resume professional skills examples

101 Essential Skills to Put on a Resume in 2024 [For Most Jobs]

Listing skills on your resume is fairly easy. 

Listing the right skills in the right way is a little bit trickier.  

Are you mentioning the right skills for the job, or are you boring the HR manager with irrelevant information? 

The hiring manager for the software development team couldn’t care less about your expertise in marketing. What they’re dying to know, though, is your skill level in Python and how you get along with the team.

In this guide, we’re going to walk you through the process of putting skills on your resume from start to finish. We’ll explain how to identify the right skills and how to list them in a way that catches the hiring manager’s attention!

Here’s what you’re going to learn:

Hard Skills Vs Soft Skills - What’s the Difference?

• Why Should You List Your Skills on a Resume? 
• 8 Best Skills to Put on a Resume 
• How to List Skills on a Resume 
• 120+ Skills to Put on Your Resume (For 10+ Fields)

New to resume-making? Give our resumes 101 video a watch before diving into the article!

Skills are divided into hard skills and soft skills .

To create an effective job application, catch the hiring manager’s attention, and land your next job, you should mention both hard and soft skills in your resume.

But what exactly is the difference?

Hard skills involve the technical knowledge or know-how one can gain through experience, training, or education. For example: 

• Machinery skills. E.g., operating a road roller, pallet-stalker, forklift, etc.
• Software skills. Depending on the field, you need to know how to use different software, such as the Adobe Creative Suite for graphic designers or the Ableton Live Suite if you’re a DJ.
• Tools. Say you’re a digital marketer . You’ll need to know how to use tools like Stethoscope, Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Ahrefs, and the sorts.
• Multilingualism. The more customers you can communicate with, the more valuable you are as an employee. Some sought-after languages today include German, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic.
• Computer skills . If you’re a web developer, your hard skills will likely include coding languages such as Python, C++, etc. Even if you’re not though, most jobs will require that you have at least some basic computer knowledge in MS Office and G-Suite, emailing and presentations, etc.
• Techniques. E.g. frequency analysis, Crystallization.
• Mathematics. Many professions, such as accounting and finance, require mathematical skills.
• Data analysis. Businesses are always looking for professionals who can gather and analyze data for various stakeholders, which makes data analysis a very in-demand hard skill.

…and just about any field-specific skill. While hard skills are essential to complete tasks in about any job, they’re also teachable and easily measurable.

Soft skills , on the other hand, are attributes and habits that describe how you work individually or with others. They are typically not job-specific but rather transferable skills that indirectly help you adapt to the work environment and company culture. 

Some examples of the most in-demand soft skills include: 

• Communication
• Problem-solving
• Organization
• Adaptability

Like hard skills, you can also learn how to develop soft skills, although it’s significantly harder. 

While you can acquire computer skills through a technical course, you’ll need to work much harder to develop, say, your communication skills. 

In the workplace, for example, you’d need to practice active listening , learn how to notice nonverbal cues, and practice your oral communication skills as much as possible.

What’s the Difference Between Hard Skills and Soft Skills

Here are the two main differences between hard skills and soft skills: 

• How you obtain them. You can obtain hard skills through work experience , education, training, and certification. Soft skills, on the other hand, can be gained through life experience, both on and off work.
• How you use them. You apply hard skills directly to the job, whereas soft skills come into play indirectly and may often complement your hard skills. For example, you may be a communicative marketer or an office manager with great leadership qualities.

Why Should You List Skills on Your Resume?

The skills section is one of the 3 most important resume sections , with the other two being work experience and education sections. 

If written correctly, the skills section looks something like this:

By now, you’re probably thinking “ how hard can this be, right? All I have to do is list all my skills and call it a day! ”

Well, not exactly. The process of putting skills on your resume is a bit more nuanced than that, and we’re going to tell you why.

Most companies nowadays use Applicant Tracking Systems to help them go through the hundreds and thousands of resumes they receive every day.

This software scans your resume for keywords relevant to the job you’re applying for, and if it doesn’t find them, the software automatically rejects the resume.

Say, for example, the job you’re applying to requires an Expert level in Java. If you haven’t mentioned Java as a skill on your resume, your resume can automatically get discarded.

In fact, 70%+ of resumes are rejected at this stage, never having even been seen by an HR professional. 

And, even if the company doesn’t use an ATS, there’s a good chance that the HR manager is going to skim through your resume looking for the right skill set.

So, whether you’re doing this for the ATS or the HR, it’s important to mention the right skills .

Below, we’re going to explain just how to do this in the best way possible. 

But first, let’s cover some of the best skills to mention in any resume, regardless of your profession. 

8 Best Skills to Put on a Resume

Every profession requires some role-specific hard skills if you want to do it properly. An accountant, for example, needs to know math to do their job right, just like a photographer needs to know how to use photo editing software like Photoshop. 

In most cases, it’s easy to identify such skills and understand whether you’re qualified enough for the job. 

The right soft skills for a job may be harder to point out, but they’re just as essential in today’s job market - 93% of employers say “ soft skills play a critical role in their decision about whom they want to hire. ” 

To give you an example, if you’re a project manager, you will need to have excellent organizational skills in addition to your project management skills. Or, if you’re a developer, you need to also be an apt problem solver. 

You can find lists of field-related, relevant soft and hard skills later in the article, but for now, here are the top soft and hard skills valued by hiring managers in most professions : 

#1. Communication skills

There are very few, if any, jobs out there that don’t require at least some level of communication skills.

Whether you’re a writer who needs to communicate a message to your readers, a marketing specialist who needs to communicate an advertising campaign to your client, or an office worker who must communicate with a colleague to complete a task, communication skills are vital. 

Communication is a multi-faceted skill that includes several skills, such as: 

• Oral and written communication
• Non-verbal communication
• Active Listening
• Presentation
• Public-speaking
• Negotiation

#2. Computer skills

By 2016, over 70% of US jobs required medium-to-high-level digital skills.  

This means that computer and technical skills are priceless assets even if your job isn’t centered around technology. As such, computer skills are almost always a great addition to any resume.

Here are some valuable computer skills for every professional: 

• Office suites (MS Office, iWork)
• Social media
• Database management
• Web (Internet savviness, basic HTML, CMS)
• Troubleshooting
• Equipment installation and configuration
• Fast Typing

#3. Management skills

Management skills are usually associated with management positions, but in reality, that’s not usually the case. Any type of professional can benefit from strong management skills. 

In a nutshell, management skills involve being able to effectively handle people, resources, and processes, including your time, plans, projects, and so on.

Here are some of the most in-demand management skills: 

• People management
• Project management
• Time management
• Risk management
• Action planning
• Conflict Resolution

#4. Problem-solving skills

Problem-solving means you’re able to identify problems successfully, find the root cause behind them, and come up with creative solutions.

Considering there isn’t a single job where you won’t face problems in one way or another, problem-solving skills are a great asset to have. When it comes to managerial, professional, and technical positions , problem-solving skills are essential. 

Problem-solving is a set of skills that includes: 

• Research skills
• Analytical skills
• Critical thinking
• Decision-making skills
• Attention to detail

#5. Organizational skills

Organizational skills are a set of soft skills that help you keep track of information, materials, and even your time in such a way that you can tackle short and long-term tasks efficiently.

Organizational skills are among the top skills recruiters are looking for in 2022, primarily because they help employees be more productive, save companies time and money, and facilitate a more positive work environment. 

Here is what organizational skills consist of: 

• Physical organization
• Prioritization
• Goal setting

#6. Leadership skills 

Leadership includes both the ability to manage and inspire others. Managers are not always great leaders, but leaders almost always make good managers. 

People who’re good at leading are emotionally intelligent, good communicators, and natural-born influencers. They can motivate others to reach their full potential and work together towards common goals. This makes leadership another great skill to have for many professions out there. 

Some important soft skills related to leadership include: 

• Relationship-building
• Strategic thinking

#7. Customer service skills

A big part of jobs out there involve dealing with customers. 

From customer support representatives to cashiers, customer service skills are a great asset to have in 2024. Particularly, that’s because it encompasses a number of other valuable skills, such as:

• Persuasion skills
• Product knowledge

#8. Interpersonal skills 

Interpersonal skills refer to how well you can understand and get along with other people. 

It goes without saying that they’re extremely useful for team-oriented or customer-facing roles, as a big chunk of the work involves communicating with other people.

Such skills, however, are also useful for roles where you don’t get to interact as much with people.

Take, for example, writers. To be a really good writer, you need to be able to:

• Understand and communicate with your audience
• Collaborate with your publishing team
• Understand what people are like

Just like most other transferable skills on our list, interpersonal skills are multi-faceted. Here is what they consist of: 

How to List Skills on a Resume (And Stand Out)

Now that you have a clear understanding of how important skills are - and how some are more relevant than others - let’s talk about how you should list them on your resume. 

There are several things you need to do to stand out: 

#1. Tailor Your Skills to the Job

Relevance is key; the customer service skills you acquired working as a server during college won’t come in too handy when you start work as, say, a data analyst . 

So, the first thing you should remember is to only list skills that are useful for the job you are applying for . To find out what these skills are, you should scan the job listing.

Job ads usually list a set of requirements or skills they expect a good candidate to have. Make sure you don’t leave any of those out on your resume.

For example, imagine you are applying for a line cook position in a restaurant:

• “Here at ‘ABCD’ we are committed to creating a one-of-a-kind experience for our guests . Our French restaurant is looking for a professional line cook for the summer season to work directly under the supervision of our chef. Responsibilities include prepping and cleaning food, creating and cooking meals, and cleaning up the working area . Impeccable attention to detail in food cooking and presentation is needed.”

The underlined bits in this job description are the role’s responsibilities. By paying a closer look, you can understand that ABCD is looking for someone who:

• Is committed to excellence and is highly professional
• Works well under supervision, and with others
• Can prep, clean, and cook food
• Pays great attention to detail in cooking and presentation

Based on this, some of the skills you should definitely mention in your resume can include teamwork, attention to detail, communication, food prepping, and culinary skills. 

As a given, you wouldn’t mention anything that isn’t directly related to the job. As a line cook, you’re not going to be using a lot of tech, so you wouldn’t include your computer skills in your resume (even though such skills are relevant for a ton of other jobs).

#2. Create a Skills Section

Once you’ve identified all the right skills to add to your resume, create a “Skills” section to list them under. This way, the hiring manager will be able to check whether you have the right skills more easily and the ATS software won’t disqualify your resume. 

Here’s what you should remember while making this section:

• Be specific. “Verbal and written communication” sounds significantly better than “communication.” 
• Sort your skills by relevance. Order your skills based on how critical they are for the role. More important skills go on top, and the nice-to-have ones go on the bottom.
• Don’t lie or exaggerate. It goes without saying that you should never, ever, lie about your skills. The employer will know you lied the moment you have to work on a task that requires that very skill.

#3. Match Each Skill With Your Proficiency Level

For each skill that you list on your resume, use the competencies proficiency scale to show your proficiency level:

• Beginner. You are just starting to learn or have not practiced the skill through experience (usually fresh graduates that only understand concepts through theories or classroom experience).
• Intermediate. You have applied the skill in practice, and require assistance with it on rare or special occasions. You still have room to grow.
• Advanced. You know your stuff! You don’t need help with the skill anymore. You can also teach beginners how to use it.
• Expert. You are a recognized authority on this skill, the go-to person if anyone has any questions. You have consistently proved to be excellent in this skill. You could even write a whole book about it!

#4. Back-Up Your Skills in Other Resume Sections

Listing your skills in a separate section will only get you so far. After all, everyone else is also doing exactly the same thing. 

To take your resume from good to great, you want your most critical skills to “pop” from the get-go and to prove to the hiring manager that you actually possess them.

Here is where the resume summary and work experience sections come in. 

The resume summary is a short, 2-3 sentence-long summary of your resume that, done right, shows hiring managers your strongest points as a candidate the moment they lay eyes on your resume. 

Positioned right under your contact information section , this is the first place where you can mention that you possess one or two of the most role-critical skills listed in the job description. 

Here’s how the resume summary of the line cook example we mentioned above would look in practice: 

• Detail-oriented line cook with over 5 years of experience prepping and cooking over 200 Mediterranean cuisine recipes. Collaborative professional who puts the needs of the team first. In my last position, was able to help the chef handle rush hour work of over 100 tables with 100% accuracy and approval rate from our customers. 

Once you’ve grabbed the hiring manager’s attention by including your top skills on your resume summary, it’s time to prove that you have them . 

The best way to do that? List some accomplishments in your work experience section and explain how utilizing a particular skill helped you achieve them. 

Here’s how that would look like in practice: 

• Prepped and helped cook food for over 500 customers in the past two years, receiving high praise and positive recommendations for the restaurant continuously. 
• Helped restaurant to receive positive reviews for 3 years in a row from Gastronomica magazine for attention to detail and food aesthetics and presentation.

#5. Put Transferable Skills to Use 

If you’re an entry-level candidate or if you’re switching careers , you should definitely put transferable skills to use. Transferable skills are not directly related to the job you are applying to but are still useful, as well as relevant to most jobs. 

Let’s say, for example, that you’re going for a career change from sales to copywriting. You can benefit from listing at least some of the skills acquired in sales in your copywriter resume , such as: 

• Written communication. Both roles involve communication via text. A salesperson needs to send cold emails, while a copywriter has to write newsletter emails.
• Persuasion. A copywriter needs to create copy that drives sales, while a salesperson needs to be persuasive in person.
• Computer skills. Both jobs require some degree of computer knowledge. For a salesperson, that’s using Customer Management Software, while for a copywriter, that’s publishing content online.

150+ Must-Have Skills (for Every Field)

Are you still not sure which skills to mention in your resume? We’ve got you covered.

We compiled a list of some of the most relevant skills on the market in 2024, for all sorts of different fields!

If you happen to possess some of these skills, make sure to mention them in your resume. If not, it’s never too late to learn something new!

#1. Soft Skills 

Soft skills are essential for just about any job out there. While they’re not necessarily critical to doing your job well, they ensure that you get along with your coworkers and foster a positive work environment.

When evaluating two candidates with equal hard skills, the hiring manager is always going to pick the one that has better soft skills.

So, it’s very important to mention your soft skills in your resume.

Here are some of the most in-demand soft skills today:

• Effective communication
• Emotional intelligence
• Conflict management
• Teamwork skills
• Stress management
• Productivity & Organization

#2. Marketing Skills

With new technologies developing faster than ever, it becomes essential to move beyond the basics of traditional marketing. Here are some of the most relevant marketing skills these days, including both cutting-edge online tools, as well as classic marketing skills:

• Data analysis
• Web analytics 
• Email marketing
• Web scraping
• CRO and A/B Testing
• Data visualization & pattern-finding through critical thinking
• Search Engine and Keyword Optimization
• Project/campaign management
• Social media and mobile marketing 
• Paid social media advertisements
• B2B Marketing
• The 4 P-s of Marketing
• Consumer Behavior Drivers
• Brand management
• Copywriting
• Storytelling

#3. Management Skills

As a manager , you need to have the right mix of soft and hard skills.

Below are the management skills needed to not only get the job but to also enhance employee and company productivity in the long run.

• Six Sigma techniques
• The McKinsey 7s Framework
• Porter’s Five Forces
• Emotional Intelligence
• Dealing with work-related stress
• Task delegation
• Technological savviness
• Business Development
• Strategic Management
• Negotiation 
• Proposal writing

#4. Sales Skills

The art of selling has stayed the same despite technological advancements. Humans still strive for contact with other humans. Despite channels of communication becoming digital, communication and empathetic skills take priority in the sales industry. 

A comprehensive must-have skill list for salespeople includes:

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Cold-calling
• Public speaking
• Lead generation
• Buyer-Responsive selling
• Buyer engagement
• Effective communication and sociability
• Social media/digital communication

#5. Design Skills

Today, knowing the basics of design does not suffice anymore. To get hired as a designer, you must know how to create killer branded content for the web and for social media channels. 

Some of the most important design skills for your resume are:

• Adobe Creative Suite: Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop
• Dreamweaver
• Infographics
• Photo Editing 
• Typography: spacing, line height, layout, choosing fonts
• Storyboarding
• Targeting and marketing through visual communications
• Logo creation
• Digital printing
• Integration of visual communication in social media platforms
• Attention to detail & aesthetics
• Interactive media design
• Color sense & theory
• Active listening

#6. Basic Technical Skills

These are skills that almost everyone working in an office should know. You can put these skills on your resume if you are applying as a secretary, office clerk, or any other type of office employee.

The basic technical office skills include:

• Microsoft Office Pack: Word, Excel, Access, Publisher, Outlook, Powerpoint
• Filing and paper management
• Bookkeeping through Excel or TurboTax
• Research and data analysis
• Basic knowledge of user interface communication
• Technical writing
• Cloud networking and file sharing

#7. Accounting & Finance Skills

Goodbye, filing by hand. Hello, countless platforms and apps. Accountants and financial specialists should familiarize themselves with these skills in order to have a successful career:

• Microsoft Excel (Advanced)
• Enterprise Resource Planning 
• Big Data Analysis & SQL
• Know Your Customers (KYC)
• Cognos Analytics (IBM)
• Visual Basic
• Accounting Software
• Revenue recognition
• Anti Money Laundering
• Clear communication
• General business knowledge
• Numerical competence

#8. Education Skills

How many times have you witnessed a 50-year-old honorary doctor with three PhDs struggle to play a YouTube video during undergrad or grad school? Teaching methods have evolved, and so have the required skills to be part of the education industry.

Some of the most essential educational skills are:

• Updated curriculum knowledge
• Research & Data analysis
• Educational platforms (software like Elearn)
• Technological & digital literacy

#9. Web Development Skills

It seems like there’s new technology popping up every other second now, a good enough reason for web developers to keep updating their skills. 

That said, if you are proficient in HTML, CSS, and Java, you pretty much have a leg up on the competition. All other skills on this list derive from or build upon the three basic programming languages. You can learn or improve your web development skills here.

• CSS preprocessors
• Graphic User Interfaces (GUI)
• Git/Version control (Github, GitLab)
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Application Programming Interface (API)
• Adobe Photoshop, InDesign
• Content Management Systems (CMS)
• Testing/Debugging
• Responsive design principles

#10. Business Analytics

BAs are very in demand right now by businesses, and for a good reason! They perform an almost magical task of analyzing past and present data to give future predictions. To perform their magic, they need some analytical spells:

• SQL (a must) and Hive (optional)
• Programming language (R, Python, Scala, Matlab)
• STATA, SPSS, SAS 
• Data Mapping
• Entity Relationship Diagrams
• Big Data tools 
• Microsoft Visio
• Agile Business Analysis
• Machine learning 
• System Context Diagrams
• Business Process Modeling
• Technical and non-technical communication

#11. Nursing & Healthcare Skills

More than any other profession, healthcare professionals need to stay constantly updated with new technologies, medicine, and techniques. The skills nursing requires are countless and specific, but the most basic ones boil down to:

• Mathematics
• Patient care and assistance
• Paperwork/record-keeping abilities
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
• Physical endurance 
• Infection control
• Surgery preparation

Bonus Infographic: Skills to Put on a Resume

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you still have some questions about what skills you should put on your resume (and how)? Check out the answers below:

1. What kind of skills should I include in my resume?

Your resume should include a combination of two types of skills: hard skills and soft skills .

Hard skills involve job-specific skills that are acquired through education, training, or work experience, while soft skills involve personality traits that can be indirectly useful at the workplace and help you adapt to the company culture better.

Depending on your industry, some examples of hard skills you can list on your resume include copywriting, database management, graphic design, multilingualism, public speaking, SEO, etc.

Meanwhile, examples of soft skills are communication, creativity, leadership, teamwork, time management, conflict resolution, etc.  

2. What top skills do employers look for?

The top hard skills recruiters are on the lookout for include blockchain development, SEO, virtual reality development, data analysis, artificial intelligence, business analysis, Java development, affiliate marketing, UX design, machine learning, project management, video production and editing, sales, and business development. 

The top soft skills hiring managers are looking for , on the other hand, are creativity, collaboration, persuasion, adaptability, and emotional intelligence.

3. How can I identify my skills?

Some effective ways to identify your skills before adding them to your resume include:

• Consider your achievements. Did you ever get recognized for a specific achievement? What skills helped you do it? You are probably still skilled in those areas.   
• Ask friends and coworkers. Sometimes, it’s easier for others to recognize the strengths that you don't see. Colleagues can definitely be of help but if you’re fresh into the professional world, former professors and classmates can also give you some insight.

4. Where do skills go on a resume?

Skills go under a separate ‘Skills’ section on a resume, typically placed right below, or on the side, of the work experience section.

That said, you can further prove that you possess the skills you list in this section, by weaving the most relevant skills for the job in other resume sections, such as the resume summary and the work experience sections. 

5. How many skills to include in my resume?

The number of skills to add to your resume depends on the job you’re applying for, as well as your level of expertise and work history.

If you’re a seasoned professional with plenty of work-related skills, you should definitely include them in your resume. Also, if the job you’re applying for requires a number of skills you possess, it’s safe to include them all in your resume. 

As a rule of thumb, listing up to ten skills on your resume is typically a safe choice, as long as they don’t make your resume spill over to page 2 .

6. What are the best skills for a candidate with no experience?

Candidates with no experience and few job-specific skills can benefit from adding transferable skills to their resumes. These are skills that can be applied to many jobs across several industries.

Some examples of good skills for a no-experience resume include communication, organization, problem-solving, teamwork, adaptability, work ethic, and computer skills. 

7. What’s the best way to list skills on a resume in 2024?

To really impress with your skills in 2024, don’t just list some random skills under a separate section and call it a day! Instead, make them more credible by:

• Finding out more about the company culture.
• Tailoring your skills to the job description.
• Mentioning the most critical skills on your resume summary or resume objective .
• Using your achievements to explain exactly how you used your skills to your advantage.

Key Takeaways

Let’s sum up everything we’ve learned about putting skills in your resume:

• You must have a section in your resume devoted entirely to your skills. This helps you pass through applicant tracking systems and get noticed by the HR manager.
• The differences between hard skills and soft skills are in the way they are applied (directly vs. indirectly) and the way they are obtained (through education and practice vs. personality traits and experience)
• On your resume, list only skills that are relevant to the job, scan the job listing for must-have skills and list those (if you have them), pair each skill with a responding proficiency level, back up your skills with other resume sections, and mention transferable and universal skills.

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When thinking about skills for your resume, it’s important to know which will be the most important to employers. From technical skills to interpersonal skills, here’s how to figure it out.

Top 20 Must-Have Skills to Put on Your Resume

Hard Skills vs Soft Skills in Your Resume

Top skills to list in your resume, top soft skills for your resume (examples), — problem-solving skills, — critical thinking skills, — flexibility, — communication skills, — organization skills, — creativity, — emotional intelligence, — attention to detail, — responsibility, top hard skills for your resume (examples), — digital skills, — data analysis, — negotiation, — mathematics, — project management, — marketing, — administrative, — writing skills, — foreign languages, look for target keywords, how to list skills in your resume or cv, sort skills by r elevance, add a highlights section, categorize by skill.

