100 Good Skills to Put on a Resume [Complete Guide]

Jeff Gillis 0 Comments

skills to add to a resume

By Jeff Gillis

Updated 6/4/2022.

skills to add to a resume

When you’re adding skills to a resume, you don’t just want to focus on what you’re good at. Instead, relevancy has to be part of the equation. After all, every job you’re trying to land requires a very specific skill set, one that you need to show that you have.

Choosing the skills to put on a resume when you’re applying to a role isn’t something you should do haphazardly. Instead, you want to use the job description, company mission, and company values as a guide, creating a sense of alignment.

Additionally, it never hurts to have a handy list of skills by your side, making it easier to explore your options. So, if you’re on the hunt for good skills to put on a resume, here’s what you need to know.

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills

There are two basic types of skillsets that a job seeker can have and include on their resume: hard skills or soft skills.

Hard skills are the skills or abilities for a resume that are easily quantifiable…that can be learned through classroom work, apprenticeships, or other forms of learning. These include things like operating tools, computer programming, speaking foreign languages, or different kinds of technical prowess.

Soft skills are more subjective and harder to quantify and are often grouped together by what we know as “people skills.” Some examples of soft skills include communication, relationship building, self-awareness, and patience.

Which Skills Are More Important?

The debate rages on about which of these two types of skills is more important.

According to executive consultant and Forbes contributor Naz Beheshti , “…There is an ongoing debate about the relative importance of soft and hard skills that imply a competition between the two. However, they are both necessary and complementary to one another.”

On the one hand, job seekers with proficiency in a specific hard skill may get hired more quickly. Many employers want to hire people that can deliver value with fewer resources (ex., the need for training, etc.), making hard skills their priority.

However, we are also seeing that many hiring managers are choosing to hire candidates with highly developed soft skills.

In the end, as Indeed puts it, “soft skills are necessary to create a positive and functional work environment.” Plus, hiring managers feel that they can always train the candidate in the hard skill that is required to complete the job, but soft skills are often skills that cannot necessarily be taught.

So, what does this mean for you? Mainly that you can’t simply just pick one or the other and cross your fingers. Instead, the best strategy is to take a balanced approach and make sure that your resume contains both hard and soft skills.

How Do You Choose the Skills to List on a Resume?

Here’s the deal; there’s a good chance you know what you’re good at in a professional sense. Often, you can use your experience, duties, training, and education as a guide, giving you a strong foundation. Then, it’s about diving a bit deeper, looking at traits that could help you stand out, and comparing it all to the job description.

By using a simple process, you can make progress faster. Here’s a quick way to get started.

1. Make a List of the Skills You Know You Have

As mentioned above, the easiest way to get a grip on your current skills is to reflect on your academic and professional experiences. Consider the tasks you’ve taken on, the training you’ve completed, and the courses you had in school. In most cases, that’ll give you some solid ideas about your hard skills.

After that, it’s time for soft skills. Here, you want to think of traits or capabilities that help you engage with others and navigate professional relationships. Often, these are reflections of your personality, so use that as a jumping-off point.

2. “Mine” the Job Descriptions for Must-Have Skills

The next step is to take a look at the job description for the position you are applying for and make a list of the required skills it includes. Then, compare it to your capabilities. Are any of the skills on both of the lists you just created? If so, these are must-haves for your resume.

Now, notice if there are any skills on the job description that you don’t have. If there aren’t any, great!

But if there are…don’t panic. There are things you can do, which we’ll dig into shortly.

If you’re dealing with a vague job description, you aren’t stuck either. Here is a link to a ton of job descriptions that can give you an idea of the skills needed.

3. Tailor Your Skills to the Company/Position

As you may have read in our other blog articles, it is always very important to “tailor” your resume to the company and position you want to land. For an in-depth look into how to make that happen, check out our Tailoring Method article. 

If you want a quick overview, the idea is to focus on capabilities the company wants to find. Every job requires a unique skill set, and you want to show you have it. As a result, it is absolutely essential that skills from the job description make an appearance on your resume.

However, you also want to dig deeper. Spend some more time researching the company, including going through all of their various web properties, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages.

Why? Because they will leave clues about the types of people they hire. That gives you more ideas about the best skills to put on a resume to land a job there, particularly when it comes to soft skills you may not find in a job description.

100 Resume Skills Examples

If you’re struggling with coming up with a list of skills based on your past experience, it can be easier if you have existing resume skills lists to work with. You don’t have to think up every possible skill; you can simply review the list and find the matches.

Here is a list of resume skills examples, divided into hard skills and soft skills, that you can use when applying for a job.

Hard Skills for a Resume

  • Advanced Bookkeeping
  • Appointment Setting
  • Automotive Repair
  • Cold Calling
  • Computer Programming
  • Conversion Testing
  • Copywriting
  • Customer Engagement
  • Customer Service
  • Data Analysis
  • Digital Marketing
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Environmental Cleanup
  • Forklift Operating
  • Graphic Design
  • Heavy Machinery Operation
  • Installation
  • Landscaping
  • Mathematics
  • Medical Coding
  • Paid Online Traffic
  • Patient Care
  • Photo Editing
  • Picking and Packing
  • Project Management
  • Schedule Management
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Server Maintenance
  • Social Media
  • Spanish Fluency
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Systems Analysis
  • Technical Support
  • Telecommunications Systems
  • Travel Booking
  • Video Editing
  • Website Design
  • Word Processing

Soft Skills for a Resume

  • Accountability
  • Active Listening
  • Adaptability
  • Brainstorming
  • Business Etiquette
  • Collaboration
  • Communication
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Contextualizing
  • Critical Thinking
  • Decision Making
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Flexibility
  • Goal-Setting
  • Handling Pressure
  • Influencing
  • Insightfulness
  • Interpreting
  • Negotiation
  • Open-Mindedness
  • Organization
  • Prioritization
  • Problem Solving
  • Relationship Building
  • Reliability
  • Resource Management
  • Responsibility
  • Self-Confidence
  • Strategical Thinking
  • Strong Work Ethic
  • Time Management

What If I Don’t Have the Required Skill?

Whether you need to possess a specific skill depends on the job and the skill in question. Usually, here’s where you have to be honest with yourself. If the skills required are part of the core competencies of doing the job, you may want to reconsider your application.

For example, if a golf course posts a job posting for a golf pro, you probably shouldn’t apply if you’ve never swung a golf club.

However, you will come across situations where what you bring to the table is close. In this case, moving forward might be okay.

You need to be able to demonstrate, using examples from your past, that you are capable of doing the required skill, even if you haven’t specially done it. So, go over your work history with a fine-tooth comb and try to come up with a few examples of you doing something in the right ballpark.

They are going to ask about it in your interview, so don’t think you can just wing it, and everything will be fine.

Also, many job descriptions have “nice-to-have” skills on the list. If you happen to possess them, great. But if not, don’t assume you shouldn’t apply if you have the must-have skills. In the end, those capabilities aren’t outright requirements, so don’t screen yourself out based on them.

How To List Skills on a Resume

There are a few different schools of thought when it comes to deciding where to put (or how to list) the skills on your resume.

According to our friends over at online resume-builder Zety.com , “…skills are so very, very important that they should show up all over your resume. Not just in the resume skills section.” In other words, it is imperative that there are elements of your skills throughout your resume, including your resume objective/summary and experience sections.

In addition, there isn’t one right answer for where to include your skill section because that depends on the industry, company, and position you’re trying to land. For example, for a job where technical competencies are of the utmost importance, it is often beneficial to list the skills closer to the top of the resume, right underneath the resume objective or resume summary statement.

However, if through your research you determine that the hiring manager will put more weight into your experience, you may want to lead with your experience. Then, put the skills section further down your resume.

At the end of the day, the selection of the skills themselves is the most important thing. After all, most hiring managers will easily find your skill section regardless of where it is on your resume.

What About Skills for My Job Application?

When you’re looking for skills to put on a job application, you do have to treat it a little differently than skills for a resume. Usually, you’re working with a finite amount of space on an application, not just in an overall sense but in each applicable section.

Since that’s the case, you need to lean heavily on the job description. Look for any capabilities that are listed as must-haves or that are repeated through the job ad. Then, make sure those skills are featured prominently in several areas, including in work history descriptions and skills areas.

If you have to answer essay questions, discuss those skills there, too, whenever possible. Use any other relevant capability as a supplement, treating it as supporting information instead of the primary point you’re sharing.

However, if an essay question asks about a skill that’s not in the job description, feel free to dig in a bit. It’s a capability that’s clearly on the hiring manager’s mind, so touch on it occasionally to show you shine in that area.

Putting It All Together

If you were wondering, “What are some good skills to put on a resume?” you should now have a solid answer. The most important thing to remember is to select skills that are relevant to the position you are interviewing for and, more important than that, skills that your company puts a tremendous amount of value in.

Once you get your skills straightened out, you should make sure that the rest of your resume is congruent with the skills you just selected, namely, that your experience shows that you both used those skills in a work environment and developed the skill with on-the-job tasks.

skills to add to a resume

Co-founder and CTO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Jeff is a featured contributor delivering advice on job search, job interviews and career advancement, having published more than 50 pieces of unique content on the site , with his work being featured in top publications such as INC , ZDnet , MSN and more.

Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

About The Author

Jeff gillis.

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Co-founder and CTO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Jeff is a featured contributor delivering advice on job search, job interviews and career advancement, having published more than 50 pieces of unique content on the site , with his work being featured in top publications such as INC , ZDnet , MSN and more. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

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skills to add to a resume

101 Essential Skills to Put on a Resume in 2024 [For Most Jobs]

Background Image

Listing skills on your resume is fairly easy. 

Listing the right skills in the right way is a little bit trickier.  

Are you mentioning the right skills for the job, or are you boring the HR manager with irrelevant information? 

The hiring manager for the software development team couldn’t care less about your expertise in marketing. What they’re dying to know, though, is your skill level in Python and how you get along with the team.

In this guide, we’re going to walk you through the process of putting skills on your resume from start to finish. We’ll explain how to identify the right skills and how to list them in a way that catches the hiring manager’s attention!

Here’s what you’re going to learn:

Hard Skills Vs Soft Skills - What’s the Difference?

  • Why Should You List Your Skills on a Resume? 
  • 8 Best Skills to Put on a Resume 
  • How to List Skills on a Resume 
  • 120+ Skills to Put on Your Resume (For 10+ Fields)

New to resume-making? Give our resumes 101 video a watch before diving into the article!

Skills are divided into hard skills and soft skills .

To create an effective job application, catch the hiring manager’s attention, and land your next job, you should mention both hard and soft skills in your resume.

But what exactly is the difference?

Hard skills involve the technical knowledge or know-how one can gain through experience, training, or education. For example: 

  • Machinery skills. E.g., operating a road roller, pallet-stalker, forklift, etc.
  • Software skills. Depending on the field, you need to know how to use different software, such as the Adobe Creative Suite for graphic designers or the Ableton Live Suite if you’re a DJ.
  • Tools. Say you’re a digital marketer . You’ll need to know how to use tools like Stethoscope, Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Ahrefs, and the sorts.
  • Multilingualism. The more customers you can communicate with, the more valuable you are as an employee. Some sought-after languages today include German, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic.
  • Computer skills . If you’re a web developer, your hard skills will likely include coding languages such as Python, C++, etc. Even if you’re not though, most jobs will require that you have at least some basic computer knowledge in MS Office and G-Suite, emailing and presentations, etc.
  • Techniques. E.g. frequency analysis, Crystallization.
  • Mathematics. Many professions, such as accounting and finance, require mathematical skills.
  • Data analysis. Businesses are always looking for professionals who can gather and analyze data for various stakeholders, which makes data analysis a very in-demand hard skill.

…and just about any field-specific skill. While hard skills are essential to complete tasks in about any job, they’re also teachable and easily measurable.

hard skills

Soft skills , on the other hand, are attributes and habits that describe how you work individually or with others. They are typically not job-specific but rather transferable skills that indirectly help you adapt to the work environment and company culture. 

Some examples of the most in-demand soft skills include: 

  • Communication
  • Problem-solving
  • Organization
  • Adaptability

Like hard skills, you can also learn how to develop soft skills, although it’s significantly harder. 

While you can acquire computer skills through a technical course, you’ll need to work much harder to develop, say, your communication skills. 

In the workplace, for example, you’d need to practice active listening , learn how to notice nonverbal cues, and practice your oral communication skills as much as possible.

best soft skills

What’s the Difference Between Hard Skills and Soft Skills

Here are the two main differences between hard skills and soft skills: 

  • How you obtain them. You can obtain hard skills through work experience , education, training, and certification. Soft skills, on the other hand, can be gained through life experience, both on and off work.
  • How you use them. You apply hard skills directly to the job, whereas soft skills come into play indirectly and may often complement your hard skills. For example, you may be a communicative marketer or an office manager with great leadership qualities.

Why Should You List Skills on Your Resume?

The skills section is one of the 3 most important resume sections , with the other two being work experience and education sections. 

If written correctly, the skills section looks something like this:

skills section in a resume

By now, you’re probably thinking “ how hard can this be, right? All I have to do is list all my skills and call it a day! ”

Well, not exactly. The process of putting skills on your resume is a bit more nuanced than that, and we’re going to tell you why.

Most companies nowadays use Applicant Tracking Systems to help them go through the hundreds and thousands of resumes they receive every day.

ats skills in a resume

This software scans your resume for keywords relevant to the job you’re applying for, and if it doesn’t find them, the software automatically rejects the resume.

Say, for example, the job you’re applying to requires an Expert level in Java. If you haven’t mentioned Java as a skill on your resume, your resume can automatically get discarded.

In fact, 70%+ of resumes are rejected at this stage, never having even been seen by an HR professional. 

And, even if the company doesn’t use an ATS, there’s a good chance that the HR manager is going to skim through your resume looking for the right skill set.

So, whether you’re doing this for the ATS or the HR, it’s important to mention the right skills .

Below, we’re going to explain just how to do this in the best way possible. 

But first, let’s cover some of the best skills to mention in any resume, regardless of your profession. 

8 Best Skills to Put on a Resume

Every profession requires some role-specific hard skills if you want to do it properly. An accountant, for example, needs to know math to do their job right, just like a photographer needs to know how to use photo editing software like Photoshop. 

In most cases, it’s easy to identify such skills and understand whether you’re qualified enough for the job. 

The right soft skills for a job may be harder to point out, but they’re just as essential in today’s job market - 93% of employers say “ soft skills play a critical role in their decision about whom they want to hire. ” 

To give you an example, if you’re a project manager, you will need to have excellent organizational skills in addition to your project management skills. Or, if you’re a developer, you need to also be an apt problem solver. 

You can find lists of field-related, relevant soft and hard skills later in the article, but for now, here are the top soft and hard skills valued by hiring managers in most professions : 

#1. Communication skills

There are very few, if any, jobs out there that don’t require at least some level of communication skills.

Whether you’re a writer who needs to communicate a message to your readers, a marketing specialist who needs to communicate an advertising campaign to your client, or an office worker who must communicate with a colleague to complete a task, communication skills are vital. 

Communication is a multi-faceted skill that includes several skills, such as: 

  • Oral and written communication
  • Non-verbal communication
  • Active Listening
  • Presentation
  • Public-speaking
  • Negotiation

#2. Computer skills

By 2016, over 70% of US jobs required medium-to-high-level digital skills.  

This means that computer and technical skills are priceless assets even if your job isn’t centered around technology. As such, computer skills are almost always a great addition to any resume.

Here are some valuable computer skills for every professional: 

  • Office suites (MS Office, iWork)
  • Social media
  • Database management
  • Web (Internet savviness, basic HTML, CMS)
  • Troubleshooting
  • Equipment installation and configuration
  • Fast Typing

career masterclass

#3. Management skills

Management skills are usually associated with management positions, but in reality, that’s not usually the case. Any type of professional can benefit from strong management skills. 

In a nutshell, management skills involve being able to effectively handle people, resources, and processes, including your time, plans, projects, and so on.

Here are some of the most in-demand management skills: 

  • People management
  • Project management
  • Time management
  • Risk management
  • Action planning
  • Conflict Resolution

#4. Problem-solving skills

Problem-solving means you’re able to identify problems successfully, find the root cause behind them, and come up with creative solutions.

Considering there isn’t a single job where you won’t face problems in one way or another, problem-solving skills are a great asset to have. When it comes to managerial, professional, and technical positions , problem-solving skills are essential. 

Problem-solving is a set of skills that includes: 

  • Research skills
  • Analytical skills
  • Critical thinking
  • Decision-making skills
  • Attention to detail

#5. Organizational skills

Organizational skills are a set of soft skills that help you keep track of information, materials, and even your time in such a way that you can tackle short and long-term tasks efficiently.

Organizational skills are among the top skills recruiters are looking for in 2022, primarily because they help employees be more productive, save companies time and money, and facilitate a more positive work environment. 

Here is what organizational skills consist of: 

  • Physical organization
  • Prioritization
  • Goal setting

#6. Leadership skills 

Leadership includes both the ability to manage and inspire others. Managers are not always great leaders, but leaders almost always make good managers. 

People who’re good at leading are emotionally intelligent, good communicators, and natural-born influencers. They can motivate others to reach their full potential and work together towards common goals. This makes leadership another great skill to have for many professions out there. 

