Resume Skills

The right skills, in the right place

Which hard and soft skills belong on your resume, how to choose them for each job, and how to match keywords so your resume passes ATS screening.

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Hard skills vs. soft skills

A strong resume balances both. Hard skills get you past filters; soft skills, proven through results, get you the interview.

Hard skills — Measurable, teachable abilities: programming languages, data analysis, accounting, design tools, foreign languages, certifications. List these explicitly — they are what recruiters and the ATS search for.
Soft skills — How you work: communication, leadership, adaptability, problem-solving, collaboration. Name a few, but prove them in your achievements rather than just claiming them.

How to choose the right skills

Tailor your skills to the target role instead of listing everything you can do.

Start from the job description — Pull the exact skills and tools the posting names, then include the ones you genuinely have.
Lead with role-specific hard skills — The abilities central to the job belong first — they carry the most weight with recruiters and parsers.
Prove the big ones — Any skill you want to be believed should appear in an experience bullet with a result attached.
Cut the generic filler — Drop vague claims like ‘hard worker’ that every candidate lists and none can prove.

Best skills to put on a resume in 2026 Prove skills with strong bullets

Skills, keywords, and ATS

Applicant tracking systems rank resumes partly on how well your skills and keywords match the job description. That does not mean stuffing a list — it means mirroring the terms the posting uses for skills you actually have, in your skills section and naturally in your bullets.

The fastest way to find gaps is to compare your resume against a specific posting. An ATS checker surfaces the missing keywords and skills so you can add the relevant ones before you apply.

Find keyword gaps with the ATS checker See skills in real resume examples

Where to list your skills

Use a dedicated, scannable skills section — near the top for students and career changers, or after experience for senior candidates whose track record leads. Then reinforce your most important skills in your professional summary and throughout your experience bullets so they appear in context, not just as a standalone list.

Where skills sit in each resume format Add skills in the resume builder

Put your best skills to work

Let AI suggest role-specific skills, then confirm your keyword match with the free ATS checker before you apply.

Build my resume — free Check keyword match

Resume skills FAQ

What skills should I put on my resume?: List the hard and soft skills that match the job description and that you can back up with experience. Prioritize the role-specific hard skills (tools, methods, certifications) recruiters filter on, then add a few genuine soft skills like communication or leadership that your bullet points demonstrate.
What is the difference between hard skills and soft skills?: Hard skills are teachable, measurable abilities such as Python, financial modeling, or SEO. Soft skills are how you work with others — communication, adaptability, problem-solving. A strong resume shows both: hard skills in a skills section, soft skills proven through your achievements.
How many skills should a resume have?: Aim for roughly 8–12 relevant skills in a dedicated skills section. Too few looks thin; too many dilutes focus and reads like keyword stuffing. Choose the ones most relevant to the specific job and prove the important ones in your experience bullets.
Where should I put skills on my resume?: Use a dedicated skills section (usually near the top for early-career resumes, or after experience for senior ones), and weave your most important skills into your summary and work-experience bullets so they appear in context, not just as a list.
How do I match resume skills to the job description?: Read the posting and note the exact skills and tools it names, then mirror the relevant ones you genuinely have — using the same wording. An ATS checker highlights the keyword gaps between your resume and the job so you can close them before applying.

Hard skills vs. soft skills

A strong resume balances both. Hard skills get you past filters; soft skills, proven through results, get you the interview.

Hard skills — Measurable, teachable abilities: programming languages, data analysis, accounting, design tools, foreign languages, certifications. List these explicitly — they are what recruiters and the ATS search for.

Soft skills — How you work: communication, leadership, adaptability, problem-solving, collaboration. Name a few, but prove them in your achievements rather than just claiming them.

How to choose the right skills

Tailor your skills to the target role instead of listing everything you can do.

Start from the job description — Pull the exact skills and tools the posting names, then include the ones you genuinely have.

Lead with role-specific hard skills — The abilities central to the job belong first — they carry the most weight with recruiters and parsers.

Prove the big ones — Any skill you want to be believed should appear in an experience bullet with a result attached.

Cut the generic filler — Drop vague claims like ‘hard worker’ that every candidate lists and none can prove.

Skills, keywords, and ATS

The fastest way to find gaps is to compare your resume against a specific posting. An ATS checker surfaces the missing keywords and skills so you can add the relevant ones before you apply.

Where to list your skills

Resume skills FAQ

What skills should I put on my resume?

List the hard and soft skills that match the job description and that you can back up with experience. Prioritize the role-specific hard skills (tools, methods, certifications) recruiters filter on, then add a few genuine soft skills like communication or leadership that your bullet points demonstrate.

What is the difference between hard skills and soft skills?

Hard skills are teachable, measurable abilities such as Python, financial modeling, or SEO. Soft skills are how you work with others — communication, adaptability, problem-solving. A strong resume shows both: hard skills in a skills section, soft skills proven through your achievements.

How many skills should a resume have?

Aim for roughly 8–12 relevant skills in a dedicated skills section. Too few looks thin; too many dilutes focus and reads like keyword stuffing. Choose the ones most relevant to the specific job and prove the important ones in your experience bullets.

Where should I put skills on my resume?

Use a dedicated skills section (usually near the top for early-career resumes, or after experience for senior ones), and weave your most important skills into your summary and work-experience bullets so they appear in context, not just as a list.

How do I match resume skills to the job description?

Read the posting and note the exact skills and tools it names, then mirror the relevant ones you genuinely have — using the same wording. An ATS checker highlights the keyword gaps between your resume and the job so you can close them before applying.

The right skills, in the right place

Hard skills vs. soft skills

How to choose the right skills

Skills, keywords, and ATS

Where to list your skills

Put your best skills to work

Resume skills FAQ

Strengthen the rest of your resume

The right skills, in the right place

Hard skills vs. soft skills

How to choose the right skills

Skills, keywords, and ATS

Where to list your skills

Put your best skills to work

Resume skills FAQ

Strengthen the rest of your resume