• Process improvements :  information of responsibilities and/or achievements that relate to creating and implementing processes to improve operational efficiencies.
• Customer service skills : content that illustrates how you maintain or improve the customer experience at your company.
• Change management :  information that can relate to restructuring staff, developing training programs for employees, and coaching individuals or groups on company best practices.

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How to List Skills on a Resume (Real Skill Examples)

This essential resume writing article is about how to list skills on a resume. For more resume writing help, visit our job seeker resource center .

EdgeWater Pharmacy just posted an opening for a Sales Associate right down the street from your home. You think you are the perfect fit for the job, so you submit your resume, but so do 30 other candidates.

Do you know who is going to get called in for an interview? 

The job seeker who looks like they have the most relevant skills for the job.

Make sure you’re getting the callback for an interview from a hiring manager by reading how to list your skills on a resume.

This essential job seekers’ guide will walk you through how to add the skills a hiring manager wants to see on your resume, along with 50+ real resume examples of skills you can use.

This article on how to include key skills on a resume covers:

• What are professional skills?
• Why are skills important on resumes?
• Different types of skills for job seekers
• Where and how to incorporate skills on a job application
• Top 50+ skills hiring managers want to see on your resume
• Fastest ways to gain new skills to get hired

What Are Skills? Why Are Skills Important?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a skill is:

“the ability to use one’s knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance”

“a learned power of doing something competently : a developed aptitude or ability”

When it comes to job hunting, your skills are what set you apart. Every human on earth has a set of skills that is unique to them. Likewise, every professional position has a unique set of skills that is required for performing the job.

Finding the perfect alignment between these two ideas is the key goal for every hiring manager.

If a hiring manager finds someone that already possesses the skills needed for their job, they won’t have to spend so much time and money on training. It also means that their new employee will be able to pull their own weight more quickly, providing a quicker return on their hiring investment.

But how do hiring managers know who has what it takes to perform well on the job?

The first and most important place hiring managers look is at your resume. On average, a hiring manager spends 6 seconds reviewing a resume and during that time they are scanning the pages to see if the skills required for the job jump out at them.

If they find what they are looking for, you get called in for an interview. If they don’t quickly see what they are looking for, your resume will most likely be discarded.

As a job seeker, it is your responsibility to make sure you know what skills hiring managers are looking for.

Once you identify those skills, it is also your responsibility to make sure those relevant skills are incorporated into your resume in a way that stands out.

If you do these two things accurately, you will be the one getting called in for an interview and will be that much closer to landing a new job.

Types of Professional Skills (Real Resume Examples)

Skills can be broken down into four main categories:

• Hard skills
• Soft skills
• Transferable skills
• Job-related skills.

Before you start writing your own list of skills, let’s go through each of these skill categories to see what the difference between them is.

Hard Skills vs Soft Skills

Hard skills are specific, teachable, and tangible. They can be measured and tested using assignments and assessments. Hard skills are learned, either through on-the-job training or through school, rather than coming naturally.

Examples of hard skills for a resume:

Soft skills are intangible and are harder to measure. They are personality traits and interpersonal skills that come naturally to humans, rather than being learned through school.

People are born with soft skills. These soft skills grow and develop over time from your upbringing, education, and experiences.   

Examples of soft skills:

Contrary to popular belief, hiring managers often care more about soft skills than hard skills, though both hard and soft skills contribute to your appeal as a candidate.

Hard skills, such as computer programming or accounting, can be taught using a combination of curriculum and hands-on practice. Whereas soft skills, such as a positive attitude or punctuality, are harder to teach.

Regardless of your background, hiring managers are usually flexible with teaching you the hard skills needed for their job, as long as you already have the right attitude along with the aptitude to learn.

Transferable Skills vs Job-Related Skills

Transferable skills can be carried with you from one job to the other. These skills can be a hard skill or soft skill, as long as they can be used in any type of role, regardless of the industry, company, or position.

Examples of transferable skills:

Job-related skills are usually always hard skills.  These job-related skills are specific to a certain type of role or position.

Examples of job-related skills:

How And Where To List Skills On Your Resume

Skills should be included throughout your resume, rather than confined to one area.

While scanning your resume, hiring managers will be looking over each resume section, starting with the top. Because of how people read resumes, you need to make sure they see your skills immediately.

Guarantee hiring managers will see your skills by listing them in four key areas of your resume:

• Resume header
• Professional summary
• Summary of skills
• Work Experience section

If you are writing a resume from scratch, try using this free and easy-to-use resume builder from Resume.com. The sections and formatting are already created for you, so all you need to worry about is filling in the blanks to finish a free printable resume.

1. Resume Header

At the top of your resume, directly below your name, write your job title along with the three most relevant skills you have as a candidate.

This is the first section hiring managers will be reading, so it is important to draw their attention using bold and large lettering.

If you’re using this resume builder , the ‘ Blue Skies ’, ‘ Three Blocks Digital ’, and ‘ van Deco ’ resume templates already have a header section included, which will make finishing your resume easier.

When writing your header, it is crucial that you customize the job title and skills to each job you’re applying for. Your job application needs to be consistent – you can read more about consistency in this article .

For example, if you write Java Developer in your resume header, but are applying for a .NET Developer position, a huge red flag will go up for the hiring manager.

When writing your top three skills in your header, make sure they align with the required skills listed in the job posting.

If you’re applying for a job at a large company or corporation, or you’re applying through a job board, it’s helpful to keep applicant tracking systems (ATS) in mind. Make sure your resume makes it past ATS software by listing your skills using the same wording as the job posting.  

Example of skills in the resume header: 

2. Professional Summary

Below your header and contact information, you will have a professional summary section. A professional summary used to be called an ‘objective’, but the modern resume writing approach is to replace your objective with a professional summary section.

Your professional summary should give an overview of your background, years of experience, and the top skills that set you apart. The skills in your professional summary should be written in sentence form, rather than listed out.

If using the resume builder , the ‘ My Employment ’, ‘ Apple Green ’, and ‘ Side Panel ’ resume templates have professional summary sections that are sure to draw attention to your most relevant skills.

Example of skills in the professional summary of a resume:

3. Summary of Skills

Below your professional summary, include a ‘summary of skills’ section. Alternative titles for this section could be ‘core competencies’, ‘key skills’, ‘professional skills’, or ‘relevant skills’.

If you have less than 10 skills, you can list them out in columns. 

Summary of skills resume example (less than 10 professional skills) :

Summary of skills resume example (more than 10 professional skills) :

For your skills section, your skills should be listed, rather than written out in sentence form. This formatting choice helps hiring managers to pick out the key words quickly, which they can read about in more detail in the experience section after.

4. Experience Section

The ‘experience’ section usually comes after your summary of skills on a resume. Depending on your background, this could also be called ‘professional experience’, ‘work experience’, or ‘relevant experience’.

Your experience section is the perfect place to back your skills up with real-life examples of when you have used your skills, in addition to the results you have achieved.

When writing your experience section, give specific details about where, when, and with whom you have used your skills. When possible, use numbers and metrics to quantify your achievements.

Example of how to list skills in the experience section of a resume:

How to List Skills On A Resume – Finding Relevant Skills For You

To figure out what skills you should include on your resume, follow these three simple steps.

Step #1: Create a master list of skills

Go through each category and create a master list of the skills in your toolbox. Don’t be afraid to list things that seem obvious, like computer skills or customer service.

Although they might seem like a given in your profession, many hiring managers still want to see these skills listed.

Never include skills that you are no longer familiar with. If you write a skill on your resume, hiring managers will be expecting that you can deliver on that activity.

If you are worried that a hiring manager will over or underestimate your level of proficiency, feel free to write ‘beginner’, ‘intermediate’, or ‘proficient’ next to each skill listed.

Step #2: Figure out the skills needed for the job

When applying for jobs, it is important to identify the set of skills that are needed. Picking out the needed skills will help you determine if you are a good fit for the role. It will also help you tailor your resume skills to the specific job you are applying for.

There are two main ways to determine the skills needed for a job.

The first is to dissect job descriptions and job postings that are posted on career websites and job boards. To do this, go through a job description and highlight each quality that describes the candidate the company is looking for.

For example, here is a job posting for a cashier position: 

Then create a list of all the qualities described, making sure to write each skill using the same wording that is used in the job posting.

The second way to figure out what skills are needed for a job is to search for people on LinkedIn who are already performing the role.

By searching for a certain job title in the search bar, you can find a list of professionals who are already in that job and then search through their profile to see what skills they have listed, both in their summary and experience sections.

Step #3: Match your master list with the skills needed for a job

The skills you write on your resume should be whatever overlaps between your master list and the list of skills you created from researching jobs.

By using this technique, you will be making sure that the skills you have listed on your resume are relevant to the jobs you are applying for.

A general rule of thumb is to never include skills that aren’t important for the job you are applying for.

For example, if you are applying for a project manager position, there is no need to list that you know yoga or CPR.

Top 50+ Skills Hiring Managers Look For On Resumes

A lot of research has been done as to what hiring managers look for on a resume. Many of the skills they seek are job-specific, while others are transferable.

To increase your chances of getting called in for an interview, include these top skills throughout your resume.

These professional skills are divided by category to help you find the skills that are relevant to you.

Soft Skills

Basic computer skills, customer service, project management, art & design, human resources, fastest ways to obtain new skills.

Are you looking for your first job? Are you missing some of the required skills on a job posting? If so, don’t worry. There are a range of ways for you to obtain the needed skills quickly.

If you are in need of a hard skill, this task is much easier. Hard skills are learned, so you can typically find an online resource, school, or curriculum to pick up the needed skills.

If you don’t have enough time to attend class in person, there are a number of online learning platforms with courses that you can take online, in your spare time. Some examples of popular eLearning platforms include Lynda, Udemy, and Skillshare.

Learning soft skills are a little trickier. These interpersonal and personality traits are hardwired into humans, so the only way to get better at them is to practice, practice, practice.

If you can’t practice soft skills while on a job, try to find some day-to-day activities that you can practice these skills during.

For example, if you need to work on punctuality, set a goal to arrive 5 minutes early wherever you need to be, no matter if it is for class or for coffee. Or if you need to work on your professionalism, pick up a volunteer job based in a professional, office setting.

More Skill-Related Articles For Resume Writing:

• How To List Hard Skills On A Resume (50+ Technical Skill Examples)
• How to List Computer Skills on a Resume (50+ Computer Skill Examples)

100+ Key Skills for a Resume in 2022 (Examples for any Job)

Learn how to professionally and efficiently list your skills on a resume.

How to List Skills on a Resume 

Your skills are just as important as your work experiences. Skills show a recruiter what you can do for the company -- without taking up too much space in your resume. 

Skills can be anything from “creativity” (a soft skill) to “JavaScript” (a hard skill). It’s important to include a mix of both on your resume.

Don’t know what skills you have? Read on to learn the difference between “soft” and “hard” skills, or skim our 250+ skills for each industry to jump right into the resume writing process. 

Beautiful resume templates to land your dream job

Soft Skills vs Hard Skills

“Soft” skills are those that are not quantifiable, such as leadership. These skills also cannot be learned, but  are rather a facet of your personality. Nevertheless, soft skills are still critical to have, for they demonstrate that you are personable and competent.

‍ Tip: Use some of the soft skills as adjectives when writing your profile summary . For example, try “enthusiastic entrepreneur,” “empathic childcare worker,” “organized nurses’ aid,” “supportive administration assistant” or “detail-oriented sales associate.”

The resume below is for a Childcare Worker and includes many soft skills that companies look for, including Creativity and Organizational skills.

In contrast, “Hard” skills are those that are learned -- either in school or through a certification program. These skills are quantifiable and can be continuously expanded upon through further education. Today, most hard skills have to do with computer technology, such as SEO, CSS/HTML, or Microsoft Suite. Even if you aren’t tech-savvy, chances are you still have a few hard skills.

Tip: Be specific about your hard skills. Instead of listing “Programming Languages,” specify which ones you know -- Python, Java, C, etc. Same with photo editing software and any other platforms you are familiar with.

The resume below is for a Content Marketing Associate, and includes manyhard skills that companies in the marketing industry look for, including experience with Social Media tools. Remember, it's important to be specific in terms of defining and listing what softwares you know.

How to List Your Skills

Whether you’re a jack of all trades or a master of one, you absolutely must list some skills on your resume. Skills offer additional insight into what you can offer the company as an employee, and may just push your resume over the edge and into the interview pile. 

• Only list relevant skills . If you’re applying for a position as an engineer, don’t brag about your marketing abilities. Instead, save the space to list the software and programming languages that you know. 
• List around 5 Skills . Writing too many skills on your resume can be an overwhelming experience for the recruiter. He or she may not fully register your skills, and instead just blankly skim the long list. Conversely, listing too few skills is only selling yourself short. You definitely have more than two skills -- no matter your experience level! So shoot for around 5 skills, with a little wriggle room. 
• Include both hard and soft skills . Even if your profession seems to rely on soft skills more than hard skills -- or vice versa -- including both makes your resume stronger. For example, if you’re applying to work as a laboratory assistant, list soft skills such as “teamwork,” “problem-solving,” “time management,” or “organization.” If you’re in a more creative field, hard skills include softwares such as “Adobe Creative Suite” and talents such as “photography,” “writing & editing,” or “videography.” 
• Note your experience level . With each skill, specify whether you are a “beginner,” “expert,” or somewhere in between (using words like “intermediate” and “moderate”). Our resume templates have bars beneath each skill that you can toggle to reflect your expertise. 

The resume below is for a Human Resources Manager, and includes all of the above tips.

250+ Skills for Each Industry  

Although we’ve split these skills up by industry, please note that many skills are applicable to a variety of careers. For example, someone working in marketing might find knowledge of JavaScript just as useful as someone working in the computer science field. 

Let’s jump in!

Office and Administrative Job Skills

• Answering Phones
• Bookkeeping (Excel, Turbotax)
• Office Equipment
• Welcoming Visitors
• Calendar Management
• Organization 
• Time Management 
• Problem Solving
• Attention To Detail
• Adaptability 
• Written Communication 
• Email Platforms (E.G., Gmail And iCloud Mail)
• Word Processing Software (E.G., Google Docs)
• Spreadsheet Software
• Digital Calendars
• Prioritization 

Sales, Retail, and Customer Service Job Skills

• Product Knowledge
• Lead Qualification
• Lead Prospecting 
• Customer Needs Analysis
• Referral Marketing
• Contract Negotiation
• Self Motivation
• Increasing Customer Lifetime Value (Clv)
• Reducing Customer Acquisition Cost (Cac)
• CRM Software (Salesforce, Hubspot, Zoho, Freshsales)
• Cashier Skills
• Knowledge Of Products And Services 
• Customer Service
• Communication (More Specifically -- Verbal Communication Skills, Listening Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Written Communication Skills, Public Speaking Skills, Presentation Skills)
• Math Skills
• Negotiation 
• Persuasion  
• Diplomacy  
• Cold Calling
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Lead Generation
• Buyer-responsive Selling
• Buyer Engagement

Nursing and Healthcare Job Skills

• Patient Assessment
• Taking Vital Signs
• Patient Care
• Recording Patient Medical History
• Wound Dressing And Care
• Urgent And Emergency Care
• Record-keeping
• Patient Education
• NIH Stroke Scale Patient Assessment
• Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
• Medicine Administration
• Blood Pressure Monitoring
• Rehabilitation Therapy
• Hygiene Assistance
• Use Of X-ray, MRI, Cat Scans
• Glucose Checks
• Electronic Heart Record (EHR)
• Decision-Making Ability 
• Critical Thinking
• Leadership 
• Thorough Understanding Of HIPPA And Privacy Policies
• Ability To Take And Record Vital Signs
• CPR And First-Aid Certifications
• Perform And Evaluate Diagnostic Tests
• Maintain Patient Charts

IT Job Skills

• Programming Languages
• Web Development
• Data Structures
• Open Source Experience
• Machine Learning
• Front-End & Back-End Development
• Cloud Management
• Agile Development
• CSS Preprocessors
• Graphic User Interfaces (GUI)
• Git/Version Control (Github, gitlab)
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Application Programming Interface (API)
• Adobe Photoshop, InDesign
• Content Management Systems (CMS)
• Testing/Debugging
• Responsive Design Principles
• Mobile and Web Development (e.g. iOS, Android)

Engineering & Technical Job Skills

• STEM Skills
• Prototyping
• Troubleshooting
• Project Launch
• Lean Manufacturing
• Workflow Development
• Computer Skills
• Technical Report Writing
• Programming Languages HTML, CSS, CRM tools

Advertising & Marketing Job Skills

• SEO (SEMRush, WordPress, and Ahrefs)
• SEM (i.e., Google Adwords)
• CRO and A/B Testing
• Social Media Marketing and Paid Social Media Advertising
• Sales Funnel Management
• CMS Tools (WordPress, Weebly)
• Graphic Design Skills (Adobe Creative Suite)
• Email Marketing (MailChimp, Constant Contact)
• Email Automation
• Data Visualization
• Print Design
• Photography and Branding
• Communication 
• Creativity 
• Data Analytics (Google Analytics )
• Web Analytics
• Email Writing 
• Google Adwords
• Social Media And Mobile Marketing 
• Paid Social Media Advertisements
• Consumer Behavior Drivers
• Brand Management
• B2b Marketing
•  Writing Advertising Copy
• Soliciting Feedback From Customers
• Cutting Costs
• Leadership skills
• Task Delegation 
• Strategic Management
• Proposal writing
• Problem-solving
• Problem solving
• Website Management
• Social Media Outreach
• Video Production
• Campaign Management
• Photo Editing
• Logo Creation
• Digital Printing
• Interactive Media Design 
• Color Sense & Theory
• Social Media Publishing
• Storytelling
• Financial Analysis
• Consumer Research
• Statistical Analysis
• Videography 
• Technical Writing 

General Management and Project Management Job Skills

• Agile Project Management (Kanban)
• Managing Cross-Functional Teams
• Scrum Management
• Performance Tracking
• Financial Modelling
• Ideation Leadership
• Feature Definition
• Forecasting
• Profit and Loss
• Scope Management
• Project Lifecycle Management 
• Meeting Facilitation
• Risk Management 
• Cost Management 
• Data Analysis 
• Collaborative 
• Collaborative Programs (Slack, WhatsApp, Dropbox)
• Adobe Creative Suite

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Skills to Put on a Resume: 100 Best Examples of Hard & Soft Skills

Hannah Yang

If you’re applying to jobs, you’ll need to craft a resume that showcases your most valuable skills.

Your resume will be a document that represents you throughout the recruitment process, from your initial application to your final interview .

Hiring managers are looking for specific skills on your resume that will demonstrate your ability to succeed in the role.

So how do you choose the right skills to include?

This article will explain the most important skills to include on your resume, and some resume skills examples.

Where Do I Include Skills on My Resume?

Why is it important to include the right resume skills, what’s the difference between technical skills and soft skills, how do i decide which skills to put on my resume, best hard & soft skills for a resume (with examples).

Most resumes are organized into the following sections:

• Contact information
• Resume summary / objective (optional)
• Work experience
• Hobbies / interests (optional)

The purpose of the skills section of your resume is to provide a concise list of the abilities you can offer.

In the skills section, you can mention each of the skills you have that might be relevant to the job, from language fluency to coding abilities.

You can also use a scale to show your level of expertise for each skill (e.g. beginner, intermediate, advanced, expert).

Here’s an example of what that might look like in your skills section:

• Programming languages: C (expert), Java (expert), Python (advanced)
• Leadership skills: people management (expert), Agile methodology (advanced)

But here’s the twist: your key skills should be included throughout the resume, not just in the skills section.

To really impress your hiring manager, you should mention your key skills in your work experience section, along with numbers to back them up.

Show the specific instances you’ve used those skills and how they’ve brought value to your previous employers.

Here’s an example of what that might look like in your work experience section:

• Led an Agile team of 12 software developers to build an innovative music education app using Java and Python

Choosing the right skills to include in your resume is important because employers are looking for specific skills that you’ll need to succeed.

Many companies use ATS (Applicant Tracking System) to screen applicants’ resumes before passing them on to the hiring manager.

The software looks for specific keywords, and if you have those in your skills section, you can get past the screening.

If you don’t, your resume will get discarded without ever being seen by human eyes.

Even if the company still uses a traditional system, the hiring manager will likely only look at your resume for seven seconds before making the decision of whether or not you progress to the next step.

Having the right skills in a prominent position will get you an interview, or maybe even the job.

Technical skills, also known as "hard skills," are skills that you’ve learned through practice and training.

You can measure your proficiency with a technical skill by taking a test or passing a class.

Examples of technical skills include:

• The ability to speak French
• The ability to fix a car engine
• Familiarity with ProWritingAid software

Soft skills are skills that you gain from life experience rather than formal education or work experience, such as communication skills and interpersonal skills.

Soft skills are harder to test, since they’re more qualitative than quantitative.

Examples of soft skills include:

• Problem-solving

As a general rule, you should include more technical skills than soft skills on your resume.

Since soft skills are harder to measure, they tend to make less of an impact on your resume, even if they’re just as important in the workplace.

Anyone can claim that they’re excellent at teamwork, but this skill is hard to confirm or deny in a quantifiable way.

On the other hand, someone who claims they can fix a car engine is more likely to be able to measure that ability, and to back it up with a certification or with experience fixing cars.

You might be tempted to copy and paste the hottest keywords, but that will make your resume look generic at best and inaccurate at worst.

Your goal is to give the hiring managers an accurate picture of what you can do and how your abilities can bring value to the role.

Every skill you include on your resume should have the following three traits:

• It should be relevant to the role you’re applying for
• It should be a skill you’ve demonstrated repeatedly
• It should be a specific skill, not a generic one

Let’s take a closer look at each of these traits.

Choose Resume Skills that Are Relevant to the Role You’re Applying for

You should always tailor your skills to the specific role you’re applying for.

Even if you’re a world-class photographer, that skill won’t make a difference to hiring managers if you’re applying for a job with no photography involved.

So how do you find the job skills that will bring value to the role?

One great place to look for relevant skills to demonstrate is your job description.

Most likely, your job description will mention specific skills that they’d like to see from candidates. Look for keywords and phrases that require specific abilities.

For example, say you’re a graphic designer and the job description you’re looking at includes the following sentence:

The perfect candidate for this job will have experience with Adobe Creative Suite and Dreamweaver. Experience with logo design is a plus.

Looking at this sentence, you can pick out some of the top skills your position needs: Adobe Creative Suite, Dreamweaver, and logo design.

Here’s how that might look in your skills section:

• Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop (expert), Dreamweaver (expert), Illustrator (advanced), InDesign (advanced)
• Art: logo design (expert), color theory (advanced), typography (intermediate)

In addition to looking at the job description you’re applying for, you can also look at the job description for a similar role at a different company.

It will most likely mention other relevant skills that you can consider including.

