The Definitive List of Skills for Your 2024 Resume
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How you pick and share your skills on a resume is as important as the experience and accomplishments you feature. This article covers the most sought-after skills and how to highlight them on your resume. With this advice, you’ll create a job-winning resume in no time!
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What Type of Skills to List on a Resume
Every job opening is unique — the best skills to list on your resume depend on the job description. However, most hiring managers are looking for a combination of six to eight hard, technical and soft skills to gauge whether you’re a strong candidate for an open job.
Hard skills are quantifiable and tangible. They are necessary to perform your work-related duties. Companies require hard skills to demonstrate your ability to perform job duties effectively. Some examples of hard skills examples include:
- Management skills
- Presentation skills
- Language skills
- Sales skills
- Marketing skills
Technical skills are highly specialized hard skills you develop while working on specific, job-related tasks in IT, math and science industries. For instance, your technical skills as an electronic engineering specialist could include circuit design, data collection and analysis, and C++ programming language. Here are some examples:
- Database management
- Finance software
- JavaScript
- Cloud/SaaS services
- SEO (search engine optimization)
Soft skills describe your character and personality traits. These social skills tell how well you listen, communicate and interact with your coworkers and associates and how you manage your work. They can include your attitude, ethics, collaborative potential and problem-solving skills. Sharing these resume skills can help hiring managers decide if you’re a good fit for an existing team or workspace. Check out these examples:
- Time management
- Active listening
- Attention to detail
- Conflict management
- Teamwork
List of Soft Skills
Use your soft skills to show how you fit in the company’s work environment. We carefully researched the most commonly requested for our list of soft skills below.
List of communication skills
Communication skills allow you to share ideas effectively, read body language, actively listen, and help work run smoothly. Here are five communication skills:
- Active listening
- Non-verbal communication
- Written communication
- Feedback
- Verbal communication
List of interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills are essential to maintaining a collaborative and peaceful work environment and for customer service roles. They foster transparency, team building and trust. Here are five interpersonal skills:
- Conflict management
- Negotiation
- Empathy
- Teamwork
- Active listening
List of computer skills
Computer skills are essential in today’s job market. Almost every role requires technology, such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, software systems, tech apps and desktop computers. Here are five computer skills:
- MS Office Suite
- Hardware knowledge
- Social media
- Computer presentations
List of analytical skills
The ability to gather data, analyze facts and come to a solution is critical in any professional setting. Analytical skills allow you to use the available facts to assess a situation and produce sound judgment. Here are five analytical skills:
- Observation
- Research
- Critical thinking
- Decision making
- Foresight
List of leadership skills
Leadership skills enable employees to guide their team and inspire their coworkers to improve. These skills are sought-after in all position levels and help build trust and dependability. Check out this list of leadership skills:
- Delegation
- Goal-setting
- Team building
- Conflict resolution
- Decision-making
List of problem-solving skills
Like analytical skills, problem-solving skills allow you to judge a situation and objectively develop a creative solution. Problem solvers are critical in any industry and job role. Here are five problem-solving skills:
- Sound judgment
- Critical thinking
- Creativity
- Attention to detail
- Proactiveness
List of detail-oriented skills
Attention to detail is vital to ensure the quality of the finer aspects of a project or product. A detail-oriented person can spot minor problems that need attention quickly and efficiently. Here are five detail-oriented skills:
- Patience
- Observation
- Active listening
- Critical thinking
- Time management
List of organizational skills
Organizational skills promote reliability and neat workspaces. Organized employees master time management to meet deadlines and proactively address tasks. Here are five organizational skills:
- Strategic planning
- Time management
- Scheduling
- Prioritization
- Multitasking
List of Hard Skills
Hiring managers look for hard skills in a resume to confirm a candidate’s ability to perform the job. Check out our list of hard skills below.