Some important soft skills related to leadership include: 

  • Relationship-building
  • Strategic thinking

#7. Customer service skills

A big part of jobs out there involve dealing with customers. 

From customer support representatives to cashiers, customer service skills are a great asset to have in 2024. Particularly, that’s because it encompasses a number of other valuable skills, such as:

  • Persuasion skills
  • Product knowledge

#8. Interpersonal skills 

Interpersonal skills refer to how well you can understand and get along with other people. 

It goes without saying that they’re extremely useful for team-oriented or customer-facing roles, as a big chunk of the work involves communicating with other people.

Such skills, however, are also useful for roles where you don’t get to interact as much with people.

Take, for example, writers. To be a really good writer, you need to be able to:

  • Understand and communicate with your audience
  • Collaborate with your publishing team
  • Understand what people are like

Just like most other transferable skills on our list, interpersonal skills are multi-faceted. Here is what they consist of: 

How to List Skills on a Resume (And Stand Out)

Now that you have a clear understanding of how important skills are - and how some are more relevant than others - let’s talk about how you should list them on your resume. 

There are several things you need to do to stand out: 

#1. Tailor Your Skills to the Job

Relevance is key; the customer service skills you acquired working as a server during college won’t come in too handy when you start work as, say, a data analyst . 

So, the first thing you should remember is to only list skills that are useful for the job you are applying for . To find out what these skills are, you should scan the job listing.

Job ads usually list a set of requirements or skills they expect a good candidate to have. Make sure you don’t leave any of those out on your resume.

For example, imagine you are applying for a line cook position in a restaurant:

  • “Here at ‘ABCD’ we are committed to creating a one-of-a-kind experience for our guests . Our French restaurant is looking for a professional line cook for the summer season to work directly under the supervision of our chef. Responsibilities include prepping and cleaning food, creating and cooking meals, and cleaning up the working area . Impeccable attention to detail in food cooking and presentation is needed.”

The underlined bits in this job description are the role’s responsibilities. By paying a closer look, you can understand that ABCD is looking for someone who:

  • Is committed to excellence and is highly professional
  • Works well under supervision, and with others
  • Can prep, clean, and cook food
  • Pays great attention to detail in cooking and presentation

Based on this, some of the skills you should definitely mention in your resume can include teamwork, attention to detail, communication, food prepping, and culinary skills. 

As a given, you wouldn’t mention anything that isn’t directly related to the job. As a line cook, you’re not going to be using a lot of tech, so you wouldn’t include your computer skills in your resume (even though such skills are relevant for a ton of other jobs).

#2. Create a Skills Section

Once you’ve identified all the right skills to add to your resume, create a “Skills” section to list them under. This way, the hiring manager will be able to check whether you have the right skills more easily and the ATS software won’t disqualify your resume. 

skills section in a resume template

Here’s what you should remember while making this section:

  • Be specific. “Verbal and written communication” sounds significantly better than “communication.” 
  • Sort your skills by relevance. Order your skills based on how critical they are for the role. More important skills go on top, and the nice-to-have ones go on the bottom.
  • Don’t lie or exaggerate. It goes without saying that you should never, ever, lie about your skills. The employer will know you lied the moment you have to work on a task that requires that very skill.

#3. Match Each Skill With Your Proficiency Level

For each skill that you list on your resume, use the competencies proficiency scale to show your proficiency level:

  • Beginner. You are just starting to learn or have not practiced the skill through experience (usually fresh graduates that only understand concepts through theories or classroom experience).
  • Intermediate. You have applied the skill in practice, and require assistance with it on rare or special occasions. You still have room to grow.
  • Advanced. You know your stuff! You don’t need help with the skill anymore. You can also teach beginners how to use it.
  • Expert. You are a recognized authority on this skill, the go-to person if anyone has any questions. You have consistently proved to be excellent in this skill. You could even write a whole book about it!

#4. Back-Up Your Skills in Other Resume Sections

Listing your skills in a separate section will only get you so far. After all, everyone else is also doing exactly the same thing. 

To take your resume from good to great, you want your most critical skills to “pop” from the get-go and to prove to the hiring manager that you actually possess them.

Here is where the resume summary and work experience sections come in. 

The resume summary is a short, 2-3 sentence-long summary of your resume that, done right, shows hiring managers your strongest points as a candidate the moment they lay eyes on your resume. 

skills in the resume summary

Positioned right under your contact information section , this is the first place where you can mention that you possess one or two of the most role-critical skills listed in the job description. 

Here’s how the resume summary of the line cook example we mentioned above would look in practice: 

  • Detail-oriented line cook with over 5 years of experience prepping and cooking over 200 Mediterranean cuisine recipes. Collaborative professional who puts the needs of the team first. In my last position, was able to help the chef handle rush hour work of over 100 tables with 100% accuracy and approval rate from our customers. 

Once you’ve grabbed the hiring manager’s attention by including your top skills on your resume summary, it’s time to prove that you have them . 

The best way to do that? List some accomplishments in your work experience section and explain how utilizing a particular skill helped you achieve them. 

Here’s how that would look like in practice: 

  • Prepped and helped cook food for over 500 customers in the past two years, receiving high praise and positive recommendations for the restaurant continuously. 
  • Helped restaurant to receive positive reviews for 3 years in a row from Gastronomica magazine for attention to detail and food aesthetics and presentation.

#5. Put Transferable Skills to Use 

If you’re an entry-level candidate or if you’re switching careers , you should definitely put transferable skills to use. Transferable skills are not directly related to the job you are applying to but are still useful, as well as relevant to most jobs. 

Let’s say, for example, that you’re going for a career change from sales to copywriting. You can benefit from listing at least some of the skills acquired in sales in your copywriter resume , such as: 

  • Written communication. Both roles involve communication via text. A salesperson needs to send cold emails, while a copywriter has to write newsletter emails.
  • Persuasion. A copywriter needs to create copy that drives sales, while a salesperson needs to be persuasive in person.
  • Computer skills. Both jobs require some degree of computer knowledge. For a salesperson, that’s using Customer Management Software, while for a copywriter, that’s publishing content online.

150+ Must-Have Skills (for Every Field)

Are you still not sure which skills to mention in your resume? We’ve got you covered.

We compiled a list of some of the most relevant skills on the market in 2024, for all sorts of different fields!

If you happen to possess some of these skills, make sure to mention them in your resume. If not, it’s never too late to learn something new!

#1. Soft Skills 

Soft skills are essential for just about any job out there. While they’re not necessarily critical to doing your job well, they ensure that you get along with your coworkers and foster a positive work environment.

When evaluating two candidates with equal hard skills, the hiring manager is always going to pick the one that has better soft skills.

So, it’s very important to mention your soft skills in your resume.

Here are some of the most in-demand soft skills today:

  • Effective communication
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Conflict management
  • Teamwork skills
  • Stress management
  • Productivity & Organization

#2. Marketing Skills

With new technologies developing faster than ever, it becomes essential to move beyond the basics of traditional marketing. Here are some of the most relevant marketing skills these days, including both cutting-edge online tools, as well as classic marketing skills:

  • Data analysis
  • Web analytics 
  • Email marketing
  • Web scraping
  • CRO and A/B Testing
  • Data visualization & pattern-finding through critical thinking
  • Search Engine and Keyword Optimization
  • Project/campaign management
  • Social media and mobile marketing 
  • Paid social media advertisements
  • B2B Marketing
  • The 4 P-s of Marketing
  • Consumer Behavior Drivers
  • Brand management
  • Copywriting
  • Storytelling

#3. Management Skills

As a manager , you need to have the right mix of soft and hard skills.

Below are the management skills needed to not only get the job but to also enhance employee and company productivity in the long run.

  • Six Sigma techniques
  • The McKinsey 7s Framework
  • Porter’s Five Forces
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Dealing with work-related stress
  • Task delegation
  • Technological savviness
  • Business Development
  • Strategic Management
  • Negotiation 
  • Proposal writing

#4. Sales Skills

The art of selling has stayed the same despite technological advancements. Humans still strive for contact with other humans. Despite channels of communication becoming digital, communication and empathetic skills take priority in the sales industry. 

A comprehensive must-have skill list for salespeople includes:

  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
  • Cold-calling
  • Public speaking
  • Lead generation
  • Buyer-Responsive selling
  • Buyer engagement
  • Effective communication and sociability
  • Social media/digital communication

#5. Design Skills

Today, knowing the basics of design does not suffice anymore. To get hired as a designer, you must know how to create killer branded content for the web and for social media channels. 

Some of the most important design skills for your resume are:

  • Adobe Creative Suite: Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop
  • Dreamweaver
  • Infographics
  • Photo Editing 
  • Typography: spacing, line height, layout, choosing fonts
  • Storyboarding
  • Targeting and marketing through visual communications
  • Logo creation
  • Digital printing
  • Integration of visual communication in social media platforms
  • Attention to detail & aesthetics
  • Interactive media design
  • Color sense & theory
  • Active listening

#6. Basic Technical Skills

These are skills that almost everyone working in an office should know. You can put these skills on your resume if you are applying as a secretary, office clerk, or any other type of office employee.

The basic technical office skills include:

  • Microsoft Office Pack: Word, Excel, Access, Publisher, Outlook, Powerpoint
  • Filing and paper management
  • Bookkeeping through Excel or TurboTax
  • Research and data analysis
  • Basic knowledge of user interface communication
  • Technical writing
  • Cloud networking and file sharing

#7. Accounting & Finance Skills

Goodbye, filing by hand. Hello, countless platforms and apps. Accountants and financial specialists should familiarize themselves with these skills in order to have a successful career:

  • Microsoft Excel (Advanced)
  • Enterprise Resource Planning 
  • Big Data Analysis & SQL
  • Know Your Customers (KYC)
  • Cognos Analytics (IBM)
  • Visual Basic
  • Accounting Software
  • Revenue recognition
  • Anti Money Laundering
  • Clear communication
  • General business knowledge
  • Numerical competence

#8. Education Skills

How many times have you witnessed a 50-year-old honorary doctor with three PhDs struggle to play a YouTube video during undergrad or grad school? Teaching methods have evolved, and so have the required skills to be part of the education industry.

Some of the most essential educational skills are:

  • Updated curriculum knowledge
  • Research & Data analysis
  • Educational platforms (software like Elearn)
  • Technological & digital literacy

#9. Web Development Skills

It seems like there’s new technology popping up every other second now, a good enough reason for web developers to keep updating their skills. 

That said, if you are proficient in HTML, CSS, and Java, you pretty much have a leg up on the competition. All other skills on this list derive from or build upon the three basic programming languages. You can learn or improve your web development skills here.

  • CSS preprocessors
  • Graphic User Interfaces (GUI)
  • Git/Version control (Github, GitLab)
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Application Programming Interface (API)
  • Adobe Photoshop, InDesign
  • Content Management Systems (CMS)
  • Testing/Debugging
  • Responsive design principles

#10. Business Analytics

BAs are very in demand right now by businesses, and for a good reason! They perform an almost magical task of analyzing past and present data to give future predictions. To perform their magic, they need some analytical spells:

  • SQL (a must) and Hive (optional)
  • Programming language (R, Python, Scala, Matlab)
  • STATA, SPSS, SAS 
  • Data Mapping
  • Entity Relationship Diagrams
  • Big Data tools 
  • Microsoft Visio
  • Agile Business Analysis
  • Machine learning 
  • System Context Diagrams
  • Business Process Modeling
  • Technical and non-technical communication

#11. Nursing & Healthcare Skills

More than any other profession, healthcare professionals need to stay constantly updated with new technologies, medicine, and techniques. The skills nursing requires are countless and specific, but the most basic ones boil down to:

  • Mathematics
  • Patient care and assistance
  • Paperwork/record-keeping abilities
  • Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
  • Physical endurance 
  • Infection control
  • Surgery preparation

Bonus Infographic: Skills to Put on a Resume

Skills to Put on a Resume Infographic

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you still have some questions about what skills you should put on your resume (and how)? Check out the answers below:

1. What kind of skills should I include in my resume?

Your resume should include a combination of two types of skills: hard skills and soft skills .

Hard skills involve job-specific skills that are acquired through education, training, or work experience, while soft skills involve personality traits that can be indirectly useful at the workplace and help you adapt to the company culture better.

Depending on your industry, some examples of hard skills you can list on your resume include copywriting, database management, graphic design, multilingualism, public speaking, SEO, etc.

Meanwhile, examples of soft skills are communication, creativity, leadership, teamwork, time management, conflict resolution, etc.  

2. What top skills do employers look for?

The top hard skills recruiters are on the lookout for include blockchain development, SEO, virtual reality development, data analysis, artificial intelligence, business analysis, Java development, affiliate marketing, UX design, machine learning, project management, video production and editing, sales, and business development. 

The top soft skills hiring managers are looking for , on the other hand, are creativity, collaboration, persuasion, adaptability, and emotional intelligence.

3. How can I identify my skills?

Some effective ways to identify your skills before adding them to your resume include:

  • Consider your achievements. Did you ever get recognized for a specific achievement? What skills helped you do it? You are probably still skilled in those areas.   
  • Ask friends and coworkers. Sometimes, it’s easier for others to recognize the strengths that you don't see. Colleagues can definitely be of help but if you’re fresh into the professional world, former professors and classmates can also give you some insight.

4. Where do skills go on a resume?

Skills go under a separate ‘Skills’ section on a resume, typically placed right below, or on the side, of the work experience section.

That said, you can further prove that you possess the skills you list in this section, by weaving the most relevant skills for the job in other resume sections, such as the resume summary and the work experience sections. 

5. How many skills to include in my resume?

The number of skills to add to your resume depends on the job you’re applying for, as well as your level of expertise and work history.

If you’re a seasoned professional with plenty of work-related skills, you should definitely include them in your resume. Also, if the job you’re applying for requires a number of skills you possess, it’s safe to include them all in your resume. 

As a rule of thumb, listing up to ten skills on your resume is typically a safe choice, as long as they don’t make your resume spill over to page 2 .

6. What are the best skills for a candidate with no experience?

Candidates with no experience and few job-specific skills can benefit from adding transferable skills to their resumes. These are skills that can be applied to many jobs across several industries.

Some examples of good skills for a no-experience resume include communication, organization, problem-solving, teamwork, adaptability, work ethic, and computer skills. 

7. What’s the best way to list skills on a resume in 2024?

To really impress with your skills in 2024, don’t just list some random skills under a separate section and call it a day! Instead, make them more credible by:

  • Finding out more about the company culture.
  • Tailoring your skills to the job description.
  • Mentioning the most critical skills on your resume summary or resume objective .
  • Using your achievements to explain exactly how you used your skills to your advantage.

Key Takeaways

Let’s sum up everything we’ve learned about putting skills in your resume:

  • You must have a section in your resume devoted entirely to your skills. This helps you pass through applicant tracking systems and get noticed by the HR manager.
  • The differences between hard skills and soft skills are in the way they are applied (directly vs. indirectly) and the way they are obtained (through education and practice vs. personality traits and experience)
  • On your resume, list only skills that are relevant to the job, scan the job listing for must-have skills and list those (if you have them), pair each skill with a responding proficiency level, back up your skills with other resume sections, and mention transferable and universal skills.

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How to List Skills on a Resume (Real Skill Examples)

This essential resume writing article is about how to list skills on a resume. For more resume writing help, visit our job seeker resource center .

EdgeWater Pharmacy just posted an opening for a Sales Associate right down the street from your home. You think you are the perfect fit for the job, so you submit your resume, but so do 30 other candidates.

Do you know who is going to get called in for an interview? 

The job seeker who looks like they have the most relevant skills for the job.

Make sure you’re getting the callback for an interview from a hiring manager by reading how to list your skills on a resume.

This essential job seekers’ guide will walk you through how to add the skills a hiring manager wants to see on your resume, along with 50+ real resume examples of skills you can use.

This article on how to include key skills on a resume covers:

  • What are professional skills?
  • Why are skills important on resumes?
  • Different types of skills for job seekers
  • Where and how to incorporate skills on a job application
  • Top 50+ skills hiring managers want to see on your resume
  • Fastest ways to gain new skills to get hired

What Are Skills? Why Are Skills Important?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a skill is:

“the ability to use one’s knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance”

“a learned power of doing something competently : a developed aptitude or ability”

When it comes to job hunting, your skills are what set you apart. Every human on earth has a set of skills that is unique to them. Likewise, every professional position has a unique set of skills that is required for performing the job.

Finding the perfect alignment between these two ideas is the key goal for every hiring manager.

If a hiring manager finds someone that already possesses the skills needed for their job, they won’t have to spend so much time and money on training. It also means that their new employee will be able to pull their own weight more quickly, providing a quicker return on their hiring investment.

But how do hiring managers know who has what it takes to perform well on the job?

The first and most important place hiring managers look is at your resume. On average, a hiring manager spends 6 seconds reviewing a resume and during that time they are scanning the pages to see if the skills required for the job jump out at them.

If they find what they are looking for, you get called in for an interview. If they don’t quickly see what they are looking for, your resume will most likely be discarded.

As a job seeker, it is your responsibility to make sure you know what skills hiring managers are looking for.

Once you identify those skills, it is also your responsibility to make sure those relevant skills are incorporated into your resume in a way that stands out.

If you do these two things accurately, you will be the one getting called in for an interview and will be that much closer to landing a new job.

Types of Professional Skills (Real Resume Examples)

Skills can be broken down into four main categories:

  • Hard skills
  • Soft skills
  • Transferable skills
  • Job-related skills.