Another tip is to look at related LinkedIn profiles. LinkedIn is a great resource for useful skills, as many people will list their job skills on their profiles.

Choose Resume Skills that You’ve Demonstrated Repeatedly

Your skills section shouldn’t feel separate from the rest of your resume.

Instead, it should work cohesively with your education and experience sections to highlight the abilities you’ve demonstrated in the past.

Each skill you list should be supported by evidence.

One way to do this is to look through your work experience section and see which skills stand out.

For example, if you led a team project at your past company using Agile methodology, you can consider including Agile methodology (a hard skill) and team leadership (a soft skill) in your skills section.

If you need to narrow down your list, you can rank all your skills as beginner, proficient, advanced, or expert. Prioritize the ones in the advanced or expert categories.

You might be applying to a role that’s different from the roles you’ve had before. In that case, it’s useful to look for transferable skills from your previous experiences.

For example, if you’re applying to a health insurance job and you’ve worked in car insurance before, you can pick out the skills that are related to insurance, not the ones that are related to the transportation industry.

That way, your skills section can help tie your past experiences to your new role.

Choose Resume Skills That Are as Specific as Possible

The last criterion for choosing your job skills is specificity.

Some skills are universal and can apply to almost any role, such as problem-solving skills, communication skills, and familiarity with Microsoft Office.

You can include these if you’d like, but they don’t tell the hiring manager as much as more specific skills do.

For example, "communication skills" is a vague soft skill.

Use ProWritingAid’s Word Explorer to help you make this vague skill more specific. The common 2-word phrase suggestions are particularly useful in this situation.

Instead of "communication skills," you can say "personal communication," "verbal communication," or "mass communication."

Similarly, "programming languages" is a vague hard skill. Instead of "programming languages," you can say "Javascript," "Python," "HTML" or the other specific programming languages you’ve used in the past.

If you’re looking for more skills to include in your skills section, you’re in the right place.

We’ve compiled a list of professional skills for each of the following job sectors:

• Data analysis
• Finance / Accounting
• Software development

Relevant Skills for a Data Analysis Role

Here are some of the hard skills you could include for a data analysis role:

• SQL and Hive
• Programming languages (R, Python, Scala, Matlab)
• STATA, SPSS, SAS
• Data Mapping
• Entity Relationship Diagrams
• Big Data tools
• Microsoft Visio
• Machine learning

Here are some of the soft skills you could include for a data analysis role:

• Problem-solving skills
• Technical and non-technical communication
• Analytical ability
• Time management
• Attention to detail
• Capacity for innovation

Relevant Skills for a Design Role

Here are some of the hard skills you could include for a design role:

• Adobe Creative Suite: Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop
• Dreamweaver
• Infographics
• Color sense & theory
• Photo editing
• Typography: spacing, line height, layout, choosing fonts
• Interactive media design
• Targeting and marketing through visual communications

Here are some of the soft skills you could include for a design role:

• Eye for aesthetics
• Communication
• Active listening
• Persistence
• Storytelling

Relevant Skills for an Education Role

Here are some of the hard skills you could include for an education role:

• Updated curriculum knowledge
• Foreign languages (Spanish, Mandarin, etc.)
• Research & data analysis
• WebCT or Blackboard Teaching skills
• File management
• Electronic presentation skills
• Video conferencing skills (software like Zoom)
• Educational platforms (software like Elearn)

Here are some of the soft skills you could include for an education role:

• Organization
• Imagination
• Conflict resolution
• Critical thinking

Relevant Skills for a Finance / Accounting Role

Here are some of the hard skills you could include for a finance role:

• Microsoft Excel (Advanced)
• Enterprise Resource Planning
• Big Data Analysis & SQL
• Know Your Customers (KYC)
• Cognos Analytics (IBM)
• Visual Basic
• Accounting Software
• Cash flow management

Here are some of the soft skills you could include for a finance role:

• Clear communication
• Business knowledge
• Numerical competence

Relevant Skills for a Healthcare Role

Here are some of the hard skills you could include for a healthcare role:

• Paperwork / record-keeping abilities
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
• Infection control
• Surgery preparation

Here are some of the soft skills you could include for a healthcare role:

• Patient care and assistance
• Physical endurance
• Flexibility

Relevant Skills for a Management Role

Here are some of the hard skills you could include for a management role:

• Data management and analytics
• Agile project management
• Six Sigma techniques
• The McKinsey 7s Framework
• Porter’s Five Forces
• Proposal writing

Here are some of the soft skills you could include for a management role:

• Emotional intelligence
• Task delegation
• People management
• Negotiation

Relevant Skills for a Marketing Role

Here are some of the hard skills you could include for a marketing role:

• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Conversion rate optimization (CRO)
• A/B testing
• HTML & CSS
• Social media and mobile marketing
• Email marketing

Here are some of the soft skills you could include for a marketing role:

• Multitasking

Relevant Skills for a Retail Role

Here are some of the hard skills you could include for a retail role:

• Loss prevention
• Product knowledge
• Visual merchandising
• Window displays
• Cash registers
• Point of sale (POS) systems

Here are some of the soft skills you could include for a retail role:

• Customer service skills
• Resolving complaints
• Friendliness

Relevant Skills for a Software Development Role

Here are some of the hard skills you could include for a software development role:

• Programming languages (R, Python, Java, Javascript, C)
• Object-oriented design (OOD)
• Software testing and debugging
• Git/Version control (Github, gitlab)
• Graphic User Interfaces (GUI)
• Application Programming Interface (API)
• Content Management Systems (CMS)
• Responsive design principles

Here are some of the soft skills you could include for a software development role:

• Problem solving

The Most In-Demand Technical Skills Right Now

Finally, we’ve also researched the skills that are most in demand right now.

The need for different skills evolves quickly, and the ones employers are looking for have changed a lot over the years.

A 2020 LinkedIn Talent blog survey found that ten of the top technical skills today are:

• Cloud and Distributed Computing
• Statistical Analysis and Data Mining
• Middleware and Integration Software
• Web Architecture and Development Framework
• Software Revision Control Systems
• Data Presentation
• SEO / SEM Marketing
• Mobile Development
• Network and Information Security

If any of these hard and soft skills might be relevant to your role, it could be a great idea to include them on your resume.

Don’t worry, however, if these skills aren’t applicable to the role you’re applying for.

Employers won’t care about skills that aren’t relevant. You should focus on the ones that are most useful for you.

The Most In-Demand Soft Skills Right Now

According to The Ladders , the seven soft skills employers are looking for are:

• Adaptability

Given the pandemic, adaptability is likely to be a key skill. Companies are looking for employees who are flexible and can roll with the punches.

Emotional intelligence includes empathy, motivation, and self-awareness. These are increasingly important in the workplace today.

Mentioning some of these soft skills on your resume could show your hiring manager how well you’d fit into the company culture.

Final Words

There you have it: a complete guide for choosing which skills to include on your resume.

Let us know in the comments if there are any important skills you’d recommend including. Best of luck with your job search!

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Hannah Yang is a speculative fiction writer who writes about all things strange and surreal. Her work has appeared in Analog Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, The Dark, and elsewhere, and two of her stories have been finalists for the Locus Award. Her favorite hobbies include watercolor painting, playing guitar, and rock climbing. You can follow her work on hannahyang.com, or subscribe to her newsletter for publication updates.

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17 Best skills to put on your resume to stand out

The best resume immediately answers a hiring manager's most pressing question: “Does this person have the necessary skills?” 

You don’t have much time to answer this question, either. Recruiters scan a resume in just seven seconds to form a first impression and decide whether they’ll offer an interview. 

You must understand the key skills for each job application and express your proficiency quickly to get ahead. We’ll discuss how to choose skills for a resume and add them effectively.

What is a resume skill?

A professional skill is a knowledge, ability, or competency to perform specific tasks or respond to challenges. Each skill is either a hard or soft skill . Hard skills or technical skills refer to our ability to perform knowledge-based tasks, like proficiency with a graphic design program. 

Interpersonal skills , or soft skills, refer to our interactions with others, like our ability to tap into our emotional intelligence to manage a team or our leadership communication skills . 

Learning new skills relevant to your job or reskilling to start a new career is crucial preparation. Every industry and job role requires proficiency in a wide range of job skills, so it's critical to know the most relevant ones for your profession and target the company and highlight them in your resume.

Hard skills for your resume

Hard skills are specific, teachable abilities or knowledge that are often quantifiable and job-specific. Hard skills are gained through experience, practice, and education. They can be measured straightforwardly by our ability to perform a technical task. Hard skills are crucial for performing tasks and functions within a particular field or industry. 

Here are a few hard skills you could include on your resume:

• Foreign languages 
• Project management 
• Marketing fluency, like SEO or SEM
• Computer skills
• Software management, like CRM
• Coding languages, like CSS or Python
• Design, like Photoshop or Illustrator
• Data analysis 

Soft skills for your resume

Soft skills are non-technical abilities that relate to how individuals interact with others and navigate social situations. These skills encompass qualities and attributes that shape one's emotional intelligence, communication style, and overall interpersonal effectiveness. They inform how we approach a task or challenge and are unique personal attributes that make us stand out and succeed as employees and leaders.

Unlike hard skills, soft skills are not job-specific but are universally valuable across various roles and industries. Soft skills play a critical role in building strong relationships, collaborating effectively with colleagues, and enhancing overall workplace dynamics.

Here are a few soft skills you could include on your resume:

• Problem-solving
• Communication
• Time management
• Attention to detail
• Collaboration

Soft and hard skills often complement one another. Speaking a foreign language is a hard skill requiring specific vocabulary, diction, and grammar knowledge. The communication skills needed to speak this language effectively — knowing how to work through a concept, tell a story, and keep an audience engaged — are soft skills.

How many skills should you add to a resume?

In general you'll want to have 10 to 15 skills listed on you resume. But this varies depending on your level of experience, the specific job you're applying for, and the resume format you're using . Here are some general guidelines to help you determine how many skills to include:

• Relevance : Focus on skills that are directly relevant to the job you're applying for. Tailor your resume by carefully reviewing the job description and identifying the skills and qualifications the employer is seeking. Highlight the skills that align with the job requirements.
• Balance : While it's important to include relevant skills, it's equally important not to overwhelm your resume with an excessively long list of skills. Aim for a balance that showcases your key strengths without making your resume too lengthy .
• Prioritization : Prioritize the most important and sought-after skills . Place the most relevant and impressive skills towards the top of your resume, particularly in the skills section. This ensures that the hiring manager sees your strongest qualifications early in the document.
• Quantify : Where possible, quantify your skills or provide context. For example, if you are proficient in a programming language, you can mention the number of years of experience you have with it or highlight specific projects where you applied that skill.
• Quality over quantity : It's better to emphasize a few highly relevant and valuable skills rather than listing a wide range of skills that may not be as important for the job. Hiring managers often appreciate depth and expertise in key areas.
• Consider resume length : If you have many years of experience and a lot of relevant skills, you may have a longer resume. However, for most applicants, a one-page or two-page resume is typically sufficient. Ensure that your skills section doesn't dominate the entire document.
• Group skills : You can group similar skills together to save space. For example, you might create categories like "Technical Skills" and "Soft Skills" to organize your skills more effectively.
• Keep it honest : Only list skills that you genuinely possess and can confidently discuss in an interview. Exaggerating or fabricating skills can lead to problems during the hiring process.

Types of skills to add to your resume and cover letter

To show your versatility, try including a diverse set of skills on your resume. Choose a couple from each of the three main categories below:

1. Transferable or functional skills

This covers your competency to perform an action and apply that skill to different tasks, job roles, and industries. Your aptitude to perform a transferable or functional skill is measured by your ability to optimize this skill to various situations.

Transferable or functional skills include:

• Organization and time management skills
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Writing 
• Project management
• Active listening and communication
• Customer service skills

2. Personal skills

This covers personality traits, behaviors, or perspectives that guide your approach to a task or situation. These are likely interpersoanl skills you’ve developed since childhood through different life experiences.

Personality skills include:

• Assertiveness
• Independence
• Detail-orientedness
• Strong emotional intelligence
• Ability to perform under pressure
• Relationahip-building skills

3. Knowledge-based skills

This includes a theoretical or practical understanding of a specific task or process learned through consistent work experience or education. These are often industry or career-specific and, depending on the expertise required for a particular position, the most in-demand.

Knowledge-based skills include: 

• Computer skills, including programming languages, web development, or experience with specific programs like Microsoft Office, Excel, or Quickbooks
• Analytical skills, including data analysis, strategy, or economic forecasting
• Industry-specific skills, including a content creator with social media apps or marketing skills or a software engineer with specific expertise in Python or HTML

Top 3 skills to put on a resume

We recommend choosing transferable, knowledge-based, and personal skills relevant to the job description and the company’s values. When in doubt, you can’t go wrong using these three top skills on your resume:

1. Managerial skills

If you have any managerial experience, add it to the relevant job description. Good managers can see the bigger picture, organize their teams around a common goal, and demonstrate effective communication techniques.

This experience also shows you’re willing to take on more responsibility and can handle different personalities. 

Expressing your management skills might look like this:

• 15 years of experience developing multiple teams to [name accomplishment]
• Ideated and managed [project] and increased revenue by [percentage]
• Certified in Conflict Resolution from [institution's name]

2. Communication skills

Strong communication skills are essential at every professional level. These skills include actively listening, speaking effectively, observing people and situations, and empathizing and supporting our co-workers, colleagues, and managers.

Expressing your communication skills might look like this:

• Thrives on constructive criticism
• Four years of public speaking experience
• Certified in Non-Verbal Communication at [institute name]

3. Computer skills

Expertise in various technologies or the ability to learn new ones are great hard skills to advertise. These include knowledge of hardware, software, work platforms, or coding languages.

Computer skills might include:

• Type 145 words per minute
• Fluency in CRM and CSM
• Knowledge of Python, Javascript, and HTML
• Experience with project management softwares like Monday, ClickUp, and Notion
• Adobe Photoshop

17 of the best skills to add to your resume

In addition to the three above, here are some of the most important skills to add to your resume skills section. When updating your resume, be sure to include the most relevant skills for the job you're applying to. Social media marketing, for instance, is more of a must-have skill across various marketing roles but fewer project management roles.

1. Conflict resolution

Conflict resolution involves mediating disputes and finding mutually acceptable solutions. This skill is crucial for maintaining a harmonious work environment and productive relationships among team members.

2. Adaptability

Adaptability is the ability to adjust to new circumstances and challenges. In today's rapidly changing world, individuals who can quickly learn and adapt to new technologies, work processes, or environments are highly valuable.

3. Negotiation

Negotiation skills are essential for reaching agreements that benefit all parties involved. Whether in salary negotiations or business deals, effective negotiation can lead to favorable outcomes.

4. Creativity

Creativity involves thinking outside the box to generate innovative ideas and solutions. It's particularly valuable in roles that require problem-solving and innovation, such as marketing or product design.

5. Strategic planning

Strategic planning is the process of setting long-term goals and developing a roadmap to achieve them. This skill is crucial for leaders and managers responsible for guiding an organization's direction.

6. Public speaking

Public speaking is essential for presentations, pitches, and effective communication with large audiences. Confidence and clarity in public speaking can enhance your professional image.

7. Mentoring and coaching

The ability to mentor and coach others in their professional development is valuable for leadership roles and fostering a positive workplace culture.

8. Crisis management

Crisis management involves responding effectively to unexpected and high-pressure situations, minimizing damage, and maintaining business continuity.

9. Risk management

Identifying and mitigating risks is vital in fields such as finance, insurance, and project management to protect against potential losses.

10. Data privacy and security

With increasing concerns about data breaches and privacy, knowledge of data security measures and compliance with regulations is essential, especially in IT and healthcare industries.

11. Foreign language proficiency

Proficiency in a foreign language can open up opportunities in international business, diplomacy, and global organizations, enhancing your marketability.

12. Sales and marketing

Sales and marketing skills involve promoting products or services and persuading customers to make purchases. These skills are vital in sales and business development roles.

13. Conflict management

Conflict management focuses on identifying, addressing, and resolving conflicts within teams or organizations to maintain a productive and harmonious work environment.

14. Research and data analysis

Strong research and data analysis skills are valuable in fields like market research, academia, and policy analysis, enabling evidence-based decision-making.

15. Digital Marketing

Digital marketing skills, including SEO, social media management, and online advertising, are crucial for businesses looking to expand their online presence and reach.

16. Problem-solving skills

Problem-solving skills are vital for identifying, analyzing, and creatively resolving challenges. They enable individuals to make informed decisions, find innovative solutions, and adapt to changing circumstances. 

17. Project management skills

Project management skills involve planning, organizing, and coordinating resources and teams to achieve specific goals within set constraints. Effective project managers excel at goal-setting, task breakdown, and timeline management. They ensure projects stay on track, meet deadlines, and stay within budget, making them highly sought after across industries.

How to add skills to your resume 

There are endless resume templates to choose from when designing your resume, and most offer a skills section. We’ve outlined four tips for adding skills to catch a recruiter's attention with resume skills examples to help you get started.

1. Choose wisely

Study the company by visiting its website, LinkedIn profile , and other public sources. What values do they promote? Which team members do they highlight and why? 

Read through the job ad and take note of the responsibilities, job requirements, and skills listed by the employer. Use this research to choose skills for your resume. It’s a good idea to list skills the job posting specifically seeks. 

Here’s an example of how to translate a job responsibility into skills when describing work experience on your resume:

Responsibility: Fact-check, proofread, and edit content for accuracy and comprehensiveness. 

Skill on resume: 

• Eight years of copy and content writing experience with brands and PR agencies
• Wrote objective-oriented, SEO-driven content for brands
• Versed in workflow apps, Google Office, and grammar platforms

2. Include a skills section

If a hiring manager spends just seven seconds on a resume, make sure yours is readable. Design the resume to direct the reader's eye to critical information, and include a skills section close to the start. Use relevant action verbs to sell your experience and describe your skills from the beginning.

Don't over-clutter — insufficient white space will deflect the eye rather than attract it. This section should include bullet points with concise information.

3. Subtly mention skills in other sections

Sneak skills throughout your resume, including in the summary and work experience sections. Frequently referencing them will help show the hiring manager you really do possess the skills. 

Here are two examples of a writer's position:

Resume summary with a mixture of transferable and personal skills:

• Curious, creative, and self-motivated journalist and content writer with six years of experience working independently for agencies and publications.

Work experience section with a mixture of technical and interpersonal skills:

Digital Content Writer, [Company name], [time frame]

• Experience in Google Workspace, Surfer SEO, and workflow platforms
• Responsible for writing 10 1500-word SEO and keyword-driven articles weekly
• Detail-oriented and personable — never missed a deadline and facilitated feedback calls with clients directly

4. Be specific about your proficiency level

Always be clear about your level of expertise. You’ll likely be asked to showcase some of your skills in an interview, so it’s best to be upfront. 

Here are a few examples:

Languages spoken: 

• English, native
• Spanish, fluent
• Japanese, intermediate conversation and listening comprehension, beginner written
• High-level expertise in Python and Java
• Mid-level expertise in CSS

Feel confident about the skills on your resume

Building a good resume takes a lot of work. You have to read through the job description and tailor resumes to each post to make sure your profile best aligns with what the recruiter is looking for.

But the effort is worth it. You've spent your entire career learning and nurturing new skills — show them off in your resume and you'll be one step closer to getting the job. You’ve worked hard to get where you are, and listing the right skills will help hiring managers see that.

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Maggie Wooll, MBA

Maggie Wooll is a researcher, author, and speaker focused on the evolving future of work. Formerly the lead researcher at the Deloitte Center for the Edge, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Princeton University and an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. Maggie is passionate about creating better work and greater opportunities for all.

Functional resume: What is it & how to write one (with examples)

How to put babysitting on a resume: 6 skills to highlight, resume best practices: how far back should a resume go, best work accomplishments to list on your resume (with examples), 7 types of resumes to suit various scenarios, resume dos and don’ts: 29 tips for writing your best resume, a quick guide on how to list references on a resume, use professional reference templates to make hiring smoother, unique skills for resumes to attract attention, similar articles, hard skills versus soft skills and which to use on your resume, 15 human resources skills to help your resume stand out, use these honors and awards resume examples to land your next job, what are professional skills, and which should you add to your resume, 7 tips to make your resume stand out and get that job, 20 marketing skills professionals should have in 2023, the hard skills examples you should add to your resume, it’s time for a fresh start: how to embrace new beginnings at 50, stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

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Top 14 Resume Skills to add on your Resume + Examples

By Biron Clark

Published: December 18, 2023

Biron Clark

Writer & Career Coach

Putting skills on a resume is a great way to show hiring managers what you can do for them, while also including relevant keywords on your resume. However, there’s one BIG mistake that I’ve seen many job seekers make with their skills section on a resume… and it can cost them the interview.

So in this article, we’re going to look at real-life examples of resume skills sections, how to write this section and come up with ideas of skills to list, and the biggest mistake to avoid if you want to get the interview.

What Skills Should you add on your resume?

Your resume is essentially your first impression to a potential employer, so it must showcase your skills in the best possible light. Hence, it’s important to understand that there are two types of skills: hard skills and soft skills . 

Hard skills are those that are specifically related to the job at hand, such as technical skills like programming or accounting.

Examples of Hard Skills: 

• Proficiencies with tools or software.
• Hands-on work experience or degrees and certifications.
• Proficiencies in languages.

Meanwhile, soft skills are more personal traits such as interpersonal skills like communication, EQ, teamwork and problem-solving abilities. Additionally, transferable skills are those that can be used across different industries and job types, such as leadership, time management, computer skills and adaptability. Usually, job postings include a bullet list of role requirements that each feature a certain skill, skill set, aptitude, or ability.

Examples of Soft Skills:

• Active listening
• Problem-solving

Essentially, the skills, competencies, or core competencies section of your resume will give hiring managers a quick-glance guide to how closely your abilities match the role requirements.

With this in-mind, let’s take a closer look at each of those hard and soft transferable skills I mentioned above, to see why they really are the best skills to put on your resume. Let’s start with the soft skills because, even if you’ve never had a job or skills training, there’s a good chance you already have many of these skills.

Best Soft Skills to add on your resume:

1. communication skills.

These skills are essential to almost all roles because they allow you to receive and share ideas effectively. These skills are applied through a range of channels and may include both soft skills (like active listening) and hard skills (like social media writing). Communication skills include listening skills, verbal skills, body-language skills, visual skills, and contextual (or versatility) skills like cross-cultural, academic, crisis, professional, and online communication skills.

2. Problem-solving skills

Most roles will see you encountering problems at some point, that’s one of the reasons work can be stressful. Some roles are all about finding and making innovative solutions to problems. Problem-solving skills may include methodologies and various hard skills, but they’re also about the soft skills of defining problems, prioritizing issues, determining causes, brainstorming solutions, considering alternatives, and implementing solutions.

