By the Resume Writing Group editorial team · Last updated: September 30, 2026
The best skills to put on a resume are the ones the job description asks for that you can prove. Lead with job-specific hard skills (tools, methods, certifications), add a few soft skills shown through results, and back every skill with a bullet in your work history. A focused list beats a long one.
That last point is where most resumes go wrong. A skills section is a quick index for the reader, not the evidence itself. This guide covers which skills to choose, how many to list, where AI skills fit now, and how to turn each claim into proof a hiring manager believes.
What skills should you put on a resume?
Put the skills the employer names in the posting, in their words, that you have actually used. Everything else is optional.
Start with the job description, not a generic list. Read the requirements and preferred qualifications, mark every tool, method, and ability that appears, and note which ones show up more than once. Repeated terms tell you what the employer cares about most. As one hiring leader explains in this walkthrough on reading job posts, if the posting says “Canva,” write “Canva,” not “design software.”
Then check the list against your real history. Only keep a skill if you can point to a place you used it and explain it in an interview.
If you have a skill the posting wants but your resume does not show it yet, add it with an example. If you do not have it, leave it off. Our guide to resume keywords goes deeper on pulling the right terms from a posting.
Hard skills vs. soft skills: what is the difference?
Hard skills are teachable, measurable abilities like a software tool, a license, or a method. Soft skills are how you work with people and problems, like communication, leadership, and adaptability.
Both matter, but they belong on the page in different ways. Hard skills can sit in a list because a reader can check them quickly.
Soft skills rarely persuade anyone as bare words, because nearly every resume claims to be a “strong communicator.” They land when a bullet shows them in action. For a deeper look at the two types, see our post on the key differences between hard and soft skills.
| Hard skills | Soft skills | |
|---|---|---|
| What they are | Technical, job-specific abilities | People, thinking, and work-style abilities |
| Examples | Excel, Salesforce, SQL, AutoCAD, bookkeeping, CPR certification | Communication, teamwork, problem-solving, leadership |
| How you learn them | Training, courses, certifications, on the job | Experience working with others and handling setbacks |
| Where they go | Skills section, plus proof in experience bullets | Mostly inside experience bullets and the summary |
| How a reader checks them | Named tool, credential, or level | A result that could only happen with that skill |
The best skills to put on a resume, by category
The strongest mix is mostly hard skills that match the role, plus a small number of soft skills that you prove elsewhere. Here are the categories most employers look for, with examples you can adapt.
Employers are clear that they want more than a list. In its Job Outlook 2026 Spring Update coverage, the National Association of Colleges and Employers reports that teamwork, problem-solving, and communication top the list of what employers look for on entry-level resumes, with 85% of employers looking for teamwork skills. The same report says candidates should show, not just tell, by giving examples.
Technical and tool skills
- Software you use daily: Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Salesforce, HubSpot, QuickBooks, Workday
- Technical methods: data analysis, SQL, Python, financial modeling, budgeting, forecasting
- Industry systems: an EHR system in healthcare, AutoCAD in engineering, a point-of-sale system in retail
Credentials
- Certifications and licenses: PMP, CPA, Security+, CPR, a commercial driver’s license
- Languages, with a level (for example, “Spanish, professional working proficiency”)
Core soft skills (prove them in bullets)
- Communication, including writing and presenting
- Teamwork and collaboration across departments
- Problem-solving and critical thinking
- Leadership, training, and mentoring
- Time management and organization
Transferable skills for career changers
- Project management, stakeholder management, vendor negotiation, process improvement, customer service, and training others travel well between industries. If you are changing fields, our career change resume guide shows how to lead with them.
For computer skills in particular, our post on how to show computer skills on a resume covers how to describe proficiency levels.
How many skills should you list?
Most people should list about 8 to 15 skills, grouped into two or three labeled categories. That is enough to cover the posting without turning the section into noise.
A long “skills dump” is one of the most common problems on resumes. As one IT hiring voice puts it in this video on IT resumes, a wall of tools means little if the reader cannot tell which ones you touched once and which ones you ran in production. A shorter, honest list that matches your experience is more believable.
Experienced professionals can usually keep this section tight, because their work history carries most of the proof. People with little experience can give the section more room and add what each tool was used for, a tip several early-career guides share, such as this walkthrough for first resumes.
How do you prove your skills instead of just listing them?
You prove a skill by showing it produce a result. Pair each key skill in your list with at least one experience bullet that names what you did, how you did it, and what changed.
This is the step that separates a strong resume from an average one. A reader who sees “Salesforce” in your skills section and then reads a bullet about cleaning up 4,000 duplicate records in Salesforce believes it. A reader who only sees the word has to take your word for it. The examples below were written by our team for this post to show the pattern; they are illustrative, not from a real client.
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Weak: “Excellent communication skills.” Stronger: “Wrote the monthly operations update read by 60 managers, replacing three separate reports.”
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Weak: “Team player.” Stronger: “Partnered with finance and sales to rebuild the quoting process, cutting approval time from five days to two.”
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Weak: “Proficient in Excel.” Stronger: “Built an Excel forecasting model used by the regional team to plan quarterly staffing.”
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Weak: “Leadership.” Stronger: “Trained and mentored four new coordinators through their first 90 days.”
Notice that none of the stronger lines use the soft-skill word at all. The result makes the point. For more on writing lines like these, see our guide to resume bullet points.
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Should you put AI skills on your resume?
Yes, if you use AI tools in your work and can describe what you did with them. AI skills on a resume carry more weight when they come with a concrete example than when they appear as a bare tool name.
