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Resume skills: what to list and how to list it

List the skills a posting asks for and that you can prove, in a short, scannable section: about eight to fifteen, grouped by type. Use the posting’s own words for each one, because screening software and recruiters search for them. Show your strongest skills in your bullets too, since a skill with a result beside it counts for more than one in a list.

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What to include

  • Hard skills: tools, methods, languages, systems and certifications such as SQL, Salesforce, financial modeling or PMP.
  • Domain knowledge: areas you know well, such as revenue recognition, clinical trials or B2B SaaS pricing.
  • A few soft skills only if you can attach them to a result in your bullets, such as “led cross-functional launches,” not just “leadership.”

How to list them

  • Group them with short labels: Tools, Methods, Certifications.
  • Put the ones the posting names first, spelled the way the posting spells them (for example “Microsoft Excel,” not just “Excel” if the posting says so, and the acronym with the full term once).
  • Skip the basics at your level: a director does not need “Microsoft Word.”
  • Do not rate yourself with bars, stars or percentages. Readers and software ignore them.

Match the posting

Read the job description and highlight the skills it repeats. Add those you truly have to your list and to your bullets. Never list a skill you cannot discuss in an interview.

Our job match tool compares your résumé to a posting and shows which of its terms you are missing.

Skills for a career change

Lead with the transferable ones the new field asks for, and show each in a bullet from your past work. If a skill is new, say how you learned it: a course, a certification or a project.

Frequently asked questions

How many skills should I put on a resume?

About eight to fifteen, the ones that match the roles you want. A longer list dilutes the best ones.

Should I list soft skills on a resume?

Only if you back them with a result in your bullets. Words like “team player” on their own add nothing.

Where should the skills section go?

After your experience, or below the summary if the role is skills-led or you are changing careers.

Should I copy skills from the job posting?

Use the posting’s wording for skills you truly have. Do not list anything you could not discuss in an interview.

Free tools for this

See which skills you are missing

Paste a job description and your résumé and see the gap, term by term.

Match my résumé to a job