What are the best skills to put on a resume?
The best skills to put on a resume pass three tests. The job posting asks for them, you can prove them with an example, and they are current for the field.
That rules out a generic list copied from the internet. A skill like “Salesforce” or “insurance verification” earns its place because a hiring manager is scanning for it. A skill like “hard worker” does not, because every applicant claims it.
What is the difference between hard skills and soft skills?
Hard skills are teachable, measurable abilities tied to a job. Soft skills are the habits and people skills that shape how you work. Your resume needs both, but they belong in different places.
| Hard skills | Soft skills | |
|---|---|---|
| What they are | Tools, software, methods, licenses, technical knowledge | Communication, teamwork, problem solving, work habits |
| Examples | SQL, phlebotomy, QuickBooks, forklift operation, lesson planning | De-escalation, leadership, adaptability, attention to detail |
| How you prove them | Certifications, test scores, named tools, work samples | Results in your bullet points and stories in interviews |
| Where they go | Skills section, summary and bullets | Mostly in bullets and your summary |
Hiring software and recruiters search for hard skills by name, so those carry most of the weight in a skills section. Soft skills matter just as much on the job, but listing them as single words rarely convinces anyone.
Resume skills list by job type
Use this resume skills list as a starting point. Keep only the skills that match the posting and that you have used.
| Job family | Hard skills | Soft skills to prove in bullets |
|---|---|---|
| Customer service | CRM software (Zendesk, Salesforce), ticketing systems, live chat and email support, order processing, returns and refunds, POS systems, cash handling, data entry, bilingual (name the language) | De-escalation, active listening, patience, problem solving |
| Healthcare | Patient intake, vital signs, EHR systems such as Epic, phlebotomy, medication administration, HIPAA compliance, medical terminology, infection control, ICD-10 coding, BLS/CPR | Bedside manner, compassion, attention to detail, calm under pressure |
| Office and admin | Microsoft Excel, Word and Outlook, Google Workspace, calendar management, scheduling, QuickBooks, bookkeeping, records management, travel booking, meeting minutes | Organization, discretion, time management, written communication |
| Tech and IT | SQL, Python, JavaScript, AWS or Azure, help desk support, Active Directory, networking (TCP/IP, DNS), Git, Tableau or Power BI, cybersecurity basics | Troubleshooting, explaining technical issues simply, collaboration, learning new tools |
| Sales | Prospecting, cold calling, CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot), pipeline management, product demos, contract closing, upselling, sales forecasting, territory management | Persuasion, negotiation, resilience, relationship building |
| Skilled trades | Blueprint reading, hand and power tools, OSHA safety practices, electrical wiring, welding (MIG, TIG), HVAC diagnostics, preventive maintenance, forklift operation, measuring and layout | Reliability, safety awareness, teamwork, problem solving |
| Management | Budgeting, P&L management, hiring and onboarding, performance reviews, labor scheduling, KPI reporting, project management, process improvement, vendor management | Leadership, delegation, conflict resolution, coaching, decision making |
| Education | Lesson planning, classroom management, differentiated instruction, IEP and 504 plan support, assessment design, Google Classroom or Canvas, state curriculum standards, ESL strategies | Patience, adaptability, empathy, communication with families |
A few skills fit almost any job: Microsoft Excel, data entry, scheduling, customer service, written communication, time management and a second language. Add them when the posting mentions them or when your experience is thin.
If you do not have a specific posting yet, look up your target job on O*NET OnLine, a free Department of Labor database. Each occupation page lists the skills, tools and software used in that job.
How do you pick skills from a job posting?
The skills to add to your resume should come from the posting first and your memory second. Follow these steps for each application.
- Copy the full posting into a document. Include the duties, requirements and “nice to have” sections.
- Highlight every skill, tool and credential. Mark the required ones differently from the preferred ones.
- Note the exact wording. If the posting says “accounts payable,” do not write “AP.” If it says “patient scheduling,” do not write “booking appointments.”
