What to put for skills on a resume? Tips that will make your resume stand out

Creating the perfect resume that showcases exactly what you can do, sparks the hiring manager's interest, and sets you apart from the competition can be a challenge. One key area that recruiters are laser-focused on when reviewing a resume is whether you have the right skill set for the job. 

On average, hiring managers review your resume in six or seven seconds so you haven’t got long to grab a recruiter's attention. During this initial scan, the skills you include will play a major part in whether you move forward in the hiring process. So, what skills should you put on your resume to make you stand out and bag yourself an interview?

In this article we explore:

• Why are skills important for your resume?

• Hard skills vs. soft skills

• Hard skills examples for your resume

• Soft skills examples for your resume

• How to organize your skills on your resume

Why it’s important to list skills for a resume

The keywords you choose to showcase your skills are critical to moving forward in the hiring process. If you don’t select the right terms and buzzwords, then the human beings and applicant tracking systems (ATS) scanning your resume will skip it and move on to the next one. 

Primarily, you should include skills that are relevant to the job you are applying for. Study the job description carefully and customize your resume skills to fit that position. Don’t lie or make things up, but include any skills you have that match the job opening.

Hard skills vs. soft skills

Skills on resumes fall into two broad categories, hard and soft. Both types of skills are important to have and develop, but you need to present them differently on a resume.

Hard skills are industry-specific, technical skills. These skills almost always require specific education, training, or experience acquired over time. Examples of hard skills include data analysis, software development, project management, graphic design, and language skills. 

Soft skills are personal attributes that enable individuals to effectively communicate, collaborate, and lead others. These skills can come naturally or can be strengthened over time. Examples include adaptability, problem-solving, communication, leadership, and teamwork.

Hard skills are much easier to detail on a resume because they are related to specific tasks or knowledge. These skills can be detailed in the skills section on your resume as well as demonstrated across the professional experience, education, training, and certification sections. 

Everyone has some form of soft skills. Since soft skills are more indistinct, it’s important to leverage your past roles and accomplishments on your resume to show how you have these abilities. While you can still include them in your skills section, reinforcing them via your work experience and achievements will make your resume much more impactful.

Examples of hard skills for your resume 

Here are some examples illustrating the different types of hard skills you can showcase in your resume, organized by skill area.

1. Technology and Software

Technology permeates all areas of our lives and the business world. Understanding and being able to effectively use technology is a huge asset for any job seeker. Here are a few examples of popular software knowledge to list on your resume:

• Microsoft Office Suite

• Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, Drive)

• Adobe Creative Suite

• Operating systems (iOS, MacOS, Android, Windows, Linux)

• Communication platforms (Zoom, Skype, Slack, Microsoft Teams)

• Team management software (Jira, Trello, Monday)

2. Data Analysis

Data analysis and data science fields have exploded in recent years. Employers rate the ability to gather, manipulate, and analyze data highly, so whatever your level of expertise in data analysis, it’s a good idea to highlight this skill on your resume. Examples of data analysis skills  you can highlight include:

• Data visualization

• Data cleansing

• Data analysis (Microsoft SQL and NoSQL)

• Software tools (MATLAB, Microsoft Excel, Python)

• Reporting tools (Crystal Reports, HubSpot, Tableau, Zoho)

3. Finance

Managing money (not just limited to accounting) is another of those ubiquitous skill sets that most companies need. Financial skills cover a vast array of competencies, but anything related to fiscal management will give you a leg up for any type of management role. Examples of finance-related skills include:

• Accounting

• Bookkeeping

• Financial modeling techniques

• Financial reporting

• Software - Microsoft (Excel, PowerPoint, SQL), QuickBooks

4. Language skills

Showcasing your language skills on your resume makes you marketable to global companies as well as US-based companies who work with foreign partners and clients. A few of the more in-demand languages (aside from English) are Arabic, French, German, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. The best way to tell a hiring manager about your language skills is to include:

• Language proficiency level (include any formal test scores or certifications)

• Translation skills

• Verbal fluency

• Written fluency

5. Research

Research is not only a role in itself, but also a key skill to have in the workplace. Whether you work in marketing, journalism, business analytics, or the science field, almost every company will appreciate your research expertise. Research-related skills include:

• Critical analysis

• Data analysis (collection, translation, interpretation)