Before you start writing your own list of skills, let’s go through each of these skill categories to see what the difference between them is.

Hard Skills vs Soft Skills

Hard skills are specific, teachable, and tangible. They can be measured and tested using assignments and assessments. Hard skills are learned, either through on-the-job training or through school, rather than coming naturally.

Examples of hard skills for a resume:

Soft skills are intangible and are harder to measure. They are personality traits and interpersonal skills that come naturally to humans, rather than being learned through school.

People are born with soft skills. These soft skills grow and develop over time from your upbringing, education, and experiences.   

Examples of soft skills:

Contrary to popular belief, hiring managers often care more about soft skills than hard skills, though both hard and soft skills contribute to your appeal as a candidate.

Hard skills, such as computer programming or accounting, can be taught using a combination of curriculum and hands-on practice. Whereas soft skills, such as a positive attitude or punctuality, are harder to teach.

Regardless of your background, hiring managers are usually flexible with teaching you the hard skills needed for their job, as long as you already have the right attitude along with the aptitude to learn.

Transferable Skills vs Job-Related Skills

Transferable skills can be carried with you from one job to the other. These skills can be a hard skill or soft skill, as long as they can be used in any type of role, regardless of the industry, company, or position.

Examples of transferable skills:

Job-related skills are usually always hard skills.  These job-related skills are specific to a certain type of role or position.

Examples of job-related skills:

How And Where To List Skills On Your Resume

Skills should be included throughout your resume, rather than confined to one area.

While scanning your resume, hiring managers will be looking over each resume section, starting with the top. Because of how people read resumes, you need to make sure they see your skills immediately.

Guarantee hiring managers will see your skills by listing them in four key areas of your resume:

  • Resume header
  • Professional summary
  • Summary of skills
  • Work Experience section

If you are writing a resume from scratch, try using this free and easy-to-use resume builder from Resume.com. The sections and formatting are already created for you, so all you need to worry about is filling in the blanks to finish a free printable resume.

1. Resume Header

At the top of your resume, directly below your name, write your job title along with the three most relevant skills you have as a candidate.

This is the first section hiring managers will be reading, so it is important to draw their attention using bold and large lettering.

If you’re using this resume builder , the ‘ Blue Skies ’, ‘ Three Blocks Digital ’, and ‘ van Deco ’ resume templates already have a header section included, which will make finishing your resume easier.

When writing your header, it is crucial that you customize the job title and skills to each job you’re applying for. Your job application needs to be consistent – you can read more about consistency in this article .

For example, if you write Java Developer in your resume header, but are applying for a .NET Developer position, a huge red flag will go up for the hiring manager.

When writing your top three skills in your header, make sure they align with the required skills listed in the job posting.

If you’re applying for a job at a large company or corporation, or you’re applying through a job board, it’s helpful to keep applicant tracking systems (ATS) in mind. Make sure your resume makes it past ATS software by listing your skills using the same wording as the job posting.  

Example of skills in the resume header: 

skills in resume header example

2. Professional Summary

Below your header and contact information, you will have a professional summary section. A professional summary used to be called an ‘objective’, but the modern resume writing approach is to replace your objective with a professional summary section.

Your professional summary should give an overview of your background, years of experience, and the top skills that set you apart. The skills in your professional summary should be written in sentence form, rather than listed out.

If using the resume builder , the ‘ My Employment ’, ‘ Apple Green ’, and ‘ Side Panel ’ resume templates have professional summary sections that are sure to draw attention to your most relevant skills.

Example of skills in the professional summary of a resume:

resume example of skills in professional summary

3. Summary of Skills

Below your professional summary, include a ‘summary of skills’ section. Alternative titles for this section could be ‘core competencies’, ‘key skills’, ‘professional skills’, or ‘relevant skills’.

If you have less than 10 skills, you can list them out in columns. 

Summary of skills resume example (less than 10 professional skills) :

resume example of skills in summary of skills

Summary of skills resume example (more than 10 professional skills) :

professional skills resume example

For your skills section, your skills should be listed, rather than written out in sentence form. This formatting choice helps hiring managers to pick out the key words quickly, which they can read about in more detail in the experience section after.

4. Experience Section

The ‘experience’ section usually comes after your summary of skills on a resume. Depending on your background, this could also be called ‘professional experience’, ‘work experience’, or ‘relevant experience’.

Your experience section is the perfect place to back your skills up with real-life examples of when you have used your skills, in addition to the results you have achieved.

When writing your experience section, give specific details about where, when, and with whom you have used your skills. When possible, use numbers and metrics to quantify your achievements.

Example of how to list skills in the experience section of a resume:

how to list skills in work experience resume example

How to List Skills On A Resume – Finding Relevant Skills For You

To figure out what skills you should include on your resume, follow these three simple steps.

Step #1: Create a master list of skills

Go through each category and create a master list of the skills in your toolbox. Don’t be afraid to list things that seem obvious, like computer skills or customer service.

Although they might seem like a given in your profession, many hiring managers still want to see these skills listed.

Never include skills that you are no longer familiar with. If you write a skill on your resume, hiring managers will be expecting that you can deliver on that activity.

If you are worried that a hiring manager will over or underestimate your level of proficiency, feel free to write ‘beginner’, ‘intermediate’, or ‘proficient’ next to each skill listed.

Step #2: Figure out the skills needed for the job

When applying for jobs, it is important to identify the set of skills that are needed. Picking out the needed skills will help you determine if you are a good fit for the role. It will also help you tailor your resume skills to the specific job you are applying for.

There are two main ways to determine the skills needed for a job.

The first is to dissect job descriptions and job postings that are posted on career websites and job boards. To do this, go through a job description and highlight each quality that describes the candidate the company is looking for.

For example, here is a job posting for a cashier position: 

how to find relevant skills in job posting for resume

Then create a list of all the qualities described, making sure to write each skill using the same wording that is used in the job posting.

The second way to figure out what skills are needed for a job is to search for people on LinkedIn who are already performing the role.

By searching for a certain job title in the search bar, you can find a list of professionals who are already in that job and then search through their profile to see what skills they have listed, both in their summary and experience sections.

Step #3: Match your master list with the skills needed for a job

The skills you write on your resume should be whatever overlaps between your master list and the list of skills you created from researching jobs.

By using this technique, you will be making sure that the skills you have listed on your resume are relevant to the jobs you are applying for.

A general rule of thumb is to never include skills that aren’t important for the job you are applying for.

For example, if you are applying for a project manager position, there is no need to list that you know yoga or CPR.

Top 50+ Skills Hiring Managers Look For On Resumes

A lot of research has been done as to what hiring managers look for on a resume. Many of the skills they seek are job-specific, while others are transferable.

To increase your chances of getting called in for an interview, include these top skills throughout your resume.

These professional skills are divided by category to help you find the skills that are relevant to you.

Soft Skills

Basic computer skills, customer service, project management, art & design, human resources, fastest ways to obtain new skills.

Are you looking for your first job? Are you missing some of the required skills on a job posting? If so, don’t worry. There are a range of ways for you to obtain the needed skills quickly.

If you are in need of a hard skill, this task is much easier. Hard skills are learned, so you can typically find an online resource, school, or curriculum to pick up the needed skills.

If you don’t have enough time to attend class in person, there are a number of online learning platforms with courses that you can take online, in your spare time. Some examples of popular eLearning platforms include Lynda, Udemy, and Skillshare.

Learning soft skills are a little trickier. These interpersonal and personality traits are hardwired into humans, so the only way to get better at them is to practice, practice, practice.

If you can’t practice soft skills while on a job, try to find some day-to-day activities that you can practice these skills during.

For example, if you need to work on punctuality, set a goal to arrive 5 minutes early wherever you need to be, no matter if it is for class or for coffee. Or if you need to work on your professionalism, pick up a volunteer job based in a professional, office setting.

More Skill-Related Articles For Resume Writing:

  • How To List Hard Skills On A Resume (50+ Technical Skill Examples)
  • How to List Computer Skills on a Resume (50+ Computer Skill Examples)

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17 Best Skills to Put on Your Resume (with Examples)

20 min read · Updated on March 21, 2024

Marsha Hebert

Everything you need to know about adding the right skills to your resume

Whether your resume has been through 19 revisions lately or you're just revisiting it for the first time in years, spending some time taking stock of your skills section can generate more interest in your candidacy and be the key to winning interviews. 

However, there's a lot of conflicting information online and in books about maximizing the effectiveness of this section. 

Do you simply list all of your key skills on the resume? 

What are the right skills to put on a resume? 

What order is best? 

How will a jumble of technical qualifications help you stand out? 

And what about those  soft skills ?

Let's tackle those questions one at a time and learn the 17 best skills to put on your resume – starting at the beginning. 

Why is the resume skills section there in the first place?

The number one reason to spend a fair amount of time crafting your skills list is employability. Being employable means that you have the right skills – academic skills, applied knowledge, technology skills, vertical and lateral thinking abilities, and interpersonal skills – that employers value and are willing to pay you for. 

When the hiring manager picks up your resume to determine whether you're a fit for the role they have open, one of the first things they'll look at is your skill level. Having the right skills on your resume is also important to ensure your CV pops up in recruiter searches. 

There are three key reasons to include the skills section in your resume and to organize it well:

To list your skills and abilities in one place for easy reference and scanning

To highlight the match between your background and the job requirements for the position you're interested in

To get your well-crafted resume through keyword screening by applicant tracking systems

The right mix of resume skills will get you past the first hurdle and towards a conversation. Here's a blueprint for making the most out of your skills section:

Relevancy is critical

Including a jumble of skills on your resume, beefed up with some basics that pretty much everyone knows (like Microsoft Office, as an example) won't help you to stand out. In fact, listing out skills that are considered to be a common baseline can actually hurt your candidacy by making you look like you're scrambling to establish credibility. 

PRO TIP: As a general rule, basic user-level proficiency with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and email applications is  assumed to be a given . However, if you have advanced Excel skills (expert-level proficiency with macros and advanced analysis capabilities, for example), you should list those.  

Rather than go back to basics, you'll want to focus only on skills that look good on a resume.

So how can you tell that a skill is relevant? That's easy! Read the  job description . 

Interpret the job description

As you dissect the job description to learn what will be required of you if you're hired for the position, pay special attention to the “requirements” and “qualifications” bullets, as that's where you'll find the majority of the keywords your resume will need. Again, the goal is to ensure that your resume speaks to that particular job so you can impress the hiring manager. 

Let's say you're applying for a job as an Account Manager. You may see these bullets under the “requirements” part of the job description:

Build lasting relationships with new and existing clients

Maintain client records, including contract renewals 

Develop sales plans to meet key performance indicators

Understand product offerings to meet customer needs and upsell when available

The keywords you need to focus on in each bullet are:

Client relationships

Client records and contract renewals

Sales plans and KPIs

Product offerings, customer needs, and upsell

The question you then need to ask yourself is, “Do I have the skills to back up these keywords?” If the answer is “Yes,” then these skills should appear on your resume. 

This is called  tailoring your resume  and should be done with every job that you apply to. For example, if you are applying to be a Floor Manager at a store that sells musical instruments, your proficiency with inventory management and your ability to play guitar would both be relevant for the job.

The four main types of skills for your resume

As a human being, you have technical and interpersonal skills in a broad range of areas. You might be an expert whitewater rafter, or maybe you have advanced a World of Warcraft character all the way to level 80. Both of those accomplishments require dedication, practice, and technical proficiency, but they're probably not going to help you land a job. 

The general recommendation on standout skills for a resume is to only list skills that will, directly or indirectly, help you to be more effective in your job. 

To do this, you have to understand the different types of skills that employers look for. 

1. Hard skills for a resume

These are learned abilities that you've picked up during your career, either through education, training, or experience. They can be honed over time. When you add hard skills to your resume, you'll want to include numbers –   measurable accomplishments  – as often as possible. 

2. Soft skills for a resume

Soft skills are characteristics you possess that improve your ability to get along with others, solve problems, and communicate effectively. You'll find that hiring managers love soft skills. 

No matter how technical your position is, it will require interacting with people, dealing with deadlines, and adapting to change. It's not as easy to quantify soft skills as it is hard skills, but employers still want you to prove that you possess these traits.

While most skills can be categorized as hard or soft skills, there are other types of skills, too!

3. Transferable skills for a resume

In addition to hard and soft skills, you might consider whether you have any transferable skills. This becomes especially important if you're changing careers, as they allow you to provide tangible proof of your ability to adapt to new circumstances and use lateral or vertical thinking to apply knowledge about one thing to something else. 

When you're leaning on  transferable skills to sell your qualifications  to the hiring manager, you must take the time to relay how those skills will benefit them and their new team. So, rather than saying that you have good time management skills, prove it by demonstrating what you do to manage time and how this has benefitted previous employers. 

4. Adaptive skills for a resume

You can also show resiliency through skills in your resume if you're not changing careers. Let's face it, if there's one thing that's certain in life and work, it's that things change. If you're the type of person to leverage change as a learning opportunity, then you should definitely be highlighting your adaptability on your resume. 

When you talk about adaptive skills on your resume, be sure to provide specific examples as they can be the powerhouse statements that  win you an interview .

The 17 best skills to put on your resume

Now that we've defined what types of skills you can use on your resume, let's explore some specific examples of different skills you can include.

1. Computer skills and programming languages

When the job description wants you to prove that you possess programming skills, you can add “ Proficiency in Python, Java, or HTML, ” for example. This signals to employers that you can do everything from coding to automation and makes you a valuable candidate in the tech space.

Some roles that require an understanding of computer languages include:

Software Engineer

Computer Scientist

2. Data analysis

Saying that you possess data analysis skills allows you to demonstrate that you can interpret raw data and draw actionable insights to fuel change. It's adaptable across industries and can be easily backed by quantifiable data. 

Some roles that require an understanding of data analysis include:

Data Scientist

Marketing Consultant

Senior Accountant

3. Project management

You don't have to be a Certified Project Management Professional to include an ability to manage projects on your resume. If you're good at leading, organizing, and delivering successful outcomes, then you should add that you know how to manage projects. 

Some roles that require an understanding of project management include:

Construction Contractor

Industrial Engineer

IT Project Manager

4. Creativity

Creativity is one of the most highly sought-after skill sets. Not only can you leverage it to create tangible marketing pieces that connect with target audiences, but it can also be used to solve problems and bring fresh perspectives to projects. Creativity also signals that you're adaptable to dynamic environments. 

Some roles that require you to be creative include:

Graphic Designer

Digital Marketing Manager

Brand Manager

5. Languages

The world gets smaller every day, so being able to speak more than one language is a skill that you should definitely include on your resume. Adding multiple languages to your application makes you highly valuable in a globalized, connected working world.

Some roles that require you to be speak other languages include:

International  HR Director

Foreign Exchange  Investment Banker

Some  Teacher  roles

6. Communication

Every job everywhere requires employees to have good communication skills. But instead of simply saying that you are a good communicator, be prepared to demonstrate that you understand the value of everything from active listening to properly articulating complex concepts. 

Some roles that require great communication include:

Sales Representative

Public Relations

Nurse Practitioner

7. Teamwork

A lot of people will throw the word “teamwork” into the skills list on their resume without giving it much thought. However, given the vast amount of hybrid and remote working environments, teamwork is more important than ever. A happy team that works together reduces burnout and increases morale. 

Some roles that require good teamwork include:

Sports Fitness Coach

Product Manager

Scrum Master

8. Leadership

If you're applying for a role that will involve guiding others, then including leadership skills is a must. When you add leadership to your resume, you highlight that you're not afraid to take the initiative to make decisions that drive outcomes. 

Some roles that require you to be a leader include:

Director of IT

Sales Manager

9. Critical thinking

When you're known for making well-informed decisions by analyzing information and evaluating situations objectively, you possess critical thinking skills. You may see this pop up in job descriptions where the employer is seeking someone with high emotional intelligence. Basically, if you can navigate your way logically through problems, then critical thinking is probably something you should add to your resume.

Some roles that require critical thinking include:

Data Engineer

Telecommunications Professional

10. Cultural competence

Diversity, equity, and inclusion have become buzzwords in today's workforce. People want a voice and value having a psychologically safe place in which to get things done. This is even more true when you have people coming together from different cultures. 

Some roles that require you to have cultural competence include:

Military-to-Civilian

11. Quality assurance

Quality assurance has implications across a number of fields, including software development and cybersecurity. There is an emphasis on quality assurance in roles that require you to maintain compliance with regulations or particular guidelines and best practices. 

Some roles that require an understanding of quality assurance include:

Aviation Mechanic

Cyber Security Specialist

12. Time management

Ranking right up there with creativity as far as top-rated skills go, being able to properly manage time is critical in today's workforce. It's not only something that's found in professional settings, but across industries and jobs worldwide. A simple search of job descriptions will reveal that the majority of them want people who can meet deadlines, at the minimum. 

Some roles that require good time management include:

Administrative Office Assistant

Finance Director

Project Manager

13. Conflict resolution

Being able to de-escalate situations with irate clients by demonstrating empathy and clearly defining options for a resolution means you're probably good at conflict management. However, conflict management isn't only demonstrated in client interactions. You may also be able to showcase conflict resolution skills if you've solved problems within team environments, too. 