There is now research on this. In a 2026 experiment with 1,725 recruiters in the U.S., U.K., and Germany, researchers from the University of Oxford found that listing AI skills raised the probability of an interview invitation by about 8 to 15 percentage points across three occupations (Stephany, Teutloff and Leone, arXiv). The same study found formal AI certificates added only a moderate boost over simply stating the skill.
Most advice about AI skills on resume drafts stops at the tool name. The practical advice from this guide to resumes in the AI era is to show the work. Write a bullet such as “Used ChatGPT to draft first versions of weekly client summaries, cutting prep time by about an hour a week,” then list the tool in your skills section.
If you have no workplace example, a small, real project you can explain counts. Our post on using ChatGPT for your resume covers where AI helps and where it hurts.
Where do skills go on a resume?
Skills belong in three places: a short skills section, your professional summary, and your experience bullets. The skills section is an index, the summary highlights your top two or three, and the bullets supply the proof.
- Skills section: a labeled, grouped list near the bottom of page one or the end of the resume. Use a plain heading such as “Skills” or “Technical Skills” so software can read it.
- Professional summary: name the two or three skills most central to the target role, in the posting’s language.
- Work experience section: show each key skill producing a result, ideally in the first bullet under the most relevant job.
Format matters here too. Most large employers use an applicant tracking system; Jobscan’s 2026 ATS usage report found 97.4% of Fortune 500 companies use one that it could detect. Recruiters search those systems by skill terms, so use plain text, not graphics. Our explainer on what an ATS is and why it matters covers the basics.
What skills should you leave off a resume?
Leave off anything you cannot back up, anything every applicant claims, and anything the role does not need. Cutting weak skills makes the strong ones easier to see.
- Skills you cannot demonstrate. If an interviewer asks about it and you have nothing to say, it hurts you.
- Empty traits. “Hardworking,” “detail-oriented,” and “results-driven” say nothing on their own. Show them in a bullet instead.
- Outdated basics. “Microsoft Word” or “email” for a professional role takes space from skills that matter.
- Skill bars and star ratings. A graphic that rates you four out of five stars in “communication” is vague, and graphics can confuse ATS software.
- Keyword stuffing. Pasting every term from the posting without real experience behind it reads as padding to a person, even if a system finds the words.
A quick checklist for your resume skills section
Use this checklist before you send your next application. It takes about ten minutes and catches the most common reasons a skills section falls flat.
- Every skill listed appears in, or clearly supports, the target job description.
- Skills use the employer’s exact wording where it is accurate.
- The list is grouped into two or three labeled categories.
- There are about 8 to 15 skills, not 30.
- Your top skills each have at least one experience bullet that proves them.
- Soft skills appear as results, not adjectives.
- AI skills, if listed, come with a real example.
- There are no graphics, bars, or ratings, and the heading is plain.
If you are not sure your skills are landing, a second pair of expert eyes helps. Resume Writing Group has been writing resumes since 2003, and a real, U.S.-based writer reviews every document. You can get a free resume critique to see how your skills and bullets read to a hiring manager.
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Frequently asked questions
How many skills should I put on my resume?
Aim for about 8 to 15 skills, grouped into two or three categories such as technical skills, tools, and languages. Choose the ones the job description asks for that you can prove. A focused list is easier to scan than a long one.
Should I list soft skills on my resume?
You can list a few, but soft skills persuade best when a bullet shows them working. Instead of writing “leadership,” describe the team you trained or the project you led and what changed. The result proves the skill better than the word.
What are the best hard skills to put on a resume?
The best hard skills are the tools, methods, and credentials named in the job posting that you have actually used. Common examples include Excel, Salesforce, SQL, data analysis, project management methods, and industry certifications. The right list depends entirely on the role.
Where should the skills section go on a resume?
For most experienced professionals, the skills section goes after work experience, near the end of the resume. If you have little experience or are changing careers, it can move higher, just under your summary. Either way, keep the heading plain so applicant tracking systems can read it.
Should I put AI skills on my resume?
Yes, if you use AI tools at work and can describe a result. A 2026 recruiter experiment found listed AI skills raised interview chances across three occupations. Write a bullet showing what you did with the tool, then list the tool in your skills section.
Do I need a separate skills section if my bullets already show my skills?
Yes, in most cases. A short skills section gives recruiters and applicant tracking systems a quick index of your tools and credentials. The bullets then do the persuading, so the two work together.
Sources
- NACE, “The Key Skills Employers Seek on College Students’ Resumes” (April 20, 2026) (teamwork, problem-solving and communication lead employer wish lists; 85% look for teamwork; employers want examples)
- Stephany, Teutloff and Leone, “AI Skills Improve Job Prospects: Causal Evidence from a Hiring Experiment,” arXiv 2601.13286 (1,725 recruiters; AI skills raise interview invitation probability about 8 to 15 percentage points)
- Jobscan, 2026 ATS Usage Report (97.4% of Fortune 500 companies use a detectable ATS)
- How to Write an ATS-Friendly Resume in 2026 (YouTube) (third-party advice: use the employer’s exact wording)
- How to ACTUALLY Build an IT Resume That Gets You Hired (YouTube) (third-party advice: avoid the skills dump)
- How to Write a Resume With No Experience (YouTube) (third-party advice: expand skills with purpose for early-career resumes)
- Write a Killer Resume in the AI Era: 5 New Rules (YouTube) (third-party advice: prove AI skills with examples)