• Forming hypotheses

• Investigation

• Statistical analysis

6. Scientific skills

The scientific field definitely requires very advanced and specific technical skills which must be highlighted across your resume. Having experience and expertise in the hard sciences is also a good thing to detail for many jobs. Here are some general scientific skills to list on your resume:

• Classification

• Inference

• Measuring

• Prediction

• Qualitative observation

• Scientific method

7. Social media

Knowing how to navigate and use social media is an awesome skill to have. The majority of companies leverage social media for marketing, advertising, and sales development, so strong social media skills are in demand. Social media skills to detail on your resume include:

• Facebook Ads optimization

• Instagram content management

• LinkedIn blogging

• TikTok video editing

• Twitter PR campaigns

• YouTube channel management

• Content management tools (Hootsuite, Sendible)

• Editing tools (Adobe Premiere Pro, Movavi Video Editor)

8. Writing and editing

Writing is an industry that has been around forever. Editing is an area of expertise related directly to writing but is a distinctly separate skill set. Writing and editing are useful in most roles in terms of being able to create reports, presentations, and other professional documents. Make sure you highlight these skills, if applicable, on your resume:

• Blog writing

• Copywriting

• Email management/campaigns

• Grammatical editing/proofreading

• Content editing/proofreading

• Storytelling

Soft skills for your resume

There are a multitude of soft skills that you can include on your resume, so it can be a bit overwhelming trying to pick out the best ones to impress the hiring manager. Here are our recommendations of the top soft skills for your resume.

1. Adaptability

Adaptability is the ability to rapidly adjust to new situations. Individuals who possess this skill can easily navigate unfamiliar environments and successfully deal with any new challenges. This can be “soft-skill gold” to a potential employer.

2. Communication

Communication is the ability to share your ideas and information in a clear and concise way, whether verbally or in writing. Continually honing your communication skills will lead to greater success as you interact positively with clients, co-workers, suppliers, and your boss.

3. Leadership

While the role you are applying for may not require you to lead a team, leadership skills can arise in other situations such as taking the lead on a group project. Effective leadership tends to be a blend of soft skills. You need to organize, motivate, take responsibility for others, build relationships, manage any conflicts, and keep the team on track for success.   

4. Teamwork

Most jobs involve some aspect of teamwork, so it’s understandable why this soft skill is rated highly by employers. Provide specific examples of successful teamwork in the accomplishments section of your resume. Focus on the qualities of empathy, communication, active listening, and self-awareness to describe how well you work with others.

5. Problem-solving 

Problem-solving skills are essential for success in any career, as they help you choose the best solutions for different challenges. To position yourself as a strong problem-solver, focus on highlighting your critical-thinking, creativity, and analytical approach in your resume.

6. Attention to detail

Attention to detail is an important soft skill. The ability to properly follow instructions and ensure high levels of accuracy are critical in the workplace. Your boss can trust you to get things done and you can also help your team by proactively spotting any potential errors or mistakes.  

How do you organize job skills for a resume?

So, how do you go about organizing your skills on your resume? Here are some top tips to make sure you maximize opportunities to sell your hard and soft skills.

• Detail the most job-relevant capabilities at the beginning of your skills section. This will typically be your hard skills followed by your soft skills. To get a one-two punch, mention your strongest skills in your professional profile too.

• You can separate your hard and soft skills into sections or columns. This is especially applicable if you are in a highly technical field and need to show a large number of tech skills. If this is the case, you may want to consider having a separate section for just technology or industry-specific skills.

• Show your level of proficiency for each skill. This may be expressed in the number of years that you’ve applied a certain skill or in your level of knowledge. For example, language proficiencies are usually shown as Native, Fluent, Intermediate, or Basic.

• Some of your hard skills will be reflected in your education, training, and certification sections on the resume.

• Soft skills can be shown across the resume. Reinforce these skills via your work experience and achievements to make your resume much more impactful.  

Key takeaways

1. To ensure your resume is targeted to each job opportunity, check the job description for keywords and include the hard and soft skills that match those requirements.

2. Don’t overdo the number of skills on your resume; a long list will just make the hiring manager zone out.

3. Avoid embellishing your skills, as you may slip up when asked for specific examples that you can’t provide.

4. Detail the most job-relevant abilities at the start of your skills section and in your professional profile. This is usually hard skills followed by soft skills.

5. If you work in a highly technical field requiring lots of hard skills, it’s worth having a separate section on your resume for just technology or industry-specific skills.