3. Creativity skills

These skills come naturally to some but, in general, can be learned by simply applying yourself to creative pursuits. Aside from the artistic side, however, creativity is a thinking skill that allows you to think outside the box, innovate solutions, imagine new concepts and ideas, and generally do things in an open-minded, original way. This is highly prized by employers who are trying to set their brand apart through creative, innovative products and services.

4. Organizational skills

Organizational skills refer to your ability to manage yourself, your time, and your productivity efficiently and effectively. They’re vital to employers because they indicate that you have a systematic, goal-oriented approach to working. Unless you have the ability to manage your calendar, your time, your thoughts, and your duties in a functional and efficient manner, you will be difficult to manage or rely on, and you certainly won’t be able to manage others.

5. Leadership skills

Some simply have a natural tendency to lead, while others seem ready to follow them–this is important to employers, as few things are more costly than an ineffective leader. Leadership skills, however, can be learned over time, and include a range of other hard and soft skills like communication, critical thinking, versatility, conflict management, relationship building, decisiveness, delegation, project management, and more.

6. Teamwork skills

Teamwork skills are vital to all interactive and collaborative job roles, as they allow you to work efficiently and effectively with others. Teamwork skills are very much a blend of communication and interpersonal skills, but there are specific soft skills, like collaboration, empathy, honesty, and integrity that will determine whether you can thrive in a team setting.

Best Hard Skills to add on your resume:

1. digital skills:.

In 2023 and beyond, you’d be hard-pressed to find a business that doesn’t rely largely on digital interaction and processes to get their products and services to market. So, adding digital skills means that employers will know that you can use a tablet, computer, mobile phone, and the internet to communicate, research, transact, manage tasks, and create. Examples of hard digital skills include market research, social media marketing, SEO, email marketing, digital project management, software development, and much more.

2. Design skills

Design skills start with foresight and imagination, and the ability to envision things that aren’t yet made. In that way, they are similar to creative skills. Other than that, design skills include a range of hard skills that depend on your profession, including coding abilities, branding skills, typography skills, architectural software skills, Adobe apps skills, Illustration skills, physics and engineering skills, and more. Design skills are vital to jobs that involve product innovation, marketing, and more.

3. Project management skills

Whether you’re applying for a post in marketing, product or service development, or something like events planning, project management skills are those skills that allow you to take a project (often requiring numerous employees and teams) all the way from ideation to completion. There are a range of factors involved and a number of hard and soft skills. Examples of PM skills include budgeting, scope planning, risk assessment stakeholder communication, problem-solving, team leadership, delegation, digital project management administration, and more.

4. Data analysis skills

Data analysis skills are important because they allow you to absorb, quantify, categorize, analyze, collate, and draw conclusions from data such as statistics , sales figures, customer queries and complaints, product tests, and more. Data analysis skills are essential to a range of roles and include hard and soft skills such as math, statistics , calculus, linear algebra, detail orientation, logical thought, troubleshooting, speed reading, database management, data mining, and more.

5. Customer service skills

Customer service skills are your ability to offer knowledge and support to prospective and existing customers and to act as the face of a business. As such, these are essential skills for a range of businesses. Core customer service skills include soft skills like discernment and emotional intelligence, communications skills, and persuasion skills, and hard skills like SaaS support, POS skills, FOH skills, outbound call skills, product/industry knowledge skills, and more.

6. Language skills

Language skills include proficiency in native and foreign language reading, writing, listening, and speaking, and they can be included among communication skills as well. In today’s globalized world and online marketplace, multilingual skills are in high demand. Employers are often willing to pay more for multilingual candidates, especially in fields like international business, hospitality, tourism, human resources , and more. Language skills are, however, largely made up of hard skills because language proficiency is a technical and measurable skill set. Correct use and grasp of grammar, syntax, tone, diction, vocabulary, and contextual language are essential in the professional world because they allow you to absorb and offer information in a way that is more accurate, conclusive, concise, and business-like.

7. Content writing skills

Incorporating many of the language skills mentioned above, content writing includes knowledge of formats, annotation systems, referencing skills, and tonal parameters that apply to all different types of business, sales, and marketing content. Companies value content writing skills because, using hard skills like knowledge of online content formats, research and referencing, SEO, and sales funneling, a content writer can target, engage, and convert new customers while retaining existing ones with regular, high-value content.

8. Marketing skills

Marketing is a powerful skill set that incorporates other skills like content writing, customer service, data analysis, communication, creativity, and problem-solving. Marketing allows businesses to target markets, figure out how to appeal to and reach those markets, and then effectively (and in conjunction with content writers, web designers, and other key members) funnel clients down the path to conversion. Marketing includes a broad range of highly technical hard skills as well, including UX design, CRM, CMS, CRO, marketing automation, social media and ad marketing, PPC, SEO, SEM, and more.

How Many Resume Skills Should You Put?

The number of skills to include on your resume will depend on the job you’re applying for, your industry, and your experience level. For example, an experienced software engineer may list 20 skills. However, for an entry-level job seeker, 8-10 skills are sufficient, and any more than that will be unlikely to be read by a hiring manager or recruiter .

Also, someone in a less technical field (like sales or customer service) might only need 8-10 skills on their resume, even if they have a few years of experience.

Overall, my recommendation as a recruiter is that you should have somewhere between 8 and 20 skills on your resume. You should list both hard and soft skills, but it’s more important to include hard skills. These are the skills that hiring managers look for first and foremost on your resume; soft skills are secondary.

Resume Skills Section Guide With Examples

Let’s look at some good examples of resume Skills sections (which you can also name “Core Competencies,” “Professional Skills,” etc.) Your goal when writing this resume section is to highlight your most relevant skills for the job, all in one place. So you want the list to be easy to read. I suggest one or two columns. 

And you don’t just want to list random skills. And you don’t want to list the same skills for every job! You really want to research the job and company (starting with the job description) and put the skills and keywords THEY mention. This is called “tailoring” your resume and will immediately boost the number of interviews you receive. I wrote a guide on the easiest way to do this HERE . (It’s much easier than people think).

So you really need to be looking at the specific job description for keywords.

Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to put together your Skills section. Here are some sample skills sections so you can see what it might look like:

Resume Skills Section Example #1 – Bullet Point format:

This resume skills section example is for a salesperson. You can see it contains a lot of keywords, and also highlights what this person is best at. That’s what you should aim to do.

Remember, don’t just guess which skills and keywords the employer wants. Study the job description.

Resume Skills Section Example #2:

This is another example of a simple layout for this section on your resume, this time using two columns.

Choose a format that is simple and not distracting. You want the employer’s attention to be on your skills and qualifications, not on your resume’s formatting.

If you take one idea away from these sample skill sections of a resume, it should be that the section is meant to be simple and clutter-free, and should only feature your top relevant skills for the jobs you’re pursuing now. It’s not a place to list every single skill you’ve ever used, and it shouldn’t have as much content as other, more important, sections like your resume work experience.

Resume Skills Section Example #3 – Skills Matrix Format:

Communication | Problem-Solving | Time Management | Teamwork | Technical Skills

Excellent verbal and written communication skills | Strong analytical and creative problem-solving abilities | Proficient in prioritizing tasks and meeting deadlines | Collaborative and able to work effectively in team settings | Proficient in MS Office and Google Workspace

Now, let’s look at examples of resume skills sections for popular professions:

1. Software Developer:

• Programming Languages: Java, Python, C++
• Web Development: HTML, CSS, JavaScript
• Database Management: SQL, MySQL
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and debugging skills
• Collaboration: Experienced in working in Agile development teams

2. Marketing Coordinator:

• Digital Marketing: SEO, SEM, PPC
• Social Media Management: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
• Content Creation: Copywriting, blogging, content strategy
• Analytics: Google Analytics, data analysis
• Project Management: Organizing campaigns, coordinating with stakeholders

3. Registered Nurse:

• Patient Care: Assessing, planning, and implementing patient care
• Medical Procedures: IV insertion, wound care, medication administration
• Communication: Effective patient and family communication
• Critical Thinking: Rapid decision-making in emergency situations
• Team Collaboration: Working closely with doctors and healthcare professionals

4. Sales Representative:

• Relationship Building: Cultivating and maintaining client relationships
• Negotiation: Effective in closing deals and achieving sales targets
• Presentation Skills: Delivering persuasive sales presentations
• CRM Software: Proficient in Salesforce or other CRM platforms
• Prospecting: Identifying and pursuing new sales opportunities

5. Graphic Designer:

• Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
• Typography: Knowledge of various typefaces and layout design
• Branding: Creating visually consistent brand identities
• User Experience (UX): Designing intuitive user interfaces
• Attention to Detail: Ensuring accuracy and precision in design wor

More Ideas of Skills to Include

If you’ve read the tips above and are still thinking, “I don’t have enough key skills to put on my resume,” here are a few ideas to help you… Along with looking at the job description for the role you’re applying for, you can also look at job descriptions for roles you’ve previously held. Which skills did you use most?

Look at current or most recent work, too. What did your typical week look like? Sit down and think about which skills you used the most throughout a normal week. Remember to think about hard skills and soft skills. That should help you come up with more ideas.

You can also look at LinkedIn’s list of skills that are available for your LinkedIn profile . (LinkedIn suggests skills when you go edit this section of your profile).

You can look at peers/colleagues on LinkedIn, too, to see which skills they’ve chosen! Look at a few current coworkers, for example. Which skills are they mentioning? Those are good skills to list on your LinkedIn and your resume, too. The LinkedIn skills section is a great way to get resume ideas overall.

You can also learn something new that will make you more attractive to employers…

I recommend doing this by taking a course via LinkedIn Learning and then adding it to your resume Skills section). This is a great option if you’re job searching after being unemployed because it shows employers you’re keeping your skills current and staying active.

You can learn soft skills like body language (this could help you if you’re in sales, customer service, etc.) or hard skills like front-end web development, social media management, and more.

Tip: Employers Want to See Where You Used Each Skill, Too

In general, employers want to see where and when you used each skill (especially for hard skills). So don’t just rely on a Skills section. You should put equal (or more) time into writing your work experience section and your resume bullets ).

Also, put effort into your resume summary paragraph.

I typically read those sections first as a recruiter. That’s where I can see which key skills you’ve used most in your career. In fact, even if you put your skills section very high up on a resume, I usually skip it and only return to read it AFTER I check out your recent work experience and bullets!

The bottom line is: Recruiters and hiring managers don’t want to see a big list of skills with no reference to where each skill was used… at least not at first. And they especially do not want to see a long list of soft skills. They’re mostly looking for hard skills and key skills from the job posting when they first glance at your resume.

So keep this in mind when writing your skills list. The hiring manager might skip it and look for your experience section first.

This resume section still has value – as a secondary place to show off your abilities and core competencies, and as a place to fill your resume with great keywords so you can get past the ATS (applicant tracking system). But the biggest mistake I see job seekers making is relying on the skills section too much to get interviews or get the employer’s attention.

Be Prepared to Answer Interview Questions About the Skills You’ve Listed

If you say you’re an expert in Phone Sales, Digital Marketing , Social Media Marketing, Customer Service, or any other hard skill… you need to be ready to defend this in an interview. If you say you’ve done a lot of time management, be prepared with examples. If you say problem-solving is one of your strengths , be ready to back it up with a success story!

They will want to know where you used that skill and details about how you used it and what results you got in recent jobs. And if you say you’re an “expert” at something, they might ask what makes you an expert. So if you’re not an expert or highly proficient, don’t say you are. You can still list the skill, but don’t exaggerate and go overboard by saying “expert.”

I made this mistake early in my career, costing me the job! I said the word “expert” when describing my Microsoft Excel skills, and they asked me about it in an interview and I completely crumbled. I wasn’t an expert and I wasn’t ready to defend why I had said that on my skills list.

Also, don’t list skills you’ve never used. Even if they do hire you, you could immediately be fired if they discover you lied about your skills in your interview. Lying in your job search is usually not a good tactic. So be honest when listing skills on your resume, and review your own resume as you prepare for the interview so you’re not caught off-guard by the interview questions they ask .

You should be ready to answer questions related to any or all skills mentioned in your resume skills section – both soft and hard skills.

What Not to Include in Your Resume Skills Section

Quality over quantity always wins, and this applies while listing resume skills. Highlighting the most relevant skills in your resume is important. Otherwise, your resume may look disorganized and unfocused. Therefore, avoid listing every skill you possess, and follow these tips to ensure your skills align with the job posting. 

1. Irrelevant Skills : Only include skills directly related to the job you’re applying for. Avoid listing unrelated or outdated skills, as they can take up valuable space on your resume and distract from your qualifications.

2. Generic Skills : Avoid using overly broad or generic skills that are not specific or actionable. Instead, highlight skills specific to the job and industry you’re targeting.

3. Obvious Skills : Skip listing skills considered basic or commonly expected in the industry. For example, including “proficient in Microsoft Office Suite” may not be necessary, as it is generally expected in most professional roles.

4. False or Exaggerated Skills : Be honest about your skills and avoid exaggerating or fabricating information. Employers may verify your skills during hiring, and misrepresenting your abilities can have negative consequences.

Recap: Putting the Right Skills in a Resume

• Choose 8-20 skills, depending on your industry and level of experience
• Put mostly hard skills and skills that relate directly to the employer’s job
• Avoid putting too many soft skills; employers will judge this primarily in the interview and aren’t looking for soft skills as much on your resume
• Whenever listing a hard skill, make sure also to mention it on your work experience; employers want to see where you used each skill, too, and this is how to show them
• Use the job description to identify important skills for this position
• Include exact phrases from the job description to improve your chances of getting past automated job application systems
• If you need more ideas for which skills to put, review past jobs you’ve held and/or look at peers on LinkedIn to see skills they’ve chosen
• Use one or two columns and simple formatting to make your Skills section easy to read
• Never put your Skills section before your Employment History section on your resume
• If you’re an entry-level job seeker, never put your Skills section before your Education section
• Be prepared to answer interview questions about any skills listed on your resume
• Avoid including irrelevant or generic skills, obvious skills, and false or exaggerated skills in the skills section. 

If you read the tips above, you now know how to write a great skills section of a resume, including examples of what it should look like.

You also know the other important pieces to focus on, like your resume work experience . If you follow these guidelines that I shared, you’ll get more interviews and get noticed by better employers in your job search.

About the Author

Read more articles by Biron Clark

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800+ Resume Examples and Guide for 2024

Browse top resume examples by job, industry, format, and experience level. Our team of Certified Professional Resume Writers (CPRW) creates and approves every sample.

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Whether you have written numerous resumes or you’re gearing up to write your very first resume, good resume examples can help you write better, more effective resumes that get interviews. That’s why we’ve provided this guide with hundreds of professional resume examples for 2024. 

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#1: Teacher resume example

Pat Summers is a recent college graduate who wants to showcase his education and relevant coursework in a way that positions him as a strong candidate for his first professional teaching job.

This is a good beginning teacher resume example for Pat because it:

• Contains a career objective , which is more useful than a professional summary for a  first-time job seeker.
• Highlights Pat’s summary of qualifications prominently, along with the professional skills she gained as a student teacher.
• Makes it easy to find Pat’s education credentials.

#2: Registered nurse resume example

As a recent immigrant, Lucy Garcia has limited work experience in her new country. She wants to highlight the job-relevant skills and work experience she gained in her home country in a way that demonstrates to potential employers that she is a top job candidate in her field.

This is a good registered nurse resume for Lucy because it:

• Prominently displays the 10 + years of progressive work experience Lucy gained in her home country.
• Highlights Lucy’s nursing education and certification.
• Uses a career objective to explain Lucy’s career goals — a good choice for someone applying for a job in a new country.

#3: Accountant example resume

Kiara is an accountant with nearly a decade of experience. Kiara wants to emphasize her rise from junior accountant to senior accountant and the technical skills  she has acquired.

This is a good accountant resume for Kiara because it:

• It highlights her consistent work history in a chronological resume format.
• Has a professional summary that highlights Kiara’s accountant-specific job skills.
• Displays examples of measurable achievements to show hiring managers the impact Kiara made in previous jobs.

#4: Caregiver resume example

Mariah Howe has recently retired and is looking to return to the workforce part-time. She wants to address her time away from the workforce while showcasing her relevant skills and work experience so hiring managers see her as a strong job candidate.

This is a good caregiver sample resume for Mariah because it:

• Tells hiring managers that she is retired and looking for part-time work.
• Displays Mariah’s extensive work experience and robust skill set prominently.
• Shows Mariah’s recent business certifications, which convey that she has stayed up to date in the industry.

#5: Student resume sample

As a recent high school graduate with limited work experience, Malakai Hansen wants to emphasize his volunteer experience, extracurricular activities and academic achievements to secure his first job.

This is a good student resume example because:

• It highlights transferable skills in a career objective that tells hiring managers that Malakai is a high school graduate looking for entry-level work.
• It displays extracurricular and volunteer activities to show that Malakai has relevant experience.
• It emphasizes Malakai’s mixed skill set and explains how he used his skills in various activities.

#6: Graphic designer

Lukas Hughes is a mid-career professional currently employed but wants a senior position. He wants to showcase his steady work history and display his skills prominently.

This is a good resume example for a graphic designer because It:

• Highlights Lukas’s certifications, which set him apart from other graphic designers.
• Emphasizes his skills as much as his work experience.
• Includes his graphic design portfolio so he can share his work with potential employers.

#7: Finance executive resume example

As a finance executive with several years of work experience, Lennox Phillips wants to showcase her achievements and skill set while condensing her work history in a way that helps her stand out to hiring managers.

This is a good finance executive resume example because it:

• Presents a mix of skills suitable for a finance executive with more than five years of experience. 
• Has a professional summary — a better option than a resume objective for someone with many years of experience in the same field. 
• Clearly displays Lennox’s relevant, progressive work experience in reverse chronological order.

#8: Personal trainer sample resume

Taylor Houston has extensive experience in his field but wants to change careers. He wants to convey that he can transfer his skills to his new industry and highlight his relevant experience so hiring managers see him as a top candidate for a role in his target field.

This is a good personal trainer resume example for a career transition because it:

• Highlights the technical knowledge and transferable skills Taylor can carry over to his desired career. 
• Shows Taylor’s impact on his clients in his work as a personal trainer.
• Uses an objective statement to explain Taylor’s goals for his new profession.

#9: Business Operations Manager

As a non-native English speaker, Allan Durham wants to clearly and effectively communicate his skills and work experience so potential English-speaking employers know he is a qualified job candidate.

This is a good sample resume for an experienced  business operations manager because it: 

• Conveys Allan’s top achievements from her more than 15-year career in project management.
• Displays a mix of hard and soft skills.
• Emphasizes Allan’s professional certification in project management and his graduate degree in his summary.

#10: Customer service representative job resume example

Daniela Murray is a stay-at-home parent returning to the workforce. She wants to emphasize her transferable skills and explain the gap in her work history compellingly so hiring managers focus on her job-relevant strengths.

This is a good customer service representative job resume example for Daniela because it:

• Tells hiring managers immediately that she is a stay-at-home parent returning to the workforce.
• Presents her professional certifications in a separate section.
• Displays Daniela’s skills prominently.

Resume examples by industry

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Accounting resume examples (12)

Use our professional resume samples to see how to write a good resume, emphasizing your attention to detail, ability to work with numbers and knowledge of essential software like Microsoft Excel.

• Accounting Administrator
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• Cost Accountant
• Internal Auditor
• Project Accountant
• Staff Accountant
• Staff Auditor

This resume example features a professional summary highlighting the candidate’s top qualifications. Use this example to create your resume in our Resume Builder. It offers:

• Step-by-step guidance
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• Different formats to download and save

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Review some of these samples of a resume for administrative work for resume ideas to feature your organizational and collaboration skills.

• Accounts Administrator
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• Auto Title Clerk
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• Front Office Assistant
• Gym Receptionist
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• Medical Billing Professional
• Medical Office Assistant
• Medical Receptionist
• Non Profit Administrative Assistant
• Office Assistant
• Office Manager
• Personal Assistant
• Procurement Analyst
• Procurement Specialist
• Entry Level Receptionist
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Administrative

This example of a resume features quantifiable metrics to better present the candidate’s work experience. Use this resume sample to build your resume in our Resume Builder. It offers:

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In addition to our featured example resume for billings and collections, we offer more examples of resumes for jobs to help you shine in this industry.

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• Accounts Receivable Clerk
• Billing Specialist
• Collections Representative
• Collections Team Lead
• Debt Collection Manager
• Night Auditor
• Payroll Analyst
• Payroll Manager
• Payroll Specialist

Billing & Collections

This resume sample is excellent for mid-level candidates with a few years of experience, emphasizing your skills at the top of the page, followed by work history.  Use this example to build your resume in our Resume Builder. It offers:

Business operations resume samples (14)

Examples of resumes for jobs in your field can help you write a great resume. These professional resume examples for leadership jobs show how to display your interpersonal skills.

• Business Development Associate
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• General Manager
• ISO Management Representative
• Senior Liaison Officer
• Liaison Officer
• Operations Manager
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Business Operations

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Use these samples of resumes as guides for displaying your interpersonal skills and ability to keep the household organized.

• After School Program Director
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• Playground Supervisor

This example of a resume for a nanny is perfect for candidates with employment gaps. It features different skills sections and places less emphasis on the work history. Edit it in our Resume Builder! It offers:

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As detailed in the examples of good resumes for computer software jobs below, list programs required for the position and any additional certifications or training you have in software.

• Cloud Computing Engineer
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• Senior Software Engineer
• Java Developer
• Remote Software Engineer
• Senior Engineering Manager
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Computer Software

With a focus on work experience, this resume example is perfect for candidates with many years of experience. Edit this resume using our Resume Builder! It offers:

Construction resume examples (22)

Let our construction work resume examples help you stress special skills like specialties, such as plumbing or electrical systems.

• Apprentice Carpenter
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• Chief Estimator
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• Construction Laborer
• Construction Manager
• Construction Safety Officer
• Construction Site Supervisor
• Construction Worker
• Finish Carpenter
• Flooring Installer
• General Contractor
• General Laborer
• Journeymen Masons Bricklayers
• Oil And Gas Field Supervisor
• Senior Project Manager
• Project Manager
• Project Superintendent
• Roofing Estimator

Construction

This functional resume example divides your skills into three categories: summary of qualifications, professional skills and skills. You can edit this resume using our Resume Builder! It offers:

Culinary job resume samples (18)

Find a resume example for a job in the culinary field from these sample resumes and grab some ideas to showcase your expertise with specific cuisines and ability to collaborate with others.

• Bakery Assistant
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• Indian Chef
• Personal Chef
• Restaurant Assistant Manager
• Restaurant Chain Manager
• Restaurant General Manager
• Restaurant Manager
• Restaurant Shift Leader
• Restaurant Shift Manager
• Restaurant Shift Supervisor

Adding sections to your resume is easy when you use our Resume Builder. You can easily include new sections for your certifications or awards in this resume sample. Our Resume Builder offers:

Customer service resume examples (18)

Use an example of a resume to apply to a job in customer service, emphasizing intangible qualities such as communication, teamwork and flexibility.

