Resume Skills

Best Skills to Put on a Resume

The skills section of your resume helps employers quickly understand what you can do and how your experience matches the position.

The best resume skills are not simply a long list of abilities. They are skills that are relevant to the job, supported by your experience and presented using clear professional language.

Learn which hard skills, soft skills, technical skills and transferable skills to include on your resume and how to customize your skills section for each job.

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What Are Resume Skills?

Resume skills are the abilities, knowledge and competencies that demonstrate your ability to perform a job.

Depending on your career, these can include technical knowledge, software proficiency, communication, leadership, analytical thinking, project management, customer service and many other capabilities.

Your resume should not include every skill you have ever learned. Instead, focus on the skills that are relevant to your target position.

Resume skills tip:

Start with the job description. Identify the skills the employer considers important and determine which of those skills you genuinely possess.

Common Resume Skill Categories

Hard skills
Soft skills
Technical skills
Transferable skills
Industry-specific skills

Hard Skills vs Soft Skills on a Resume

Both technical abilities and interpersonal capabilities can be valuable, but they demonstrate different aspects of your professional profile.

Hard Skills

Measurable or Technical Abilities

Hard skills are specific abilities that can often be learned, trained and evaluated. Examples include programming, data analysis, accounting, project management software, graphic design and financial modeling.

SQL Python Data Analysis Financial Modeling SEO

Soft Skills

Interpersonal and Behavioral Abilities

Soft skills describe how you work with people, communicate, solve problems and manage situations. Examples include communication, leadership, collaboration, adaptability and problem solving.

Communication Leadership Collaboration Adaptability Problem Solving

Best practice:

Do not rely entirely on soft skills. Whenever possible, demonstrate important soft skills through achievements, responsibilities and examples elsewhere in your resume.

Best Skills to Put on a Resume

The best skills depend on your profession and the job you want. However, these categories are commonly useful across many professional roles.

Communication

Written communication, verbal communication, presentation skills, stakeholder communication and active listening.

Leadership

Team leadership, delegation, mentoring, decision making and stakeholder management.

Problem Solving

Analytical thinking, troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, critical thinking and decision making.

Project Management

Planning, scheduling, risk management, stakeholder coordination and project delivery.

Data Analysis

Data interpretation, reporting, dashboards, statistical analysis and data-driven decision making.

Adaptability

Learning new technologies, handling change and adapting to new responsibilities or environments.

Technical Skills for a Resume

Technical skills are especially important for roles where specific tools, technologies, systems or methods are required.

Instead of writing a broad phrase such as "technical skills," name the actual technologies, tools or capabilities you know.

Programming languages
Software and applications
Databases
Data and analytics tools
Cloud technologies
Design and creative software
Industry-specific systems

Technical Skills Examples

Python Java SQL Excel Power BI Salesforce AWS Azure Git Tableau

Transferable Skills for Your Resume

Transferable skills are capabilities that can be useful across different jobs, industries and professional environments.

They can be especially valuable when you are changing careers or applying for a position that is different from your previous role.

Communication
Leadership
Project coordination
Customer management
Problem solving
Organization
Time management

Career change tip:

Do not assume a skill is irrelevant simply because you developed it in another industry. Explain how the skill can contribute to your target role.

Resume Skills for Freshers

Freshers can use their education, projects, internships, certifications and practical experience to demonstrate relevant skills.

Technology

Programming, databases, web development, software tools, data analysis and technical problem solving.

Business

Research, Excel, data analysis, presentation, communication, market research and business analysis.

General Professional

Communication, teamwork, organization, adaptability, problem solving and time management.

Freshers should show evidence:

If you list a skill such as Python, data analysis or presentation, consider demonstrating it through a project, internship, certification or achievement elsewhere on your resume.

Resume Skills Examples by Job

Your skills section should reflect the requirements of the position. Here are examples of skill categories for common career paths.

Project Manager

Project planning, stakeholder management, risk management, Agile, Scrum, budgeting, scheduling, team leadership and communication.

Software Developer

Programming, software development, APIs, databases, Git, testing, debugging, cloud platforms and problem solving.

Data Analyst

SQL, Excel, Python, data visualization, statistics, reporting, dashboards, Power BI and analytical problem solving.

Marketing

Digital marketing, SEO, content marketing, analytics, social media, campaign management, email marketing and market research.

Sales

Lead generation, prospecting, negotiation, account management, CRM, relationship building and consultative selling.

Customer Service

Customer relationship management, communication, conflict resolution, problem solving, CRM systems and customer retention.

How to Choose the Right Skills for Your Resume

Do not simply copy a list of popular resume skills. Choose skills that are relevant to your experience and the job.

Read the Job Description

Identify the skills and qualifications the employer emphasizes.

Match Your Skills

Identify the requirements that genuinely match your experience.

Prioritize

Put the most relevant and valuable skills first.

Customize

Adjust your skills section for important job applications.

Make Your Resume Skills ATS-Friendly

Applicant tracking systems may analyze resumes for keywords related to the job description.

Use standard terminology and include relevant skills naturally when they accurately describe your background.

Use the terminology used in the job description
Include relevant technical skills
Use standard skill names
Avoid unnecessary keyword stuffing
Make sure every listed skill is genuine

Check ATS Score

MakeCVNow ATS Checker

Check your resume for opportunities to improve keywords, content and formatting.

