How to Write a Strong Resume Skills Section (20+ Skills)

Important skills are the ones that you can use across several different industries. They are sometimes referred to as transferable skills and are great to highlight early in your resume, especially if you are applying for a job in a new field or have a break in your work history. 
Here are a few transferable skills that you might want to add to your skills section if you have them:

• Skills for which you have received certifications
• Experience in programming languages like CSS and JavaScript
• Adobe software 
• Microsoft Suite (including Outlook, Excel and Powerpoint; not just Word processing)
• Google Suite (Gmail, Sheets, etc.)
• Graphic design experience and knowledge
• Advanced SEM and SEO experience
• Foreign languages, as well as your level of proficiency

These are all important job skills but also if you have soft skills and can elaborate on them those would be an excellent addition to your resume as well. Being a respectful leader, a great communicator and excellent problem solver are assets that have a high value across almost every job field. Resume examples can come into play here as well so that you can have a template for the industries you’re interested in. Utilize the resume samples ResumeHelp has curated to check the resume skills sections on samples for specific jobs to see what kinds of skills are being listed.

Accreditations should have their own section on your resume, along with certifications or honors. You can also discuss accreditations and qualifications in a‘Summary of Qualifications” section to explain and draw attention to these top skills.
Different resume formats may offer you the space to include accreditations or you may find that it will go in your general list of skills. This will depend on which resume format you choose.

The best way for you to figure out what technical skills are valued in a specific line of work is just to look at other resume examples and job postings for the same line of work. The more you look at these resume examples, the more you’ll be able to see what employers are looking for and what employees are putting front and center. Make sure you look at resumes in both your general industry and, if you can find them, the specific job you’re applying for.

Different places will value different skills and if you don’t have some of the skills on the list, prioritize showing off the skills you do have rather than stressing out about the skills you don’t. As you continue to polish your resume, you can start learning those important skills and add them to your resume as you become more confident in them.

Your resume should be a record of your most significant skills and accomplishments, so only highlight the skills you possess that are relevant to the position. You may want to include everything the employer highlighted in their job description but if you don’t actually have the qualifications they need, they’ll know.

You should also consider adding personal accomplishments like being a high school basketball champion. While finding familiarity with a recruiter is important, save space on your resume and stay on track by having a statement in your cover letter that reflects specific details of the company and why you’re interested.

The best job skills to highlight in your resume are the ones noted most frequently in the job description, but as noted above, make sure you actually possess those skills. Hiring managers also want to see a good balance of hard skills, technical skills and soft skills as there is more to a role than just being familiar with a specific tool or program. Companies value candidates who can cooperate and communicate well with others especially since there is so much communication performed outside of a traditional office setting.

Your resume should ‘say’ to the employer what skills and qualifications you would bring to the role and how you would fit into their company culture. You can achieve this by using a resume format best suited to your level of skills and experience, that way the hiring manager will see your ideal qualities at first glance.

ResumeHelp has great resources regarding the construction of chronological resumes: the best type for applicants with a long work history, combination or hybrid: great for candidates who want to showcase a variety of different skills and functional resumes: which are ideal for those who are entry-level candidates or career changers.

For more on writing a resume, check our How to Make a Resume article.

A resume template will typically give you three areas to write your most job-relevant abilities: the resume skills section, resume summary and work experience section.

The most straightforward is the resume skills section, where you simply have to list skills using bullet points. You should include a well-balanced mix of soft and hard skills that directly relate to the job description.

In the summary (or resume objective) you should highlight skills that are most important for the job. If the prospective employer says in their job ad that they prefer a candidate with strong writing skills and administrative skills, be sure to mention it in the resume summary, as this is the first section the hiring manager or recruiter will read.

For the work experience, you’ll want to briefly explain how you used an essential soft skill or hard skill. For example, a great way to highlight important nursing skills in the work history is by talking about how you provided comfort for patients and their families during difficult times. This sentence implies that you have empathy skills and care for your patients.

The number of skills you include in a resume will depend on the resume format.

A functional resume, also known as a skills-based resume, will have separate skills sections for you to expand on your abilities if you don’t have enough work experience. You’ll find that most functional resumes have over 12 skills mentioned.

Combination and chronological resume formats will typically feature 8-10 soft and hard skills in a resume skills section. They should be well-mixed and speak to your abilities to not just do the job well but get along with the rest of the team.

Whatever the case, it’s important to tailor your resume skills to the job. Use the job description as a guide to determine the specific skills to put on a resume.

The key to writing a resume with no experience is to focus on relevant skills and experience, even if it comes from internships, extracurricular activities or volunteer work.

Highlight in your resume soft skills that are universal across jobs and industries. Hiring managers pay a lot of attention to soft skills, so even if you’re still learning or don’t have years of experience in a field, they might give you a chance if you have the right soft skills to join the team.

Some relevant soft skills that are important whether you work in engineering or customer service include communication, adaptability, conflict resolution and leadership.

If you’re thinking about resume hard skills, it’s important to include ones that you have some grasp on and are crucial to perform the duties of the job. Hard skills are job-specific, so your programming knowledge or basic understanding of HTML might not come in handy at a journalism job. Read the job description well and see what hard skills the employer is looking for in a candidate before deciding what to add on your resume.

A cover letter is a great space to include additional hard and soft skills or expand on your skill set.

You could tell the hiring manager a story of how you used your leadership skills to lead your team to complete a task under deadline and the excellent results of your hard work. Or you could describe how you developed your communication skills by taking public speaking lessons outside of work or bettered your computer skills by following online tutorials. Explain what prompted you to start a career in project management and what has been your proudest accomplishment thus far.

A cover letter also provides the space to talk about other hard skills and soft skills that weren’t mentioned on your resume. If you run out of space, you can mention important project management skills, other writing skills or more customer service skills that are important to the job.
Cover letters have a story-telling element that’s meant to convince hiring managers that you have the professional and personal qualities to be of value to the company, and that they should contact you for a job interview.

For more cover letter tips, see our How to Write a Cover Letter article and our library of cover letter examples and cover letter templates.