Some roles that require conflict resolution skills include:

Retail Merchandising

Insurance Agent

Information Technology

14. Sales and upselling

Sales is all about employing active listening to ascertain customers' needs, to sell the right product or service at the right time. Whether you're connecting with target audiences to get them to buy something through a digital marketing campaign or you're trying to sell someone a product, meeting client needs is critical to demonstrating that you're good at sales and upselling. 

Some roles that require you to be able to sell and upsell include:

Marketing Manager

Consulting Manager

Real Estate Manager

15. Data entry

As you progress in your career, showcasing that you're good at data entry will become less and less important, however, there are still some roles that value candidates who can quickly and accurately input data into a system. 

Some roles that require data entry include:

Recent Graduate

Mid-Career Professionals

16. Tech-savviness 

Being tech–savvy means that you're always on the cutting edge and consistently keep up with emerging technologies. It helps you to deliver innovative solutions that help your company remain competitive in the ever-changing IT landscape.

Some roles that require candidates to be tech-savvy include:

DevOps Engineer

Technical Project Manager

Senior Software Engineer

17. Continuous learning

Today's employers value job seekers and employees who are fastidiously committed to ongoing education and skill development. Most even provide some sort of knowledge bank or in-house professional development courses to allow you to engage in continuous learning. 

Some roles that value a commitment to continuous learning include:

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Electrical Engineer

Mechanical Engineer

How to add skills to your resume

Keep your skills specific and clear.

A common pitfall when it comes to resume skills is to list broad categories of abilities without going into sufficient detail. The problem with that approach is that it won't get your resume found in keyword searches, because they are looking for specific proficiency statements.

So, instead of writing “familiarity with accounting software,” list “Quickbooks, Quicken, Sage, and Xero.” 

Use numbers and descriptive words where appropriate – 

How many projects have you managed using Teamwork Projects? 

How many people have you trained to use Salesforce? 

A few well-placed quantifiers can position you as a serious candidate with supported qualifications.

Organize your skills list

When creating a long list of skills for a resume, consider how you organize everything. Ordering your skills strategically will make your resume easier to read and call the right attention to the right skills in the right place. 

This is especially true considering that our brains look for patterns. A well-organized skill section on your resume will improve the aesthetics and help the hiring manager to skim through it to find just what they're looking for. 

PRO TIP: There isn't a hiring manager alive who is reading your resume. They're  scanning through it in just a few seconds . This makes keeping things organized all the more important.

Another organizing tip is to list the most important skills for the job first. Specifics will vary by industry, but think through the critical technical skills that will drive your effectiveness and success in the role and put them at the top.

When you're starting to group your skills list together, deciding which is most important depends on the job description. While most employers want employees who are good communicators and can solve problems, you have to take the industry and employer preferences into consideration. 

Job relevance: This goes back to tearing the job description apart to find the relevant keywords

Industry trends: Stay on top of things that may be changing in your industry and highlight any new skills that come into demand

Employer preferences: Take some time to research the company and learn what they do, why they do it, and for whom – this will help you to get a feel for their company culture, so you'll know which soft skills will impress them the most

The best place to put skills on your resume

The placement of the resume skills section itself on the page is up to you. Many people prefer to have it positioned near the top of their resume, but it works at the bottom too.

PRO TIP: If you have a lot of skills to list, consider breaking them up (for example, technical skills at the top and additional skills at the bottom).

No matter where you place the skills section, the layout is critical in catching the eye of hiring managers and showcasing your qualifications in a way that helps you to stand out from the crowd. 

At the top of your resume

Technically speaking, your skills list shouldn't be at the top. The first things on your resume should be your  contact information ,  headline , and  summary paragraph . So, when we say “at the top of your resume,” we mean beneath the summary paragraph. 

When you put your skills list at the top of your resume, you call immediate attention to some key selling points. It's an effective technique if you have a strong set of skills that directly align with the job requirements. 

Here's what a skills list at the top of your resume would look like:

FIRST NAME, LAST NAME

City, ST 12345 • LinkedIn URL • [email protected] • 111-222-3333

REGIONAL MANAGER

Operations Management | Project Management | Sales Management | Business Analysis

Innovative and ambitious executive-level management professional offering extensive experience and an accomplishments-driven career in sales, marketing and operations, and key account management. Leverages an entrepreneurial spirit to orchestrate tactical business plans that challenge the status quo, allowing for reformation of process. Intuitive business acumen and skilled strategist who uses the most up-to-date business practices to create, implement, and oversee business continuity. Naturally assumes leadership roles to oversee and achieve organizational success.

Business Development • Executive Leadership • Strategic Business Planning • Data Analysis • Team Training & Development • Policy & Procedure Development • Marketing & Territory Expansion • Procurement, Sourcing, & Negotiation • Relationship-Selling • Customer Relations

This resume example actually has two skills lists. One just beneath the title and then the regular one beneath the summary paragraph. It's an effective way to separate out the skills that are most important – the specialized abilities that you want to call immediate attention to. However, if you do it like this on your resume, the skills listed beneath the title should only be one to two lines max!

At the bottom of the resume

If you've reached a point in your career where your work history and career achievements outshine your skills, then it's a good idea to place the skills list at the bottom of your resume. 

Here's what your skills could look like at the bottom of your resume:

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

[List your career history in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent and working backward about 10 years]

[List the degrees you've earned and the schools where you obtained your degrees. You can also mention any professional development classes you've taken and certifications or licenses you possess]

Core proficiencies:

Project Management | Lean Management | Change Management | Operations Management | 3PL | Inventory Management | Inventory Control | Inventory Planning | Logistics Management | Distribution & Processing | Budgeting | Procurement | Purchase Orders

Soft skills:

Team Leadership | Coaching | Persuasion | Creative Problem Solving | Negotiation

Technical skills:

Epicor | PeopleSoft | XAL(Concorde) | HighStage | Deltek (Costpoint) | KBM | Syteline | Kinaxis | Glovia (Oracle-based) | Oracle | Adept | Workflow | Data Vault (Oracle-based) | Intralink

English |  Spanish |  French

Throughout your resume

Since your resume is more than a list of skills, you should know that your master list of abilities and the keywords you've culled from the job description aren't limited to being placed only in a skills list. You can – and should – include hard, soft, adaptive, and transferable skills throughout your entire resume. 

After your contact information, the first thing that should appear on your resume is a headline. A lot of people will simply put a title, but if you take a moment to spruce it up and turn it into a headline, you'll be able to inject a few keywords on the top line of your resume. 

For example, if you're applying for a role as a Real Estate Broker, here's the difference between a title and a headline:

Title: Real Estate Broker

Headline: Real Estate Broker with Expertise in Property Valuation and Team Management

Put yourself into the shoes of a hiring manager and ask yourself, which of those would give you more information about the job seeker? The headline not only indicates which role you want, but also includes two keywords – property valuation and team management. 

Summary paragraph

As you move on to write your career summary, that appears just beneath the headline, you'll want to continue adding relevant skills from your career that are mirrored in the job description. Doing this will ensure that your resume presents a cohesive and powerful message that your experience and achievements will serve the new company well. 

In sticking with the example of Real Estate Broker, perhaps you find that the new company wants you to coordinate marketing events and client activities, write weekly reports, and have a solid understanding of the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) platform for listing properties. 

The keywords to include in your profile paragraph would be:

Marketing events

Client activities

Multiple Listing Service (MLS)

Thus, your profile paragraph could look like this:

Veteran real estate professional with a strong background in orchestrating impactful marketing events for single and multi-family residences. Specializes in managing client activities that turn passive consumers into active clientele. Proficient in maximizing MLS to enhance property visibility and streamlining documentation and reporting processes. Known for creating a culture of excellence and client satisfaction by maintaining an open-door policy that encourages communication among team members.

As you can see, the profile paragraph isn't a long and drawn-out diatribe of things you've done in your career. Rather, it's a short paragraph that matches your skills to the job you're applying for. 

Work experience

Let's move on to the meat of your resume - the part the hiring manager is going to spend the most time on – your  career history . You may be wondering how you can put future-facing keywords into the historical part of your resume, but all it takes is a bit of finesse. 

For example, if you have a history of closing multi-million-dollar deals in high-end neighborhoods, you could work a few keywords into an achievement bullet like this:

  • Closed 5 multi-million-dollar property sales per month by leveraging MLS for property exposure

While you could stop after you say how many multi-million-dollar deals you closed, because that's a great achievement statement, expanding the bullet to include a keyword makes your overall resume all the more compelling. 

TopResume wants to do more than write your resume. We want to give you the tools you need to succeed in your job search and career. Click on the following link for more  resume and career advice .

Stand out from the crowd

When you master including the best skills in your resume, you reach a level of job search preparedness that propels your resume to the top of the pile. The whole idea is to make it easy for potential employers to see how you'll fit within the folds of their organization and team. That's where tailoring the skills on your resume comes in – wherever you include them. 

Want to see how your resume stacks up? Try out our  free resume review  today!

Recommended reading:

How to Write a Powerful LinkedIn Summary

How to Format a Resume for Multiple Jobs at One Company

The Best Resume Format to Get Hired  

Related Articles:

7 Signs Your Resume is Making You Look Old

Don't “Snowplow” Your Kids' Job Search — Set Them Up for Success Instead

Why a Simple Resume Layout is a Successful Resume

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100+ Key Skills for a Resume in 2022 (Examples for any Job)

Learn how to professionally and efficiently list your skills on a resume.

Katerina Frye

How to List Skills on a Resume 

Your skills are just as important as your work experiences. Skills show a recruiter what you can do for the company -- without taking up too much space in your resume. 

Skills can be anything from “creativity” (a soft skill) to “JavaScript” (a hard skill). It’s important to include a mix of both on your resume.

Don’t know what skills you have? Read on to learn the difference between “soft” and “hard” skills, or skim our 250+ skills for each industry to jump right into the resume writing process. 

Beautiful resume templates to land your dream job

Physical Therapist

Soft Skills vs Hard Skills

“Soft” skills are those that are not quantifiable, such as leadership. These skills also cannot be learned, but  are rather a facet of your personality. Nevertheless, soft skills are still critical to have, for they demonstrate that you are personable and competent.

Top Soft Skills to include on your resume

‍ Tip: Use some of the soft skills as adjectives when writing your profile summary . For example, try “enthusiastic entrepreneur,” “empathic childcare worker,” “organized nurses’ aid,” “supportive administration assistant” or “detail-oriented sales associate.”

The resume below is for a Childcare Worker and includes many soft skills that companies look for, including Creativity and Organizational skills.

Childcare Worker

In contrast, “Hard” skills are those that are learned -- either in school or through a certification program. These skills are quantifiable and can be continuously expanded upon through further education. Today, most hard skills have to do with computer technology, such as SEO, CSS/HTML, or Microsoft Suite. Even if you aren’t tech-savvy, chances are you still have a few hard skills.

Top Hard Skills to include on your resume

Tip: Be specific about your hard skills. Instead of listing “Programming Languages,” specify which ones you know -- Python, Java, C, etc. Same with photo editing software and any other platforms you are familiar with.

The resume below is for a Content Marketing Associate, and includes manyhard skills that companies in the marketing industry look for, including experience with Social Media tools. Remember, it's important to be specific in terms of defining and listing what softwares you know.

Content Marketing Associate

How to List Your Skills

Whether you’re a jack of all trades or a master of one, you absolutely must list some skills on your resume. Skills offer additional insight into what you can offer the company as an employee, and may just push your resume over the edge and into the interview pile. 

  • Only list relevant skills . If you’re applying for a position as an engineer, don’t brag about your marketing abilities. Instead, save the space to list the software and programming languages that you know. 
  • List around 5 Skills . Writing too many skills on your resume can be an overwhelming experience for the recruiter. He or she may not fully register your skills, and instead just blankly skim the long list. Conversely, listing too few skills is only selling yourself short. You definitely have more than two skills -- no matter your experience level! So shoot for around 5 skills, with a little wriggle room. 
  • Include both hard and soft skills . Even if your profession seems to rely on soft skills more than hard skills -- or vice versa -- including both makes your resume stronger. For example, if you’re applying to work as a laboratory assistant, list soft skills such as “teamwork,” “problem-solving,” “time management,” or “organization.” If you’re in a more creative field, hard skills include softwares such as “Adobe Creative Suite” and talents such as “photography,” “writing & editing,” or “videography.” 
  • Note your experience level . With each skill, specify whether you are a “beginner,” “expert,” or somewhere in between (using words like “intermediate” and “moderate”). Our resume templates have bars beneath each skill that you can toggle to reflect your expertise. 

The resume below is for a Human Resources Manager, and includes all of the above tips.

Human Resources Manager

250+ Skills for Each Industry  

Although we’ve split these skills up by industry, please note that many skills are applicable to a variety of careers. For example, someone working in marketing might find knowledge of JavaScript just as useful as someone working in the computer science field. 

Let’s jump in!

100+ Key Skills to include on your resume infographic

Office and Administrative Job Skills

  • Answering Phones
  • Bookkeeping (Excel, Turbotax)
  • Office Equipment
  • Welcoming Visitors
  • Calendar Management
  • Organization 
  • Time Management 
  • Problem Solving
  • Attention To Detail
  • Adaptability 
  • Written Communication 
  • Email Platforms (E.G., Gmail And iCloud Mail)
  • Word Processing Software (E.G., Google Docs)
  • Spreadsheet Software
  • Digital Calendars
  • Prioritization 

Sales, Retail, and Customer Service Job Skills

  • Product Knowledge
  • Lead Qualification
  • Lead Prospecting 
  • Customer Needs Analysis
  • Referral Marketing
  • Contract Negotiation
  • Self Motivation
  • Increasing Customer Lifetime Value (Clv)
  • Reducing Customer Acquisition Cost (Cac)
  • CRM Software (Salesforce, Hubspot, Zoho, Freshsales)
  • Cashier Skills
  • Knowledge Of Products And Services 
  • Customer Service
  • Communication (More Specifically -- Verbal Communication Skills, Listening Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Written Communication Skills, Public Speaking Skills, Presentation Skills)
  • Math Skills
  • Negotiation 
  • Persuasion  
  • Diplomacy  
  • Cold Calling
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
  • Lead Generation
  • Buyer-responsive Selling
  • Buyer Engagement

Nursing and Healthcare Job Skills

  • Patient Assessment
  • Taking Vital Signs
  • Patient Care
  • Recording Patient Medical History
  • Wound Dressing And Care
  • Urgent And Emergency Care
  • Record-keeping
  • Patient Education
  • NIH Stroke Scale Patient Assessment
  • Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
  • Medicine Administration
  • Blood Pressure Monitoring
  • Rehabilitation Therapy
  • Hygiene Assistance
  • Use Of X-ray, MRI, Cat Scans
  • Glucose Checks
  • Electronic Heart Record (EHR)
  • Decision-Making Ability 
  • Critical Thinking
  • Leadership 
  • Thorough Understanding Of HIPPA And Privacy Policies
  • Ability To Take And Record Vital Signs
  • CPR And First-Aid Certifications
  • Perform And Evaluate Diagnostic Tests
  • Maintain Patient Charts

IT Job Skills

  • Programming Languages
  • Web Development
  • Data Structures
  • Open Source Experience
  • Machine Learning
  • Front-End & Back-End Development
  • Cloud Management
  • Agile Development
  • CSS Preprocessors
  • Graphic User Interfaces (GUI)
  • Git/Version Control (Github, gitlab)
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Application Programming Interface (API)
  • Adobe Photoshop, InDesign
  • Content Management Systems (CMS)
  • Testing/Debugging
  • Responsive Design Principles
  • Mobile and Web Development (e.g. iOS, Android)

Engineering & Technical Job Skills

  • STEM Skills
  • Prototyping
  • Troubleshooting
  • Project Launch
  • Lean Manufacturing
  • Workflow Development
  • Computer Skills
  • Technical Report Writing
  • Programming Languages HTML, CSS, CRM tools

Advertising & Marketing Job Skills

  • SEO (SEMRush, WordPress, and Ahrefs)
  • SEM (i.e., Google Adwords)
  • CRO and A/B Testing
  • Social Media Marketing and Paid Social Media Advertising
  • Sales Funnel Management
  • CMS Tools (WordPress, Weebly)
  • Graphic Design Skills (Adobe Creative Suite)
  • Email Marketing (MailChimp, Constant Contact)
  • Email Automation
  • Data Visualization
  • Print Design
  • Photography and Branding
  • Communication 
  • Creativity 
  • Data Analytics (Google Analytics )
  • Web Analytics
  • Email Writing 
  • Google Adwords
  • Social Media And Mobile Marketing 
  • Paid Social Media Advertisements
  • Consumer Behavior Drivers
  • Brand Management
  • B2b Marketing
  •  Writing Advertising Copy
  • Soliciting Feedback From Customers
  • Cutting Costs
  • Leadership skills
  • Task Delegation 
  • Strategic Management
  • Proposal writing
  • Problem-solving
  • Problem solving
  • Website Management
  • Social Media Outreach
  • Video Production
  • Campaign Management
  • Photo Editing
  • Logo Creation
  • Digital Printing
  • Interactive Media Design 
  • Color Sense & Theory
  • Social Media Publishing
  • Storytelling
  • Financial Analysis
  • Consumer Research
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Videography 
  • Technical Writing 

General Management and Project Management Job Skills

  • Agile Project Management (Kanban)
  • Managing Cross-Functional Teams
  • Scrum Management
  • Performance Tracking
  • Financial Modelling
  • Ideation Leadership
  • Feature Definition
  • Forecasting
  • Profit and Loss
  • Scope Management
  • Project Lifecycle Management 
  • Meeting Facilitation
  • Risk Management 
  • Cost Management 
  • Data Analysis 
  • Collaborative 
  • Collaborative Programs (Slack, WhatsApp, Dropbox)
  • Adobe Creative Suite

Browse more resume templates that fit your role

Katerina Frye

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Professional resume templates to help land your next dream job.

