emergencies, shift handoff communication |
| Customer service representative | Zendesk or Salesforce Service Cloud, order and returns processing, billing adjustments, live chat, typing | Active listening, patience, de-escalation |
| Retail sales associate | POS systems (Square, NCR), cash handling and drawer reconciliation, merchandising and planograms, inventory counts | Persuasion, teamwork on the floor, reliability |
| Administrative assistant | Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Excel, Word), calendar management, travel booking, meeting minutes, expense reports | Organization, discretion, written communication |
| Software engineer | Python or TypeScript, React, SQL, AWS, Git, CI/CD, automated testing | Code review feedback, cross-team collaboration, technical writing |
| Data analyst | SQL, Excel (PivotTables, Power Query), Tableau or Power BI, Python (pandas), A/B test analysis | Stakeholder communication, curiosity, attention to detail |
| Accountant | GAAP, account reconciliation, month-end close, accounts payable and receivable, NetSuite or SAP, Excel | Accuracy under deadlines, confidentiality, plain explanations for non-accountants |
| Teacher | Lesson planning, differentiated instruction, classroom management, Google Classroom or Canvas, formative assessment | Parent communication, patience, adaptability |
| Warehouse associate | Forklift and pallet jack operation, RF scanners, pick and pack, cycle counts, shipping and receiving, WMS software | Safety awareness, dependability, teamwork |
| Electrician | NEC code, blueprint reading, conduit bending, circuit troubleshooting, motor controls, state license | Safety focus, client communication, problem solving |
| Marketing coordinator | Google Analytics 4, HubSpot or Mailchimp, Meta Ads Manager, SEO basics, Canva, copywriting | Project coordination, creativity, meeting deadlines |
| Project manager | Scheduling (Microsoft Project, Smartsheet), budgets, risk registers, Agile and Scrum, Jira | Stakeholder management, negotiation, leadership |
| Restaurant server | POS (Toast, Aloha), menu and wine knowledge, food safety and allergen procedures, alcohol service certification | Multitasking, composure during a rush, teamwork with the kitchen |
What is the difference between hard skills and soft skills?
Hard skills are teachable, testable abilities tied to a task: running payroll in ADP, drawing blood, writing SQL, operating a reach truck, speaking Spanish. The University of Georgia Career Center draws the line simply: a hard skill helps you complete a task, while soft skills help with everything around the task.
Soft skills are the interpersonal and self-management abilities that decide how well you work with people: communicating, collaborating, solving problems, leading. Because anyone can type "strong communicator", employers believe soft skills only when they see evidence. Clark College Career Services makes the point with a contrast: "public speaking experience" is a hard skill, while "strong communication skills" is a soft claim that may or may not be true.
A good resume uses both. Hard skills match the keyword searches recruiters run in an applicant tracking system; soft skills, proven in bullets, are what interviewers probe once you are in the room.
What are the best skills to put on a resume?
The best skills are the ones that match the job. A forklift certification does nothing on a marketing resume and can decide a warehouse application. Some skills, though, appear in postings across almost every field, and they are worth listing whenever you can prove them.
For software, the clearest signal is O*NET's Hot Technologies list, built from Lightcast data on 46,885,153 unique U.S. job postings in 2025. Microsoft Office software (3,421,542 postings), Microsoft Excel (3,211,598), Microsoft Outlook (1,712,260), Microsoft PowerPoint (1,618,650) and Microsoft Word (956,468) were the five technologies employers named most. Python, SQL, Salesforce, Amazon Web Services and SAP filled the next five places.
- Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets: formulas, sorting and filtering, PivotTables, charts
- Written communication: emails, reports, documentation, customer replies
- Customer service: handling questions, complaints, returns and follow-ups
- Problem solving: finding why something went wrong and fixing it without escalation
- Time management: meeting deadlines across competing tasks or a full shift
- Data entry and record keeping: accurate input into a CRM, EHR, POS or spreadsheet
- Teamwork: covering shifts, handing off work, training coworkers
- A second language: name it with your level, for example "Spanish (professional working)"
- Industry systems: the software your field runs on, such as Epic, QuickBooks, AutoCAD or a warehouse management system
How many skills should you put on a resume?
Most resumes work best with 8 to 15 skills. Fewer than eight often means you left out tools the posting asks for; much more than 15 starts to read like a keyword dump, and the skills that matter get lost among the filler.
The right number shifts with the job. Technical roles in software, IT and engineering often carry 15 to 25 items, which is fine when they are grouped into labeled rows such as "Languages", "Cloud" and "Tools". Entry-level resumes lean on transferable skills and coursework. Senior resumes list fewer generic skills and more domain ones (P&L ownership, vendor negotiation, regulatory audits), because basic software skills are assumed at that level.
Where should the skills section go on a resume?
For most experienced candidates, the skills section sits below work experience. Move it up, directly under the summary, when skills are the main qualification: technical jobs, licensed trades, career changers and anyone using a combination (hybrid) format.
Students and recent graduates usually place it after education. Wherever it sits, your most important skills should also appear in the summary and in at least one experience bullet, because a skill shown in context is far more convincing than the same word in a list.