• Banking Representative
• Call Center Manager
• Call Center Quality Analyst
• Call Center Representative
• Call Center Team Leader
• Camp Counselor
• Client Service Specialist
• Customer Experience Manager
• Customer Relationship Officer
• Customer Service Advisor
• Customer Service Assistant Manager
• Customer Service Representative
• Customer Service Student
• Customer Service Supervisor
• Customer Success Manager
• Director Of Member Services
• Summer Camp Counselor
• Work At Home Agent

Customer Service

This resume example features a Professional Skills section, where you can list your top three skills and how you applied them. Edit yours using our Resume Builder! It offers: 

Data & systems administration resume samples (14)

Use these great resume examples for guidance on featuring your key soft skills, such as collaboration and problem-solving.

• Backup Administrator
• Control Systems Engineer
• Cyber Security Specialist
• Data Analytics Manager
• Entry Level Database Administrator
• MIS Executive
• Entry Level Network Administrator
• Network Admin
• Entry Level Network Engineer
• Salesforce Administrator
• Salesforce Developer
• Senior Solutions Architect
• Solutions Architect
• Telecommunication Project Manager

Data & Systems Administration

When you have employment gaps, like the professional in this example of a resume, a functional format will help you by de-emphasizing that gap in your career. Create yours in our Resume Builder! It offers:

Fitness and nutrition resume examples (10)

Follow these good resume examples to see how to display your fitness training experience and any knowledge or training you’ve had in diet and nutrition programs.

• Dietary Aide
• Exercise Physiologist
• Fitness And Personal Trainer
• Gym Assistant
• Nutritionist
• Personal Trainer
• Spinning Instructor
• Wellness Director
• Yoga Instructor

Fitness & Nutrition

Use this resume example as a foundation to detail your extensive experience. Our Resume Builder makes it easy by offering:

Food service resume samples (19)

Note how these professional resume examples feature skills such as a strong work ethic, the ability to work well with others, multitasking and flexibility.

• Bar Supervisor
• Birthday Party Host
• Cafeteria Worker
• Catering Server
• Cocktail Server
• Coffee Shop Worker
• Crew Member
• Fast Food Server
• Fast Food Team Member
• Food And Beverage Manager
• Food And Beverage Server
• Food Service Specialist
• Restaurant Server
• VIP Hostess

Food Service

Let this perfect resume example guide you while creating your resume in our Resume Builder. We make resume writing easy by giving you:

Healthcare support resume samples (17)

These professional healthcare support examples for a resume cover major health support fields. Use one of these sample resumes to guide you in writing a great resume.

• Assisted Living Coordinator
• Assisted Living Executive Director
• Companion Caregiver
• Senior Healthcare Contract Analyst
• Direct Support Professional
• Healthcare Operations Manager
• Healthcare Program Manager
• Entry Level Healthcare Administrator
• Healthcare System Administrator
• Home Health Aide
• Medical Assistant
• Occupational Therapist
• Patient Coordinator
• Personal Care Assistant
• Personal Support Worker
• Phlebotomist
• Entry Level Practice Manager

Health Care Support

Demonstrate your strengths by following the lead of this resume example and explaining your work achievements instead of focusing on daily tasks. Our Resume Builder makes it easy for you to edit this resume by offering:

Information technology resume samples (9)

Take a cue from some of the best resume examples from My Perfect Resume and show off your problem-solving abilities. Let these examples of a good resume be your guide.

• Agile Project Manager
• Assistant Project Manager
• Contracts Manager
• Devops Engineer
• Global Project Manager
• Help Desk Support
• Project Management Director
• Technical Project Manager
• Technical Support Engineer

Information Technology

This resume sample uses a modern resume template, perfect for a job in information technology. Use this template to write your resume in our Resume Builder. We give you:

Medical resume examples (35)

Highlight specialized medical training and certifications using these medical job resume examples as a guide. Include experience in hospitals and private practice.

• Anesthesia Technician
• Anesthesiologist Assistant
• Certified Lactation Consultant
• Chiropractic Assistant
• Clinical Director
• Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist
• Clinical Trial Associate
• Dialysis Technician
• EKG Technician
• Emergency Department Technician
• ER Registration Clerk
• Health Information Technician
• Hospital Volunteer
• HSE Officer
• Intake Coordinator
• Intensive Care Physician
• Medical Coding Specialist
• Medical Equipment Technician
• Medical Records Specialist
• Nuclear Medicine Technologist
• OB Gyn Medical Assistant
• Ophthalmic Assistant
• Optometrist
• Pediatric Medical Assistant
• Pediatrician
• Physician Assistant
• Entry Level Physician
• Radiology Technician
• Registered MRI Technologist
• Resident Medical Officer
• Entry Level Respiratory Therapist
• Speech Language Pathologist
• Surgery Scheduler
• Ultrasound Technician

Whether you’re starting out in your career or have a large employment gap, this is the perfect resume example to use if you want the recruiter to focus on your skills. Edit it in our Resume Builder with:

Nursing resume samples (30)

We have the perfect resume examples to help you display your interpersonal and communication skills, time management, attention to detail and empathy. Choose a nursing job resume example below to get started!

• Advanced Practice RN
• Acute Care Nurse
• Aesthetic Nurse
• Chief Nursing Officer
• Geriatric Nurse Practitioner
• Hemodialysis Nurse
• Intensive Care Nurse
• Labor And Delivery Nurse
• Nurse Practitioner
• Nursing Aide And Assistant
• Entry Level Nursing Assistant
• Nursing Assistant
• Nursing Unit Clerk
• OB Gyn Nurse
• Oncology Nurse
• Operating Room Registered Nurse
• Patient Care Associate
• Patient Care Technician
• Pediatric Nurse
• Perioperative Nurse
• Pre Post Operating Nurse
• Private Duty Nurse
• Public School Nurse
• Registered Nurse
• Shift Coordinator
• Trauma Nurse

Show your skills by using this detailed resume example. Editing it is easy with our Resume Builder! Our user-friendly builder offers: 

Production resume examples (14)

A professional experience resume example from the following list of resume examples for jobs in production can show how to display licenses for operating specialized equipment.

• Apparel Production Manager
• Assembly Line Operator
• Chemical Plant Operator
• Forklift Operator
• Logistics Assistant Manager
• Machine Operator
• Picker And Packer
• Pipeline Inspector
• Pipeline Welder
• Plant Manager
• Production Manager
• Supply Chain Manager
• Telecommunications Technician

The job seeker in this resume sample details their knowledge, skills and expertise in their field. You can do it too in our Resume Builder. We give you:

Retail resume samples (14)

Use the examples of resumes below as guides to showcase your customer service skills and experience managing products and services on your retail employee resume.

• Bookstore Clerk
• Clothing Sales Associate
• Commercial Parts Pro
• Convenience Store Clerk
• District Manager
• Fine Watches Sales Specialist
• Retail Assistant Manager
• Retail Management Professional
• Retail Manager
• Retail Parts Pro
• Sales Associate
• Store Manager
• Walgreens Service Clerk

The work experience section in this resume example includes metrics showing the management of a yearly budget and the number of customers they interacted with. You can easily do the same with our Resume Builder! We offer:

Sales resume examples (29)

Like the resume samples below, it’s essential to provide details on experiences where you’ve hit sales targets. You’ll find a good resume sample among the professional experience resume examples below to help you do so.

• Automotive Assistant Manager
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• Automotive Sales Manager
• Automotive Salesperson
• Beer Sales Representative
• Bid Manager
• Car Sales Consultant
• Channel Sales Manager
• Direct Sales Representative
• Experienced Telemarketer
• Franchise Owner
• General Sales Manager
• Independent Sales Representative
• Inside Sales Representative
• International Sales Manager
• Jewelry Sales Associate
• Mobile Sales Associate
• Outside Sales Representative
• Route Sales Representative
• Sales Account Executive
• Sales Assistant Director
• Sales Assistant Manager
• Sales Representative
• Veterinary Sales Manager
• Wine Sales Manager
• Wine Sales Representative

Follow the lead of this resume sample and expand on your customer service and sales skills in our Resume Builder. We make it easy for you by offering:

Social services resume samples (23)

Show you can relate well with others and have a robust problem-solving approach, like the professionals in the social services job resume examples below.

• Behavior Technician
• Behavioral Therapist
• Case Manager
• Case Worker
• Child Protection Social Worker
• Community Development Worker
• Community Health Worker
• Community Outreach Specialist
• Community Service Coordinator
• Disability Support Worker
• Domestic Violence Counselor
• Drug And Alcohol Counselor
• Human Service Worker
• Humanitarian Aid Worker
• Juvenile Probation Officer
• Medical Social Worker
• Entry Level Social Worker
• Social Worker

Social Service

This example of a resume features two skills sections; one is a list and the other allows you to to explain how you put your top skills to use. Follow its lead in our Resume Builder, where we help you by providing:

Teaching example resumes (24)

The following professional resume examples for teaching job resumes focus on important intangible skills such as communication, enthusiasm and patience.

• Adjunct Professor
• Assistant Teacher
• Entry Level College Professor
• Early Childhood Assistant
• Early Childhood Teacher
• Elementary Teacher
• English Teacher
• ESL Teacher
• Foreign Language Teacher
• High School Social Studies Teacher
• High School Teacher
• Homeschool Teacher
• Language Professor
• Master French Teacher
• Middle School Teacher
• Nurse Educator
• Piano Teacher
• Preschool Teacher
• Public Health Advisor
• Retired Teacher
• Spanish Teacher
• Summer Teacher

Like this resume sample, take the time to provide relevant work experience and top qualifications that make you the best candidate. We make it easier for you with our Resume Builder, which offers:

More popular industry examples

If you want to browse other resume examples sorted by industry, click one of the links below. Certified Professional Resume Writers create all of our resumes.

My Perfect Resume is loved by job seekers and recruiter-approved

Resume examples by work experience level, student resume example.

This resume example uses a modern template that boldly highlights your name and provides the space to expand on your qualifications. Use our Resume Builder to make it your own with:

Sample of a resume for a student

• Highlight your skills and training and review no experience resume samples for ideas on how to build it.  
• Similar to this sample resume, emphasize your most relevant skills and training.
• Organize your skills section to address the job requirements.
• This resume sample features a university student, but we have great general resume examples for high school students too.

Recent college grad resume example

If you just graduated from college, use this resume sample as inspiration to put together your credentials, skills and work experience. You can easily edit it with our Resume Builder. It gives you:

Sample resume for a recent college graduate

• This is an excellent resume example for college graduates because it highlights skills over work experience . 
• Like this example of a resume for a college graduate, use extracurricular and volunteer experiences in your job history section. 
• Stress-related certifications and relevant training like the graduate in our resume sample.
• A no experience resume sample for job seekers without experience might also be helpful.

 Experienced resume sample

This example of a resume is ideal for candidates who want to impart professionalism. Edit it in our Resume Builder! It offers:

Resume sample for an experienced job seeker

• This resume sample balances work history and skills.
• Like the job applicant in this professional resume example, display previous work accomplishments , using numbers whenever possible.
• Include a mix of relevant soft and hard skills in your skills section as the applicant does in our resume sample for experienced job seekers.
• Review more examples of a resume in your particular field for ideas.

Managerial resume example

Show your expertise by following this managerial resume sample. Using our Resume Builder, you can easily include your work experience and other relevant sections. It offers:

Sample resume for an experienced manager

• Use our professional resume examples when writing a manager resume.
• This is a good resume example because it shows how experienced professionals can highlight their work history. 
• Display your last 10 to 15  years of work experience on one-to-two pages, as shown in our sample resume.
• Highlight specific projects and accomplishments that show you can lead a team to success, similar to this example of a good resume for a manager.

Career change resume example

This resume sample highlights transferable skills and relevant experience. Use our Resume Builder to edit it and make it your own with:

Example of a resume for a career change

• Use this resume example to apply for a job when changing careers.
• Our professional resume example shows that career changers often emphasize experience and skills.
• Follow this sample resume for a career change and other examples of strong resumes, and emphasize transferable skills and work achievements that apply to the new job.
• Consider using a resume objective statement to explain why you are changing careers like the job applicant in our sample of a resume for career changers.

What to put on your resume

Contact information:.

Ensure your information is professional and up to date. Research shows that only 1 in 10 resumes display portfolios or professional social media profiles, so highlight yours here if you have them.  This sample of a professional resume shows how to display your contact information correctly.

Professional summary:

If you have a consistent work history, introduce yourself with a resume summary. If you are a new job seeker or changing careers, use a resume objective instead. We have 100+ examples of resume objectives and resume summaries to inspire you. 

Work experience:

Display your resume accomplishments in a bulleted list, use action words for impact, and remember to match your experience to the job requirements. Studies show that 73% of resumes are rejected for not having relevant work experience.

The skills section on a resume  is vital.  Feature a mix of relevant hard and soft skills like this example of a resume, and highlight technical and computer skills if they will help you stand out.

List your latest educational credentials in reverse-chronological order. Browse our sample resumes and review examples of resume education sections for ideas.

The perfect resume layout

After choosing a resume format, you only need a professionally designed resume template . Then, fill in the five essential resume sections shown in our example resume and add optional ones if needed. That’s the secret to a perfect resume layout every time.

Now, you’re ready to choose a great resume example and write a resume that hiring managers can’t resist!

Best resume formats with examples

Use the following guidelines and samples of resumes to choose the best resume format.

This functional resume example includes a certifications section where you can add any additional training or certificates you may possess. Fill it out with your information in our Resume Builder! It offers:

Functional resume

The functional resume format fits first time or inexperienced job seekers. The entry-level experience sample resume above features different skills sections to emphasize abilities over experience.

Get more functional resume examples.

Combination

With the right balance between skills and work experience, this combination resume sample is a great template for mid-level candidates to use as a foundation. Use this format in our Resume Builder and create a resume with:

Combination resume

The combination resume format suits career changers and experienced job applicants. Our example of a resume for mid-level job seekers is an example of a good resume because it balances work history and skills.

Get more combination resume examples.

Chronological

Like other resumes that employ this format, this example of a resume uses a single column to direct the recruiter from your professional summary down to your education. Edit it in minutes using our Resume Builder, which gives you:

Chronological resume

The chronological resume format works best for those with plenty of experience in a specific industry. The resume sample above is a good resume sample because it illustrates perfectly how this format works.

Get more chronological resume examples.

For more tips on these resume format examples visit our Resume Formats library.

Get started with a winning resume template

Benefits of using resume examples in your job search.

You can’t lose when using resume examples when updating or writing a resume because they:

• Can help you choose a resume format. 
• Help you organize your thoughts. 
• Show you the difference between a resume summary and objective. 
• Give your resume action verbs to make your work history section pop. 
• Help you create a compelling work experience section.
• Inspire you to expand your skills section. 
• Display correct resume formatting and resume-friendly fonts . 
• Give you ideas for an eye-catching resume design.
• Show you how to add your contact information correctly. 
• Guide you when you’re applying for your first job. 
• Help you avoid common resume writing mistakes.

Why should I use your sample resumes?

MyPerfectResume offers some of the best resume examples to help you write an expert resume thanks to the following features:

• Content written by experts: Every resume sample we offer is created and reviewed by a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) — which means our examples contain the perfect content for you to emulate in your resume.
• Hundreds of resume samples at your fingertips: We’ve gathered examples and essential writing tips for dozens of industries and thousands of occupations. If a job is out there, we have a great resume example.
• ATS-friendly: Our professional resume examples are built to pass ATS programs , so you’ll be sure your resume gets past the bots.
• Our sample resumes can be used with our Resume Builder. Create a polished resume in minutes! Simply click any resume examples for a job title that matches yours and edit it with our Resume Builder . We’ll take it from there!

How do you write a good resume?

Writing a resume boils down to the following:

• Choosing the right resume format (chronological, functional or combination).
• Selecting a professional resume example appropriate for the job.
• Picking an appropriate resume template .
• Adding your contact information. 
• Writing a resume summary or objective statement.
• Filling out your work history.
• Including a mix of relevant skills
• Creating a section for certifications, licenses and training.
• Adding optional credentials, such as awards, if you have them.

The best resumes are customized for the job. Statistics show that 63% of recruiters prefer resumes personalized to the open position, so don’t forget to tailor your resume to the specific job requirements. Our Resume Builder can help you!

What do employers look for in a resume in 2024?

Employers want to know one thing: Are you the right person for the job? Expert resumes always address the job’s major requirements and responsibilities thoroughly. 

Here are our top tips for creating a perfect resume in 2024:

• Using an example of a U.S. resume for guidance, highlight skills and accomplishments from previous employers that match the job requirements. 
• Avoid listing activities or abilities that aren’t relevant to your desired job. Our samples of business resumes show how to display your work experience effectively.
• Give your resume a professional layout like our professional resume samples and avoid graphics or fonts that might confuse employers.
• Keep your document short and sweet, like our sample resumes.

Check out what to put on a resume for additional guidance from career experts.

What should not be included in a resume in 2024?

Here’s what you won’t see in the best resume examples of 2024:

• A list of references . References can help a job search but don’t add them to your resume. Employers will likely ask you to submit them separately if needed. 
• Too much personal information. Your resume contact information should never include your date of birth, marital status or religion. Notice how our job application resume samples show only the job applicant’s name, phone number, email address, location and professional social and web profiles.
• Jargon and clichés. Write in plain, simple language and use facts and figures to show how you’re good at what you do, like the professionals in our resume examples for job applications.

What are some common mistakes to avoid in resumes?

Here are some common mistakes to avoid when creating a good resume:

• Typos and grammatical mistakes: You’d be surprised how often a single misspelling can torpedo a resume. Proofread your resume a few times before you send it in. You can also use the tools in our Resume Builder to review your document.
• Inaccurate or exaggerated information: Providing outdated, misleading or incorrect information reflects poorly on your attention to detail. A strong resume example will have no mistakes.
• Using a “one-size-fits-all” resume: Good resumes are customized. Every job is different, so every resume you send for a job application should be different. Always update your resume whenever you send it in for a new job. Broaden your horizons by learning how to write a Canadian resume , which will help you customize to their market.

We recommend trying out an AI resume builder to make your resume. They have built-in spell check and additional features to ensure that your resume is error-free. 

How should I use the examples of resumes on this page?

My Perfect Resume resume samples are a great source of inspiration for job seekers. Our sample resumes cover all resume categories and include experienced as well as no-experience professional resume samples. Plus, they are divided by jobs and industries, so you can find the one that applies to you and use it as a foundation for your resume. From our 800+ professional resume examples, you can get an idea of what to list as skills, how to highlight work experience and what an excellent professional summary looks like.

Do you have cover letter examples as well?

Yes! My Perfect Resume has over 250 cover letter examples for various jobs and industries. We also have cover letter templates and a great guide on how to write a cover letter , where you can learn all the tips and tricks to create a cover letter that stands out.

Do you have an example of a 2 page resume?

We recommend that most job seekers keep resumes to one page as much as possible, so we do not offer examples of two-page resumes. Our CV resume samples might help you if you need a longer resume.

Do you have strong resume examples for professional IT resumes?

Yes, we offer resume examples for experienced professionals as well as no-experience resume examples in information technology in our collection of examples of professional resumes on this page.

Where are awards in a resume sample?

Add optional sections like awards or honors at the bottom of your resume, under education.

How do I write the work experience section of a resume?

A good resume work experience section will list three-to-five resume bullet point examples of measured accomplishments for each job displayed and will not show a list of job duties or tasks performed. A good resume bullet points example might look like this: 

“Sold 500 widgets in one week.” 

For inspiration, look closely at the work experience in the resume samples on this page. 

Do you have college graduate resume examples?

Yes, we offer a variety of college graduate resume examples, along with internship resume examples, student resume examples and samples of resumes for all levels in most fields. No matter which you choose, our resume samples will help ensure you do not write a generic resume. Our excellent resume examples are varied, so you can get ideas for writing customized resumes no matter your career goals.

Do you have CV examples?

Yes! If you need a CV vs a resume , we have 300+ CV examples and tips on how to make a CV effectively, so you can get the job you want.

Key takeaways

• Sample resumes for job applications are great tools when writing resumes because they provide ideas for each section of a resume and show you how to format a resume correctly. 
• Highlight measurable accomplishments on your resume. 
• Every resume you write should be tailored to the job description. 
• My Perfect Resume resume samples are designed by professionals and meet all the requirements for a good resume.
• For best results, choose an example of a resume that matches your job title, industry and experience level.
• Study examples of resume formats to help you pick the best resume format for you.

How we reviewed this article

Since 2013, we have helped more than 15 million job seekers. We want to make your career journey accessible and manageable through our services and Career Center’s how-to guides and tips. In our commitment to bring you a transparent process, we present our Editorial Process .

• Fennell, Andrew, Resume statistics, Study, recruiter survey and analysis of 25,000 resumes
• 83 Must-Know Resume Statistics 2023 Data on Length, Cover Letters & Valuable Skills

Rate this article

Resume Examples

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Kellie Hanna, CPRW

Career advice expert.

Kellie is a Certified Professional Resume Writer with 20+ years of experience in digital media and is passionate about helping job seekers navigate their careers. She earned a B.A. in English and writing from Temple University.

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‡ Results derived from a study responded by 1000 participants of which 287 created a resume online.

*The names and logos of the companies referred to above are all trademarks of their respective holders. Unless specifically stated otherwise, such references are not intended to imply any affiliation or association with MyPerfectResume.

Communication Skills for Your Resume [40+ Examples and How to Improve Them]

Good communication skills can propel your personal and professional life forward. Our guide shows you examples to add to your resume and how to improve your communication quickly.

by Don Sjoerdsma, CPRW | Career Advice Expert

Published on: April 09, 2024

Table of contents

What are communication skills?

45+ good communication skills examples, how to list communication skills on your resume, how to improve your communication skills [training + courses], more skills resources, communication skills — key takeaways.

Writing emails. Giving presentations. Listening to customers.

Almost everything we do in the modern workplace involves communication.

But how do you make sure you’re using your communication skills effectively, that they’re sharp and represented well on your resume?

We’ve put together a communication skills guide to answer all of your questions and more!

This guide will cover:

• The definition of communication skills.
• Top communication skills for the 2024 job market.
• How to list communication skills on your resume.
• How to improve your communication skills.
• Bonus resources for other skill sets.

Are you working on your resume? If so, have you considered using a resume builder ? Builders are a great way to put together your resume quickly — and you’ll get hundreds of communication skills ideas you can list on your resume with a click.

Let’s say you’re a customer service agent working in a store. You greet customers warmly to make everyone feel welcome and listen attentively to their needs. Your body language makes it clear that you’re engaged and ready to help.

You’re displaying excellent communication skills. Communication skills are the exchange of information and ideas between people through speaking, writing and nonverbal cues .

Why are communication skills so important?

Good communication breeds understanding, better relationships and self-confidence. If you communicate well, you can solve problems, make important decisions and boost your professional growth .

On that note, communication skills are important in virtually every industry, from information technology (IT) to hospitality to sales . You can’t go wrong by building your skill set.