List of management skills
Skilled managers uphold company policies and processes and ensure projects are finished on time. Management skills also help maintain a smooth workflow and healthy environment within a team. Here are five management skills:
- People management
- Time management
- Emotional intelligence
- Transparency
- Delegation
List of language skills
Language skills refer to specific writing and verbal communication skills required to perform tasks across industries. For example:
- Translating
- Proofreading
- Editing
- Storytelling
- Research
List of presentation skills
Presentation skills allow employees to share ideas creatively and effectively. These skills are critical to convey concepts to clients and executives. For example:
- Data breakdown
- Presentation software
- Creativity
- Public speaking
- Adaptability
List of business skills
Business skills are vital for managers, executives and business owners who must keep a company afloat. These tools help them make intelligent decisions and prevent financial or legal problems. For example:
- Budgeting
- Financial planning
- Forecasting
- Negotiation
- Project management
Technical skills are highly specialized hard skills developed through training and gaining expertise in technology, mathematics, mechanics and computer science. For example:
- Adobe
- HTML
- Network architecture
- ICT (information and communications technology)
- Coding
Why are Resume Skills Important?
Resume skills are a powerful tool for convincing the recruiter that you fit the role. Your skills section reflects the tools you possess to perform the job effectively and additional talents that differentiate you from other candidates. While the work experience section may benefit more experienced candidates, listing job-relevant skills is a surefire way to show you’re qualified, even if you’re starting your career. In a way, a well-written skills section levels the playing field for all job seekers.
Top Professional Skills by Industry
We covered how to spot resume skills, and those most requested, but every industry is unique! Check out our list of professional skills to put on resumes for popular industries and jobs.
Administration skills
- Organization
- Teamwork
- Customer service
- Responsibility
- Time management
- Multitasking
- Communication skills
- Database management
- Enterprise resource planning
- Social media management
- Filing
- Record-keeping
- QuickBooks
- Spreadsheets
- Word processing
Bartending skills
- Accuracy
- Attention to detail
- Dependability
- Detail-oriented
- Inventory management
- Multitasking
- Friendly
- Energetic
- Engaging
- Guest services
- Hospitality
- Integrity
- Mixology
- Drink list planning
- Food and beverage purchasing
- Hygiene and health code compliance
- Bar operations management
- Private events
Child care skills
- Creative thinking
- Communication skills
- Analytical skills
- Organizational skills
Patience - Physical stamina
- Excellent interpersonal
- Age-appropriate communication
- Flexible
- Decision making
- Confidentiality
- Compassionate
- Entertainer
- Safety awareness
- Behavioral techniques
- Problem-solving skills
- Basic information technology skills
- Oral literacy
- Learning skills
- Self-management skills
Computer hardware skills
- Linux
- Windows
- Networking
- HTML
- Javascript
- Microsoft Office
- Troubleshooting
- Cloud management
- Network configuration
- WAN/LAN
- Technical support and troubleshooting
- Network security
- Hardware development, analysis and testing
- Desktop management interface
- Software
- Firmware
- Python
- Design verification
- C++
- Designed schematic diagram
Computer software skills
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- G Suite for Business
- Email management
- Information management
- Data entry
- Digital calendars (Google, Outlook, etc.)
- File-sharing programs (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.)
- Video conferencing
- Cloud backup software (Dropbox Pro, Carbonite, etc.)
- Social media management
- Project management software (Asana, Jira, etc.)
