How to list skills on your resume

Review the job description and research the company

Though you may have several different areas of strength, include only those that are relevant to the job.
Recruiters often have limited time when reviewing resumes, so it’s best to keep your skills section specific
and concise. Once you move on to the interview phase, you’ll have the opportunity to elaborate on
additional skills not mentioned on your resume.

Start by reviewing the job description and making note of any required skills or abilities that match your
own. In addition to job requirements, consider the description of the company and its culture.

For example, a job description for a medical assistant may require proficiency in electronic medical
records software and scheduling programs. It may also share that the company values teamwork and
patient satisfaction. In this case, the best skills to put on a resume might include the following:

• Electronic medical records systems

• Patient scheduling software
• Team leadership
• Interpersonal communication
• Customer service

If you don’t see any clues about company culture listed in the job description, check out Indeed Company
Pages or review the employer’s website for additional information.

Decide on a skills section format

You have several options when deciding where you should list skills on your resume:

• List your skills on a functional resume. This option is good for people changing careers or
those with little or no professional experience.
• List your skills in a separate skills section. This option is good for those who have extensive
experience but want to clearly highlight specific skills or qualifications that set them apart.
• Weave your skills into your professional experience section. No matter how you decide to list
skills on your resume, you should include keywords from the job description when listing previous
experience.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these options as you decide which is best for your background.

List your skills on a functional resume

If you are changing careers or industries and do not have extensive professional experience, you might
decide to feature them at the top of your resume. This type of resume is called a functional resume.

RESUMES & COVER LETT ERS

10 Best Skills to Include on a Resume (With Examples)

May 21, 2020

The skills section of your resume shows employers you have the abilities required to succeed in the role.
Often, employers pay special attention to the skills section of your resume to determine if you should
move on to the next step of the hiring process. In this article, we examine 10 important skills to include on
a resume, as well as tips on how to best craft the skills section of your resume.

If you aren't sure how to show your best skills on your resume, you can get professional help with
our resume feedback questionnaire.

Related: 6 Universal Rules for Resume Writing

Top 10 skills for resumes

Some important types of skills to cover on a resume include:

• Active listening
• Communication
• Computer skills
• Customer service
• Interpersonal skills
• Leadership
• Management skills
• Problem-solving
• Time management
• Transferable skills

Create your resume

Hard skills vs. soft skills

Employers are looking to hire employees who have the right mix of two different types of skills: Soft skills
and hard skills.

Hard skills are abilities specific to the job and/or industry. Generally, these are more technical skills you
learn in school, certification programs, training materials or experience on the job. Hard skills might
include proficiency in things like:

• Software
• Foreign languages
• Operating certain equipment or machinery

Soft skills, on the other hand, are abilities that can be applied in any job. Often, soft skills may be referred
to as “people skills” or “social skills” and include proficiency in things like:

• Communication
• Customer service
• Problem-solving
• Time management
• Leadership

Hard skills are usually teachable while soft skills are typically personality traits much harder to develop,
and therefore extremely valuable to employers. In most cases, your soft skills can enhance your hard
skills. For example, if you’re a detail-oriented software developer skilled in a computer programming
language, you’ll likely be able to catch errors and correct issues in the code you and your team create.
As a job seeker, it’s important to highlight your best hard and soft skills to position yourself as a well-
rounded candidate. It’s also helpful to consider how the two types of skills relate to one another and the
job so you can speak to this in your next interview.

How to identify your best skills

If you’re not sure which skills you want to share, consider your previous experiences. Where did you
excel? Where would your peers say you’re especially practiced? Here are a few ways to determine good
skills to put on a resume:

• Consider your awards and achievements

Did you ever receive recognition for meeting a particular objective or excelling in a specific area? If
so, your skills likely assisted you in reaching this achievement. Consider what personal talents or
attributes helped you meet that milestone.
• Ask former coworkers or fellow students
Sometimes others can help note strengths you may not recognize yourself. Reach out to a former
manager or colleagues who worked closely with you. If you’re new to the professional world, reach
out to students you worked with, teachers who know you well or someone you consider a mentor.
• Talk to professionals in the field
If you’re having a difficult time determining what skills an employer may want to see, consider
contacting a professional already working in the industry or position similar to the one you’re
applying for. Find out what skills they consider most important, and identify which align with your
own.

