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Resume Skills List & Ideas for Your Resume

What skills to put on a resume, job skills for resume list, and ideas for resume skills so your resume gets past ATS and impresses recruiters in the United States.

What to include

Skills on a resume are the abilities, tools, and traits you offer an employer.

How to organize

A strong resume skills list matches the job description and is easy for ATS and recruiters to scan.

Skill types

Use a balanced mix of hard skills and soft skills with role-relevant keywords.

Gallery

What are skills on a resume?

Skills on a resume are the abilities, tools, and traits you offer an employer. They are usually split into hard skills (technical, measurable—e.g. Python, Excel, project management) and soft skills (behavioral—e.g. leadership, communication). A strong resume skills list matches the job description and is easy for both applicant tracking systems (ATS) and recruiters to scan.

Category 1

Hard skills (technical & role-specific)

Programming languages, tools (Excel, Salesforce), certifications, data analysis, project management software, design tools, industry-specific skills.

Match the job description: use the same terms and tools the employer lists.

Category 2

Soft skills (interpersonal & behavior)

Leadership, communication, teamwork, problem-solving, adaptability, time management, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence.

Back them with brief examples in your experience section instead of listing them alone.

Category 3

Transferable skills

Critical thinking, organization, research, writing, presentation skills, customer service, collaboration.

Useful when changing careers or for entry-level roles when experience is limited.

Comparison

Hard skills vs soft skills

Hard skills (technical & role-specific)

Programming languages, tools (Excel, Salesforce), certifications, data analysis, project management software, design tools, industry-specific skills.

Soft skills (interpersonal & behavior)

Leadership, communication, teamwork, problem-solving, adaptability, time management, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence.

Specialties

Keywords to describe yourself on a resume

Keywords to describe yourself help your resume rank in ATS and catch a recruiter’s eye. Use terms from the job description—e.g. “results-driven,” “collaborative,” “analytical”—in your summary and bullet points. Support them with short, concrete examples (metrics, outcomes) so they don’t sound like empty buzzwords.

If the job asks for “attention to detail,” mention a time you reduced errors or improved quality. If it asks for “leadership,” briefly describe a project or team you led. This combination of keywords and proof strengthens both your skills section and your experience section.

For more examples, see our guide on words to describe yourself on a resume and cover letter.

Steps

Ideas for resume skills: how to build your list

Your job skills for resume list should be tailored to each role. Start from the job posting: pull keywords and phrases they use for required and preferred skills. Add your strongest matches first, then fill with relevant hard and soft skills you can demonstrate. Below are practical tips for building a resume skills list that works for ATS and recruiters.

Put the most relevant skills for the job near the top (e.g. in a dedicated Skills section or in your summary).

Use a mix of hard and soft skills; avoid long lists of only buzzwords.

Include keywords from the job description so your resume passes ATS and resonates with recruiters.

Group skills by category (e.g. Technical Skills, Leadership, Tools) if you have many.

Keep the list scannable: bullets or short phrases work better than paragraphs.

Skills

Resume skills clusters

Hard skillsSoft skillsTransferable skillsTechnical skillsLeadershipToolsATS keywords

Get your score

Check your resume and skills

Use our free resume checker to see how well your skills and keywords match the job—and get an ATS score and improvement tips.

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FAQ

Resume skills FAQ

What are the best skills to put on a resume?

The best skills on a resume are those that match the job description. Combine hard skills (tools, technical abilities) with soft skills (leadership, communication). Use the employer’s wording where natural and add a dedicated Skills section so both ATS and recruiters can find them quickly.

How many skills should I list on my resume?

Aim for roughly 6–12 of your strongest, most relevant skills. Quality and relevance matter more than quantity. Prioritize skills that appear in the job posting and that you can back up with experience.

Where do I put skills on a resume?

Place a clear Skills section after your summary or experience. You can also weave key skills into your summary and bullet points. Many ATS and recruiters look for a dedicated section with standard headings like “Skills” or “Technical Skills.”

What are keywords to describe yourself on a resume?

Keywords to describe yourself include action-oriented and trait-based phrases from the job description, e.g. “results-driven,” “collaborative,” “detail-oriented,” “analytical.” Use them in your summary and experience bullets, and support them with concrete achievements rather than listing them in isolation.

Author

About the author: Sinoy Deveassy

Senior software engineer at NeuraCV. Builds the product and writes on technical careers and ATS from the inside.

Sinoy is a senior engineer who works on NeuraCV’s product and writes about technical careers, ATS, and how job seekers can use modern tools. He bridges engineering and content so our guides stay accurate and useful for both technical and non-technical roles.

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