What to put in the skills section of a resume
The skills section is the part of a resume that software searches most directly, and the part people skim fastest. It works best as a short, accurate list of the tools and methods you can really use, grouped so it reads in a few seconds.
Reviewed
Start from the job posting
Read the requirements and list the tools, methods and certifications it names that you genuinely have. Those are the terms a recruiter or a system will look for. Skills the posting never mentions can stay in your experience section.
List things you can be tested on
Hard skills, such as software, languages, methods and equipment, are specific and checkable. They belong in the skills section.
- Tools and software: Excel, Looker, Figma, Salesforce
- Languages and technologies: SQL, Python, TypeScript
- Methods: A/B testing, cost-benefit analysis, agile delivery
- Certifications and licences, with the year where it helps
Group them so they scan
A few labelled groups read faster than one long line, and let you put the most relevant group first.
- Languages: Python, SQL, R
- Tools: Looker, Tableau, Excel
- Methods: Forecasting, A/B testing, Cohort analysis
Show soft skills in your bullets, not here
Words such as "team player" or "good communicator" cannot be checked, so they carry little weight in a list. Show them instead through what you did: "Led a weekly review with three teams" says more than "communication skills".
Weaker
Communication, leadership, teamwork
Stronger
Ran the weekly planning meeting for a team of eight and wrote the handover notes the support team still uses
What to leave out
Cut anything that does not help the reader decide.
- Skill bars and star ratings, which mean nothing to a reader and cannot be read by software
- Basic skills the job assumes, such as email or typing
- Tools you used once and could not talk about in an interview
- Skills in an image, a graphic or a chart
Try it on your resume
Resume vs job match
Paste a posting and see which of its key terms your resume uses and which it leaves out. Free, no account needed.
Open the toolCommon questions
How many skills should I list?
Eight to fifteen, grouped, is plenty for most roles. A longer list dilutes the ones that matter.
Should I list soft skills?
Rarely. Show them in your experience bullets, where a reader can see the proof.
Should I add skill levels like Beginner or Expert?
Usually not. Levels are subjective and invite questions. List what you can use, and be ready to talk about it.
Is it okay to list a skill I am still learning?
Only if you can honestly work with it and would be comfortable answering a question about it. Otherwise leave it out or note it as a course you are taking.