When creating a list of skills for your resume, only include those you know to be your strengths. If there’s
something you’re still learning, don’t feel pressured to include it because it appears in the job posting. If
the employer mentions a skill you didn’t include during the interview process, you can discuss how you’re
working to learn or improve for the role.

How to list skills on your resume

Review the job description and research the company

Though you may have several different areas of strength, include only those that are relevant to the job.
Recruiters often have limited time when reviewing resumes, so it’s best to keep your skills section specific
and concise. Once you move on to the interview phase, you’ll have the opportunity to elaborate on
additional skills not mentioned on your resume.

Start by reviewing the job description and making note of any required skills or abilities that match your
own. In addition to job requirements, consider the description of the company and its culture.

For example, a job description for a medical assistant may require proficiency in electronic medical
records software and scheduling programs. It may also share that the company values teamwork and
patient satisfaction. In this case, the best skills to put on a resume might include the following:

• Electronic medical records systems

• Patient scheduling software
• Team leadership
• Interpersonal communication
• Customer service

If you don’t see any clues about company culture listed in the job description, check out Indeed Company
Pages or review the employer’s website for additional information.
Decide on a skills section format

You have several options when deciding where you should list skills on your resume:

• List your skills on a functional resume. This option is good for people changing careers or
those with little or no professional experience.
• List your skills in a separate skills section. This option is good for those who have extensive
experience but want to clearly highlight specific skills or qualifications that set them apart.
• Weave your skills into your professional experience section. No matter how you decide to list
skills on your resume, you should include keywords from the job description when listing previous
experience.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these options as you decide which is best for your background.

List your skills on a functional resume

If you are changing careers or industries and do not have extensive professional experience, you might
decide to feature them at the top of your resume. This type of resume is called a functional resume.

To include skills on a functional resume, create a separate skill section that lists your successes with key
skills relevant to the position for which you’re applying. Any professional experience you do have should
go below your skills section.

Here’s an example of how to list skills on a functional resume:

Skills

Process Streamlining
Created customer service email scripts used across the company to interact with customers. Single-
handedly created customer service representative training manual, reducing the onboarding process from
8 to 6 weeks. Reduced average customer representative call time by 90 seconds with intuitive online
training

Complaint Resolution
Answered an average 50+ calls per day from unsatisfied customers related to delays in shipment, order
mistakes and lost orders. Achieved 97% average customer satisfaction rating, surpassing team goal by
12%.

Service-Based Selling
Consistently exceeded application targets by 10%+ with innovative up-selling techniques. Pioneered
development of improved system for following up with unsatisfied customers, reducing customer churn by
6%.

List your skills in a separate skills section

If you want to support your professional experience with skills that are required by or relevant to the
employer, you could include a separate skills section that highlights keywords from the job description. If
you have extensive professional experience, your job history section should be highlighted as the first
thing employers see. You can list additional skills in a separate section at or near the bottom of your
resume.

Here is an example skills section for a payroll specialist:

Relevant skills: Mastery of Quicken and QuickBooks, employee benefits administration, new hire
onboarding, multistate payroll, employee relations.

Weave your skills into your professional experience section

While many job seekers may list skills in a separate section of their resume, it’s also important to weave
them into descriptions under each of your previous positions. This is where you have an opportunity to
strengthen your skills section with additional context and specific examples.

For example, if you include the skills “project management” and “time management,” you could illustrate
this by providing a real-life example, like: “Successfully managed six projects across three separate
teams during the first half of 2018, and delivered all completed items by the deadlines.”

