Every resume has a skills section, and most of them look alike: "communication, teamwork, problem solving, Microsoft Office". Those words are not wrong, but they are not persuasive either, because anyone can type them.
The skills that help you are the ones the job asks for, written in the words the posting uses, and backed up somewhere else on the page with something you did. This guide shows how to choose them and how to prove them.
What is the difference between hard and soft skills?
Hard skills are specific abilities you can learn and someone can test: a programming language, a forklift license, bookkeeping, a foreign language, phlebotomy. Soft skills describe how you work with people and problems: communication, patience, leadership, organization.
| Compared on | Hard skills | Soft skills |
|---|---|---|
| Examples | SQL, wound care, welding, payroll, Spanish | Teamwork, adaptability, calm under pressure |
| How they are proven | Certificates, tests, results of your work | Stories and results that show them in action |
| Where they go | Skills section and bullets | Mostly in bullets and the summary |
Recruiters screen mainly on hard skills, because they are easy to check against the job. Soft skills decide between candidates who have the same hard skills, usually in the interview.
How do you choose which skills to list?
- Collect three job postings for the role you want and underline every skill they mention.
- Circle the ones that appear in more than one posting. These are the core skills for the role.
- Keep only the ones you could demonstrate or talk about in an interview.
- Add one or two that set you apart, such as a second language or a specialist tool.
Six to twelve skills is a good range. Longer lists dilute the important ones and make readers wonder which you really have.
How do you prove a skill on a resume?
Put each important skill in two places: the skills section, where it can be found, and a bullet under a job, where it is shown. The bullet is what convinces people.
- Instead of
- Skills: Leadership
- Write
- Led a night shift of 65 associates and promoted six of them to lead roles.
The first is a claim. The second is evidence, and a recruiter can ask about it in an interview.
- Instead of
- Skills: Excel
- Write
- Built an Excel model for inventory reserves that the controller adopted for all plants.
Naming what you built with the tool shows the level of skill much better than the tool's name alone.
Skip skill bars, stars and percentages. "Python 80%" means nothing to a reader, and applicant tracking systems cannot read the graphic at all.
Which soft skills are worth listing?
The ones the job depends on, stated specifically. "Communication" is vague; "explaining medicines in plain language" or "writing clear incident reports" tells the reader what you actually do well.
- Customer-facing jobs: patience, staying calm with upset people, listening.
- Healthcare: clinical judgment, clear handoffs, empathy.
- Management: coaching, fairness, decision making.
- Technical jobs: clear writing, breaking down vague problems, code or design review.
- Trades and logistics: safety awareness, reliability, following procedures.
Skills to put on a resume, by field
These are starting points. Always check them against the posting you are answering.
| Field | Hard skills employers often ask for |
|---|---|
| Healthcare | Patient assessment, vital signs, medication administration, electronic health records (Epic), infection control |
| Technology | A programming language, SQL, cloud platforms, version control, automated testing |
| Business and administration | Microsoft 365, scheduling, budgeting, project tools, reporting |
| Finance | Reconciliations, financial statements, Excel modeling, accounting software |
| Sales and marketing | CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot), prospecting, paid advertising, analytics |
| Customer service and retail | Point-of-sale systems, cash handling, help desk software, product knowledge |
| Trades and logistics | Licenses and endorsements, equipment operation, blueprint reading, safety standards |
Each of our resume examples by job lists hard skills, soft skills and certifications for that role, for example the registered nurse, software engineer and warehouse worker.
Where should the skills section go?
After experience and education on most resumes. Move it higher, just under the summary, when your skills are the strongest part of your case: in technical roles, in trades with licenses and equipment, or when you are changing careers.
Group long lists under short labels such as "Languages", "Tools" and "Certifications" so the section stays easy to scan.
How do you show transferable skills when changing careers?
Transferable skills are the ones that carry over from one kind of work to another: training people, handling money, managing schedules, dealing with complaints. Translate them into the language of the new field.
- Instead of
- Handled customer complaints at the store.
- Write
- Resolved about 15 customer complaints a week, keeping the store's satisfaction score above 90%.
Written this way, the same retail experience reads as customer service and conflict resolution, which call centers, banks and offices all look for.
Which skills should you list with little experience?
Students and first-time job seekers often think they have no skills worth listing. In fact, school, part-time work, volunteering and home life build many of the skills entry-level employers ask for. The trick is to name them specifically and point to where you used them.
| Skill | Where you may have used it |
|---|---|
| Customer service | Part-time retail or restaurant work, school events, volunteering |
| Cash handling | A store, a concession stand, a club treasurer role |
| Scheduling and organization | Coordinating volunteers, running a club, caring for a family member |
| Software | Spreadsheets for a class project, social media for a club, design tools |
| Languages | Speaking another language at home or studying one to a working level |
| Teamwork and leadership | Sports teams, group projects, captain or officer roles |
See how this looks on a page in our examples for students, high school students and people with no experience.
How do you list certifications and languages?
Give certifications a section of their own when the job asks for them. Write the full name, the organization that issued it and the year, and add the abbreviation too, because recruiters and software may search for either: "Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT), PTCB, 2020". If a certificate is in progress, say when you expect to finish it.
List languages with an honest level. Words like native, fluent, professional and conversational are widely understood; the European framework levels from A1 to C2 are more precise and common in Europe. Only claim a level you could use in an interview held in that language.
Never list a license you do not currently hold. Employers in healthcare, finance, transport and the trades verify them, and a lapsed or invented license ends an application.
Questions
How many skills should I put on my resume?
Six to twelve in the skills section, chosen for the job you are applying to.
Should I list Microsoft Office?
Only if the job uses it heavily, and then be specific, for example "Excel: pivot tables and lookups". Basic computer skills are assumed for most jobs.
Can I list skills I am still learning?
Yes, if you say so, for example "Python (course in progress)". Do not list skills you could not use at work.
Are soft skills worth listing at all?
A few, if they are specific and relevant. They carry the most weight when a bullet on your resume shows them in action.