Next, we’ll help you identify some of the most common and critical types of communication skills.

There’s more variety to communication skills than you might think. There are dozens of different types of communication skills, from verbal to nonverbal to interpersonal.

Most are soft skills , like storytelling or empathy, but others fit the hard skill mold, like your ability to use specific communication platforms. Let’s dive into some of the most important communication skills in today’s world.

Verbal communication

Talking is one of the most immediate ways we communicate with one another. From strangers to close friends, we rely on verbal communication to convey our thoughts, feelings and intentions clearly and effectively. Here are a few skills that fall under this umbrella.

• Articulation
• Conciseness
• Negotiation
• Public speaking
• Storytelling
• Questioning
• Summarizing
• Paraphrasing

Nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication is the secret weapon of many of the best communicators in the world. There have been a number of studies on the subject, and they’ve found that somewhere between 70-93% of communication is nonverbal . That’s a lot! Below are some of the specific skills that fit the subject.

• Nonverbal cues
• Body language interpretation
• Tone analysis
• Visualization

Written communication

Writing well takes practice. When you nail it, though, the feeling is very rewarding. Here are a few skills that relate to the written word. See our guide on writing skills for much more detail.

• Reading comprehension

Interpersonal communication

How we relate to one another one-on-one is so important, whether you’re courting a new relationship or trying to collaborate in the workplace. Mastering these skills can lead to more effective teamwork, improved relationships and a deeper understanding of those around us.

• Assertiveness
• Giving feedback
• Receiving feedback
• Emotional intelligence
• Conflict resolution
• Rapport building
• Team collaboration
• Facilitation

Cognitive skills

If communication skills are a car, your brain is behind the wheel. Cognitive skills fuel our ability to process information, make decisions and solve problems. Below are the cognitive skills that relate most closely to communication.

• Open-mindedness
• Problem-solving
• Decision-making
• Critical thinking
• Adaptability
• Cultural sensitivity
• Instruction

Communication tools

Finally, we wouldn’t want to leave out the communication platforms present in today’s workplace. This list is far from exhaustive, but it highlights some of the most important tools in the digital age.

• Microsoft Teams
• Google Workspace

What’s the point of skills if you don’t have anywhere to put them? That’s where your resume comes in.

Your resume is the perfect forum to showcase your communication skills, demonstrating to potential employers that you have the expertise and experience to excel in the role you’re applying for. Let’s break it down step by step.

Highlight skills from the job description

First thing’s first — read the job ad a couple of times.

The job ad will reveal many things, including the precise skills the employer is looking for. These skills also act as keywords .

Companies program keywords into an applicant tracking system (ATS) to filter out unqualified applicants. It’s a way to avoid having to sort through the avalanche of resumes that come in after they post the job.

You can turn this to your advantage by including the relevant keywords in your resume.

Here’s how to identify communication skills in the job description (skills are in bold):

We are looking for a marketing coordinator to join our dynamic team. The ideal candidate will have strong organizational skills, excellent written and verbal communication abilities and the capacity to manage multiple projects simultaneously. Responsibilities include coordinating various marketing projects, liaising between departments and ensuring that all communications align with our brand’s voice . Team collaboration, presentation skills and stakeholder management are essential for success in this role. Experience in digital marketing and social media strategy is a plus.

Next, we’ll show you what to do with the highlighted keywords.

Create at least one skill section

Alright, what to do with the skills from the job ad? Your skills section is a great place to start.

There are many different ways to name your skills section. You could get specific with a title like “Core Competencies”   or go super simple with a header like “Skills” — either one works well.

If you’re making a functional resume, which usually has more than one skills section,  you can get creative with the headers to show the true breadth of your skill set. For example, you might have a section entirely devoted to computer skills .

Utilize bullet points to organize your skills section, making it much easier for hiring managers to read and understand at a glance.

Add the skills in each section of your resume

After you deal with the skills section, look to the rest of your resume as a possible outlet for your skills.

There’s your professional summary or resume objective at the top of your document. Even better is the work experience section . If you’ve held a few jobs, your work history should provide many, many chances to add skills.

Here’s what skills look like in your professional summary:

Dynamic marketing specialist with over five years of experience in fast-paced marketing environments. Proven track record of enhancing team communication and collaboration , managing multiple high-stakes projects with efficiency and delivering compelling presentations . Adept at written and verbal communication , with a keen ability to negotiate and manage relationships with key stakeholders . Skilled in digital marketing strategies and social media campaigns, consistently ensuring brand coherence across all platforms.

Even your education section can include skills. Simply add a list of relevant coursework or special projects completed while you were in school.

Add skills to your cover letter

Ultimately, you’ll need to go beyond your resume. In addition to adding skills to your resume — and highlighting them in your interview — weave some skills into your cover letter.

When you sit down to write your cover letter , consider how your communication skills have helped you in previous roles. Tell a story that shows how you successfully navigated a challenging conversation with a client that led to a strengthened relationship.

Finally, if you aren’t sure where to start with cover letters, consider looking at some cover letter examples . You just might find inspiration.

Since communication is so important, there are literally thousands of ways to improve this skill set. Try something from the list below — or sample a few of the options. See what works best for you. There’s no single right way to learn.

Take online courses or training workshops

Many people find online training courses very helpful. There are several platforms leading the way in providing a range of classes. Keep in mind — this list isn’t exhaustive. A quick Google search will turn up many more.

• Coursera : Offers courses in partnership with universities and organizations around the world, covering topics from public speaking to effective communication in the workplace.
• Udemy : A wide range of communication courses covering everything from interpersonal skills to business communication and public speaking.
• LinkedIn Learning : Features courses on various aspects of communication, including persuasive communication, negotiation and conflict resolution.

Engage in public speaking

What better way to improve your communication skills than practicing in front of strangers? Join a club like Toastmasters or take part in workshops where you can try out your skill set in a supportive environment.

Participate in improv classes

Give improv a try! Some may find the challenge of thinking on your feet and putting yourself out there in such a vulnerable situation a fast-track way to improve your communication skills. Here are some famous improv groups you could investigate if you live in a city. Others may want to check local community centers, theaters or even online platforms for improv classes accessible from anywhere.

• The Second City
• Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB)
• The Groundlings
• The People’s Improv Theater (The PIT)
• ImprovBoston

Familiarize yourself with communication tools

Communication comes in many different forms. Expanding your knowledge of popular communication tools will help you communicate in different contexts.

• Email platforms like Gmail and Outlook .
• Instant messaging and collaboration platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams.
• Project management tools like Trello , Asana and Monday.com .
• Social media platforms like LinkedIn, X and Facebook .
• Video conferencing tools like Zoom, Skype and Google Meet .
• Document collaboration tools like Google Docs and Microsoft 365 .
• Feedback tools like SurveyMonkey and Google Forms .

Improving your communication skills is totally feasible — anyone can do it with a little bit of practice.

Haven’t found what you’re looking for? Maybe one of our other skills guides can help:

• Hard skills vs soft skills
• Transferable skills
• 21st century skills
• Project management skills
• Time management skills
• Conflict resolution skills

Communication is a critical skill for growth

In every aspect of life, the ability to convey ideas clearly and understand others profoundly is invaluable, whether you’re aiming for personal or professional success.

Experiment with communication platforms

Familiarity with platforms like Slack, Zoom and LinkedIn can enhance your ability to connect with colleagues and industry peers, making you more versatile.

Communication is more than talking

It’s also about listening and understanding nonverbal cues. Effective communicators are those who can listen actively, interpret body language and empathize with others.

It’s never too late to improve your communication skills

From taking classes to joining Toastmasters, there are countless opportunities to refine and enhance your ability to express yourself and understand others.

Was this information helpful? Let us know!

Don Sjoerdsma, CPRW

Don is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with more than 10 years’ experience creating digital content, including four years helping job seekers develop their careers. He holds an M.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University.

Read more articles by Don Sjoerdsma, CPRW

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More From Forbes

How to list strengths and skills on your resume in 2024.

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Strategically and concisely place your skills throughout your resume to demonstrate what you're ... [+] capable of in an easy-to-read manner and to save space

One of the most crucial components of a resume is your strengths and skills section.

So many candidates make the mistake of only speaking to what they did in their work experience, but hardly any mention of what skills they developed or demonstrated within their roles. Including these skills can make all the difference between your application landing in the shortlisting pile or not.

But how exactly do you showcase your strengths and skills within your resume?

When deciding what work skills to include in your resume, and how to structure and place them strategically, there are a few conventions you need to follow and bear in mind:

1. Ensure Relevance

There's no use in listing any and every skill you've ever developed since the start of your career. You've likely built dozens of skills—but that doesn't necessarily mean that you need to include all of them. To help you decide which ones need to be excluded in an effort to keep your resume brief and concise, look at the requirements and qualifications listed in the job advert, and tailor your skills section accordingly.

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, 2. create a skills section.

Create a dedicated section for your skills and strengths. You may title it "Skills" or "Skills Highlights." While it is essential to include examples of your skills all throughout the resume, it's also important to have this separate section so that it stands out to recruiters. Place this section near the top of your resume, after the professional profile, and before you delve into your work experience.

3. Group By Category

For ease of reading and scannability purposes, you may find it more effective to categorize your strengths and skills under relevant headings, particularly if you have quite a few. For example, you can say, "Technical Skills: Adobe Photoshop, Figma, Canva, MS Office," etc. Or, if you are bilingual or multilingual, you can save space on your resume (depending on layout of course) by grouping your skills and proficiency levels under languages.

4. Balance Soft And Hard Skills

If you work in an industry that tends to have a firm reliance and emphasis on "hard," technical skills, such as the technology industry, or manufacturing, it's pretty easy to overlook soft skills, also known as power skills.

However, according to CompTIA , the professional certification body for IT certifications, soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, organization, and project management, are needed more than you realize for—yes you read right—even largely technical jobs.

For instance, communication is necessary so that you can effectively liaise with project and product managers, and other non-technical stakeholders, so it's important to showcase instances of your communication skills in action, on your resume.

5. Update Periodically

We tend to forget how amazing we are as humans. The business and rush of life can frequently overwhelm us, and we get so lost in doing work, that we forget to take note of what we've actually achieved. If you've been suddenly laid off and are scrambling to find what strengths, achievements, and skills to list on your resume, chances are, you've been a victim of this very habit.

So, every now and then, review your resume and give it a refresh. Do this exercise every time you complete a certification or training course, learn a new skill at work, or achieve something remarkable in your professional life. This ensures your resume is always up to date, so that you're never caught out, forgetting what strengths and skills you actually possess.

Every time you learn a new skill or gain a certification, update your resume—you never know when it ... [+] will be needed

Ultimately, your skills section should complement the rest of your resume—and where you lack space, you can strategically include your skills throughout other sections as well. This will help to paint a comprehensive picture of your suitability for the role.

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The 12 Best Skills to Put on Your Resume (Plus Examples)

S kills can make or break your resume. They should match the jobs you're applying for and show recruiters that you can succeed at their companies.

Sometimes companies will use applicant tracking systems (ATS) that automatically scan resumes and forward the best matches to hiring managers. Whether a human or a computer is looking over your resume, it pays to have a robust set of skills.

Below, we'll cover some skills to put on your resume, the difference between soft and hard skills and the best ways to highlight skills when communicating about your work experience:

The 12 Best Skills to Put on a Resume

Putting the right skills on your resume signals your readiness for the jobs you apply for. Almost anyone can develop these, regardless of professional background—they're huge green flags for recruiters.

1. Adaptability

Change is the only constant in business, according to Mark Cuban . The skills you develop when you start a job may not be relevant in five years, even if you're still in the same position.

Companies want employees who can adapt to changing times. Demonstrating that on your resume shows employers that you're a good long-term investment.

2. Attention to Detail

Anyone can do sloppy work. Having attention to detail means spotting the little mistakes before they become big problems.

Calling out your attention to detail on your resume sets you apart as someone who will sweat the small stuff and pursue excellence in every part of your job.

3. Communication

Virtually every job involves some amount of communication . Are you a software engineer who just wants to code? You still have to talk to clients about their needs.

Eyeballing a management role ? You'll need to successfully communicate with direct reports to give feedback and achieve team goals.

Talking about your communication skills on your resume, including listening, presentation and writing skills, shows you know how to work with others. You can also mention your communication style to make sure you're a good fit for a company's culture.

4. Creativity

The best employees are not just cogs in a machine. They stand out by thinking outside the box and offering creative new solutions to their company's problems.

But creativity doesn't necessarily mean you're artistic. If you're an analyst, it could mean drawing novel conclusions from data. If you're a manager, it could mean finding interesting new ways to engage your team.

Including creativity as a skill on your resume shows employers that you can offer value beyond the job description.

5. Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is your ability to find solutions beyond the obvious. Good critical thinkers can get to the "why" behind a problem, anticipate future problems and elevate the quality of work their teams produce.

Putting critical thinking on your resume takes your skills to the next level. It also speaks to your independence—you come up with solutions on your own, rather than relying on others.

6. Customer Service

Many jobs require some sort of customer service element. Salespeople or project managers talk to customers, helping them get exactly what they're looking for. Other workers, like copywriters or data engineers, may still meet with customers to speak to their area of expertise and demonstrate the viability of their company's work.

Don't take customer service skills for granted. They're valuable in almost any position.

7. Digital Skills

Most office jobs require basic computer literacy. Employers expect employees to know how to open computer and phone applications, send emails and sometimes use video call tools like Teams or Zoom . Being digitally literate can mean knowing when to send a quick chat vs. a long email .

These skills are absolutely worth listing on your resume, especially if you have experience with specific software or tools common in your industry.

8. Leadership

Leadership is your ability to get your team to work together toward a shared goal. It's not just important for managers—individual contributors can communicate better if they have strong leadership skills. ICs can also use leadership skills to take charge when their teams are confused and get the job done.

Putting leadership skills on your resume identifies you as someone who can bring order to a complicated workplace. It also sets you up as potential management material —someone worthy of future internal promotions at a company.

9. Organization

Many jobs require you to juggle several tasks. Organization is your ability to keep everything together, even when you have multiple deadlines or you're working for clients with very different expectations.

Highlighting your organizational skills puts you forward as a candidate who can perform the full range of job responsibilities without getting lost.

10. Problem-Solving

Good problem solvers can take projects from point A to point B in the most efficient way possible. They can also spot solutions that aren't obvious, making them invaluable to their employers.

Setting yourself up as a problem-solver makes you an excellent candidate for almost any job since this skill is so widely used.

11. Teamwork

Teamwork is your ability to function well with your immediate coworkers, but also with other teams you may encounter. It's more than just good communication; it includes good social skills and compassion for others.

Listing teamwork as a skill on your resume shows that you're ready to work in a bustling company where you're one part of a bigger whole.

12. Time Management

Many employers want things done yesterday. That's not always possible, but good time managers offer the next best thing: work that's done well and finished as soon as possible.

Introducing yourself as a good time manager shows that you'll finish tasks before they're due. That's something hiring managers love to see.

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills on Your Resume

Hard skills are what you do. Soft skills are how you get it done. Good resumes include both.

Soft Skills for Your Resume

Soft skills are non-technical aspects of work, like being a good communicator or managing your time wisely. They're relevant everywhere.

According to data from LinkedIn, 92 percent of professionals say soft skills matter as much or more than hard skills.

"Soft skills are often what set one candidate apart from another with similar technical qualifications," Dan Schawbel, Managing Partner of Workplace Intelligence, told Newsweek . "Employers look for candidates who not only have the required hard skills but also possess the interpersonal and communication skills necessary to work well with others and fit into the company culture."

The introduction of artificial intelligence in the workplace may only improve the value of soft skills.

"While AI will automate certain tasks and change the nature of work, it will also place a premium on soft skills that are uniquely human," Schawbel said. "Soft skills related to creativity, emotional intelligence, ethics, collaboration, and adaptability will continue to be highly valuable in the AI-augmented workplace, enabling individuals to work alongside AI systems effectively and ethically."

Hard Skills for Your Resume

Hard skills refer to technical knowledge that you can spend months or even years developing. These are the things you learn in specialized degree programs and job training. Connecting a website to a database, operating a complex piece of machinery and balancing a quarterly budget are all hard skills.

Most jobs require certain hard skills. You wouldn't apply to be a video editor without some knowledge of editing software and techniques.

Companies may teach some hard skills on the job. For example, teaching new salespeople how to use their unique customer relationship management (CRM) software. However, most careers require hard skills that you learn elsewhere, either in school, training or an entry-level job .

How to List Skills on Your Resume

There are two sides to listing skills on your resume: the skills you include and how you express them.

Schawbel recommends creating a dedicated "Skills" section on your resume. List hard and soft skills there.

Next, Schawbel says to back up your soft skills with specific examples from your work experience. Did you demonstrate leadership when you took command of a flailing project at your last job? Write that down, using keywords that highlight those skills like "leadership" or "teamwork." Your work experience is evidence of your skills.

Remember that recruiters and hiring managers read hundreds of resumes. You want to present your highlights without going on and on about yourself. Schawbel recommends starting each bullet point in your resume with action verbs to quickly demonstrate your skills to an employer. Use language like:

• "Collaborated with internal and external stakeholders to deliver budget analyses."
• "Wrote marketing emails that increased product engagement by 130 percent over six months."
• "Managed construction projects across multiple sites with 15 direct reports."

Stand out by presenting a different version of your resume for each new job you apply for. Tailor your skill list for each new position by looking at the job's duties and responsibilities.

If you're applying for a management position, include your leadership skills and the times you used them. Otherwise, consider leaving those off the resume and highlighting other skills.

Skills Section Examples by Job Type

Here are some examples of possible skill sections for jobs in multiple industries and experience levels. Use these as starting points to think about skills on your resume. However, you should always look at job descriptions to see exactly what skills to include.

Copywriters write content for videos, emails and other marketing collateral. They try to persuade readers or listeners to buy the product or service they're highlighting.

Hard Skills:

• Copywriting
• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Social media marketing

Soft Skills:

• Attention to detail

Data Scientist

Data scientists explore massive data sets with advanced mathematics and computer models. They work with business managers to produce actionable insights from raw data.

• Data analysis
• Data visualization
• Machine learning
• Communication
• Critical thinking
• Organization

Nurses perform a range of tasks in hospitals and other health care settings. The exact skills they need depend on their medical subfield and the type of institution they work for.

• Medical knowledge
• Medical technology
• Nursing ethics
• Patient education
• Workplace safety
• Adaptability
• Time management

Project Manager

Project managers organize work across multiple teams. They often bridge the gap between individual contributors and clients or other stakeholders. They keep projects on time and within budget.

• Negotiation
• Project management
• Technical writing

Retail Sales Associate

Retail sales associates sell items, maintain the sales floor and assist customers. This is an entry-level position, but it can be an excellent opportunity to build skills.

• Basic mathematics
• CRM or point of sale (POS) software
• Inventory management
• Customer service

Frequently Asked Questions

Still not sure what skills to put on your resume? Here we tackle some common questions.

How Many Skills Should I Put on My Resume?

You want enough skills on your resume to impress recruiters without wasting their time.

"Aim for a list of 5 to 10 key skills. This allows you to emphasize your most critical qualifications without overwhelming the reader," Schawbel says.

Should I Format My Resume for an ATS?

Don't try to write your resume for a computer. It's a myth that most applications are rejected by automated systems—HR workers read most resumes and make decisions based on their merits.

Make things easier for recruiters by organizing information well on your resume. Include a dedicated skills section and describe your work experience directly and efficiently, with callouts to the skills you've listed.

Should I Change the Skills Section for Each Job Application?

Yes. It's a good idea to write a resume draft and then modify that draft slightly for each new job application.

Be sure to mention skills that appear in the job description. Cut mentions of skills that aren't relevant to the position, so that you don't waste recruiters' time.

What Skills Should I List if I Have No Work Experience?

Without work experience, you still have life and school. Draw up a list of transferable skills you've developed throughout your life and use those on your resume.

You should have several soft skills. If you had a leadership position in school, for example, list leadership, communication and teamwork skills.

Transferable soft skills aren't always obvious, but if you put some thought into your activities you should come up with a good list. For example, practicing a musical instrument alongside school demonstrates good time management, attention to detail and creativity.

Should I Add Certifications or Trainings?

Yes. Certifications and training are outside proof of your competence in skills. They can set you apart from other candidates who don't have that kind of evidence on their resumes.

Can I List Skills That I'm Still Learning?

Yes. Feel free to list skills where you're a beginner.

Some professionals label skills with their experience level, such as "beginner," "intermediate" or "advanced."

You can also describe your experience level in your work experience. For example:

• "Learned the core functions of our company's CRM system."
• "Wrote advanced web applications with JavaScript for five years."

Once you have your resume in good condition, you can start thinking about cover letters . Then you can learn more about finding your next opportunity with our review of the best job search apps .

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• 11 Best IT Skills for Your...

11 Best IT Skills for Your Resume + Examples

14 min read · Updated on April 16, 2024

Do you know which IT skills to include in your resume?

Are you an information technology professional in the market for your next fantastic job opportunity? If so, then you know how important it is to demonstrate your core IT skills on your resume. To do that, you need to know which skills employers are looking for in today's jobs market and the best way to highlight those abilities in an IT resume. 

Fortunately, we have you covered!

In this post, we'll examine IT skills as core competencies and explore eleven key IT abilities that can help your resume stand out from the crowd. We'll also consider some tips you can use to effectively display those skills and provide some examples you can refer to as you create your own resume .

What are IT skills?

Information technology skills include an array of hard, technical abilities related to computers, networks, and similar areas of knowledge. IT professionals also need to possess certain soft/interpersonal skills that enable them to effectively work with others to communicate information and achieve common goals. The information technology field is continually evolving, so IT experts need to constantly update those skills to ensure they're keeping pace with those changes.

It's always important to remember the essential role that information technology plays in our lives. Throughout nearly every area of society, IT professionals maintain the informational and communication systems society needs to function in an orderly and efficient manner. Indeed, this technology is vital for everything from banking operations and investments to social media, communications, and everyday business activities.

Eleven of the top IT skills for your resume

Qualified information technology specialists and managers are in great demand, so you can expect to encounter tremendous competition when you're applying for a job in this field. To effectively compete, you need to ensure that you have the right computer skills in your resume. 

To help you overcome that challenge, we've compiled a list of eleven IT skills that today's employers want to see on IT resumes.

1.     Network and information security

As technology has advanced, the need to protect networks and data has grown with each passing year. To prevent bad actors from bypassing security systems, IT professionals need to be proficient in a wide array of cybersecurity-related skills – including risk analysis, digital forensics, access management, incident response best practices, and more. It's important to highlight these types of critical IT skills on your resume to demonstrate your competency in information security.

2.     Cloud computing

Companies are increasingly moving their data operations to the cloud, and many of the larger firms are relying on in-house talent to manage those efforts. Make sure that you demonstrate your cloud computing skills in your resume to convey your knowledge about cloud service platforms, data migration, cloud security, and distributed systems. 