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13 skills examples for resumes that grab recruiters’ attention

What skills should you put on your resume.

Write a resume as unique as you

You have a distinctive and impressive skillset that sets you apart from other candidates, making you the best fit for a new role. But how can you effectively showcase your exceptional abilities and capture the attention of recruiters?

If you’re ready to make a career move, it’s time to dust off your resume. And when you’re adding your latest professional experience, you should also highlight your innate talents and special skills — these attributes make your application exciting and memorable. 

Of course, crafting a compelling resume can be challenging. The stakes are high, and resumes follow a fairly strict format, meaning you don’t have much creative (or spatial) leeway.

Deciding on the right unique skills for your resume can make or break the success of an application. Sit down, open your laptop, and seize this opportunity to stand out in the job market.

The best skills to put on a resume are the ones that best describe you. Don’t stretch the truth — keep descriptions accurate. But don’t be shy to show off what makes you an unbeatable fit for the role. 

If you’re struggling to brainstorm, we can help. Check out these 13 attention-grabbing hard and soft skills:

Hard skills

Hard skills are learned abilities, often technical or creative. These are key skills to put on a resume because they demonstrate how well you’ll be able to meet and exceed the granular, day-to-day expectations of a position. 

If you’re applying for a UX position and have graphic design skills, adding this tidbit to your resume tips off a hiring manager and tells them you would bring a keen visual eye to the role. Similarly, highlighting strong editing skills for a marketing job could be a plus, as you’ll likely have to produce snappy copy. 

Here are a few essential hard skills to consider adding to your resume: 

Writing: Most roles, particularly ones that involve client interactions, demand excellent writing skills. Whether you expect to craft perfect emails to customers or generate blurbs for social media, having a solid understanding of style and grammar is worth highlighting on your resume.

woman-writing-with-pen-on-notebook-at-home-unique-skills-on-resume

If you’re applying for a writing-forward position, such as SEO content generation, advertising your skills in this area is a must. Include what type of content you’ve generated, the publications or companies you’ve worked with, and any relevant metrics that demonstrate the content’s success.

Project management: While it’s obvious that a project manager needs to highlight this skill, any person applying for a leadership or tech role should include this point on their resume.

Consider a software developer: they may spend most of their time coding but likely also participate in Agile sprints or similar project management structures. And working knowledge of project management methodologies is a resume booster across various industries and niches.

Data analysis: Aspiring data analysts should itemize technical skills. (You could even list them in a spreadsheet.) Be sure to use search-browser-friendly terms that align with those hiring managers seek for data analysis roles, such as SQL, data modeling, and business intelligence.

Graphic design: Anyone in a design-focused career — including marketers, content creators, and developers — should highlight graphic design skills. If you’re applying for a design-based role, you might get more specific and call out unique knowledge or qualifications, such as the specific applications you’re proficient in.

Language skills: In the age of remote work, language skills are a plus — and sometimes a must. Many tech companies, for example, have cross-cultural teams. Speaking a second language that promotes better understanding between you and your coworkers in another part of the world makes you a more versatile, empathetic candidate. 

woman-talking-to-coworker-at-desk-unique-skills-on-resume

Soft skills

Soft skills define a person’s character. Some socially-oriented abilities are inherent, but you accumulate or perfect others in your professional and personal relationships. Everyone communicates, but it takes work to become an expert listener or great at public speaking .

Not everyone has the same soft abilities — that’s what makes them stand out as special skills for your resumes. Some people are natural-born leaders, while others prefer collaborative work in a team setting. There’s room for everyone’s soft skills at most companies, and many recruiters — 93% of them, to be exact — want to see them. Here are a few in-demand soft skills worth listing on your resume:  

Communication: Are you excellent at active listening ? Do you have the patience to facilitate difficult conversations?Briefly describe what’s unique about your interpersonal skills instead of simply stating that communication is a strong suit.

Problem-solving: Conflict and obstacles are inevitable in any workplace. Being able to think critically about issues, draft potential solutions, and select the correct route forward is a valuable skill. Highlighting the skill implies you can face a roadblock with a clear head, which is what employers want to hear.

Leadership: Anyone in a workplace can be a leader , no matter their position or seniority. A team member who steps up because they have specific knowledge that can help a project is a leader. A relatively new employee who shows an even newer one the ropes is a leader, too. Listing this soft skill tells a recruiter you can motivate, guide, and support others.

colleagues-discussing-something-at-meeting-with-manager-unique-skills-on-resume

Highlight this skill and let the work experience on your resume do the rest. Perhaps one of the bullet points under your last job is that you “Led a team of five developers to complete an app development project successfully” or “Took the initiative to introduce an innovative planning method.” These anecdotes demonstrate leadership and back up your skills section.

Time management: This top skill for resumes is important because virtually all employees must possess it. Whether you’re coordinating a project for a team or ensuring you finish your tasks on time, you must prioritize and schedule work and respect others’ expectations in order to mesh with a team.

Ability to work on a team (and independently): Hiring managers want to know how you’ll fit into the team. Highlight your ability to collaborate with others and take initiative on solo work by listing specific and relevant skills, such as conflict resolution and the ability to perform research.

Adaptability: In the workplace, you have to shift to meet changing project landscapes and circumvent roadblocks. Show — don’t tell — your ability to do so by listing various unique tasks and projects in which you’ve been involved. Tailor the list to the needs of the role: for example, if you’re applying to a development job, include some of the most out-of-the-box pieces of software you’ve worked on.

Self-motivation: Show hiring managers that you take the initiative to learn and grow by highlighting your ability to self-motivate. Cite a specific occasion when you taught yourself a new skill, vied for a promotion, or devised a new way of working. 

Customer service skills: Relating to clients is a communication skill that not everyone has — if you’ve got it, flaunt it. Someone needs to handle client-facing work, so if you excel at explaining concepts to others, selling products or services, or representing a company well, let potential employers know. 

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Your resume is a powerful marketing tool — use it to showcase your unique abilities and align with the specific requirements of each job you apply for. While there's no one-size-fits-all approach to selecting the perfect skills for your potential employer, here are some tips to help your application stand out :

  • Customize for the role: Tailor your resume to each role by thoroughly analyzing the job description. Extract essential keywords and phrases like "takes initiative" or "knowledge of InDesign" and incorporate them into your resume using the same language. This approach allows recruiters to quickly identify key qualifications that align with their needs.

manager-looking-at-resume-on-computer-and-taking-notes-unique-skills-on-resume

  • Avoid excessive lists: Be selective and intentional with the skills you include. If you're applying for an advanced developer role, there's no need to state basic skills like using Microsoft Office (recruiters will assume you know this). Focus on relevant assets that add clear value to the specific role you're applying for.
  • Create a balanced resume: While customizing your resume to match the job description is important, don't forget to make it stand out. Strike a balance between showcasing the skills recruiters are looking for and emphasizing what makes you special.
  • Expand on your talents: Consider creating a dedicated skills section to list languages, software proficiency, and other abilities that don’t require elaboration. However, ensure your experience section also highlights your talents with specific examples of professional growth and successful initiatives.

Write a resume as unique as you 

You’re the only person in the world with your blend of talents, experience, and skills. A resume is your opportunity to prove this to potential employers.

Editing your resume to fit every role you apply to can be tedious work, but it’s worthwhile. Your resume may be your first and only chance to present yourself to a recruiter. Put your best foot forward and include the most impactful and unique skills on your resume.  

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Elizabeth Perry

Content Marketing Manager, ACC

Resume best practices: how far back should a resume go?

Best work accomplishments to list on your resume (with examples), how to put babysitting on a resume: 6 skills to highlight, character references: 4 tips for a successful recommendation letter, resume dos and don’ts: 29 tips for writing your best resume, how to create a resume with chatgpt, learn how to get a job with no experience, functional resume: what is it & how to write one (with examples), 6 tips on how to answer promotion interview questions, similar articles, 24 action verbs for your resume that will get you the job, 20 marketing skills professionals should have in 2023, the 16 best resume builders for every situation, how to choose a career: 7 things to consider, wondering what you're good at here are 10 ways to figure it out, 7 types of resumes to suit various scenarios, 17 essential transferable skills to boost your job search, 10 organizational skills that will put you a step ahead, stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

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13+ Top Skills to Add to Your Resume (and How to Include Them)

skills to add to a resume

There are currently 7.8 billion people on Earth – and the number this about to touch 8 billion in 2023, and 10 billion by 2056 .

Unfortunately, the number of jobs isn’t increasing fast enough to keep up with the growing population.

There’s a lot of competition for job seekers and the right opportunities during a job search can be hard to come by. The same can also be said about side hustles . Let’s face it, most employers get thousands of job applications, and it isn’t possible to pore over every single one of them for lack of time. So, modern-day companies use a system called the Applicant Tracking System .

Resume Applicant Tracking System

Employers initially select the resumes that show positive hits for specific keywords, no matter how irrelevant they may later turn out to be.

And due to this, many relevant candidates end up getting rejected outright due to the lack of required keywords in their resume.

That’s why creating the right resume isn’t a simple task anymore.

This guide will cover the best skills to add to your resume to get more job opportunities this year. This skills list covers what to add to your resume skills section so that you can go from seeing a job posting to getting hired.

Let’s get started.

What Are the Best Resume Skills?

Skills and requirements across industries vary widely. For instance, your marketing skills may be of little use if you’re going to write code for a software company. Similarly, your expertise in operations management may be irrelevant for a role in brand management.

That’s why you need to know exactly what the industry needs, what keywords are most likely to be appropriate for each job description, and how your best skills are relevant.

These will vary across industries.

But there are job skills that might be required in every industry. They help in ensuring you adapt, sustain, and thrive in any work environment and climb the corporate ladder.

They are ‘soft skills’ and ‘hard skills.’

Soft Skills vs. Hard Skills.

Hard skills are usually quantifiable, like your ability to solve mathematics problems, write code in JavaScript, HTML or CSS, prepare pitching scripts, and more. They are teachable, and you can acquire them with practice.

On the other hand, soft skills are intangible. And in most cases, you cannot teach them. Examples are communication skills, office etiquette, gelling with co-workers, and more.

Here’s a list of some of the most in-demand soft skills and hard skills according to LinkedIn Learning:

skills to add to a resume

Sometimes, showcasing a skills section of your resume the right way can make all the difference.

Other than that, there are a lot of hard and soft skills and competencies that are in high demand.

Here are some of the most important ones right now.

Soft Skills.

1. time management..

Time management is one of the most important skills, especially in a corporate setting. You’ll have to meet clients, manage team meetings, schedule appointments, pre-determined deliverables on a deadline, and hit your own daily targets.

But there’s only 24 hours in a day and 8-9 hours in the office.

That’s where time management becomes a crucial skill-set and is a trait admired across every industry. Unless you manage your time efficiently and effectively, you are likely to fall behind on all your work.

Highlighting your ability to manage time will immediately set you apart from your competitors. Every business works on a deadline and needs employees who can work on a tight schedule.

Train yourself to prioritize tasks, and use frameworks to the best effect.

Take the Eisenhower framework , for instance:

Eisenhower framework

It requires separating your tasks into four main quadrants based on urgency and importance. Naturally, it allows you to plan your time better and helps you reduce a lot of stress.

The ability to demonstrate proficiency in time management with these frameworks adds to the candidate’s appeal.

Here’s one more weighted decision matrix example provided by airfocus, a roadmapping and prioritization tool, that you can use for learning how to prioritize decision making.

How to Include Time Management in Your Resume?

You can find a lot of great resume examples that offer guidance and how to add certain elements to your resume. For example, make sure to always include easy-to-read bullet points when you list skills. Include action-oriented keywords in your resume for the best results, such as:

1. Ability to Delegate Tasks.

  • You can highlight your ability to delegate tasks to ensure the simultaneous completion of multiple targets.
  • It also points out your ability to identify the potential of every employee and allocate responsibilities and duties accordingly.
  • Talk about your ability to focus on the task at hand.
  • It also highlights the fact that you don’t try to do too many things at once, and instead focus on the most important and urgent task first.
  • Here, you can also talk about how you focus on each task, ensuring you don’t have to spend time on it later due to any inadvertent error.

3. Goal Setting.

  • Talk about how you break down tasks into small parts and set goals for yourself and your team.
  • Point out briefly how dividing tasks into small goals can help you complete them faster, boost your confidence, and have helped you in the past.

4. Organization Skills.

  • Draw attention to how you like to maintain a clean and organized workspace.
  • Multi-tasking and managing a lot of different complex tasks at once are good skills to add in your resume skills section.

5. Ability to Prioritize Important Tasks.

  • Highlight your ability to understand the urgency of tasks and clearly prioritize them.

2. Leadership Qualities.

Most of the time in the workplace, your senior would allot you work and give pre-determined targets. How you can work as a team and get the job done is something you have to figure out.

That’s where you require stellar leadership qualities .

When the morale of the team is down, a true leader can make all the difference in the workplace.

Employees who can lead from the front, drive the team, influence their co-workers positively, and meet deadlines are in high demand from companies.

There are usually four leadership styles , namely supporting, delegating, coaching, and directing.

Four leadership styles

The best leaders are the ones who fall under the S2 (Coaching) category.

How to Include Leadership Qualities in Your Resume?

You can take advantage of numerous resume-building tools to highlight your leadership skills.

For example, you can simply choose a template by Canva that uses the right keywords to demonstrate your leadership skills:

Canva Resume: Leadership Skills

Resume building tools like Canva come with plenty of templates that come pre-designed with appropriate keywords according to your skill-set.

Some of its key features are:

  • It has over 6000 resume templates based on specific industries and skill-set.
  • Offers customization of colors, fonts, and layouts.
  • You can click and create boxes to adjust your resume format and add information.

Here are some keywords that can help you highlight your leadership capabilities:

1. Ability to Teach And Mentor.

  • Talks about your ability and experience in teaching and mentoring your team members.
  • Highlights your willingness to lead a team and can be included in your experience section.

2. Flexibility.

  • You can use this word in a sentence in such a way that it explains how you are flexible about your work and can lead from the front.
  • Explaining how you are willing to make long-term commitments is good to add to a skill section.

3. Risk-Taker.

  • Highlights how you take or have taken calculated risks in the workplace.

4. Team-Builder.

  • It explains your ability to select the right employees to build a responsible and responsive team.
  • Here, you can also highlight previous such experiences, either in academic or professional life.

5. Time Management.

  • It points out how your time management skills can help get the job done.
  • Make sure to briefly explain how you can divide work, delegate tasks, and ensure all team members meet their targets.

3. Communication Skills.

The right communication skills are central to getting the work done in any workplace. And you can’t just teach this skill to anyone – you need to cultivate it over time.

You need to have excellent communication skills to efficiently ideate, collaborate, provide feedback, and delegate tasks.

Moreover, in a dynamic work environment, you need to be an active listener and be able to interpret your tasks easily. It also helps you formulate your own thoughts and respond.

It’s challenging to work with co-workers or employees who can’t read between the lines and require you to explain the same thing multiple times.

In the workplace, you’ll rarely work alone. Unless you communicate the right way, you’ll rarely get any work done.

Therefore, having strong communication skills is an instant hit with recruiters across industries.

For proof, here are some of the most in-demand skills for entry-level positions :

Communication Skills In-demand

How to Include Communication Skills in Your Resume?

It’s essential to add action-oriented words in your resume to demonstrate excellent communication skills.

Here are some of the keywords you might want to add:

1. Active Listening.

  • It highlights your ability to listen to what people say, not just hear them.
  • Try to showcase how you think on your own, understand, and respond to your peers.

2. Public Speaking.

  • Bring out a knack for public speaking in your resume. Here, you can also highlight your previous public addresses.

3. Constructive Criticism.

  • It’s a highly sought-after trait. Highlight how you can constructively criticize your teammates and peers and bring out the best in them.
  • Mention how you welcome it as well, and how it has made you a better employee in your skill resume sections.

4. Interpersonal Communication.

  • Highlight your interpersonal skills like self-confidence, work ethic, expertise at relationship management, and receptiveness to feedback.

5. On-ground Communication

  • Here, you can emphasize your proficiency in the languages you are conversant with, and use words like ‘expert,’ ‘professional,’ and ‘adept’.
  • Focus on how your communication skills made you more approachable in previous organizations.

4. Self-Motivated and the Ability to Take Initiative.

The workplace can sometimes get dreary. Long work hours, excessive targets, strict deadlines, and fatigue can turn even the most exciting jobs into chores.

That’s when you need initiative and self-motivation. Employees who can take the initiative, keep themselves motivated, and help others tide over stress and boredom are true assets of any company.

These employees don’t need supervisory guidance, know their jobs well, and are highly motivated to work towards meeting all targets. They go above and beyond their targets and try to ‘make things happen.’

Moreover, these employees display excellent work ethic and problem-solving skills.

Here’s one of the frameworks to keep yourself motivated:

The motivation framework

Such frameworks help manage initiative and motivation in the workplace.

