The best skills to put on a resume are the ones the job description asks for that you can genuinely back up. A generic list of “top 10 skills” won’t help much on its own, because recruiters and applicant tracking systems match your resume against one specific posting. This guide shows which types of skills to include, examples by role, and how to place them so they’re actually found.
Hard skills vs. soft skills
Hard skills are specific, teachable, and usually measurable: software, tools, languages, certifications, and technical methods. Examples include SQL, Salesforce, Excel pivot tables, Python, bookkeeping, forklift certification, and Google Ads.
Soft skills are how you work: communication, leadership, problem-solving, adaptability, and collaboration.
Both matter, but they belong in different places:
- Hard skills go in your Skills section and in your experience bullets. They’re what recruiters search for in the ATS.
- Soft skills are best shown through results in your experience bullets. Writing “excellent communicator” in a list proves nothing. “Presented quarterly results to a 12-person leadership team” does.
Skills for a resume by role
Use these as starting points, then keep only the ones the job description mentions and you can support.
| Role | Common hard skills | Soft skills to demonstrate |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | SEO, Google Analytics, HubSpot, paid social, email automation, content strategy | Creativity, cross-team collaboration |
| Sales | Salesforce, CRM management, prospecting, pipeline forecasting, negotiation | Persuasion, resilience |
| Software engineering | Python, JavaScript, SQL, AWS, Git, CI/CD, REST APIs | Problem-solving, code review communication |
| Data analysis | SQL, Excel, Tableau, Power BI, Python, statistical modeling | Translating data into business decisions |
| Project management | Jira, Asana, Agile/Scrum, budgeting, risk management, PMP | Stakeholder management, leadership |
| Customer service | Zendesk, ticketing systems, CRM, order management | Empathy, de-escalation, patience |
| Administrative | Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, scheduling, data entry, QuickBooks | Organization, attention to detail |
| Healthcare | EHR systems (e.g., Epic), patient intake, HIPAA compliance, medical terminology | Compassion, calm under pressure |
How ATS matches skills
When recruiters search an applicant tracking system, they typically search for a job title plus specific skills or tools. Your resume shows up — and ranks — based on whether those words appear in it. That’s why wording matters:
- Use the posting’s exact terms. If it says “Microsoft Excel,” include “Microsoft Excel,” not just “spreadsheets.”
- Pair acronyms with full names. “Search Engine Optimization (SEO)” covers both searches.
- Prioritize the must-haves. Skills listed under “Requirements” usually carry more weight than “nice to have” ones.
- Don’t list skills you can’t discuss. Anything on your resume is fair game in an interview.
The format of your resume matters just as much — if the ATS can’t parse your Skills section, the keywords don’t count. See our ATS-friendly resume guide for the format rules.
Where to place skills on your resume
- Summary: name your target title and two or three of your strongest, most relevant skills.
- Skills section: a clean, comma-separated or grouped list of hard skills — no rating bars, stars, or charts, which software can’t read.
- Experience bullets: show your top skills in action, ideally with a result. For example: “Built automated Excel reports that cut monthly close time by two days.”
Listing a skill in both the Skills section and an experience bullet is the strongest signal to both the ATS and the recruiter.
Skills to put on a resume with no experience
If you’re a student, recent graduate, or career changer, you still have skills — you just need to show where they came from:
- Coursework and projects: list tools and methods you used in class or capstone projects.
- Certifications: free or low-cost certifications (Google, HubSpot, Microsoft) add searchable hard skills.
- Volunteer and part-time work: customer service, scheduling, cash handling, and team coordination are real skills.
- Transferable skills: career changers should translate past experience into the new field’s vocabulary.
Your LinkedIn Skills section should match too — recruiters search there as well. See how recruiters actually search LinkedIn.
Frequently asked questions
How many skills should I put on my resume?
Most resumes work well with 8 to 15 skills in the Skills section, focused on the ones the job description asks for. A shorter, relevant list is more convincing than a long one. Your most important skills should also appear in your experience bullets with examples.
What skills should I put on a resume with no experience?
Include hard skills from coursework, projects, certifications, volunteer work, and part-time jobs, such as software tools, data entry, customer service, or scheduling. Back them up with short examples showing where you used them, and match the wording to the job descriptions you’re applying for.
Should I put soft skills on my resume?
Yes, but show them rather than list them. A bullet like “trained five new hires on order processing” demonstrates leadership and communication better than writing “strong leader” in your Skills section. Reserve your Skills list mainly for hard, searchable skills.