Pro Tip: If you possess those critical skills, chances are that you have certification from Google, Amazon, or Microsoft, so list those credentials in your resume, too.

3.     Full-stack web development

Skills related to full-stack web development can also increase your value to prospective employers. IT experts who possess these skills are proficient in both back-end and front-end web development and have competencies in both frameworks and database languages. Employers who are looking for the best IT talent will appreciate knowing that your skills enable you to work on every aspect of their applications and websites.

4.     Data analysis

You'll also want to demonstrate that you're proficient in all types of data management. Whether it's data mining, analysis, modeling, or migration, IT professionals are on the front lines of any organization's efforts to maximize the organization, use, and security of the data it relies on for success. You can include proficiency in Apache Spark, SQL, and other data analysis systems in your resume to highlight those abilities.

5.     Project management

Project management is another vital IT skill for your resume. Whether you're setting up a new network system, engaging in major troubleshooting, or migrating data to the cloud, you need to possess the skills needed to manage that project. These skills can include abilities like task management, project forecasting, planning, execution, monitoring, and more. Leadership roles often require additional skills like delegation, scheduling, and budgeting.

6.     Coding languages

You can also include coding IT skills on your resume to ensure that employers understand your proficiency in software languages, program design, and execution. These skills can include specific programming languages, logical thinking, knowledge of data structures and algorithms, web development, debugging, and problem-solving abilities.

7.     AI integration

If you're familiar with artificial intelligence and machine learning, you can include those IT skills on your resume, too. As more companies turn to AI to remain competitive in today's marketplace, the need for skilled AI professionals is growing with each passing year. IT professionals who have knowledge of things like natural language processing, artificial intelligence integration, big data, neural networks, and deep learning will always have the skills they need to differentiate themselves from their competition.

8.     Network architecture

Even if your job doesn't involve designing a company's network architecture, your employer will still expect you to have some expertise in that area of concern. Network architecture abilities include proficiency in network infrastructure, design, and security. You should highlight important knowledge about everything from routers, firewalls, and switches to the use of dynamic and static routing protocols.

9.     Data migration

IT professionals are often responsible for managing data migration as companies look to take advantage of emerging technologies and new systems. There are many types of data migration, of course, encompassing everything from moving data from one storage system to another. Data can also be moved from database to database, between applications, or to a cloud-based framework. Expertise in data migration requires keen problem-solving abilities, as well as project management, data analysis, and other core technical skills.

10.  Troubleshooting

IT professionals spend a vast amount of time troubleshooting problems ranging from network-related concerns to computer issues. When something goes wrong with the company's technology, it's the IT expert's job to quickly diagnose the challenge, create a solution, and resolve the problem. To successfully troubleshoot these issues, you need to have a deep understanding of hardware components, software systems, and your network's operations.

11.  Systems analysis

Another notable set of IT resume skills involves those related to analyzing your organization's technology systems. You should use your resume to highlight core systems analysis skills that focus on your ability to assess and evaluate information, quickly identify patterns, and create solutions that resolve any challenges confronting the organization. These skills can identify you as a true agent of positive change.

How to include IT skills on your resume

Of course, it's unlikely that you'll want to include all your IT skills on your resume. Instead, you'll need to tailor your resume to align with the specific job that you're seeking. Fortunately, there's a straightforward process that you can use to achieve that goal. 

Below, we've outlined an uncomplicated three-step approach that you can use to determine which skills to include:

• Begin by focusing on the role description in the job posting. Employers typically mention the required qualifications they expect you to possess. Make a list of all those requirements, as well as any others that you recognize as essential for the position.
• Compare that list to your own list of IT skills to identify the most relevant skills you'll need to include in your resume. Note the terms the company uses to describe those abilities and make sure that you use those exact words when you describe those IT skills on your resume. There's a good chance that those terms are keywords that the company's applicant tracking system may be looking for as it scans your resume. Related post : How to Make an ATS-Friendly Resume - Tips for ATS 2024
• Flesh out your IT skill list with other relevant skills so that you have a complete list of between twelve and fifteen IT abilities. Once you have that complete list, you can start adding them to your resume.

There are three places in your IT resume that you should focus on when you're highlighting skills:

Your resume summary

Your core competencies section

Your work experience section

Highlight IT skills on your resume summary

You only have several seconds to capture an employer's attention, so it's important to make an immediate impression. The best place to do that is in your resume summary, of course. This brief paragraph typically contains no more than three or four sentences and can be used as an elevator pitch to sell your qualifications. By including your most in-demand IT skills in this summary, you can more easily earn the reader's interest and inspire them to continue reading.

When writing your resume summary, focus on including sentences that contain the following information:

Your job title, years of experience, and any specialization

One or two of your most relevant IT skills

At least one quantifiable achievement

For example:

Solutions-driven IT specialist with six years of experience in network management, user support, and troubleshooting. Proficient in communication network installation, maintenance, and problem resolution. Dedicated team player focused on quality control, responsive solutions, and operational analysis. Managed six-person team of support personnel, with 99+% reported satisfaction.

Related post : Resume Profile Explained (with Examples)

Include IT skills in your core competencies section

As you've probably already guessed, you'll also need to include your IT skills in your resume's core competencies section – otherwise known as the skills section. You have two options here: 

• You can either include all your relevant IT skills – including essential hard skills, soft skills, and computer-related – in one core competencies section
• You can split those skills into two separate sections

If you choose the second option, simply list all your core hard and soft skills in a core competencies section and then create a second section titled “Software skills.” 

Whichever option you choose, make sure that you include soft skills to go along with the IT skills on your resume. While those hard skills are necessary qualifications for any IT position, your soft skills can be the deciding factor in many job search efforts.

It's also worth mentioning the importance of formatting the skills section for maximum impact. Always use bullet points to list these skills and format the entire section (or sections) into two or three columns. That will make it easier for hiring managers to skim this part of your resume and increase the likelihood of them taking note of your qualifications.

Demonstrate IT skills in your experience section

The third place you need to highlight IT skills on your resume is in your work experience section. Here, you will want to demonstrate how those skills helped you achieve value for past employers. That can be accomplished by creating measurable achievement statements for each of the jobs you list as experience. 

Add the company name, dates of employment, and job title for each previous position you've held, and then include four to six bullet-point achievement statements beneath each job listing.

ABC Technologies, Anytown, Anystate

IT Specialist, January 2018 to Present

Led network management for six departments, providing troubleshooting and related support to a 200-person team

Managed more than 20 client application projects, debugging and overseeing new code development with 100% project deadline success

Oversaw three-phased network installation project that replaced previous systems, resulting in 22% reduction in reported user issues

Managed projects for 27 clients' data migration efforts as they moved data operations to the cloud

Related post : 47 Accomplishment Examples for Your Resume: Expert Picks

How to improve your IT skills

No matter how skilled you might be, you know that there's always room for improvement. Indeed, emerging technologies and rapid innovation throughout the economy are forcing everyone to continue to develop their abilities to keep pace with the changes. The good news is that you have many available opportunities for continual development of critical IT skills.

Take more courses

One of the best ways to add new IT skills to your skill set is to take formal courses from places like IBM , Cisco , and other providers. A simple internet search can provide you with a host of different learning options. If you're serious about expanding your abilities and willing to invest in your future, there are plenty of options available.

Be active in your industry

Another fantastic way to continue your IT education is to become more active in your industry. Join online forums where tech pros gather, visit information technology shows to stay abreast of the latest developments, and make new contacts. Build your online network to ensure that you remain in communication with other IT professionals.

Use online resources

These days, there are also a host of online resources that you can use to sharpen your skills. That includes online videos, websites that provide tech updates and insights, and places like GitHub where you can share projects and get a closer look at what others in the industry are currently doing.

Find opportunities to use your skills

Of course, it's also important to use your skills in areas outside of your comfort zone. One of the best ways to improve your abilities is to take on challenges that you wouldn't ordinarily encounter. Make yourself available to friends and family who need network or other computer assistance. Check out some freelancer sites to see if you can pick up a gig assignment or two. If all else fails, start your own project at home. Create a new network. Develop an app. Start a website.

IT skills example: resume template

Creating your own IT resume can be a daunting task, but that challenge can be lessened when you have a great template for guidance. With that in mind, we've created this IT resume template that you can use to craft your own compelling resume. Simply fill in the relevant sections with your own resume information and then tailor it to the specific job you're seeking.

[Your Full Name]

[Phone number] | [email address] | [City, State] | [LinkedIn URL]

Resume headline (the job title and a few descriptive words to highlight your expertise

Professional Summary (as we discussed earlier in the post)

Core competencies

[A mix of nine to twelve hard and soft skills, in bullet point form]

Work Experience

[Company Name], [Location]

[Job Title], [Start date to End date]

[Measurable achievement, using real numbers to show value]

Education Section

[Degree earned] | [College name], [Graduation year]

Certifications

[Certification, with date received or renewed]

Related post : Seven Key Resume Sections and How to Organize Them

Choose the best IT skills for your resume to increase your job search success

To be competitive in today's jobs market, you need to make sure that your resume highlights the information technology skills that employers want to see. By including some of these top IT skills on your resume, you can ensure that every hiring manager recognizes your qualifications and ability to add value to their enterprise. Happy job hunting!

Need more help ensuring that the IT skills on your resume make the best possible impression on employers? Get your free resume review today!

Recommended reading:

Hard Skills Explained (and the Top 8 for Your Resume

11 Best Technical Skills for Your Resume (With Examples)

What Are Skills? (With Examples and Tips on How to Improve Them)

Related Articles:

Highlighting Writing Skills on Your Resume

How to Add Dean's List on Your Resume + Examples

Past vs. Present Tense on Resumes: Best Practices

See how your resume stacks up.

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Health Care Resume Skills: What to Include (+ Examples)

Find out which skills are important to include on your health care resume. Discover how and where to write health care resume skills and tips for developing your skills.

Listing critical health care skills on your resume can help distinguish you from your competition when applying for a health-related job. Employers can understand the tangible ways you've learned your skills through your education, work experience, and a list of skills on your resume (that they can follow up on during interviews).

What skills should you include on your resume to stand out? Find out how and where to include them, and use our helpful examples. We'll also share some tips on how you can further develop your skills to enhance your health care career.

What is a health care resume? 

A health care resume is a type of resume specific to professions in the health care field. Health care professions hold particular skills, education, experiences, and training that are different from occupations outside of health care.

Because most positions in the health care field require specific formal training, expect to include a separate section that lists skills specific to the position for which you’re applying. A health care resume may have an area that lists fellowships or clinical experiences that some medical professionals require. These elements are unique to health care and offer employers insight into your skills as a medical professional and how you have relied on these skills to advance your career.  

Jobs that require a health care resume 

If you’re applying for a position within the medical field, you will likely need to structure your resume to effectively highlight critical health care skills. The health care field is broad, with varying job titles and responsibilities. Here are a few of those fields: 

Allied health: Allied health is a field of health care focused on the delivery of health care, rather than clinical care. This includes supporting and diagnostic roles and specific skills will vary by job title. Technical skills for these positions usually require completing certificate programs or other training specific to the role.

Example jobs: Dental hygienists , medical transcriptionists , occupational therapists , sonographers , radiographers , medical assistants , pharmacy techs , home health aides , physical therapists , EMTs , speech-language pathologists  

Administration and management: Administration and management professionals in health care are typically planning, coordinating, and managing a medical facility. Some may specialize in a particular type, such as financial management or ambulatory services. Some managerial positions require leadership, critical thinking, and problem-solving, while technical skills will vary depending on the facility, legal parameters, and more.

Example jobs: Administrative assistant, medical staff coordinator, community health director , health care administrator , quality assurance coordinator

Medical providers and nurses: Medical providers undergo extensive training. From a bachelor’s degree to residency, the average duration to become a medical provider is eleven years. During this time, doctors learn technical skills specific to their specialty but also critical personal skills and licenses necessary to the medical profession. 

Example jobs: Primary care physicians, dentists, anesthesiologists , nurses , home health aide , personal care aide

Read more: Is Health Care a Good Career Path? Outlook, Jobs, and More

Key skills to list on a health care resume

Health care is a vast field with many different facets. You can work in health care in many ways, from a supporting position as a medical billing specialist to a patient care provider as a nurse. The skills you’ll need to succeed in health care depend on your career track in the field of health care. 

Technical skills 

Health care professionals who work directly with patients in clinical roles will need different technical skills than professionals who work on the non-clinical side of health care; however, you’ll find overlap in the knowledge of HIPPA laws and basic medical terminology. 

 Clinical (direct patient care; providers, allied health) 

First aid/CPR 

Adhere to HIPAA

Check and monitor vital signs 

Assess a patient’s symptoms 

Diagnose conditions and provide appropriate treatment 

Administer medical treatments 

Interpret lab results 

Develop treatment plans as needed 

Advise patients on treatment options 

Non-clinical positions (supporting health care roles; administration, clerical)

Office skills 

Insurance billing 

Medical codes and terminology 

HIPAA compliance 

Scheduling software 

EMR software 

Data entry 

Record patient history

Personal skills 

Most health care professionals understand the importance of compassion and empathy when supporting or treating patients. 

Good bedside manner

Compassion and empathy 

Good communication 

Listening skills 

Problem-solving 

Critical thinking 

Non-clinical positions (supporting roles in health care; administration, clerical)

Detail oriented

Ability to multitask 

Works well as a team 

Good communicator 

Detail oriented 

Attention to detail 

How to include health care skills on your resume 

Your skills as a health care professional should be immediately evident on your resume and demonstrated in each work experience description. It should be clear to employers how you developed those skills over time with real-world examples.

1. Include skills relevant to the position. 

Employers should be able to quickly assess if your skills fit the job description or not. Tailor your skills to the job description by including specific skills referenced in the job description. This will also improve your chances of applicant tracking software (ATS) picking up your resume. Optimize your resume with these keywords and include only skills relevant to the job posting.

Take advantage of the cover letter 

Cover letters offer an excellent opportunity to explain precisely how your skills would benefit an employer more in-depth. Use the cover letter as your introduction, further unpacking the skills you hold and how you plan to rely on these skills.

How will your qualifications and skills as a health care professional add value to the employer?

Highlight professional experiences or point to achievements or accolades that illustrate how you’ve developed skills and gained professional success due to this skill set.  Be sure to connect your skills to a specific position or job title. 

2. Mention skills in your professional summary.  

Highlight critical skills right away in your resume summary. Use these two to three sentences to give employers insight into your qualifications for a position by highlighting key skills and credentials that make you a suitable applicant. Using adjectives to describe yourself is a great way to pull in your skills concisely. For example, you could begin with “Organized care coordinator with five years experience in….” 

3. Weave skills throughout your resume.

Your health care resume should have a section devoted to your skills as a professional in health care with brief examples. It’s also vital to integrate skills throughout your resume. For example, if you list in the skills section that you are flexible and adaptable, describe in your work history section how you used these skills successfully.

4. Be specific. 

Avoid vague and ambiguous adjectives that are hard to quantify when listing your skills. Instead of listing “good communicator” as a skill, think of a creative way to be more descriptive. Try, “skilled in patient-provider interactions" instead. Tying real-world experiences and examples to the skills highlighted on your health care resume is always helpful.

5. Choose the best format based on your qualifications.

You can format your health care resume in a few different ways. The format you choose depends on your level of experience and education. You can choose the functional format, ideal for entry-level positions; the chronological format, best for management or supervisory positions; and the combination format for mid-level positions. 

With functional formatting , you’re focusing on skills over work history. List skills summary first, just after your resume summary. The skills summary section notes how you have demonstrated proficiency in specific skills through various experiences beyond work history.

The chronological format lists your work history from most recent to least recent. This format is ideal for those with a lot of professional experience. It’s also the preferred formatting for most health care resumes. With this format, you will still have a separate list of your skills, education, and summary.

A combination format gives equal weight to work history and skills. As with the functional resume, have your skills section at the top of the page, just after the summary. List your work experience after the skills section or toward the bottom of the page. These resumes are ideal for health care professionals seeking a mid-level job title.

6. Use a professional layout. 

The layout is as important as the formatting. When creating a health care resume, choose a professional format. Enhance the readability by using headers, bullet points, and bold text where appropriate. As a general rule, lay out your health care resume with: 

12 point font

10-inch margins

Ample use of white space

Headers for each section 

Four to five bullet points per job title 

One page limit (two pages may be appropriate for 10+ years of experience)

Example of a health care resume

Health care resumes typically include a title, personal information, a resume summary, a skills summary, experience, education, and certifications section. You may also have additional sections such as accomplishments, accolades, awards, and publications. Here is a sample template of what to include on a health care resume:

Headline (name and professional title if you already have one) 

Contact information (phone, email, LinkedIn) 

Resume summary (two to three-sentence explanation of your career goals and objectives)

Education (university name and degree awarded in reverse-chronological order; also include residencies or fellowships, if applicable) 

Work experience (organization, job title, responsibilities, skills used, accolades, and so on listed in reverse-chronological order)

Skills ( list of both technical and workplace skills, with brief examples of how you have applied these skills)

You may change the order of these sections based on the format you choose and omit or add to these elements depending on your level of education and experience. 

Consider this example of a health care resume for a patient care coordinator position with five years of experience in her role: 

Jane E. Doe

Patient Care Coordinator 

Personal information 

Phone: 123-456-7890

Email [email protected]

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/janeedoe 

Dedicated patient care coordinator with five years of experience managing patient care, implementing and monitoring treatment plans, and evaluating patient progress. Assisted in the grant writing process to secure funding for Acme Medical Center through the Health Care Coordinators and Navigation Grant. CCCTM certified with a degree in Health Care Administration. Looking to improve patient outcomes by providing support and quality care to patients at ABC Hospital. 

Skills Summary 

Coordinate patient-care services to offer quality care 

Work as a team member to evaluate possible patient interventions

Give compassionate patient care for improved patient outcomes 

Communicate plan of care to family and caregivers of patients 

Accurately record patient history and documentation per HIPAA compliance 

Work History 

Patient Care Coordinator, ABC Medical Center. July 1 to present 

Develop patient treatment plans based on provider’s notes 

Manage patient care coordinators within the medical center 

Advise caregivers of patient progress 

Communicate patient outcomes to medical providers 

Assist other patient care coordinators in the development of treatment plans 

Patient Services Coordinator, Maple Street Hospital, January 2018 to July 2021

Advised patients on viable treatment plan options 

Communicated patient concerns and feedback to medical providers 

Explained treatment options to patients 

Evaluated results of treatment plans and communicated outcomes 

University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 2010-2014

Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration 

Relevant coursework: principles of health care administration, health care marketing, health care human resources, and legal and ethical environment in health care 

Tips for developing key health care skills 

Need to build your skill set as a health care professional? You can find many ways to learn new skills or build upon existing skills in demand for the position you seek. Research the top skills for the job you’re applying for, and choose the best way to gain experience in those skills. Enroll in an online course, earn a certification, or apply for entry-level positions or volunteer opportunities. Developing your skill set can also help you meet your future career goals. 

Courses like Career 911: Your Future Job in Medicine and Health Care offered by Northwestern University can help you learn critical skills to succeed in health care. You can list courses on your resume to demonstrate your breadth of abilities to employers.

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• Resume Help

50+ Resume Summary Examples for 2024 + Writing Guide

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When recruiters have less than ten seconds to look at a resume, you need something to catch their attention. And that’s what a resume summary can do. We've gathered more than fifty resume summary examples you can take inspiration from. Plus this guide will also teach you what a professional summary for a resume is and how to write one that's effective at grabbing the recruiter's attention. 

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here .

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Sample resume made with our builder— See more resume examples here .

What Is a Resume Summary?

A resume summary statement is a short professional introduction to your resume. It highlights your most valuable qualifications. It helps your recruiter make a quick decision whether you’re the right fit for their company. A good summary for a resume starts with a positive character trait. It includes your job title, key skills, and the highlights of your career.

Sounds a bit too theoretical? Here’s an example summary statement for a resume that will clear your doubts:

Good Resume Summary Example

Experienced PMP with a background in law and 7+ years of experience growing revenue for a Massachusetts-based electronics firm. Seeking to leverage leadership expertise as project manager for Paylocity. Guest speaker at the Northeast Lean Conference in 2014.

See? This example includes all the elements mentioned in the definition, such as a character adjective, the job title , professional skills , and a sample career achievement . That’s just 3 sentences, but they speak volumes about the candidate.

Using a resume introduction like this is one of the tricks that can help to make your resume more successful . Hiring managers rarely read the whole resume from top to bottom. Instead, they use selective attention to find the information they need. So, a professional summary that uses the resume keywords from the job posting will catch their attention like a charm .

Now, if you want to see more examples of good resume summaries straight away, jump here to the last chapter of this guide: Summary Examples for a Resume.

Who Needs a Professional Summary for a Resume?

Before your keyboard catches fire from your writing speed, take a second to ponder: is a resume summary right for you ? After all, it’s not the only type of resume profile there is. 

You can benefit from a resume summary if:

• You’re a seasoned professional
• You’ve got 1+ years of experience in your profession
• You’ve got a traditional career path
• You’ve got achievements relevant to the job

So, if you’re writing an entry-level resume , a resume with no experience , or a career change resume , you’re more likely to succeed with a career objective instead of a resume summary. There are exceptions, of course—for example, you can write a student resume summary highlighting your academic achievements when you’re applying for an assistant researcher position.

Pro Tip: Before writing your resume summary, make sure all other sections of your resume are ready and polished to perfection. Then you can combine the best statements you put on a resume into your profile summary.

How to Write a Resume Summary

How difficult can it be to write up to 5 sentences about yourself? Well, it may be trickier than it sounds. A professional summary for a resume must not only accurately describe your qualifications for a specific position but also ooze confidence.  People prefer self-confident individuals , so that’s how hiring managers must perceive you.

Follow the tips below to craft a powerful resume summary statement:

1. Tailor Your Resume Summary to the Job Ad

It’s not about writing any professional summary—it’s about writing the one that matches the job. Why? Because only a tailored resume has a chance against automatic screening systems. And when your ATS-friendly resume with a clear-cut resume description reaches a hiring manager, they’ll be way more impressed with it than with a generic one. So make sure your summary statement for a resume mentions the core competencies outlined in the job posting.

2. Use the Evergreen Formula for a Good Resume Summary

Once you know this formula, you’ll be able to write a better resume summary than a professional summary generator. Here it goes:

[adjective(s)/strong character trait(s)][your job title][your experience]. Eager to support/help/assist/etc. [company name][what you want to help the employer achieve and how you want to do it]. [your key achievement(s)].

Now, just fill in the blanks with the key skills from your resume , info about your work experience , and throw in a few resume power words to make it sound more impressive.

3. Show Quantifiable Achievements

What sounds more impressive: “Streamlined internal reporting processes” or “Simplified reporting using project tracking software to increase productivity by 27%”? The second example is an achievement statement. It follows the Problem-Action-Result formula, which is perfect for talking about accomplishments.

A good summary for a resume must include a relevant achievement. And the ones involving numbers are the best.