Example skills to put on a resume

While you can often easily determine hard skills to list based on details in the job description, selecting
relevant soft skills is not always as clear. To help narrow down which soft skills to put on a resume, review
the various duties of the position and determine which of your personal strengths will help you
successfully complete those tasks.

Here are several examples of popular soft and hard skills employers may be seeking:

1. Active listening skills

Active listening is the ability to focus completely on a speaker, understand their message, comprehend
the information and respond thoughtfully. Active listeners use verbal and nonverbal techniques to show
and keep their attention on the speaker. Developing and using active listening skills can show your
colleagues that you are engaged and have an interest in the project or task at hand.

Related listening skills include:

• Asking questions
• Note-taking
• Organization
• Punctuality
• Verbal/nonverbal communication

2. Communication skills

Communication skills are the abilities you use when giving and receiving different kinds of information.
Some examples include communicating ideas, feelings or what’s happening around you. Communication
skills involve listening, speaking, observing and empathizing. Having strong communication skills is
important in every industry at every career level.

Related communications skills include:

• Active listening
• Constructive criticism
• Interpersonal communication
• Public speaking
• Verbal/nonverbal communication
• Written communication
3. Computer skills

Computer skills involve the ability to learn and operate various technology. Hardware skills allow you to
physically operate a computer and can be as simple as knowing how to turn devices on and off. Software
skills help you to efficiently use computer programs and applications. There are some software skills that
employers may consider as prerequisites to employment, like using spreadsheets or knowing a certain
coding language.

Related computer skills include:

• Typing/word processing
• Fluency in coding languages
• Systems administration
• Spreadsheets
• Email management

4. Customer service skills

Customer service skills are traits and practices that help you address customer needs to create a positive
experience. In general, customer service skills rely heavily on problem-solving and communication.
Customer service is often considered a “soft skill,” including traits like active listening and reading both
verbal and nonverbal cues.

Related customer service skills:

• Active listening
• Empathy
• Interpersonal skills
• Problem-solving
• Reliability

5. Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills are traits you rely on when you interact and communicate with others. They cover a
variety of scenarios where cooperation is essential. Developing interpersonal skills is important to work
efficiently with others, solve problems and lead projects or teams.

Related interpersonal skills include:

• Communication
• Empathy
• Flexibility
• Leadership
• Patience

6. Leadership skills

Leadership skills are skills you use when organizing other people to reach a shared goal. Whether you’re
in a management position or leading a project, leadership skills require you to motivate others to
complete a series of tasks, often according to a schedule.

Related leadership skills:

 • Ability to teach and mentor
• Flexibility
• Risk-taking
• Team building
• Time management

7. Management skills

Managerial skills are qualities that help you govern both tasks and people. A good manager is organized,
empathetic and communicates clearly to support a team or project. Managers should also be adept in
both soft skills and certain technical skills related to their industry.

Related management skills:

• Decision-making
• Project planning
• Task delegation
• Team communication
• Team leadership

8. Problem-solving skills

Problem-solving skills are qualities that help you determine the source of a problem and quickly find an
effective solution. This skill is highly valued in any role for every industry. Solving problems in your role
might require certain industry or job-specific technical skills.

Related problem-solving skills:

• Attention to detail
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Patience
• Research

9. Time management skills

Time management skills allow you to complete tasks and projects before deadlines while also maintaining
work-life balance. Staying organized can help you allocate your workday to specific tasks by importance.
Deeply understanding your individual, team and company goals can provide a starting point when
deciding how to manage your time.

Related time management skills:

• Delegating tasks
• Focus
• Goal setting
• Organization
• Prioritization

10. Transferable skills

Transferable skills are qualities that are useful to any employer as you change jobs or careers. Often soft
skills, these might include things like flexibility, organization, teamwork or other qualities employers seek
in strong candidates. Transferable skills can be used to position your past experience when applying for a
new job—especially if it’s in a different industry.

