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Skills for your resume, by field

The best skills to put on a resume are the ones the job posting asks for that you can prove: usually six to twelve hard skills, plus two or three soft skills backed up in your bullet points. Tap skills below to collect them, then add them all to your CV in one click.

Pick your skills How to choose skills

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Soft skills and everyday computer skills

Useful in almost any job. Pick the few that matter most for the role.

Soft skills

List two or three at most, and prove them in your bullet points. Specific beats generic: "conflict resolution" says more than "people skills".

Computer and digital skills

Name the program and, where it helps, the features you use. "Excel (pivot tables, XLOOKUP)" is stronger than "Microsoft Office".

Hard skills by field

Job-specific skills that recruiters and applicant tracking systems search for.

Software and IT

Group languages, frameworks and tools, and list only what you could use in a technical interview.

Healthcare

Put licenses and certifications (RN, BLS, ACLS) in their own section; list clinical skills and systems here.

Finance and accounting

Name the systems and standards you work with; hiring managers search for them.

Sales and marketing

Pair tools with results in your bullets ("grew open rate from 19% to 31% in Mailchimp").

Customer service and retail

Add volumes where you can in your experience section: calls a day, customers served, average basket.

Hospitality and food service

Certificates such as a food handler card or alcohol server training belong in a certifications section too.

Administration and office

Show scale: how many people you support, how many invoices, how many calendars.

Teaching and education

Use the names of the programs and frameworks your district or school uses.

Skilled trades and engineering

List licenses and safety certifications (OSHA 10/30, forklift) separately, with dates.

Logistics and warehouse

Include equipment you are certified on and the systems you have used.

Design and creative

Link a portfolio in your header; the skills list only needs the tools and methods.

How to choose the right skills

  1. 1. Start from the job posting

    Copy the requirements into a note and underline every tool, technique and certification. Those are the words a recruiter, and any applicant tracking system, will look for. Add the ones you really have, in the posting's wording.

  2. 2. Keep only what you can prove

    For each skill, ask: could I give an example in an interview? If the answer is no, leave it off. A shorter list of real skills is more convincing than a long one that falls apart under one question.

  3. 3. Show soft skills, don't just list them

    Anyone can type "leadership". Write it into a bullet instead: "Trained 5 new baristas using a checklist I wrote". Then one or two soft skills in the list will be believable.

  4. 4. Order by relevance

    Put the skills the posting mentions first. Readers skim the start of a list and skip the end.

How to word your skills

Vague:Computer skills

Specific:Excel (pivot tables, XLOOKUP), Google Workspace

Vague:Good with people

Specific:Handling complaints, conflict resolution

Vague:Programming

Specific:Python, SQL, React

Vague:Social media

Specific:Instagram and TikTok content, Meta Ads Manager

Vague:Languages

Specific:Spanish (fluent), French (B1)

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Frequently asked questions

How many skills should I put on my resume?

Six to twelve is a good range for most people. Enough to cover what the job posting asks for, few enough that each one is believable. Senior technical roles can list more if they are grouped.

What is the difference between hard and soft skills?

Hard skills are teachable and testable: a program, a language, a technique, a machine. Soft skills are how you work with people and problems: communication, time management, conflict resolution. Employers screen on hard skills and hire on both.

Should I rate my skills with stars or bars?

Usually not. A bar that shows "80% Excel" means nothing to a reader and some applicant tracking systems ignore graphics. If level matters, write it in words: "Spanish (conversational)" or "Python (3 years, daily use)".

Where should the skills section go?

After experience and education for most people. Move it higher if you are changing careers or applying for a technical role where the skills list is the first thing a recruiter checks.

What does "Add to my CV" do?

It opens the free CompleteCV builder and adds the skills you picked to your skills section, skipping any you already have. Your CV stays in your browser; no sign-up needed.

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