Use the results to improve your resume before applying for important positions.

Customize Your Resume Skills for Each Job

Your skills section should change when the requirements of the position change.

Analyze the Job

Identify important skills, technologies and qualifications from the job description.

Match Your Profile

Select the skills you actually possess and can demonstrate through your experience.

Customize Your CV

Adjust your resume so your most relevant skills receive appropriate emphasis.

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Where Should You Put Skills on a Resume?

Skills are commonly presented in a dedicated skills section, but important skills should also appear naturally throughout your professional experience.

For example, listing "project management" in the skills section is useful, but demonstrating how you managed a project in your work experience provides stronger context.

Dedicated Skills section
Professional summary
Work experience
Projects
Certifications

Important:

Do not rely on the skills section alone. Your work experience and achievements should demonstrate how you have actually used important skills.

Good vs Bad Resume Skills Examples

Example: Making Resume Skills More Specific

Too Generic

Computer skills, communication, leadership, hardworking, teamwork.

More Specific

Microsoft Excel, Power BI, stakeholder communication, team leadership, project coordination and data analysis.

Why It Is Better

Specific skills communicate exactly what the candidate knows and make it easier to compare the resume with the requirements of the job.

Resume Skills Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid these common mistakes when creating the skills section of your resume.

Listing Too Many Skills

A long list can make it difficult to identify the capabilities that matter most.

Using Generic Skills

Phrases such as "computer skills" provide little information compared with specific tools and technologies.

Keyword Stuffing

Do not add keywords simply because they appear in a job description if you do not actually have those skills.

Skill Bars and Ratings

Avoid arbitrary ratings such as "90% Excel" unless the format clearly adds meaningful information.

Ignoring the Job Description

Your skills section should reflect the requirements of the position you are targeting.

Listing Skills You Cannot Explain

Be prepared to explain how you have used important skills during an interview.

Use AI to Find Relevant Skills for Your Resume

Identifying the most relevant skills from a long career history can be difficult. AI can help organize your experience and connect it with a target job.

Identify Skills

Extract relevant skills from your professional experience.

Match the Job

Compare your background with the requirements of a target position.

Improve Content

Improve the wording and presentation of your professional experience.

Check ATS

Review your resume for keywords and ATS-related improvement opportunities.

Already Have a Resume?

You do not need to start from scratch if you already have a resume but want to improve the skills section.

Upload your existing CV to MakeCVNow and use AI-powered tools to improve your resume content and identify opportunities to better align it with your target job.

You can then customize the CV, select a professional template and check the ATS score.

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Start With What You Already Have

Your existing resume already contains useful information about your experience, projects, responsibilities and achievements.

Use it as the starting point for a stronger, job-focused resume.

Keep Your Resume Skills and LinkedIn Skills Consistent

Your resume and LinkedIn profile should communicate a consistent professional direction.

If a particular skill is central to your career, consider reflecting it consistently across your resume, LinkedIn profile and professional experience.

Use consistent professional terminology
Highlight your strongest capabilities
Align your profile with your target role
Avoid claiming skills you cannot demonstrate

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MakeCVNow LinkedIn Optimization

Improve your LinkedIn profile and align your professional positioning with your resume.

A consistent professional profile can make it easier for recruiters to understand your career direction.

MakeCVNow Can Help With Your Complete Job Search

Choosing the right resume skills is only one part of building a successful job application.

AI CV Builder

Create and improve a professional, ATS-friendly resume using AI-powered tools.

Job Customization

Customize your CV according to a job description or job URL.

ATS Checker

Check your ATS score and identify opportunities to improve your resume.

LinkedIn Optimization

Improve your LinkedIn profile and strengthen your professional positioning.

Matching Job Search

Find job opportunities that match your profile, experience and preferences.

Interview Help

Prepare for interview questions based on your CV and the target job.

Frequently Asked Questions About Resume Skills

Common questions about choosing and listing skills on a resume.

Include skills that are relevant to the job, supported by your experience and aligned with the requirements in the job description. These may include technical, hard, soft and transferable skills.

The best skills depend on the position. Communication, leadership, problem solving, project management, analytical skills and relevant technical skills can be valuable when they genuinely match the role.

Hard skills are specific abilities that can generally be learned, trained and evaluated, such as programming, data analysis, accounting, software proficiency or project management.

Soft skills describe interpersonal and behavioral capabilities such as communication, teamwork, leadership, adaptability and problem solving.

There is no universal number. Focus on the skills most relevant to the position rather than trying to include every skill you possess.

Yes. Customizing your skills section helps emphasize the capabilities that are most relevant to each opportunity.

Yes. Freshers can include relevant technical skills, soft skills, academic skills, software knowledge, project skills, certifications and other abilities relevant to their target position.

Yes, when they are relevant. However, whenever possible, demonstrate important soft skills through your work experience and achievements rather than simply listing them.

Include relevant keywords when they accurately describe your experience. Avoid adding skills you do not possess simply to match the job description.

AI can help identify relevant skills from your experience and compare your profile with a target job description. Always review the suggestions and make sure the final resume accurately represents your abilities.

Build a Resume With the Right Skills

Create a professional, ATS-friendly resume with MakeCVNow. Improve your content, customize your CV for specific jobs, check your ATS score and optimize your LinkedIn profile.

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