Related transferable skills:

• Ambition
• Creativity
• Empathy
• Leadership
• Teamwork

The best skills to put on a resume vary by job type, career level, education and other factors. For
example, the skills most important for a commercial truck driver will differ from those of a marketing
manager. Before you apply to any job, take time to review the skills that are most valuable to the
employer and tailor your resume based on which of your personal skills fall within their requirements.

The goal of your resume skills list is to show the recruiter or hiring manager that you’re the best candidate
for the role and will bring defined value to their team. By paying attention to the type of candidate an
employer is looking for and making connections to your own strengths, you can quickly stand among the
competition.

6 Universal Rules for Resume Writing

1. Cover all the basics

The goal of a resume is to best represent your relevant skills and accomplishments, and there are several
ways to do that successfully. That said, every resume requires these basic elements:

• Relevant educational degrees or certifications and/or licenses. The importance of your

educational background will vary based on the job or industry you’re interested in. If you have
many educational credentials, you only need to include the ones that are most relevant to the job
description.
• Relevant work and volunteer experience. Most people choose to list their experience beginning
with their most recent job. Don’t include everything you did in your past jobs. Instead, focus on
achievements over responsibilities.
• Contact information. Your full name, the city where you live, your email address and phone
number. Because this personal information is sensitive, you should be cautious about who you
share your resume with. Read over these guidelines for a safe job search to protect yourself.
• Relevant skills and your level of mastery. For example, “conversational Spanish” or “familiar
with Microsoft Excel” vs. “fluent in Spanish” or “expert at Microsoft Excel”.

It’s important to note that the basics of a resume often do not include references. It’s a best practice to
leave these off your resume. This helps you save space and also preserves the privacy of your
professional contacts.

2. Explore other resumes for inspiration

It can be useful to see how other people have written about their skills and experiences. We
have hundreds of resume samples for you to explore. Choose the job category and title that’s relevant to
you and see samples from people with different amounts of experience. This is a great way to uncover
stronger ways to describe your credentials and to avoid overused words.

You can also get a sense of the internal language used within a particular industry or company. You
might have experience that isn’t directly related but is still highly relevant to the position you’re applying
for, and you want to include it in your resume. Someone else’s resume might feature a similar history and
offer an example of how to frame this experience in a compelling way.

3. Use as few words as possible

Employers need to quickly understand your work experience. Format your experience as a list of short,
scannable statements, rather than writing out dense paragraphs. For example:

Too wordy: Applied expert budget management skills to achieve a 20% reduction in departmental
expenses through diligent research, identifying significant inefficiencies.

More concise: Achieved 20% departmental cost savings by eliminating inefficiencies.

The typical resume is two pages maximum, so make sure all the information you’ve included is essential.
If you can’t decide what is essential, ask yourself if what you’re including is relevant to what the employer
is asking for in the job description.

It’s also important to consider the kind of work you truly want to be hired to do. In other words, don’t
include past experience for tasks you strongly dislike doing. Keep the experiences that you want to keep
building on and match what the employer is looking for—this meets the definition of essential information
to include on your resume.

4. Quantify your accomplishments whenever possible

Numbers and data bring your work experience to life and help hiring managers envision the potential
impact you could have in their organization. When you can, back up your achievements with real data to
boost your credibility and add informative detail to your resume. For example:

Unquantified: Improved lead generation through strategic content marketing initiatives.

Quantified: Achieved 180% year-over-year lead growth through strategic content marketing initiatives.

5. Use keywords that employers are using in their job descriptions

Hiring managers want to see that you can speak their language and know the language that’s commonly
used in their industry. When they see their own keywords mirrored back to them in your resume, it
reinforces the idea that you’re a strong candidate for the role. And if your resume will be posted to an
online database like Indeed Resume, the right keywords are critical to getting found by employers.

One way to become familiar with the different keywords is to experiment with different search terms
on Indeed.com or on the Indeed app. Carefully read the job postings that interest you, and take note of
the terms and phrases that employers are including there. You may begin to notice commonalities and
can include some of these words or concepts in your resume if they are applicable to your background.