- Automation software
- Software programming
- Access
- Excel
- Outlook
- Powerpoint
- Word
Copywriting skills
- Copywriting
- Copy editing
- Researching and interviewing
- Strong writing skills
- Communication skills
- Technical skills
- Creative thinking
- Critical thinking
- Problem-solving skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Marketing expertise
- Digital marketing skills
- Email marketing
- Business skills
- Storytelling
- Certified Professional Technical Communicator
Culinary arts skills
- Detail-oriented
- Cleanliness
- Creativity
- Culinary expertise
- Fast-paced decision-making
- Kitchen management
- Menu creation
- Food safety
- Presentation
- Food quality
- Cost control
- Attentiveness
- Business management
- Knife skills
- Vegetable sanitation
Customer service skills
- Stress management
- Interpersonal skills
- Empathy
- Communication skills
- Product knowledge
- Problem-solving skills
- Patience
- Positive attitude
- Positive language
- Listening skills
- Personal responsibility
- Confidence
- Tenacity
- Proactive
Engineering skills
- Structural analysis
- Problem-solving
- Computer science
- Industry skills
- Pressure management
- Teamwork
- Creativity
- Drafting
- Mathematics
- Computing
- Welding
- Construction
- Communication
- Attention to detail
- Data modeling
Entertainment skills
- Attention to detail
- Planning
- Commitment
- Stamina
- Screen presence
- Persuasiveness
- Knowledge of industry trends
- Stage presence
- Filming
- Audience engagement
- Creative vision
- Editing
- Follows instructions
- Problem-solving
- Meeting deadlines
- Screenwriting
- Playwriting
- AV effects
- Light engineering
- Sound engineering
- Shot location
- Production
- Project fundraising
- Audience participation
- Crowd-pleasing
- Commercial production
- Filmmaking
- Crew management
- Editing coordination
Executive skills
- Strategic thinking and foresight
- Decision making
- Delegation
- Customer service
- Business development
- Financial skills
- Emotional intelligence
- Senior leadership skills
- Communication and presentation skills
- Change management skills
- Subject-matter expertise
- Employee development
- Logistics
- Emotional control
- Proactivity
Food service skills
- Strong verbal communication
- Listening
- Customer service
- Interpersonal skills
- Friendly
- Energetic
- Positive
- Outgoing
- Team player
- Multitasking
- Time management
- Self-motivation skills
- Math skills
- Food safety
- Food and beverage best practices
Graphic and web design skills
- Composition
- Content management systems (CMS)
- Software for design
- Responsive design
- User experience (UX)
- User interface (UI)
- Graphic design
- Photo editing
- Discipline
- Copywriting
- Business strategy
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Attention to detail
- Emergence
- Reification
- Typography
- Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Adobe Flash
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Critical thinking
- Deadline management
- Design strategy
- Organizational skills
- Multitasking
- Prioritizing
- Problem-solving
- Flexibility
Health care skills
- Detail-oriented
- Interpersonal skills
- Leadership skills
- Critical thinking
- Active listening
- Coordination
- Judgment and decision-making
- Quality assurance and control
- Customer billing and coding
- Budgeting
- Staff management
- Project management
- Research skills
- Problem-solving
- Compliance
- Database
- Primary care
- Business administration
- Data entry
- Medical equipment
- Pharmaceutical
- Medical records and documentation
- Prior authorization
- Medical terminology
Media and communications skills
- Active listener
- Body language
- Emotional intelligence
- Empathy
- Respect
- Written communication
- Nonverbal communication
- Relationship building
- Public speaking
- Web communications
- Clarity
- Summarizing skills
- Improvisational skills
- Friendliness
- Confidence
- Emotional control
- Reading body language
- Positive eye contact
- Teamwork
- Persuasion skills
Marketing skills
- Data entry
- Multitasking
- Communication
- Problem-solving
- Conceptual thinking
- Time management
- Creativity
- Collaboration
- Logistics
- Planning
- Computer skills
- Analytical thinking
- People management
- Business knowledge
- Leadership
- Budgeting
- Hiring
- Interpersonal skills
- Finance
- Conflict resolution
- Office management
- Delegation
- Coaching
- Business development
- Critical Thinking
- Negotiation
- Organization
- Planning
- Project management
- Administrative skills
Nursing skills
- Urgent care
- Emergency care
- Monitoring vital signs
- Patient safety
- ICU nursing skills
- Patient assessment
- Stress management
- Attention to detail
- Compassion
- Wound care
- Decision making
- Technology skills
- Communication
- Critical thinking and problem-solving
- Clinical nursing skills
- Nurse practitioner skills
- Triage knowledge
Retail skills
- Time management skills
- Work ethics
- Attention to detail
- Communication skills
- Customer service skills
- Dependability
- Resilience
- Organization
- Initiative
- Merchandise control
- Operations
- Product rotation
- Receiving
- Purchasing
- Product sourcing
Sales skills
- Communication
- Enthusiasm
- Relationship building
- Social skills
- Storytelling
- Active listening
- Marketing
- Presentation
- Negotiation
- Business management
- Technology
- Buyer Research
- Time management
- Collaboration
- Confidence
Statistics skills
- Statistics
- Economics
- Data analytics
- Biostatistics
- Data distribution
- Statistics analysis
- Database
- Quantification
- Statistical modeling
- Clinical trial
- SQL
- Python
- Data analytics
- Economics
- Hypothesis testing
- Statistics and probability
- Data visualization: Excel, Google Charts
Teaching skills
- Creative thinking
- Critical thinking
- Strong ethics
- Classroom management
- Leadership
- Maintain records
- Planning
- Prepared
- Record keeping
- Scheduling
- Time management
- Patience
- Communication
- Organization
- Imaginative thinking
- Teamwork
- Time management
- Technological skills
- Conflict resolution
How to List Skills on a Resume
Depending on your resume format, you have three to four places to add a list of skills for your resume: the resume objective, work history, skills section and resume summary. Here’s where to add skills to your resume step-by-step.