You can use different tools to make your trait of taking the initiative stand out.

Take Resume.io , for instance:

Resume tool - Resume.io

Resume.io helps you recreate the professional templates consisting of the typical ‘resume rules’ employers are looking for, and draw attention to your skills:

This tool can:

  • Offer a wide range of simple, creative, and professional templates.
  • Offer high customizability with numerous fonts and colors.
  • Also offers a free plan for basic features.

How to Include Initiative Taking Skills in Your Resume?

Here’s how you can use specific points to highlight your quality of taking the initiative:

1. Volunteering For Roles.

  • Mention that you go above and beyond your stipulated work and volunteer for roles.
  • Emphasize you want to make a difference in your workplace.

2. Resolve Conflicts.

  • You can highlight instances where you stepped in to resolve issues in your previous workplaces.

3. Share The Credit.

  • Mention how you understand that every team member is important.
  • Explain how you realize the need to share credit for a job well done and highlight instances where you did the same.

4. Being Decisive.

  • Highlight how you can be decisive and mention instances where you have been decisive in the workplace.

5. Brainstorming.

  • Explain how you can brainstorm ideas and helped your previous organizations.

5. Adaptability and Flexibility.

Adaptability means being able to change with the environment, including your workspace. When used in the workspace, it can mean being open to innovations, radical ideas, and alterations.

While adaptability is mostly for long-term situations, flexibility is more short-term.

An employee that can adapt, can also:

  • Prioritize, delegate, and complete work in time
  • Display positive change in attitude

With the workplace dynamics rapidly changing, employers are focusing on people who can get the job done. This means there’s increasingly more emphasis on flexibility and adaptability in the workplace.

Businesses are looking at higher levels of job redesigning, and terms like job enrichment, job enlargement, and job rotation are slowly gaining traction.

Demonstrated ability to tackle workplace challenges and willingness to be flexible and adaptable on the job are the traits the employer of today is looking for in potential employees.

How to Include Adaptability and Flexibility Skills in Your Resume?

Here are some terms to include in your resume:

1. Open to New Trends.

  • Emphasize how you’re open to new trends, ideas, and challenges in the workplace and how it makes you a better employee.

2. High Adjustability.

  • It highlights your adjusting demeanor and willingness to tackle new challenges.

3. Problem-Solver.

  • Use this term and explain your positive attitude towards problems and how devising and implementing solutions drive you.

4. Ability to Handle Pressure.

  • It highlights your ability to soak up pressure and work in stressful situations. Here, you can briefly explain how working on a deadline enhances your performance.

5. Acknowledge Others.

  • Emphasize how well you can work in teams and are the first to acknowledge the efforts of others.
  • Highlight how you believe in sharing the credit, and how you’ve done so in the past.

6. Culture Fit.

  • It explains how your adaptability and flexibility make you an asset in the workplace.
  • Here, you can also point out how you can seamlessly fit into the specific company you want to join.
  • Highlight the term ‘culture fit’ and how your career goals align with the mission and vision of the company.

6. Creativity and Innovation.

Creativity in the workplace helps you look at problems differently. Moreover, it can help you find new solutions and provide crucial insights into essential decision-making junctures.

Creative thinkers are employees who aren’t limited only to their job, and they try to incubate, ideate, evaluate, and test new ideas.

They don’t shy away from assessing outcomes of the ideas; they think about how to implement and market them and how it can make a positive impact.

Employers are increasingly turning to innovators to lead businesses to the cusp of the ‘Next Big Thing,’ and they are highly sought after today.

According to statistics, creativity is one of the ten top skills that global executives say is essential for 2022 and beyond.

Moreover, if you google “creativity in business,” you’ll see over 426,000,000 results.

creativity in business search

That’s a lot.

It suggests that creativity and innovation are some of the most in-demand traits that can help you land a job easily.

The best way to create a resume that can highlight “creativity and innovation” as your traits is through a resume builder.

Some of the best options include:

  • Creative Market

Most of these tools help you create engaging resumes and come with pre-set keywords that make you stand out and highlight your best traits, including creativity and innovation.

Some of the features of these tools are:

  • Offers thousands of templates based on industries, your required skill-set, and more.
  • Offers millions of images and icons.
  • Allows you to add graphics easily.

How to Include “Creativity and Innovation” in Your Resume?

Here’s an example of how you can highlight the term “ Innovation ” in your resume :

Highlight Innovation resume

Here are some ideas on brainstorming terms to use in your resume:

1. Mind Maps.

  • Mention you know how you can ideate using mind mapping .
  • Highlight instances of using mind mapping tools like Miro .

2. Perform Reframing.

  • Explain how you can use reframing to visualize problems, situations, relationships from a different angle.

3. Experimenting.

  • Mention how you’re not afraid of experimenting to get answers.
  • Highlight how you’ve solved problems by experimenting.

4. Divergent Thinking.

  • Explain briefly how divergent thinking can create points-of-view other than convergent thinking.

7. Collaboration and Teamwork.

How well you work in teams, in groups, and partnerships are essential considerations.

The first step is to showcase in your resume that you can indeed work in a team and collaborate efficiently.

The corporate environment is fast-paced and multi-dimensional.

If you have to meet all your goals within the stipulated timelines, you cannot neglect collaboration and teamwork.

Furthermore, collaboration can be between specific team members (intra-team) and between different teams(inter-team).

collaboration framework

Division and limitation of resources, responsibilities, and distribution of expertise across teams make it necessary to collaborate in the workspace. Teamwork is central to the success of any organization, but it isn’t easy.

That’s why people who demonstrate an ability to collaborate are in high demand in workplaces.

How to Include “Collaboration and Teamwork” in Your Resume?

Here are some terms you can use to emphasize your collaborative spirit:

1. Empathetic.

  • Shed light on your ability to empathize with team members and work according to targets as well as emergencies.
  • Mention how you’re always ready to cove for a team member.

2. Patience.

  • All members of a team aren’t the same. Some will pick up details faster than others. Highlight your ability to be patient and accommodating towards others and work as a team.

3. Takes Initiatives.

  • Highlight your demonstrated history of taking the initiative while working in a group.
  • Emphasize how you can steer a team project towards completion with your inputs.
  • Highlight past instances where you took an initiative.

4. Reliability.

  • Demonstrate how you help generate trust in team members and create a conducive work environment.
  • Explain how your work ethic improves when team members rely on you to deliver.

5. Division of labor

  • Emphasize your ability to divide work according to resources and expertise, which helps in the efficient completion of tasks.

Hard Skills.

Let’s now look at the list of skills that are defined as hard skills. These types of skills can be measured in a specific way.

8. Foreign Language Proficiency.

The world is increasingly becoming a smaller place since most companies are going global now. Employees of software companies and construction firms, chartered accountants, archeologists, data scientists, statisticians, and many other professionals now need to travel abroad regularly.

Some even have to relocate for several months, even years.

With the increasing business opportunities in foreign locations, employers now prefer candidates who have a standard skill-set and are proficient in foreign languages.

These candidates can perform their own duties as skilled workers and help bridge the communication gap between the business and the local population.

Thus, proficiency in languages like French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Mandarin, Japanese, Russian, Arabic, and Hindi has become highly desirable.

Here are some of the most commonly studied foreign languages :

most commonly studied foreign languages

Image Credit: Europa.eu

While this is a great skill to have, you also need to highlight it correctly.

A resume builder like Zety can help you do just that.

Zety professional resume builder

It’s a professional resume builder that can get the job done in a matter of clicks and help you create an attractive resume.

Here’s what it offers:

  • More than 20 resumes, cover page, and CV templates.
  • Offers toolboxes for extensive customizability.
  • Wide range of icons, colors, and fonts to choose from.
  • In-built flexible text editor for grammatical mistakes.

How to Include “Foreign Language Proficiency” in Your Resume?

Here are some snippets from a sample resume that can help:

Foreign Language Proficiency

Here are some keywords that can help you stand out:

1. Foreign Languages Known.

  • Mention the language(s) that you know.
  • Explain your keenness to converse in those language(s).

2. Language Proficiency.

  • Be sure to mention your proficiency.
  • It can be – beginner, expert, or professional level.

3. Use a foreign language in a fast-paced environment.

  • Emphasize how you can help the business by using the language in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.
  • Highlight your willingness to put your expertise to good use.
  • Mention any past instances where your language proficiency came in handy.

4. Leveraged Command/Expertise.

  • Mention instances where you stepped up and used foreign language proficiency in a demanding professional situation.

9. Social Media Expertise.

Around 4.3 billion people use social media in the world, accounting for about 40% of the total world population.

On top of that, over 77% of small businesses use social media for their promotion, marketing, sales, and more.

That in itself is a large market for any business.

Therefore, every employer today is looking for potential employees that are social media savvy. This could include digital marketing skills and certifications, the ability to drive visibility and engage customers.

If you have these skills, then you’ll find plenty of potential employers willing to hire you right away.

The right resume building tools like VisualCV can help you here.

Here’s a sample template from VisualCV highlighting social media proficiency:

social media proficiency resume

Some highlights of this tool are:

  • You get a wide range of templates, fonts, and colors.
  • You receive a free resume review.
  • They have stringent data privacy controls.
  • It tracks your resume viewers with analytical reports.

How to Include “Social Media Expertise” in Your Resume?

To make your proficiency in this area stand out, use some of these keywords:

1. Customer Engagement Expertise.

  • Mention your expertise in handling multiple accounts and engaging customers.
  • Highlight instances where your customer engagement benefitted previous organizations.
  • Provide examples of a mode of customer engagement.

2. Data Analytics Proficiency.

  • Mention your knowledge of data analytics.
  • Highlight how you’ve used it in past organizations.
  • Explain how you tracked metrics and helped improve performance.

3. Improved Visibility.

  • Explain how you improved the visibility of the social accounts you’ve worked with.
  • If possible, demonstrate with numbers.

4. Customer Service Skills.

  • Mention if you ever reached out to customers via social at your previous organizations.
  • If you have, what sort of problems you’ve solved.

5. Social Media Marketing.

  • Mention if you ever connected with customers to build your brand, drive website traffic, or increase sales.

10. Project Management.

Every business might face a crunch in resources. That’s because resources are limited, and everyone’s competing for a piece of the pie.

Most businesses distribute limited resources within domains, and employees work with those resources to deliver the best results.

Therefore, it’s a necessity for any business to ensure proper distribution of resources – which is the task of project managers.

Employees well-versed in project management should be able to carry out the following tasks:

  • Plan resources
  • Manage project issues and risk
  • Monitor progress
  • Perform documentation and reporting
  • Manage time and budget

Naturally, such employees are highly coveted today.

If you’re looking for a role in project management, you’ve to ensure your resume includes the right detail. Creating a resume with CakeResume can help you do that.

Here’s a sample:

Project Management resume sample

How to Include “Project Management” in Your Resume?

When you want to draw attention to your expertise in project management, you can use the following keywords/highlight the following things:

1. Highlight Your Degree.

  • If you’ve got a degree in project management, make sure to highlight it

2. Successfully Managed Projects.

  • Mention projects that you successfully managed in your previous organizations.
  • Explain any project management software you’ve used and also if you are well-versed in the Microsoft Office Suite of products, including the ability to deal with Word documents, Excel Spreadsheets, PowerPoint slides, and more.
  • You can also add any financial tools you’ve used like QuickBooks if the job is in the financial industry.

3. Mention your proficiency in numerous project management frameworks like ‘Just in Time.’

  • Employers prefer technical person for project management.
  • You can highlight your expertise in operations management like Just in Time, ABC classification, deadstock management, inventory planning, and more.

4. Use terms like ‘responsibility and ownership.’

  • Employers prefer candidates who are willing to take ownership and responsibility for their actions.
  • Highlight how you can take responsibility and ownership of any task.

11. Computer Technology and Programming Languages.

In this digital era, we use computers in all walks of life, including archeological research, engineering designing, and more.

Therefore, it’s safe to say that working knowledge of computers is one of the most important pieces of professional experience (and can help your resume writing too).

However, the number of employable candidates with expertise in computer technology and proficiency in programming languages is still relatively low outside the computer software industry.

Employers prefer candidates with a thorough knowledge of the computer sciences irrespective of the industry they are in.

To stand out from the crowd, you can use a resume builder like Kickresume to highlight your programming skills.

This tool can help you create a standout resume, cover letter, and make a personal website within minutes.

Some of the features of this tool are:

  • Provides more than 50 ATS-ready designer resume templates
  • Choose from 20,000 pre-written phrases for more than 3,200 job titles
  • More than 100 resume examples to study
  • Write your resume in languages like Arabic and Mandarin

Here’s a sample resume :

Computer Technology & Programming Languages Resume

How to Include “Computer Technology and Programming Languages” in Your Resume?

Here are some keywords and transferable skills you can include to score brownie points with employers:

1. Languages Known.

  • Mention any programming languages that you know (like JavaScript, jQuery, Python, Ruby, etc.), along with your proficiency.

2. Projects Completed.

  • Mention previous projects you’ve completed with your earlier employers.
  • Highlight the languages you used.

3. Helped Write Code.

  • Mention instances when you helped write and execute difficult pieces of code.
  • Explain how it helped your employer with unique computer skills.

4. Performed Feasibility Studies.

  • Mention instances when you used your proficiency to study the feasibility of a project.

5. Implementation Decision.

  • Highlight cases where you determined whether the implementation of a program was feasible or not.
  • Explain how your technical skills helped your organization with metrics to back it up.

12. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining.

According to statistics, by the end of 2017, there were 2.7 zettabytes of data in the digital universe. And by the end of 2020, 1.7 megabytes of data will be created per second per person on the planet.

Just to put things in perspective, there are 31,536,000 seconds in a year, and more than 7.5 billion people on the Earth.

The amount of data is gigantic, and there aren’t enough skilled people on the planet to take advantage of it.

Modern techniques like data mining, text mining, sentiment analysis, and statistical analysis are becoming popular to make use of the enormous amount of data available.

You can use data mining and statistics for so many essential things, including:

  • Analyze data and current trends
  • Study customer mindset
  • Perform market research
  • Gather business intelligence
  • Take the right decisions for the business

Data Mining framework

How to Include Data Analysis Skills in Your Resume?

If you have these skills, it’s only a matter of time before you land a job.

Here are some keywords that can help make the task easier:

1. Perform Data Visualization.

  • Mention your expertise with data visualization tools , such as Tableau, Databox, etc.
  • Explain how you used them in previous business settings and the results you achieved.

2. Perform Quantitative Analysis.

  • Here, you can highlight how you performed a quantitative analysis in the past and the tools you used.

3. Proficiency in Statistical Analysis.

  • Mention your deep working knowledge in statistical techniques, including correlation, regression, skewness, kurtosis, extrapolation, etc.

4. Proficiency in Machine Learning.

  • Mention the techniques you know like the Apriori algorithm, Random Forest technique, Recommender system, etc.
  • Explain how you used it in previous organizations for predictive analytics.

13. SEO/SEM Marketing.

Proficiency with SEO/SEM is another definitive hard skill of today. With millions of websites on the internet, everyone wants their site to stand out from the crowd.

Statistics suggest that 93% of all online experiences start with a search engine. And 75% of internet users never go beyond the first page of results of a search engine.

Clearly, for a business to stand out in this digital age, you must ensure visibility. And that’s achieved only by Search engine optimization.

That’s why many employers today seek resumes with a skill-set in digital marketing, customer engagement, pre-sales consulting, and more. That’s why these candidates are in high demand.

If you have all these skills, then you can easily land an excellent job. You just need to craft your resume in such a way that it makes the maximum impact.

How to Include “SEO/SEM Marketing” in Your Resume?

Here’s a resume sample by Enhancv that highlights all the right skill-sets and keywords to help you land a job in the SEO/SEM domain:

SEO/SEM Marketing resume

Here are a few keywords that can help you stand out in the crowd:

1. Conducted SEO Audits.

  • It’s an essential skill for SEO marketers. Here, make sure to mention how you conducted SEO audits for various websites.

2. SEO Experience in Years.

  • Mention your work experience in SEO/SEM marketing.

3. Performed SEO Link Building.

  • Briefly mention how you performed the SEO link-building tasks.
  • Highlight the numbers associated with your link building efforts.
  • Mention the strength of the team you led/were a part of.

4. Achieved an Increase in Traffic And Visibility.

  • Explain how you helped increase traffic, visibility, and leads.
  • Mention the exact increase percentage.
  • You can also mention the improvement in keyword rankings.

5. Proficiency in Tools.

  • Explain how you used tools to monitor website performance.
  • Mention the tools you used, like Google Analytics.

14. Graphic and Web Design.

These two skills are also a must-have for an experienced resume and depending on your particular industry.

Incorporate both if you have the necessary expertise.

Here are a few points that can help you create a relevant graphic design and web design resume:

1. Graphic Design Samples.

Provide samples of your graphic design work. These should be in JPEG or PDF format, and the file size should not be larger than 5MB.

If you can’t upload these documents to a website, then you may include links to them in the Additional Information section.

2. Graphic Design Portfolio.

Include a portfolio of your work for reference. This can be in the form of an online photo album with links to each image inside.

Having a portfolio lets the employer see your work as they review your resume.

3. Web Design Examples and Samples.

Include relevant web design examples and samples, such as HTML code and CSS graphics.

