How to list skills on a resume
The skills section on your resume is more important than people realize. It's one of the first things a hiring manager looks at, and it's heavily weighted by automated screening systems. Here's how to do it right.
Hard skills vs soft skills
Skills come in two main types, and a good resume includes both.
Hard skills are specific, teachable abilities. Things like operating a forklift, using QuickBooks, speaking Spanish, holding a CDL, or knowing how to take blood pressure. They're either there or they're not. Most are documented through training, certifications, or licenses.
Soft skills are how you work with people, how you handle pressure, how you learn, how you communicate. Things like reliability, teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, attention to detail. They're harder to prove on paper, which is why they belong on the resume but should also be backed up by examples in your experience section.
Where to put the skills section
Right under your summary, near the top of the resume. The skills section should be one of the first things a reviewer sees, before they get to your work history. This is doubly true if you're applying for entry-level work or if you're switching industries — your skills tell the story your work history might not.
How to format it
Two formats work well:
Bulleted list. Six to ten bullet points, each one a specific skill stated clearly. Best for ATS readability and easy for a reviewer to scan.
Grouped categories. Skills divided into two or three subcategories, like "Technical Skills," "Languages," and "Customer Service Skills." Best for resumes with a lot of varied skills, but slightly harder for some ATS systems to parse.
For most resumes, the bulleted list is the safer choice.
Don't list skills as a percentage bar or a star rating. The ATS can't read them, and humans don't trust them.
What to include
The right skills depend on the job. As a general rule:
- Skills directly mentioned in the job posting. If the job posting says they want someone with cash handling experience, and you have cash handling experience, "Cash handling" should be on your skills list.
- Industry-standard certifications. CPR, ServSafe, OSHA 10, ASE, CDL — anything with credibility in your industry deserves a line.
- Software you can actually use. Microsoft Office, point-of-sale systems, electronic health records, accounting software — anything you can sit down at and operate without help.
- Languages you actually speak. Bilingual ability is a real asset for many jobs, especially in customer-facing roles.
- Soft skills backed by your experience. If you say "leadership," your work experience should show an example of you leading something. Otherwise it sounds empty.
What to leave off
A few things people often include but shouldn't:
- "Microsoft Office" if you only know how to type a Word document. If you can't honestly do at least basic Excel, leave Excel off. Hiring managers will test you.
- Skills you barely have. If you took one Spanish class in high school, you don't speak Spanish. Be honest.
- Generic phrases that don't say anything. "Hard worker." "Team player." "Detail-oriented." Every resume has these. They've stopped meaning anything.
- Hobbies as skills. Unless your hobby is directly relevant (you're applying for a sports coaching job and you played college sports), leave them off.
- Outdated technology. "Microsoft Word 2007." "Internet Explorer." Just say "Microsoft Office" or remove it.
If your resume says you're fluent in Spanish, the interview question "¿Cómo está usted?" will surface very quickly. If your resume says you can use Excel, you'll be asked to make a pivot table. Lying about skills doesn't get you the job — it gets you the awkward interview, the rescinded offer, or the firing during your first week.
How many skills to list
Six to ten is the right range for most resumes. Fewer than six looks thin. More than twelve looks like keyword stuffing. Pick the strongest ones for the job you're applying for, and leave others off if you have to choose.
Customize for each job
The biggest mistake people make with skills is treating the skills section as a fixed list that gets attached to every job they apply for. The best skills section is tailored to each posting. If you apply for a warehouse job, lead with skills that warehouse managers care about — forklift, OSHA, lifting, pick accuracy. If you apply for a customer service job at the same company, lead with phone communication, conflict resolution, and CRM software.
Same person, same experience, different presentation depending on what's being hired for. Five minutes of editing per application makes a real difference in how often you hear back.
The resume builder on this site has pre-written skills lists for 27 different roles, all written in the language hiring software expects. Just check the ones that apply to you, and the tool puts them on your resume in the right format. Try it free →