1. Add skills to your resume summary or objective statement
Your resume summary or objective statement relies on your ability to weave in your skills and accomplishments expertly, drawing the reader in and making them want to know more. For example:
Experienced administrative assistant with six years as a mid-level and executive-level assistant. Independently compose and edit project proposals, charts, presentation material and routine correspondence; ensure material is well organized and analyses are clear and concise.
2. Create a dedicated skills section
A traditional skills section will include six to eight skills in a bulleted list, like the sample list of job skills below.
A standard skills section example for an accountant:
- Email correspondence
- Problem-solving and critical thinking
- Attention to detail
- File organization
- Budget management
- Certified Public Accounting (CPA) certificate
List skills in your work experience section
Your work experience section is usually your resume’s longest, most detailed part. This section offers the most opportunity to pepper job skills throughout your resume. Try to include at least one skill per bullet point entry or an average of three to six skills per job entry.
Let’s see this administrative work history sample with resume skills in bolded text:
Accountant, City of Industry
May 2021 – recent, Los Angeles, CA
- Assisted the finance director and city manager in operating and capital improvement budgets.
- Collaborated with the senior accountant to pull and verify quarterly balance sheets, receipts, and financial documents to present an annual audited statement of the city’s financial condition.
- Daily tasks include receiving, verifying and filing various financial documents, including revenue and expense reports, vouchers, billing statements, balance sheets and per diem requests.
Key takeaways
Now that you’ve reviewed lists of skills to put on your resume, let’s wrap things up with a few key points:
- Skills are fundamental to any resume. They summarize the tools you have to perform the role.
- Skills break into three categories: hard, soft and technical. Displaying a balanced mix of the three shows you’re a well-rounded candidate.
- Soft skills focus on personal traits that anyone can possess, while hard skills refer to abilities specific to the job role. Technical skills are highly specialized hard skills acquired through training.
- You can show off your skills throughout your resume: summary or objective, skills section, and work history. This allows you to include as many as you can.
List of Skills FAQ
What skills should I add to my resume?
You should add a combination of soft, hard and technical skills to your resume. Carefully scan a job description to find the unique skills required to excel at that job. You can find these unique skills or resume keywords by looking for the following text treatments:
- Repeated tasks
- Bolded text
- Underlined words
- Italicized phrases
- Highlighted skills
- Capitalized words
What are some good skills for any resume?
The best skills to add to your resume reassure hiring managers that you’re a knowledgeable and collaborative addition to a team. Good skills to put on resumes can include the following social and technical skills:
- Collaboration
- Teamwork
- Vocal communication
- Written communication
- Organization
- Computer knowledge
- Team management
- Problem-solving
- Attention to detail
Where should I put my skills section?
Where you place your skills section depends on your chosen resume format. We bolded the placement of your skills sections on the three main resume formats:
- Contact information
- Summary statement
- Work history
- Skills section
- Education
- Optional sections (certifications, hobbies or professional organizations)
- Contact information
- Summary statement
- Skills section
- Work history
- Education
- Optional sections (certifications, hobbies or professional organizations)
- Contact information
- Summary statement
- Summary of qualifications
- Relevant skills
- Work history
- Education
- Optional sections (certifications, hobbies or professional organizations)
Where can I research top skills for my job?
We lightly covered the top skills requested by some industries. However, we carefully researched over a hundred industries to find the top skills for thousands of jobs. You can visit our master library of resume examples to explore key skills based on your career interests.
Can I use a Resume Builder for the skills section?
Yes, you can use a Resume Builder to help you write your skills section. Our builder incorporates years of research and job-specific data to help you format your resume and suggest crucial skills based on your work history and experience.