6. Proofread several times to catch typos and misspellings

Unfortunately, a single typographical or spelling error is sometimes enough to get your resume discarded
early in the game. Proofread your resume multiple times, doing a thorough line-by-line, word-by-word
edit. Reading content backward—awkward and time-consuming though it may be—is a great way to
catch minor mistakes that you might otherwise miss. Getting an outside perspective is always a good
idea. Ask a friend, mentor, or family member to review your resume for you before you begin submitting it
to employers.

A strong resume can streamline your job search process, helping you showcase your strengths and get
one step closer to your dream job. With some diligent work upfront—and by adhering to these six rules—
you can turn this fundamental job search document into one of your strongest professional assets.

RESUMES & COVER LETT ERS

Listing Professional Experience on Your Resume

February 12, 2020

The purpose of a resume is to quickly communicate your qualifications for a job. The professional
experience or work history section is one of a few key sections employers will look at to determine
whether or not you might be a good fit.

There are several ways you might choose to display your professional history depending on the job for
which you’re applying and your level of experience. In this article, we will discuss the best ways to include
your work history with tips and examples.

What employers look for in your experience section

Employers only have a few seconds to review your resume. During this time, they are looking to
understand whether or not you meet the basic requirements of the position. This information is typically
included in the job description they post. Depending on the job and your experience level, you might
include this information in the skills section, work history section, education section or some combination
of the three.

Create your resume

Listing work history by experience level

No matter your position or level of experience, you should always place the most relevant and important
qualifications at the top of your resume. The way you list this information will vary based on your years of
work:

• If you're a senior-level candidate applying for a similar position in a similar industry, you should
include your work experience in reverse-chronological order at the top of your resume up to the
last 10-15 years. Your rich, extensive experience in the field will be interesting to employers, so it
should be highly visible.

If you have several years of experience but are changing careers or have gaps in your work
history, consider a functional resume format.

• For mid-level positions, focus on roles you've held that are relevant to the position for which
you're applying. You might also decide to include positions like internships and freelancing work if
they display any skills or experiences required for the job.
 • If you are an entry-level candidate, list all relevant, paid work you’ve done. This can include
freelance jobs, temporary work, internships and independent projects for which you were paid.
• If you don't have any work experience, you should include both paid and unpaid work. Unpaid
work can include volunteering, work for student organizations and unpaid internships. Tie your
experiences back to the position by using keywords from the job description. You might also
consider listing your

How to write your professional experience section

While writing the work experience section of your resume, it's important that you are clear and concise.
Employers have mere seconds your resume, so prioritizing relevant information will make it easier for
them to decide if you're right for the job. Here are steps to writing a good professional history section:

1. Review the job description. Highlight keywords that apply to your own skill set or professional
qualities. This can include hard skills, soft skills, tasks you have experience with, level of education
and more.
2. Consider two to three of your greatest achievements. With keywords from the job description
in mind, think of a few of the most impactful contributions you made in each of the roles you held.
Employers are more interested in the value you have demonstrated than the tasks or job duties
you were responsible for.
3. Measure your impact with numbers. When possible, include numbers that measure the exact
value you were able to provide to your organization. There are at least three different ways to
measure your work:

People—did you lead a group or make it possible for a task to be done by fewer people?
Time—did you speed up processes or achieve a result quickly? How quickly?
Money—did your work lead to sales, revenue or cost savings?

Professional experience format guide

After you’ve decided on your most impactful experiences, you should list them on your resume in an
easy-to-read format. Include the name of the employer, your job title, years of employment, and a few
bullet points with your strongest, most relevant accomplishments. Here’s a step-by-step guide for listing
professional experience on your resume:

1. Label the section: Include a clear heading for this subsection such as "work experience" or
"career history." You might decide to add light formatting such as bolding or underlining it to
increase scannability.
2. Include details about each experience: List the company name, your job title and the timeframe
in which you held the role. If you changed roles or earned a promotion, there are certain ways you
can also include this information.
3. Use reverse-chronological order: List your most recent job experience first, then the job before
that and so on.
4. Include relevant achievements: Under every job description, you should have three to four bullet
points describing your most impressive achievements in that position. The description for your
most recent job should be the most detailed.