It’s important that you lay out these items correctly, so make sure they stand out from the rest of your resume (i.e., use different fonts, spacing, and coloration).

100%, writing down your skills under your resume is mandatory as it helps to show your unique skillset when applying for any job so employers know what you’re capable of.

Soft skills are interpersonal skills and characteristics you have that allow for good chemistry and understanding of other colleagues such as teamwork, communication, time management, etc.

Hard skills are technical skills acquired through your experience and educational background which typically are required for the specific job you apply for.

Executive Summary .

The advantage of these soft and hard skills is that they stay with you forever, and you can use them everywhere, irrespective of the industry. These key professional skills on your resume help you prolong your corporate career, grow as an individual and professional, meet new people, and learn new techniques.

While your core domain knowledge requirements may change from one industry to another, these relevant skills help you tackle any situation.

With the large number of candidates vying for every job ad there is, it’s getting challenging to stand out. However, including these key skills in your resume will definitely improve your chances of at least getting a job interview with the right hiring managers.

There are other specific personal skills employers look for that I didn’t mention here.

Some very important project management skills are attention to detail, critical thinking, independence, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, professionalism, corporate etiquette, stress management, the art of mediation, and troubleshooting.

Some of the most sought-after hard skills are teaching, design thinking, accounting and finance, business analytics, knowledge of economics, UI design, data presentation, cloud computing, copywriting, and database management.

It’s impossible for an individual to master all of them.

What’s important is knowing what your strong points are, acknowledging your knack for a specific job and industry, using the right resume building tools, and always playing to your strengths.

Editorial Process:

Our reviews are made by a team of experts before being written and come from real-world experience. Read our editorial process here .

Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to us at no cost to you if you decide to purchase a paid plan. These are products we’ve personally used and stand behind. This site is not intended to provide financial advice. You can read our affiliate disclosure in our privacy policy .

Adam Enfroy

Adam Enfroy

We test and review software products based on an independent, multi-point methodology. If you use our links to purchase something, we earn a commission. Read our editorial process and disclosures .

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skills to add to a resume

20 good skills to put on resume for new grads

Looking for the top skills to include on your resume as a new grad? This guide highlights 20 essential skills to showcase your value to employers.

As a new graduate, it can be challenging to know which skills to highlight on your resume. Employers are looking for candidates who can bring a diverse set of skills to the table, and it's essential to show that you have the skills that are in demand in today's job market. Here are the top 20 skills that new grads should consider including on their resumes:

1. Critical thinking

Employers expect candidates to have strong critical thinking skills to solve problems and make informed decisions. Demonstrate your ability to analyze complex situations, evaluate different perspectives, and develop creative solutions that meet business goals. Provide examples of how you have used critical thinking to improve processes, increase efficiency, or solve complex problems.

2. Creativity

Employers appreciate candidates who can bring fresh ideas to the table and find innovative solutions. Highlight your creativity by sharing examples of how you have solved problems in unconventional ways or how you have introduced new processes that have led to positive results. Provide specific examples of how your creative approach has positively impacted your previous roles or projects.

3. Leadership

Leadership skills are highly sought-after by employers as they demonstrate the ability to motivate and manage others effectively. Highlight your experience in leading teams or projects, and provide examples of how you have inspired team members to achieve common goals. Share specific examples of how you have created a positive work environment, delegated tasks, and provided constructive feedback to team members.

4. Teamwork

Employers value team players who can collaborate, communicate effectively, and support their colleagues. Highlight your ability to work in a team by sharing examples of how you have contributed to a team's success and how you have handled conflicts or disagreements. Demonstrate how you have actively participated in team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and collaborative projects.

5. Time management

Effective time management is crucial in the workplace, and employers look for candidates who can manage their workload efficiently. Demonstrate your ability to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and handle multiple projects simultaneously. Share specific examples of how you have managed your time effectively to complete projects on time and handle unexpected challenges.

6. Organization

Employers seek candidates who are organized and can manage multiple tasks and projects effectively. Highlight your organizational skills by providing examples of how you have kept track of details, managed projects, and met deadlines consistently. Share specific examples of how you have organized your workday, kept track of project timelines, and prioritized tasks to meet deadlines.

7. Attention to detail

Employers look for candidates who pay attention to detail, especially in industries such as healthcare, finance, and law. Showcase your ability to catch errors, maintain accuracy, and deliver high-quality work. Highlight specific instances where your attention to detail has resulted in positive outcomes, such as catching errors before they become costly mistakes, ensuring compliance with regulations, or improving the quality of deliverables.

8. Adaptability

The job market is constantly evolving, and employers want candidates who can adapt to new situations and challenges. Highlight your flexibility by sharing examples of how you have adjusted to changes in your previous roles or how you have learned new skills quickly. Demonstrate your ability to be open to new ideas, take on new responsibilities, and adjust your approach to achieve results in a changing environment.

9. Customer service

Employers want candidates who can provide exceptional customer service to build strong relationships with clients. Highlight your experience in providing customer service and showcase how you have handled challenging situations to ensure customer satisfaction. Share specific examples of how you have handled difficult customers, resolved complaints, and exceeded customer expectations.

10. Communication

As a new graduate, it's essential to showcase your communication skills through your resume and interview. Employers seek candidates who can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, to convey ideas, collaborate with team members, and interact with clients. Highlight your ability to tailor your communication style to different audiences, use active listening skills, and convey complex information in an easy-to-understand manner. Share specific examples of how you have effectively communicated in your previous roles or projects.

11. Data analysis

Data analysis is becoming increasingly important in many industries. Highlight your ability to collect and analyze data by showcasing your experience in data analysis tools and techniques. Share specific examples of how you have used data analysis to inform decision-making, identify trends, and solve complex problems.

12. Technical skills

Depending on your field, you may need to have technical skills, such as coding or proficiency in specific software programs. Highlight your technical skills by providing examples of how you have used them in previous roles or projects. Showcase your ability to learn new technical skills quickly and adapt to changes in technology.

13. Project management

If you've managed projects in the past, be sure to highlight your experience. Employers want candidates who can manage projects from start to finish. Showcase your project management skills by sharing specific examples of how you have planned, executed, and monitored projects, managed resources, and delivered successful outcomes. Highlight your ability to collaborate with stakeholders and communicate project progress effectively.

If you've worked in sales, highlight your experience. Sales skills are valuable in many industries. Showcase your sales skills by providing examples of how you have achieved sales targets, built relationships with customers, and closed deals. Highlight your ability to prospect, negotiate, and communicate effectively with clients.

15. Marketing

If you've worked in marketing, highlight your experience. Marketing skills are valuable in many industries. Showcase your marketing skills by providing examples of how you have developed and executed marketing campaigns, managed social media platforms, and analyzed market trends. Highlight your ability to create compelling content, work with cross-functional teams, and measure the success of marketing initiatives.

16. Public speaking

Public speaking is a valuable skill that requires confidence, preparation, and effective communication. Showcase your ability to speak in front of an audience by highlighting your experience in delivering presentations, leading discussions, or participating in public speaking events. Emphasize your ability to connect with the audience, deliver messages with impact, and handle questions and feedback.

17. Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills are essential in the workplace and involve communication, collaboration, and relationship-building. Highlight your ability to build positive relationships with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders by providing examples of how you have worked with diverse teams, managed conflicts, and demonstrated empathy and respect. Emphasize your ability to listen actively, provide feedback constructively, and communicate effectively in different settings.

18. Research

Research skills are valuable in many industries and involve gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data to inform decisions and solve problems. Highlight your ability to conduct research by showcasing your experience in designing and implementing research studies, collecting and analyzing data, and synthesizing information. Emphasize your ability to use various research methods, tools, and technologies, and to present findings in a clear and compelling way.

19. Writing

Writing skills are essential in many industries and involve communicating ideas, information, and messages through various media. Highlight your ability to write by showcasing your experience in writing different types of documents, such as reports, proposals, emails, or social media posts. Emphasize your ability to write clearly and concisely, adapt to different audiences and purposes, and use correct grammar, syntax, and punctuation.

20. Presentation skills

If you've given presentations in the past, highlight your experience in delivering effective and engaging presentations. Emphasize your ability to plan and prepare presentations, use visual aids and multimedia effectively, and deliver messages with clarity and impact. Provide examples of how you have adapted your presentation style to different audiences, managed time effectively, and received positive feedback.

Hard Skills vs soft skills

When crafting your resume or preparing for an interview, it's important to understand the difference between hard skills and soft skills. Both types of skills are valuable, but they serve different purposes in the workplace. Here's a breakdown of hard skills vs. soft skills and how to showcase them effectively:

Hard Skills:

Hard skills are specific, technical skills that can be taught and measured. Examples of hard skills include programming, data analysis, or graphic design. These skills are typically learned through formal education, training programs, or on-the-job experience. Hard skills are often used to demonstrate proficiency in a particular area or to qualify for a specific job.

To showcase your hard skills, it's important to be specific and provide concrete examples of how you have used these skills in past roles or projects. Use relevant keywords and include any certifications or training programs you have completed to demonstrate your expertise in these areas. You can also highlight any technical tools or software programs you are proficient in.

Soft Skills:

Soft skills, on the other hand, are personal attributes that are often harder to measure or quantify. Examples of soft skills include communication, teamwork, and leadership. Soft skills are often considered to be just as important as hard skills because they can affect how well you work with others and adapt to new situations.

To showcase your soft skills, provide examples of how you have used them to achieve specific goals or overcome challenges. Use specific examples to demonstrate your ability to work well with others, communicate effectively, or lead a team. Soft skills can also be highlighted in your cover letter or personal statement, where you can discuss your personal values and work ethic.

Common Questions

What skills should i include on my resume.

It depends on the job you are applying for and the industry you want to work in. Generally, you should include skills that are relevant to the job and showcase your strengths and abilities.

How many skills should I include on my resume?

You should include the skills that are most relevant to the job, but try to keep it to around 10-15 skills. Including too many skills can make your resume look cluttered and unfocused.

Should I include soft skills on my resume?

Yes, soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and time management are highly valued by employers. These skills can demonstrate your ability to work well with others and adapt to new situations.

How should I format my skills section on my resume?

You can format your skills section as a bullet list or a table. Use bullet points to list your skills and highlight the ones that are most relevant to the job. You can also group similar skills together and use subheadings to make the section more organized.

How can I showcase my skills on my resume?

You can showcase your skills by providing examples of how you have used them in past roles or projects. Use action verbs and specific examples to demonstrate your achievements and show how your skills can benefit the company.

Can I include skills that I don't have much experience in?

It's okay to include skills that you are still developing, but make sure to be honest about your level of experience. You can also highlight your willingness to learn and improve in these areas.

Should I customize my skills section for each job application?

Yes, you should customize your skills section for each job application to highlight the skills that are most relevant to the job. Use keywords from the job description to ensure that your resume passes the initial screening process.

Should I include certifications or training in my skills section?

Yes, you can include relevant certifications or training in your skills section to demonstrate your expertise in a particular area. This can also show that you are committed to continuous learning and professional development.

In conclusion, as a new graduate, it's essential to highlight the skills that are in demand in today's job market. By including the skills listed above on your resume, you'll be able to show employers that you have the skills and abilities they're looking for in a candidate. Good luck with your job search!

Find the right jobs for you. Get hired.

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More From Forbes

5 good work skills to include in your resume in 2024.

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Skills-based hiring is a talent acquisition trend for 2024, which means that when you're creating ... [+] your resume, it should be heavily skills-focused

Skills-based hiring is leading the way as one of the newest talent acquisition trends for 2024. For years, employers and job-seekers alike have been discussing ways in which the candidate experience can be improved, and the talent pool diversified, through focusing on skills rather than the bias traditionally associated with job and educational history.

Now at last, that vision is finally becoming a reality, thanks to the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence within the workforce and particularly generative AI tools assisting the recruitment process. Speaking to the Society for Human Resource Management, Fredrick A. Scott, vice president, talent strategy and inclusion and early in career recruiting said:

"In 2024, the technology is finally starting to catch up, and generative AI will unlock companies’ abilities for skills-based hiring, especially for early-in-career talent.”

What does this mean to you as a prospective candidate?

If you are on the hunt for a new role, either to expand your career to the next level, or simply for a fresh change due to needing a different work environment, you need to ensure now more than ever before, that you showcase your most important skills at key points throughout your resume. Employers are paying close attention to your skills, so finding creative ways to display them is where the majority of your effort should be concentrated.

But what are the core skills employers need you to include in your resume? According to research and reports from the World Economic Forum, FlexJobs, and LinkedIn LNKD , here are a few:

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, 1. communication.

Employers need hires who have solid all-round communication skills. This includes communication at the interpersonal level, as well as other aspects such as presentation skills, being professional in your manner and representing the values of the company when composing emails, or when engaged in other forms of correspondence.

This skill is so critical that LinkedIn reported communication skills as being the number one skill for 2024. It was the common denominator in job adverts and the profiles of those who had been headhunted on LinkedIn over the past year, as per LinkedIn research.

2. Teamwork

Employers are looking for evidence of how well you'll fit in with their company culture. Depending on the role, some jobs may require you to have stronger teamwork skills than others, so it's very important that you make this clear throughout your resume. And at the end of the day, you will need to engage and collaborate with co-workers at some point, so how well you can succeed within a team setting is critical to your career success.

Key skills can be strategically placed at various points throughout your resume

3. Leadership

Leadership skills is one of the core skill sets that you need to prove to employers, whether or not your plan on taking on a leadership-oriented role. This is because more and more employers are becoming aware that employees possessing leadership qualities are needed for organizations to successfully get ahead and remain star players in the competition.

Having leadership skills means taking responsibility for your actions, owning your mistakes, taking initiative, and jumping in where needed to tackle problems.

4. Problem-Solving

Can you demonstrate evidence of where you've put your creativity to work and developed a solution? What were its tangible results within your role, team, project, or department? The ultimate reason why a new employer would hire you is because you are the solution to their problem. If you can show that you think outside of the box and are innovative and unafraid of exploring untapped areas, you're a star candidate.

5. Self-Motivation

How quickly do you quit? Do you have what it takes to face a challenge head-on and keep pushing forward? Employers are looking for candidates like you, who can demonstrate determination in the face of obstacles, and have the drive and will to succeed, because this leads to higher output and performance.

How To Include Skills In Your Resume

Now that you know what skills are needed, where do you place them, and how do you incorporate these skills?

Here are a couple examples of areas within your resume that are most likely to benefit from adding these skills:

First, always include a skills highlights section near the top of your resume, and use this to list your core competencies, relevant to the job role, in bullet points. Try to ensure that you include the above skills, as well as those that are mentioned in the person specification of the job advert.

Another good way to include these skills in your resume is to show them in practice, and include them naturally in sections such as your professional profile or your work experience section. When approaching each section, ask yourself, how can I highlight that I possess XYZ skill in this particular role?

For example, you might decide to include a bullet point in your work experience section, that speaks to how you demonstrated problem-solving ability, by saying: "Formulated strategies which increased overall performance, leading to the team exceeding target by 140% in my first month and over 200% in the second month."

Show employers how you have demonstrated core skills by sharing concise, tangible success stories ... [+] and results

Using numbers as above helps to quantify your skills and strengthen the impression that you are confident with them and can provide value to your new employer.

As employers adapt to the needs of the current job climate and begin preparing their systems, policies, and technology for skills-based hiring, what are you doing? How will you prepare yourself—and your resume—for the skills trend?

Rachel Wells

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skills to add to a resume

10 Most In-Demand Soft Skills to Put on Your Resume

L ong gone are the days when listing hard skills was the best (and oftentimes only) way to get your foot in the door at a prestigious company. While technical knowledge and training will always be important, soft skills (or essentially personality traits) are becoming increasingly important to highlight on your resume. And it makes sense, as more companies prioritize work culture and, therefore, the personalities of those they’re hiring.

But which soft skills are the ones that standout the most on a resume? Using data from Indeed.com, CashNetUSA scoured job ads for 46 predetermined soft skills to find the ones that appeared the most on high-paid jobs that surpassed the 75th percentile of wages in America’s most populated cities as well as each state. These are the soft skills that came out on top.

10. Resilience

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 34.29%

Resilience is a soft skill that highlights your ability to handle stress and challenges that come up at work. 

A good example of how to add this to your resume could be, “Showed resilience when leading a team after budget cuts by still delivering work on time and within scope.”

* Data comes from a January 2024 report released by CashNetUSA .

9. Financial Management

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 38.24%

If you’ve ever been in charge of a budget of any size, you can say that you have financial management skills. 

For instance, something like “oversaw the financial management of the freelance budget” could work if you hired contractors for a specific project.

8. Innovation

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 39.24%

Sure, this one makes our eyes roll a bit, too, but in today’s fast-paced world, innovation is key. No one wants an employee that stays stagnant or, worse, digs their heels in at the slight mention of change. 

You know who’s not stagnant? Someone who “excelled at brainstorming and ideation in the innovation process for [fill in project name].” You get it.

7. Emotional Intelligence

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 43.11%

We’re actually pleasantly surprised with this one. After all, we didn’t think corporations necessarily had it in them to care about this.

Jokes aside, having emotional intelligence is something that makes a good team member and an even better manager. After all, it’s hard to resolve team conflicts without it. The more a company emphasizes a “harmonious work environment,” the more this soft skill will matter.

