Skills for Resume: Example List to Put on Job Applications

You’re writing a resume and can’t stop asking yourself these questions: What skills do I have? What skills does my employer want me to have? What…

I’ll tell you what—you’re about to see a massive list of skills for a resume and ways to include them into your application that’ll sweep recruiters off their feet.

This guide will show you:

• The best skills to put on a resume and get the recruiter’s attention you deserve.
• A detailed list of skills for your resume, no matter your industry.
• Plus, tips and examples of how to list those skills and get the job you’ve always wanted.

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Best Skills to Put on Your Resume

The best skills list on a resume includes soft (personal) and hard (professional) skills. Recruiters spend only seconds reviewing an application, so you’ve got to do a perfect job and highlight only those skills they’d like to see.

Here are the best skills for a resume recruiters are looking for:

• Customer service skills
• Computer skills
• Leadership skills
• Project management
• Problem-solving
• Analytical skills
• Emotional intelligence
• Collaboration
• Organizational skills
• Communication skills

Examples of Skills and Abilities on a Resume

If you’re writing your first-job resume, a general resume skills list like the one above may be acceptable if the skills you included target the right keywords in the job posting. 

However, specialists and senior candidates won’t benefit from it at all. You need to be dead specific on the skills you’re targeting with your entire application. 

The below examples of skills and abilities on a resume will help you achieve exactly that:

Customer Service Skills for a Resume: Examples

• Product knowledge
• Conflict resolution
• Patience
• Problem-solving
• Adaptability
• Email writing
• Attentiveness
• Clear communication

Computer Skills for a Resume: Examples

• MS Office & G-Suite
• Programming
• Website development
• Graphic design
• Machine learning
• Debugging
• Social media management
• Database management

Leadership Skills for a Resume: Examples

• People management
• Strategic thinking
• Stress management
• Conflict resolution
• Interpersonal intelligence
• Time management
• Delegation
• Flexibility

Project Management Skills for a Resume: Examples

• Agile frameworks
• PRINCE2
• Risk management
• Budgeting
• Technical expertise
• Scheduling
• Tracking and monitoring
• Meeting facilitation

Problem-Solving Resume Skills: Examples

• Troubleshooting
• Forecasting
• Problem identification
• Data collection
• Creativity
• Decision making
• Self-reliance
• Root cause analysis

Analytical Skills to Put on Resume: Examples

• Research
• Data interpretation and visualization
• Classification
• Auditing
• Comparative analysis
• Data access and sharing software
• Reporting
• Data mining

Emotional Intelligence Skills to Put on Resume: Examples

• Empathy
• Motivation
• Sensitivity
• Active listening
• Teamwork
• Dependability
• Adaptability
• Perceptiveness

Collaboration Skills to Add to a Resume: Examples

• Empowerment
• Group facilitation
• Responsibility
• Open-mindedness
• Fairness
• Tolerance
• Self-awareness
• Inspiring and applying trust

Organizational Skills to List on a Resume: Examples

• Ownership
• Self-management
• Integrity
• Self-motivation
• Planning
• Goal setting
• Analytical thinking
• Attention to detail

Communication Skills to Add to a Resume: Examples

• Nonverbal communication
• Public speaking
• Constructive criticism
• Negotiation and mediation
• Presenting
• Responsiveness
• Emotion control
• Listening

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How to List Skills on a Resume?

It all comes down to those five steps:

1. Research What Skills Are in High Demand in Your Industry

Think of all the giants in your industry and open their career pages. Look for the skills they require or recommend as nice-to-haves in their job descriptions.

That way, you’ll learn what’s in demand in your niche and make your resume stand out from the competition. 

Of course, avoid lying to your recruiters and making things up only to fit into the picture of a perfect candidate.

2. Make a Targeted Selection 

When you find a job opening that you wish to apply for, be careful not to miss any of the required qualifications and qualities—they’re the skills you need to target with your resume.

Here’s how you can do it:

• Think of the skills you’ve gained throughout your career and education.
• Turn them into a list.
• Match them with the skills enlisted by the employer in the job description.

And there you have it!

Now you’re ready to pepper them all over your application. You don’t know where? Follow along to find out:

3. Create a Resume Skills Section

Your recruiters will look for your skills in the dedicated section, so remember to single it out from the rest of the resume parts. 

Start with your strongest skills that correspond to the employer’s list of the desired skill set. Ensure that you include hard and soft skills, and aim for a list of 5–10 skills.

Check the following to see an example of the perfect skills section on a customer service resume:

We’re not quite done with your resume just yet. You can also list skills in other sections, such as your work history. 

4. Tailor Your Work-Experience Section to Include the Relevant Abilities

As work experience is a second-to-none section in your resume, you really need to pay special attention to what you write there. Accomplishments are one thing. Skills worked in between the lines are the other. But there’s a formula to mix them into a good employment history. 

You’ve already read the job description a couple of times, no? So you know which skills your employer wants to hear about from you. It’s your job now to think of the best accomplishments demonstrating those skills.

I’ll show you an example of a job posting and a corresponding experience section, so have a look below:

Now see a sample work experience section in response to the above job description:

5. Work In the In-Demand Skills in the Summary or Objective

The resume summary or objective is the very first thing your recruiter will read after picking up your application. That’s why it’s critical to pepper it with the most important skills and prove you’ve got what it takes. 

All in all, it’s an excellent opportunity to mention more keywords from the job description. 

Have a look at the example of customer service skills laid out in a resume summary:

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Key Takeaway

Skills on a resume in a nutshell:

• Make room for the essential skills at the top of your skills list.
• Mix hard and soft skills to satisfy all requirements of the job offer.
• Target only those skills that the employer lists. Use the room left for your relevant achievements.
• Weave the skills in the employment history and professional statement sections.

And that’s a wrap!

Thank you for taking the time to read my article!

Please tell us—

Do you have more questions about skills for your resume? What do you think are the best skills to put on a resume? Do you believe soft skills are equally valuable as technical skills on a resume?

Give us a shout in the comments! Let’s get the conversation rolling.