- Match each one to your experience. Keep the skills you can back up with a job, class, project or certification.
- Order by importance. Put the required skills first, then the preferred ones, then extras that strengthen your case.
- Check your coverage. Paste your resume and the posting into the ATS keyword checker to see which terms you are still missing.
Here is how that works with a short posting excerpt.
Brightside Dental is hiring a Front Desk Coordinator. Requirements: 1+ year in a medical or dental office, experience with Dentrix or similar practice software, insurance verification, scheduling for a multi-provider office, and a friendly phone manner.
From that posting, a strong candidate would list Dentrix, insurance verification, multi-provider scheduling and multi-line phones in the skills section. The “friendly phone manner” belongs in a bullet, such as “Answered 60+ calls a day and booked appointments for 4 providers.”
Where should skills go on a resume?
Most resumes have a dedicated skills section, but skills should also appear in your summary and bullet points. Placement of the skills section depends on your situation.
| Your situation | Where to put the skills section |
|---|---|
| Most job seekers | Below work experience, near education |
| Students and recent graduates | After education, above part-time jobs |
| Career changers | Right after the summary, so transferable skills come first |
| Tech, data and engineering roles | Near the top, split into categories |
| Healthcare and skilled trades | Near the top, next to licenses and certifications |
Your top two or three skills should also appear in your summary. Our resume summary examples show how to fit them in naturally. Then use your bullets to prove each one with a result.
If a skill is really a credential, such as BLS, a CDL or CompTIA A+, list it in a certifications section too. See how to put certifications on a resume for formats.
How to list skills on a resume: 3 examples
Keep the skills section of your resume short and scannable. Use plain text, commas or simple categories, and skip tables, icons and rating bars.
Example 1: Simple list for a customer service resume
This format works for most jobs with fewer than 12 skills.
Skills
Zendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud, live chat and email support, order processing, returns and exchanges, POS systems, cash handling, bilingual English and Spanish, typing 65 WPM
Example 2: Categorized skills for a data analyst resume
Categories help when you have many technical skills. Keep each line focused.
Technical Skills
Languages: SQL, Python (pandas), R
Tools: Tableau, Power BI, Excel (pivot tables, XLOOKUP, Power Query)
Methods: A/B testing, regression analysis, data cleaning, dashboard design
Example 3: Core competencies for a career changer
A teacher moving into corporate training can lead with skills that transfer. Each one should be backed up by a bullet in the experience section.
Core Competencies
Training design and delivery | Needs assessment | Learning management systems (Canvas, Google Classroom) | Presentation skills for groups of 30+ | Progress tracking and reporting | Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel | Coaching and feedback
For full resumes with skills in context, see the customer service resume example and the data analyst resume example.
How do you show soft skills on a resume?
Show soft skills through results. A recruiter believes “resolved 40 escalated complaints a month” more than the words “problem solver.”
| Instead of listing | Write a bullet like this |
|---|---|
| Excellent communication | Wrote a 12-page onboarding guide now used for every new hire |
| Leadership | Led a team of 6 cashiers on weekend shifts and cut checkout wait times by 3 minutes |
| Problem solving | Found a duplicate billing error on 120 accounts and worked with IT to fix the cause |
| Teamwork | Covered 3 departments during peak season to keep shipping on schedule |
Use real numbers from your own work. The STAR method is a useful way to turn a soft skill into a short story for both your resume and your interview.
Common resume skills mistakes
- Listing skills you cannot back up. If it is on your resume, expect a question about it.
- Using rating bars or percentages. “Excel: 4 out of 5 stars” says nothing specific and may not parse in hiring software.
- Using vague words. “Team player” and “hard worker” take up space without proving anything.
- Writing your own wording instead of the posting’s. Match the employer’s terms when they describe the same skill.
- Including outdated tools. Drop software and equipment no one in your field uses anymore.
- Listing 30 skills. A long list hides the five that matter. Cut anything the job does not need.
- Using one skills section for every job. Reorder and edit it for each application. It takes five minutes and makes a visible difference.