4. Follow the Style Preferred by Recruiters

Your profile summary for a resume must stick to the following rules:

• Skip personal pronouns such as I or my .
• Limit the length of your professional summary to 2–5 sentences.
• Describe yourself using strong adjectives .
• Stay away from resume clichés such as go-getter or hard worker. .

To make it clearer, here’s a terrible summary statement coming straight from a bad resume example :

That is NOT what a summary for a resume should look like . It doesn’t follow the rules, and the tone is overly confident. This applicant is most likely lying on a resume .

Enough learning—let’s see professional summary examples that work.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check . Start building a professional resume template here for free .

When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.

50+ Resume Summary Examples for Multiple Jobs

Here’s a neat collection of career summary examples. Use them for inspiration, or simply adjust them to your needs!

Resume Summary Examples for Administrative & Office Jobs

Administrative assistant resume summary .

Dedicated senior administrative assistant with over 7 years of professional experience. Organized travel plans and schedules of 5 senior executives whilst doing general office admin duties. Eager to help ABC Inc. with managing appointments and communications. Also, skilled in accounting and ready to assist in bookkeeping. Devised and implemented 3 office initiatives that helped the company save over USD 10,000 a year.

For more details, go to Administrative Assistant Resume: Sample and Complete Guide

Administrative Coordinator Resume Summary

Personable administrative coordinator with 4+ years of experience in the corporate environment. Seeking to utilize organizational and collaboration skills to boost the office efficiency at Orange Trading. Improved wastepaper recycling by 37% and cut office supplies cost by 5% in 2022.

Learn more here: How to Write an Admin Coordinator Resume

Clerical Resume Summary

Meticulous and goal-oriented office clerk with 4+ years of experience in law firms. Eager to support information processing operations at Hartford & Partners with data entry and archiving skills. At BlueDot Law, improved office operations by implementing the use of image-to-text software and reorganizing the filing system. 

For more information, check this guide: Sample Clerical Resume with Tips & Key Skills

Data Entry Resume Summary

Detail-oriented Data Entry Specialist with 2+ years of experience. Eager to support office operations at OutlineCats Ltd. with typing skills and Microsoft Office knowledge. At Fish Tent, spotted inaccuracies in 40+ invoices and helped prevent a loss of over $12,000.

See more: Data Entry Resume Example & Writing Tips

Executive Assistant Resume Summary 

Dependable and devoted executive assistant with over 7 years of professional experience. Keen to support ABC Inc. with excellent organizational and analytical skills. At DEF Inc. optimized travel costs and effectively slashed them by over 30%. Also, saved USD 500K a year by redesigning and implementing a modernized call system.

For more details, go to Executive Assistant Resume Sample and Complete Guide

Office Administrator Resume Summary

Energetic office administrator with 3 years of experience. Excellent Microsoft Office skills and broad knowledge of office equipment. Seeking to implement cost-cutting administrative solutions at Icofly Inc. At NA20X, decreased operational costs by finding new suppliers, leading to savings of $7,400 in 2022.

Learn how to write a resume for office admin jobs here: Resume for an Office Administrator

Office Manager Resume Summary 

Dynamic office manager with over 7 years of professional experience. Seeks to leverage top-notch managerial and organizational skills to boost efficiency at ABC Inc. Managed a team of 5 office assistants in a high-volume retail business. Grew the number of new contracts by 30% a year, and reduced lead times by 45%. Optimized office supplies spending and saved over $50,000 per year.

For more details, go to Office Manager Resume Sample and Complete Guide

Receptionist Resume Summary 

Agile and well-organized receptionist with 6+ years of professional experience in the private and public sectors. Skilled at dealing with sensitive situations and keen to support ABC Inc. with organizational, diplomacy, and communication skills. At DEF Inc., implemented a CRM system with reporting capabilities that contributed to cutting costs by up to 25%.

For more details, go to Receptionist Resume Sample and Complete Guide

Secretary Resume Summary

Dedicated secretary with 5+ years of experience in a business setting. Keen to support administrative operations at WollFrame with excellent organizational and Microsoft Office skills. Praised for efficiency and professionalism at FluffPuff Co. In 2023, introduced calendar management and conference room booking solutions that helped decrease the number of unnecessary in-person meetings for company staff by 9%. 

Learn more here: How to Write a Resume for a Secretary

Virtual Assistant’s Resume Summary

Resilient Virtual Assistant with 3+ years of experience managing social media channels, creating content, and handling travel arrangements for three businesses and over 10 individuals. Excellent time management and communication skills. Eager to boost brand recognition for SoloPet by creating unique Instagram and blog content. In 2023, developed a social media strategy for a fitness influencer which led to an increase in followers from 3,5K to 75K within six months.

See more: Resume for a Virtual Assistant: Sample & Writing Tips

Resume Summary Examples for Business Jobs

Business analyst resume summary.

Inquisitive Business Analyst with 10+ years of experience in shipping industries. Excellent data analysis and management skills. Eager to supply the executive team with strategic analyses and forecasts to aid decision making at OverSeaS. At Oceanique, detected opportunities to boost vessel capacity by 9%, leading to a decrease in operational costs by 12%.

Learn more: How to Write a Resume for Business Analyst Jobs

Business Development Resume Summary

Goal-oriented Business Development Manager with 5+ years of experience in corporate environment. Eager to create market analyses for WizardGrow to detect opportunities for further growth. Conducted market research at CFly Inc. that led to increasing profits by 13% in 2021–2023.

Learn how to write a successful business resume: Resume Example for Business Professionals

Business Intelligence Resume Summary

Creative Business Intelligence Analyst with 4 years of experience in SaaS companies. Keen to utilize analytical skills to support finance and development teams at SaffronSky. At Belugeau, spotted cost-cutting opportunities in sales and marketing operations that led to over $31,800 in savings in 2021–2023.

See more: Business Intelligence Analyst Resume Example & Writing Guide

Project Manager Resume Summary

Seasoned IT PMP with a degree in law and 8+ years of professional experience in growing revenue for a fintech company. Keen to leverage leadership and managerial expertise as a project manager for ABC Inc. Executed a lean training project that led to cutting costs by up to 40% in 6 months.

For more details, go to Project Manager Resume: Sample and Complete Guide

Data Analyst Resume Summary 

Disciplined and insightful data analyst with 6+ years of experience analyzing business processes. Eager to leverage big data interpreting and visualizing skills at ABC Inc to drive growth and boost sales results. In current role, identified a major bottleneck, reduced operating costs by over 20%, and saved upwards of USD 500,000 a year.

For more details, go to Data Analyst Resume: Sample and Complete Guide

Human Resources Resume Summary 

Meticulous and efficient HR manager with 7+ years of experience. Eager to boost employee retention for ABC Inc. In previous positions, increased employee retention by 20% YOY. Cut recruitment lead time by 30%. Also, improved employee effectiveness by up to 20% and boosted participation in training by 15%.

For more details, go to Human Resource Resume: Sample and Complete Guide

Resume Summary Examples for Customer Service 

Customer service manager resume summary.

People-oriented Customer Service Manager with 5+ years of experience in an international company. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. Seeking to utilize leadership skills and improve agent efficiency while coordinating the customer service team at White Line Co. Received the Management Excellence award in 2020 for continuously exceeding team KPIs for four consecutive quarters.

Learn more: Resume for a Customer Service Manager: Example & Best Tips

Customer Service Resume Summary

Energetic and optimistic customer service representative with over 3 years of professional experience assisting customers in solving complex issues. Keen to support ABC Inc. in becoming a market leader through proven customer support skills. Awarded Consultant of the Month three times. Helped reduce First Response Time by 20% within the first quarter of employment.

For more details, go to Customer Service Resume Sample and Complete Guide

Customer Success Manager Resume Summary

Efficient customer success manager with 10 years of experience. Eager to collaborate with Sales and Product teams to detect opportunities to increase customer satisfaction and boost sales for True Flow. At FonoGrow, helped increase the company rating on TrustPilot by 26% through changes in CS processes.

Learn how to make a great resume for this profession: Tips for Writing the Best Customer Success Manager Resume

Retail Resume Summary

Personable retail associate with 3+ years of experience in a busy fashion store. Keen to utilize sales techniques and interpersonal skills at LiliCoSlow to strengthen customer loyalty while exceeding sales targets. Recognized as Top Staff Member at Alter Dress for excellent customer service skills and dependability.

See more: Sample Retail Resume & Writing Guide

Resume Summary Examples for Counseling & Social Work

Aged care resume summary.

Personable Aged Care Specialist with 4 years of experience. Certified Nurse Aide. Seeking to support the residents of Boca Raton La Vida with restorative care and a personalized approach to their wellness. In 2020–2023, cared for 150+ geriatric residents of Moon Health Center and received 100% positive feedback from patients as well as fellow staff members.

Learn more here: How to Write a Resume for Aged Care Workers

Caregiver Resume Summary

Empathetic caregiver with 10+ years of experience in assisted living facilities. Certified in First Aid. Keen to improve the quality of life for Ribbon Lane Living patients by providing personalized care plans and supporting their daily activities. At Homes4All, created a successful arts & crafts program attended by 80 geriatric patients.

See more: Caregiver Resume Example & Step-by-Step Writing Guide

Disability Support Worker Resume Summary

Energetic disability support worker with 2+ years of experience with special needs children and teens. Keen to support students’ academic efforts at Emerald Future using personalized activities and teaching aids that match their needs. In 2021–2023, provided 1:1 Math and English tutoring for individuals with learning difficulties, helping them to improve their performance in standardized tests by 37% on average.

Learn how to write a resume for disability workers here: Resume Example for a Disability Support Worker (+ Tips)

Mental Health Counselor Resume Summary

Empathetic mental health counselor with 6+ years of experience. Eager to support the students of Salem Technical University with personalized counseling sessions to decrease the freshmen dropout rate and prevent antisocial behavior. Provided group and individual counseling to 100+ undergraduate students with a 94% satisfaction rate.

See more: Sample Resume for a Mental Health Counselor

Social Worker Resume Summary 

Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 7 years of professional experience. Eager to help ABC Center’s clients through first-class treatment plan development and assessment skills. At DEF Center devised 35+ plans for treatment and cooperated with 40+ clients to achieve their goals with a 90% success rate in under nine months.

For more details, go to Social Worker Resume Sample and Complete Guide

Resume Summary Examples for Education Jobs

Teacher resume summary.

Dedicated secondary education teacher with over 8 years of experience in devising individualized curricula within state standards. Eager to join ABC School to utilize expert knowledge of English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching methodology, including project- and content-based instruction. Prepared 300+ students for international language certifications with a 99% pass rate.

For more details, go to Teacher Resume Sample and Complete Guide

Teacher Assistant Resume Summary

Enthusiastic Teacher Assistant with 3+ years of experience with high school students. Eager to support the educators at Open Minds Center with lesson planning and one-to-one tutoring. At STEM Workz, created 20 unique lesson plans and helped 30+ students improve their scores in Math and Chemistry.

Learn more: Teacher Assistant Resume Example & Key Skills

Resume Summary Examples for Finance & Accounting

Accountant resume summary .

Disciplined and persistent senior CPA with over 6 years of professional experience. Eager to employ proven account reconciliation and IT skills at ABC Inc. In previous roles, improved DEF Inc’s cloud-computing practices that led to saving as many as 800 hours yearly. Identified and eliminated an issue that saved almost $1 million per year.

For more details, go to Accountant Resume: Sample and Complete Guide

Financial Analyst Resume Summary 

Chartered Financial Analyst with over 7 years of professional experience. Seeks to leverage budgeting, cost, and revenue-maximizing expertise for ABC Inc. At DEF Inc. saved USD 3.5M through identifying low-margin transactions. Also, optimized pricing policy at GHI Inc. that boosted customer retention metrics by up to 40%.

For more details, go to Financial Analyst Resume: Sample and Complete Guide

Resume Summary Examples for Food & Restaurant Jobs

Bartender resume summary .

Charismatic bartender with over 6 years of professional experience working at high-end clubs in large metropolitan and seaside areas. Thanks to exceptional memory, rapport-building, and storytelling skills achieved a 20% boost in up-selling to all patrons. Holds a Bartending Certificate valid in the vast majority of states.

For more details, go to Bartender Resume: Sample and Complete Guide

Cook Resume Summary

Versatile cook with 3 years of experience in busy restaurants. Passionate about fusion cuisine and locally-grown ingredients. Eager to team up with the kitchen staff at Yenocita BBQ to prepare high-quality meals in a timely and organized manner. While at Pollo&Stella, created a signature dish for the summer seasonal menu that received 30+ rave reviews on Google and Yelp.

Learn how to write a resume for a cook here: Professional Cook Resume Example

Fast Food Resume Summary

Dependable crew member with 3 years of experience in a fast-food restaurant. Excellent customer service and time management skills. Seeking to provide personalized service to Pasta&Pizza’s patrons in an efficient and friendly manner. Exceeded sales goals by 22% for two consecutive quarters in 2022.

Learn more: Resume for Fast Food Jobs: Sample & Writing Guide

Server Resume Summary 

Dependable and friendly server with over 3 years of experience waiting on guests at ABC Restaurant. Eager to join DEF Restaurant to offer its guests exquisite dining experience. Served up to 80 guests nightly and made sure all the dishes were delivered in a timely manner.

For more details, go to Server Resume: Sample and Complete Guide

Resume Summary Examples for Health & Wellness

Cna resume summary.

Dependable multilingual CNA (BLS and CPR certified) with over 10 years of experience in various healthcare settings. Seeks to utilize proven managerial and patient advocacy skills at ABC Medical Center. At DEF Care Home managed a team of 7+ CNAs. Also, developed and implemented a set of procedures that reduced medication administration errors down to 0.1%.

For more details, go to CNA Resume Sample and Complete Guide

Nursing Resume Summary

Bilingual Pediatric Registered Nurse with 10+ years of professional experience in the ICUs and PICUs of community hospitals. Keen to join the ABC Hospital staff to leverage top-class management experience and patient care skills as a Pediatric RN at DEF Hospital. Thanks to a deep knowledge of hospital procedures and high standards of service consistently scored over 90% in compliance rate assessments.

For more details, go to Nursing Resume Sample and Complete Guide

Massage Therapist Resume Summary

Licensed massage therapist with 4+ years of experience in wellness centers. Knowledgeable about classic bodywork and Eastern modalities. Eager to provide the customers of Flying Orchid Spa with rejuvenating massage sessions customized to target their needs. At previous workplace, built a customer base of 30+ recurring clients through professionalism and personalized care.

Learn more: How to Write a Resume for a Massage Therapist

Medical Assistant Resume Summary

Certified Medical Assistant with over 5 years of professional experience. Eager to use impeccable patient care skills to support excellence at ABC Med. At DEF Med, received 99% positive reviews. Reduced the number of errors by 22% and saved USD 70,000 a year thanks to a good understanding of EHR.

For more details, go to Medical Assistant Resume Sample and Complete Guide

Medical Doctor Resume Summary

Personable family medicine specialist with 8+ years of experience. Excellent customer care and interpersonal skills. Eager to provide patients at Jade Family Clinic with personalized and efficient healthcare. At Health Lion Inc., received 91% satisfaction rating while seeing 20+ patients daily. 

Learn more here: How to Write a Resume for a Medical Doctor

Resume Summary Examples for Hospitality Jobs

Hotel receptionist resume summary.

Resilient hotel receptionist with 3 years of experience in upscale and boutique establishments. Well versed in booking management systems. Eager to utilize customer service skills to resolve all customer inquiries in an efficient and courteous manner while creating a great experience for hotel guests at Nana Coastal Retreats. While at OpuLux Lodgings, provided front-desk services to VIP clients and received a 98% satisfaction rate. 

Learn more: How to Write a Hotel Front Desk Resume

Event Manager Resume Summary

Resourceful Event Manager with 5+ years of experience in corporate environments. Eager to coordinate in-house and public events for Satay Trade Inc. with great attention to detail. Successfully managed a team of 5 to organize a business conference for 200+ guests on very short notice in 2022.

See here: Event Manager Resume: Example, Skills, & Writing Tips

Housekeeping Resume Summary 

Well-organized housekeeping supervisor skilled in deep and daily cleaning. Eager to join the ABC Hotel to help maintain the highest standards of cleanliness and organization. In previous roles, managed six housekeeping staff members at the DEF Hotel and contributed to boosting positive customer reviews by over 45%. Identified and resolved a recurring issue with guest room air conditioning that saved USD 300K.

For more details, go to Housekeeping Resume: Sample and Complete Guide

Resume Summary Examples for Industry Jobs

Cnc machinist resume summary.

Detail-oriented CNC machine operator with 4 years of experience. Eager to provide equipment maintenance services and boost production efficiency for Hydra Inc. In 2021, helped decrease equipment downtime by 23% through improvements in routine maintenance operations and staff training.

Learn more: How to Write a Resume for a CNC Machinist

Forklift Operator Resume Summary

Dependable forklift operator with 5+ years of experience. OSHA Forklift Certification holder. Eager to join the warehouse staff at Blue Ship Holdings to support shipping operations and train new forklift drivers. At Pea Dockyards, consistently exceeded loading and unloading targets while keeping a 100% safety record for 2 years.

Learn to write an impressive resume for a forklift operator here: Sample Forklift Operator Resume & Writing Tips

Warehouse Resume Summary 

Qualified warehouse associate with over 7 years of experience. Eager to join ABC Inc. to deliver top KPIs and impeccable organizational skills. As a DEF Inc. warehouse associate achieved picking-packing speeds and efficiency in top 96%. Five-time winner of the DEF Inc. picker of the month.

For more details, go to Warehouse Resume: Sample and Complete Guide

Resume Summary Examples for IT & Tech

Software engineer resume summary .

Dynamic and creative software developer with over 5 years of experience in producing robust code for high-volume companies. Eager to support the dev team at CDE Inc. with top-notch coding skills. In previous roles, doubled code-efficiency of ABC Inc., and increased customer retention by 30% among others.

For more details, go to Software Engineer Resume: Sample and Complete Guide

Engineering Resume Summary

Ingenious and determined mechanical engineer with over 10 years of experience. Seeks to use first-class production design and process skills to push forward manufacturing excellence at ABC Inc. Boosted production efficiency by 25% at DEF Inc. and consistently delivered to customer needs at over 20% under budget.

For more details, go to Engineering Resume: Sample and Complete Guide

IT Resume Summary

Likable and dedicated IT consultant with over 5 years of experience in a fast-paced fin-tech company. Eager to offer superb analytical and computer skills to help ABC Inc grow its client base. In previous roles recognized for top company-wide quality satisfaction rating (over 99%). Also, reduced client wait time by 20% and boosted client satisfaction ratings by more than 40% in a single quarter. 

For more details, go to IT Resume: Sample and Complete Guide

Resume Summary Examples for Sales

Sales resume summary.

Determined retail clerk with over 4 years of professional experience. Eager to help ABC Inc. boost its KPIs through outstanding customer loyalty-building and sales skills. Constantly received upwards of 90% of positive customer reviews and achieved 30% above average repeat customer scores. Also, runs a popular unboxing channel on YouTube with over 3K of monthly views.

For more details, go to Retail Resume Sample and Complete Guide

Sales Associate Resume Summary 

Insightful sales associate with 5+ years of professional experience in online and print media. Eager to boost DEF Inc’s revenue by at least 40% over the next fiscal year. In previous positions, exceeded quarterly sales targets by 10% every quarter. Maintained a customer retention rate of 90% YOY thanks to which won Salesman of the Year Award in 2018.

For more details, go to Sales Associate Resume Sample and Complete Guide

Cashier Resume Summary 

Likable cashier with over 5 years of professional experience. Seeks to utilize top-class organizational and attention to detail skills to boost efficiency at ABC Inc. At DEF Inc., awarded Employee of the Month four times in a row for accuracy and efficiency. At GHI Inc., worked a streak of 450 days with no sick leave and a 30% higher accuracy score than peers.

For more details, go to Cashier Resume Sample and Complete Guide

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here.  Here's what it may look like:

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaways

Here’s how to write a resume summary that’s short yet effective:

• Start with a good personality trait, your job title, and years of experience.
• Follow with specifying what you can do for the employer.
• Throw in a relevant achievement and key skills.
• Make a tailored professional summary for every job application.

Do you have any questions about crafting the perfect resume summaries? Would you like to share your advice with other readers? We’re always happy to hear from you. Give us a shout-out in the comments below!

About Zety’s Editorial Process

This article has been reviewed by our editorial team to make sure it follows Zety's editorial guidelines . We’re committed to sharing our expertise and giving you trustworthy career advice tailored to your needs. High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. But we don't stop there. Our team conducts original research to understand the job market better, and we pride ourselves on being quoted by top universities and prime media outlets from around the world.

• https://bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/u.osu.edu/dist/1/56827/files/2018/08/Selective-attention-filtering-and-the-development-of-working-2muqip9.pdf
• https://www.princeton.edu/~rbenabou/papers/CONFQJE2.pdf

Frequently Asked Questions about Resume Summary Examples

What is a summary on a resume .

A resume summary (also called a resume profile or resume introduction ) is a short and catchy paragraph that sums up your qualifications for a specific job. Its purpose is to catch the reader’s attention and immediately show your value to a recruiter in just 2–5 sentences.

No matter which resume format you decide to use, your resume summary should always go near the top of the page, below the resume header . If your resume template features a sidebar rather than a header, put the summary statement at the top of the main column. 

How to write a professional summary for a resume? 

Here's how to write a professional summary for a resume:

• Start with a character trait plus your job title and years of experience.
• Add a quantifiable career achievement relevant to the position.
• Offer to use your expertise to achieve a specific goal for the company. 
• Weave in a few of your key professional skills relevant to the job ad.
• Always tailor the resume summary to a specific job you want.

These are just the essentials. To make a good resume summary, you should also use action verbs that help to convey confidence, and add resume keywords from the job posting .

What is the best resume summary generator?

You can use a free resume summary generator that’s featured in our resume builder . It will create a professional summary for a resume based on your profession, skills, and work experience. 

You can also try stand-alone professional summary generators available online. However, they can only provide you with a fill-in-the-blank template for your resume summary. This means that you will have to spend extra time personalizing it.

How do you write a summary for a resume with no experience? 

If you’re making a resume with no work experience , such as a recent grad resume , consider writing a resume objective instead of a summary. A resume objective is basically a beginner summary for a resume: it too aims to show your skills and catch the reader’s attention, but it does so using your academic achievements and transferable skills rather than work experience. Objectives also work well for career-change resumes . 

How to start a resume summary? 

Start your resume summary with a positive character adjective, then mention your job title, years of experience, and your expertise. Follow with examples of career accomplishments and key skills relevant to the job. It’s easier to write a good summary for a resume when your other resume sections are completed.

Where can I find more resume summary examples? 

Browse our collection of resume examples for 500+ specific jobs to see resume summaries for various professions. Each sample comes with a writing guide so you can learn exactly how to write a resume for your profession or experience level.

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