Professional experience section examples

Here are a few work history examples for various job titles using the above tips. Use these for inspiration
as you write your resume:

Example 1: Warehouse supervisor

River Tech
Warehouse associate | Dec. 2013—June 2017

• Separated, labeled and verified count of incoming deliveries, contributing to a 15% decrease in
counting errors
• Created dynamic inventory system that ensured product levels supported demand without
overstocking
• Responsible for construction of sturdy, balanced pallet loads for shipping
• Developed backup training on computerized inventory system resulting in 25% decrease in
onboarding time

Example 2: School counselor

Clearwater Junior High

Assistant counselor | Jan. 2015—Dec. 2018

• Developed comprehensive guidance and counseling programs in collaboration with faculty and
staff for 1,200+ students
• Conducted career awareness sessions and meet individually with parents and students to explore
education options based on career goals
• Pioneered and coordinated Career & College Day, introducing 800 students and parents to 60
universities, colleges, and companies

Example 3: Restaurant manager

The Salt Brine

Head restaurant manager | June 2013—Dec. 2018

• Performed 25 store audits in compliance with safety and sanitation regulations to ensure the
quickest and most effective modes of service
• Developed training program for 400 employees in compliance with company and government
requirements, reducing training time by 10%
• Performed review of scheduling for three departments and reduced labor needs by 5%
• Sending follow-up letters written by professional cover letter writers to any interviewer has its
own reasons, which would definitely be beneficial just for you. However, many of job candidates
disregard further communication with hiring managers, losing an opportunity to stay at the
forefront of his mind. Here are several reasons why there’s a need for sending thank-you notes to
the organization you plan on working.
• 1. Follow-Up Letters Show the Interviewer Your Interest in Gaining the Job
• Meanwhile, thank-you notes show your appreciation; the actual purpose has a hidden strategy in
it. Willy-nilly, a well-written and organized letter reflects your interest in maintaining the
position, which is quite impressive and effective for managers’ final decision.
• 2. Follow-up Letters Give a Chance to Refresh an Interviewer’s Mind
• First of all, this type of letters reminds your hiring manager about your knowledge and skills he
might have forgotten since he has been interviewing tons of those, like you.
• Most of the job seekers think they’re unique and original because the managed to please
resume screening machines which means they would be easily remembered. But the truth says
the opposite: since the selection process requires interviewing an endless number of candidates,
it’s easy to get lost in the crowd, but these letters give you a chance to stand up from this crowd.
• 3. Follow-Up Letters Serve to Express Gratitude for the Meeting
• It is a perfect option to thank the company for taking their time and giving you a chance to know
more about the organization and the desired position. Hiring managers do their best in order to
 pick the best candidates and this requires much time to complete the task. Who wouldn’t want to
be thanked for their hard work, after all?
• 4. Follow-Up letters Also serve to Increase Your Chances in Starting Cooperation Before
Taking the Position
• As experts in Resume Writing Lab state, job-related topics might give birth to sharing views on
the productiveness of the company.
• Try to confirm the irreplaceability of your candidacy by offering some future projects, if you come
up with anything worthy that the company would be interested in. They need to be relevant and
unique, as well as demonstrate your problem-solving skills. Contribution to the company’s
success has almost 100% guarantee that it will be you, who gets the job.
• 5. The Document Gives an Opportunity to Address Some Information, which wasn’t
Discussed During the Interview
• It’s quite a common phenomenon to recall some important things you should have mentioned but
completely forgot during the interview. A follow-up letter is the best way to list any additional
information, which wasn’t provided before. However, do not overload the document with
useless data – one or two important facts would be more than enough if they’re really worth
mentioning.