6. Mentoring

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 47.89%

Here’s another managerial skill that job ads like to use to weed out the haves from the have-nots when it comes to managers. Do you actually enjoy mentoring people or have you just fallen up the corporate ladder into a management position?

True leaders will make mentoring a priority and want to highlight it on their resume.

5. Critical Thinking

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 47.94%

“Critical thinking” or “problem solving” can be put in the same bucket as resilience. How did you handle a challenging situation at work? It’s even better if you have data to back up your claim.

Well, maybe you “demonstrated strong critical-thinking skills when analyzing financial reports and making forecasts for the following quarter.”

4. Presentation Skills

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 56%

Presentation skills are the nature of the beast when it comes to today's Corporate America. That's because lots of today’s high-paying jobs require working with cross-functional teams and being able to explain your work in easy, digestible terms.

Think someone on a data science team explaining their findings to a marketing team. Along with "presentation skills," you could also add the specific presentation tools or software you use for your presentations on your resume.

3. Persuasion

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 57.41%

Persuasion sounds rather seductive, but it's crucial when trying to get specific projects across the finish line.

It's also a term that's used a lot in marketing when talking about "persuasive marketing skills" required to communicate well with a customer audience.

2. Negotiation

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 58.26%

This skill goes back to business basics. Proper negotiation skills come in handy in any aspect of life, whether you're negotiating a $1 billion merger or whether or not your toddler can have dessert for breakfast.

That said, it's a skill that takes time to hone — which is why it's considered all the more valuable.

1. Strategic Thinking

Percentage of highly paid jobs requiring the skill: 64.77%

Strategic thinking is essentially a combination of innovation and critical thinking, but the best way to incorporate this keyword on your resume is by using the CAR (challenge, action, result) technique.

You could say something like, "Used strategic thinking skills by analyzing user engagement data and running an A/B test that resulted in increased engagement of 20 percent."

For more resume advice, check out "How to Make Your Resume Shine."

10 Most In-Demand Soft Skills to Put on Your Resume

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AI to create a half billion new jobs — here’s why

Over the next decade, generative artificial intelligence will replace some jobs. but as has always been the case with revolutionary technologies — from the steam engine to digitization — it's destined to create far more jobs than it eliminates..

Senior Reporter, Computerworld |

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While many users see generative artificial intelligence (genAI) technology as automation tools that will eliminate many of today’s jobs, most in the IT industry see it as a generator of knowledge jobs.

That’s because genAI tools  such as ChatGPT and Midjourney  can help eliminate mundane tasks, freeing up workers to take on more valuable creative roles and be more productive.

GenAI is also expected to “democratize jobs.” That is, the technology will enable employees without computer science degrees to create applications using AI-augmented coding. Already, many companies see that possibility as genAI’s “low-hanging fruit.”

In addition to changing the way employees work, genAI and AI in general will also create net-new jobs — more than half a billion of them by 2033, according to a new Gartner report .

Mark Kashef, an AI consultant and prompt engineer on Fiverr , an online freelance marketplace, believes genAI will create jobs that today can’t even be imagined. Areas such as AI development, data analysis, and AI ethics are all fields likely to see a boom because of genAI adoption.

“Plus, by automating all those repetitive tasks, AI can free up workers to focus on higher-value stuff that really requires that human touch,” Kashef said. “And as the performance of language models goes through the roof while the price keeps dropping, the possibilities are endless.”

One new role Kashef came across recently was that of “Agent Engineer,” whose responsibility is to create AI assistants for a company using chatbot and AI agent no-code tools. “This never existed, and we're going to see tons of new roles just like this pop up in the next five years,” Kashef said.

If the democratization of jobs currently envisioned proves to be true, those jobs will become accessible to non-specialists. In turn, that will reduce costs and improve the availability of existing or new AI-powered products and services, according to Gartner Vice President Analyst Pieter den Hamer. 

Economic growth spurred by genAI adoption will likely occur in all industries worldwide, “assuming more or less stable other economic conditions,” den Hamer said. 

A survey of 1,400 US business leaders commissioned by the freelance  job platform Upwork also found that companies will hire more because of genAI. Forty-nine percent of business leaders surveyed — respondents included senior managers through C-suite level employees — indicated they’ll hire more more full-time employees, with the same percentage saying they’d hire more freelancers. And 64% of C-suite respondents indicated they would hire more professionals of all types due to generative AI, Upwork found.

A slow rollout over years

GenAI’s ascension will be a slow roll, though. Currently, only 15% of organizations have effectively adopted it, according to den Hamer, meaning it's not yet a significant threat to jobs.

Even so, companies need to consider how to train up their employees to use AI-based tools effectively, just as those same tools need to be trained or contextualized to reduce limitations and to mitigate risks.

“...It is much more realistic that jobs will get augmented, not replaced,” den Hamer said.

Because many jobs involve a diversity of tasks, even genAI tools that support just one task — say number crunching or analytics — can help employees allocate their time more efficiently.

AI will kill some jobs

Fiverr’s Kashef, has seen the headlines about genAI being a job-killing technology, but that doesn't seem to be happening in the “wide-scale” marketplace.

“Many folks that I work with on Fiverr work in the domains that everyone keeps saying are 'fully-automated.’ I can invariably see that AI is augmenting their roles, but for the better,” Kashef said.

The rare cases where genAI is good enough to fully automate activities is predominantly involves content creation such as text writing, image/video creation, software coding, translating, summarizing, and composing search results.

But, van Hamer said, “in most cases there is still a need for a human to be in the loop to validate and correct AI, which offsets the initial productivity gain.

“Nonetheless, in particular for those jobs in which content generation activities make up a significant part of the role, headcount reductions are likely to occur over time, assuming job descriptions stay the same and demand does not increase,” van Hamer noted. “This is much less likely for jobs in which content generation is only a minor part, let alone in other jobs with activities such as physical labor in which AI hardly can play a role, yet.”

In addition to helping with software creation, other early uses for genAI fall into two categories: 

  • Writing position descriptions, marketing copy, and employee reviews.
  • Helping workers at large call centers answer high-value calls first, and providing them with better information about the customer who's calling. 

Those use cases should enable employees to be faster and more customer focused, according to Martha Heller , CEO of IT job recruiting firm  Heller Search .

“I do not believe the need for some human thought will ever go away, despite how sophisticated AI can get,” Heller said. “While AI might replace a few knowledge workers who have minimal competence in their jobs, it is far more likely that genAI will perform rote services that let knowledge workers innovate in and grow their businesses.”

In addition, she expects “an explosion” of AI solution providers, which will create  opportunity for new executives in finance, technology, marketing, and sales.

GenAI is also likely to bolster an already growing demand for data scientists, she said, because AI without a high-value use case is a waste of time and money. 

“Data scientists are those rare people who can read the data, develop business strategy, and then articulate it to the people who can fund it,” Heller said. “GenAI will also put a premium on people who are good with data integration.  AI is only as valuable as the data it runs on.

"When CEOs ask, 'Where is my AI strategy,' tech leaders will turn their attention to integrating the data necessary for AI value.”

What AI skills should employees add to their resume?

One of the top issues for leaders implementing genAI tools has been the lack of skilled employees. AI skills and talent strategies is the top challenge facing enterprises today, according to IDC’s president, Crawford Del Prete, who spoke at IDC’s Directions conference last week.

Fiverr’s Kashef said the top skill employees need is being able to leverage AI tools “and knowing which tooling to use to expedite which task.” For that, employees can often turn to the usual chatbot assistants, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude.

ChatGPT, for example, has a myriad of functionalities employees can take advantage of, such as image-to-text prompting, querying the live Internet using Bing, or most notably creating powerful custom GPTs (LLMs) that can take in custom actions that connect to any type of API.

“Being 'ChatGPT-competent' is and will be an in-demand skill moving forward,” Kashef said. “It's not just about writing prompts, but building a workflow where you interchange between human input, plus AI output, plus human feedback loop with the AI.”

With AI tools ingesting all kinds of documents and data from PDFs and Excel spreadsheets, data literacy is also key, Kashef said. While workers don't necessarily need to read the documents and learn all the Excel formulas, they do need to understand how to quickly interpret them, he said.

“And understand what is worth inputting and what your final outcome should look like,” Kashef said.

Other top jobs Kashef sees in the future:

  • Building AI Agents (Agentic AI): A cutting-edge skill that basically is about creating AI systems that can autonomously make decisions and take actions to achieve goals.
  • Cybersecurity in AI: As AI becomes more powerful and widespread, securing systems will be critical.
  • AI Product Management: The successful integration of AI into products and services requires a unique blend of technical understanding and business acumen. AI product managers who can bridge the gap between AI capabilities and market needs will be in high demand.

Training employees is key to success

Global services company Ernst & Young (EY) has been deploying general AI (machine learing, etc.) since 2012. Over the past decade, it has seen major improvements in employee efficiency and accuracy.

For example, the firm implemented automated document readers that could summarize reports; it also rolled out data classification engine and prediction algorithms — tools that helped employees with everyday tasks.

Jeff Wong, Ernst & Young’s Global Chief of Innovation, said automating tasks through AI resulted in a 10-fold improvement in time to completion and five-fold improvement on accuracy of results. And instead of replacing workers, it forced the firm to hire more technologists.

In 2018, for example, the company had 2,100 technologists; today it has more than  75,000. A lot of those workers were added to address new capabilities created by AI.

“Moving task time to thinking time was incredibly valuable for us,” Wong said. “I’m part of the crowd who believes over the 15- to 20-year time frame, AI will be more expansive to jobs and job creation. We will go through a shift in changing period between now and then.”

With the adoption of AI, Ernst & Young faced a problem common to all organizations seeking to roll out the technology: an ill-prepared workforce. So, Wong led an effort to upskill employees and is now rolling out AI training to all 400,000 workers. So far, 84,425 have completed the training.

Additionally, 15,000 EY employees have completed specialist " AI badges " and 22,000 more are in the process of getting them.

Six years ago, EY partnered with Stanford University to begin offering advanced technology “bootcamps.” The school also began offering MBAs in digital and data sciences that can be a foundation to AI skills.

Wong believes skills training can enable employees who don’t have a computer science degree to effectively understand concepts like computer coding — without actually having to be able to write code.

In fact, many of the jobs available at EY involve interacting with AI systems without needing to code, Wong said.

“Honestly, I think society is not doing enough to train people in AI,” Wong said. “Because of the acceleration in pace of change, significantly driven by AI, governments and society have an obligation to invest heavily in retraining.

“If people don’t change to adapt quickly enough, we’ll get the 21-year-old who’ll take on a greater responsibility faster and will leave behind the generation that couldn’t shift,” Wong added.

  • Generative AI
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Remote Work
  • Emerging Technology

Senior Reporter Lucas Mearian covers AI in the enterprise, Future of Work issues, healthcare IT and FinTech.

Copyright © 2024 IDG Communications, Inc.

skills to add to a resume

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  1. 30 Top Skills for a Resume (With Examples)

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  3. The Best Skills to Include on Your Resume

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  4. 30 Essential Skills for a Professional Resume [+ Examples]

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  5. Top 15 Skills to Put on a Resume (Examples for All Jobs)

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  6. Key Skills to Put on a Resume & List of Skills Examples

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  6. Should you add hobbies to your resume? 🎨

COMMENTS

  1. 10 Best Skills To Put On Your Resume (With Examples and FAQ)

    Learn how to choose the best skills for your resume, whether they are hard or soft skills, and see examples for different roles. Find out how to showcase your skills to impress employers and get hired.

  2. 100 Good Skills to Put on a Resume [Complete Guide]

    Here's a quick way to get started. 1. Make a List of the Skills You Know You Have. As mentioned above, the easiest way to get a grip on your current skills is to reflect on your academic and professional experiences. Consider the tasks you've taken on, the training you've completed, and the courses you had in school.

  3. 120 Essential Skills To List on a Resume

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  5. 101 Essential Skills to Put on a Resume in 2024 [For Most Jobs]

    Interpersonal skills How to List Skills on a Resume (And Stand Out) #1. Tailor Your Skills to the Job #2. Create a Skills Section #3. Match Each Skill With Your Proficiency Level #4. Back-Up Your Skills in Other Resume Sections #5. Put Transferable Skills to Use 150+ Must-Have Skills (for Every Field) #1.

  6. 250+ Skills for Your Resume (and How to Add Them)

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  7. 17 Best Skills to Put on Your Resume for 2024

    Types of skills to add to your resume and cover letter. To show your versatility, try including a diverse set of skills on your resume. Choose a couple from each of the three main categories below: 1. Transferable or functional. This covers your competency to perform an action and apply that skill to different tasks, job roles, and industries.

  8. How to List Skills on a Resume (Real Skill Examples)

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  9. 17 Best Skills to Put on Your Resume (with Examples)

    When you add hard skills to your resume, you'll want to include numbers - measurable accomplishments - as often as possible. 2. Soft skills for a resume. Soft skills are characteristics you possess that improve your ability to get along with others, solve problems, and communicate effectively. You'll find that hiring managers love soft skills.

  10. 15 Best Skills for a Resume in 2024 + How-To Guide

    2. Include Relevant Skills in a Separate Skills Section. Help recruiters spot strengths on your resume in a flash by creating a standalone skills section where you put your most important qualifications. Make sure to: Be precise ("Written and verbal communication," instead of "good communicator").

  11. 100+ Key Skills for a Resume in 2022 (Examples for any Job)

    For example, if you're applying to work as a laboratory assistant, list soft skills such as "teamwork," "problem-solving," "time management," or "organization.". If you're in a more creative field, hard skills include softwares such as "Adobe Creative Suite" and talents such as "photography," "writing & editing ...

  12. The 29 Essential Skills to Include on Your Resume

    Learn the difference between hard skills and soft skills and how to showcase them on your resume. Find out the top skills for various roles and industries and how to add them to your resume effectively.

  13. How to List Skills on a Resume Skills Section in 2024

    2. Check the job ad. To create a job-winning resume skills section, list skills that are: relevant to the position. mentioned in the job description. While job descriptions often explicitly mention skills that are required or preferred, job ads sometimes hint at desired skills as well.

  14. 20 Best Skills to Include on Your Resume (Examples)

    Some examples of soft skills are adaptability, self-motivation, people skills, time management, and the ability to work under pressure. " Some great skills employers love to see on your resume if you are looking for remote work are: written and verbal communication, the ability to work independently, time and task management, organization ...

  15. 13 Unique Skills for Resumes to Make You Stand Out

    Here are a few essential hard skills to consider adding to your resume: Writing: Most roles, particularly ones that involve client interactions, demand excellent writing skills. Whether you expect to craft perfect emails to customers or generate blurbs for social media, having a solid understanding of style and grammar is worth highlighting on ...

  16. Skills for Resume: Essential Examples Across Professions

    Personal skills such as creative problem-solving and out-of-the-box thinking are great to add to your resume skills list. Creativity is a good skill to put on a resume, especially for industries that rely on innovation to maintain a competitive edge. Give an example from your work history that shows you can bring an inventive, original approach.

  17. 13+ Top Skills to Add to Your Resume (and How to Include Them)

    Highlight your interpersonal skills like self-confidence, work ethic, expertise at relationship management, and receptiveness to feedback. 5. On-ground Communication. Here, you can emphasize your proficiency in the languages you are conversant with, and use words like 'expert,' 'professional,' and 'adept'.

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    5. Sales skills. Among 21 percent of job postings, sales skills are of top priority. Sales is the ability to persuade potential customers to purchase a product or service. It's no wonder that sales is a leading skill. It drives revenue, supports growth, and enables a company to pay its workers.

  19. 85 Key Skills to Put on a Resume in 2024: Tips & Examples

    Hard skills for a resume are skills gained through education, experience, and practice. A few examples include reading, writing, and coding. Hard skills are essential since they show how efficient, productive, and satisfied you may be in a position. Soft skills for a resume, on the other hand, are based on personality and may not be easy to learn.

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    10. Communication. As a new graduate, it's essential to showcase your communication skills through your resume and interview. Employers seek candidates who can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, to convey ideas, collaborate with team members, and interact with clients. Highlight your ability to tailor your communication ...

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    1. Active listening skills. Active listening is the ability to focus completely on a speaker, understand their message, comprehend the information and respond thoughtfully. Active listeners use verbal and non-verbal techniques to show and keep their attention on the speaker.

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    Key skills can be strategically placed at various points throughout your resume. getty 3. Leadership. Leadership skills is one of the core skill sets that you need to prove to employers, whether ...

  23. Soft Skills for Your Resume: List & 100+ Examples for 2024

    3. Adaptability. Adaptability is an essential skill for embracing and adjusting to change, making it one of the best soft skills to have when working in fast-paced or constantly evolving environments or industries such as public relations, event management, tech, nursing, and advertising.

  24. 10 Best Skills To Include on a Resume

    Software. Foreign languages. Operating certain equipment or machinery. Soft skills, on the other hand, are abilities that can be applied in any job. Often, soft skills may be referred to as "people skills" or "social skills" and include proficiency in things like: Communication. Customer service. Problem-solving.

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    A good example of how to add this to your resume could be, "Showed resilience when leading a team after budget cuts by still delivering work on time and within scope." * Data comes from a ...

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    Over the decade, the field will grow by 19%, adding over 57,000 new jobs. To stand out among the crowd of applicants racing to fill these new roles, you'll need to align your resume with the job description of the position you want. Review the job description to identify the key skills, qualifications, and attributes the employer seeks.

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