How do you format a skills section?
Group skills under two to four short labels and separate items with commas. Plain text keeps the section readable for applicant tracking systems (ATS), which pull the text out of your file and index it for recruiter searches. Skip skill bars, star ratings and icons: software cannot read a filled circle, and "4 out of 5" tells a human reader nothing about what you can do.
If proficiency matters, add it in words in parentheses after the skill, for example "Adobe InDesign (advanced)". The University of Georgia Career Center notes that a skill listed without a level implies you are proficient. Use the noun form employers search for ("scheduling", "inventory control", "conflict resolution") and spell each tool the way the posting does.
- Labels that fit your field: "Clinical", "Software", "Equipment", "Languages", "Certifications"
- Most relevant group first, and the most relevant skill first within each group
- Both forms of a searchable acronym once, for example "Electronic Health Records (EHR): Epic"
- No row of personality adjectives ("hard-working, motivated, team player") standing in for skills
How to choose the skills for your resume in 5 steps
- 1
Mark every skill in the posting
Paste the job posting into a document and highlight each tool, method, license, language and soft skill. Note which ones sit under "required" and which under "preferred".
- 2
Check O*NET for the job title
Search the title on O*NET OnLine and read the Skills and Technology Skills lists. Items marked as Hot Technologies are the software employers name most often, and they can point to skills the posting left out.
- 3
Keep only what you can prove
For each skill, write down where you used it: a job, class, project, volunteer role or certification. If you cannot point to one, leave the skill off or plan to learn it first.
- 4
Group and order the list
Sort what is left into two to four labeled groups. Put the group that matters most for this job first, and the most-requested skill first within each group.
- 5
Repeat the top skills in context
Make sure your three most important skills also appear in your summary or in experience bullets that show how you used them and what changed as a result.
Resume skills section examples
Three skills sections for different situations, plus a weak version. The people and details are fictional.
Software: Microsoft Excel (formulas, sorting, charts), Word, Outlook, Google Sheets Customer service: POS (Square), cash handling, returns and exchanges, phone inquiries Languages: Spanish (fluent), English (native)
Analysis: SQL (PostgreSQL, BigQuery), Python (pandas), cohort and funnel analysis, A/B test design Visualization: Tableau, Power BI, Looker Studio Tools: Excel (Power Query, PivotTables), dbt, Git
Clinical: telemetry monitoring, IV starts, wound care, medication administration Systems: Epic (charting, eMAR), Pyxis MedStation Licenses and certifications: RN (Ohio), BLS and ACLS (American Heart Association)
Skills: hard worker, team player, Microsoft Office, communication, detail-oriented, fast learner, problem solver
Turning a listed skill into a proven one
The same two skills, first listed and then shown in a bullet. The details are illustrations.
Skills: leadership, problem solving
Trained and scheduled 6 weekend associates at Cedar Lane Market; rewrote the opening checklist after two missed deliveries, and no deliveries were missed the following quarter.
Frequently asked questions
What are good skills to put on a resume?
Good skills are the ones the job posting names and you can prove. Across most fields that includes Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, written communication, customer service, problem solving, time management and the main software of your industry, such as Epic, QuickBooks or Salesforce.
How many skills should I list on my resume?
About 8 to 15, grouped into two to four labeled categories. Technical resumes can list more if the rows are organized by type, but every item should be something you could discuss in an interview.
Should soft skills go in the skills section?
A few can, if the posting names them, but they are more convincing in your experience bullets. A line like "Trained 9 new hires on the closing procedure" proves leadership in a way the word "leadership" cannot.
Should I rate my skills with stars, bars or percentages?
No. Graphic ratings do not survive text extraction by applicant tracking systems and give readers no real information. If a level matters, write it in words in parentheses, such as "Spanish (conversational)".
What skills can I put on a resume with no work experience?
Use skills from school, volunteering, clubs, sports, babysitting or personal projects: software you used for assignments, languages, cash handling at a fundraiser, scheduling for a team. Pair each with where you used it in an activities, projects or volunteer section.
Should I list skills the job asks for that I do not have yet?
No. List only skills you have used. If you are learning one, say so honestly in your education or projects section, for example "SQL coursework (in progress, 2026)", and be ready to explain your level.
Where do skills go on a resume?
Below the summary for technical jobs, career changers and skills-based formats; below work experience for most experienced candidates; and after education for students. Your most important skills should also show up in your bullets.
Related guides
Sources, checked 27 October 2026
We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.
- O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor): Hot Technologies (technologies most often named in 2025 U.S. job postings, with posting counts (Lightcast data))
- O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor): Browse by Transferable Skills (skill categories and definitions (social, technical, systems, resource management))
- National Association of Colleges and Employers: Career Readiness Defined (career readiness competencies such as communication, critical thinking and teamwork)
- University of Georgia Career Center: Listing Hard and Soft Skills on a Resume (hard vs soft skill definitions, proficiency in parentheses, grouping by category)
- Clark College Career Services: Resume Guidelines: Hard Skills, Soft Skills and the Difference Between the Two (hard vs soft skill examples, public speaking vs communication skills)