Best Skills to Put on Resume for 2023

Top Skills for Your Resume

This list of top hard and soft skills for 2023 will be useful to reference when writing your resume. Remember to pick the skills that best describe your abilities and are relevant to your job or industry.

1. Communication
2. Time management
3. Creative problem-solving
4. Continuous learning
5. Emotional intelligence
6. Collaboration
7. Coaching mindset
8. Adaptability
9. Leadership
10. Growth mindset

11. Resilience
12. Analytical skills
13. Project management
14. Business analysis
15. Corporate communication
16. Competitive strategies
17. Cloud computing
18. Digital media
19. Social media marketing
20. Artificial intelligence

Soft Skills and Hard Skills

Employers look for a candidate with the right combination of hard and soft skills. But what does that mean? Let’s dive in.

Soft skills Soft skills tell an employer how you perform and how you work with others. These skills are already part of you, like your habits and natural strengths. Examples of soft skills to include in a resume are:

Creativity
Communication
Teamwork

Don’t let the name fool you. Soft skills are essential to an employer as they help create the work culture and work environment. And, according to the Society for Human Resource Management magazine, soft skills are a key aspect of employment retention.

Hard skills Hard skills, on the other hand, are the knowledge you’ve acquired through education and experience. These skills are related to your industry and position as well as the tools it would require to perform, from physical tools to software. Examples of hard skills include:

Database management
Marketing skills
Business development

Employers look for a combination of both hard and soft skills. They need an employee with the knowledge to perform their duties and a person who can communicate well and work with others.

How to acquire skills

Hard skills are learned and acquired through education, experience and training. Below we discuss the most common methods for acquiring new skills.

Education: Traditional education like courses, training, certification and degrees are how most people acquire hard skills. Bootcamps have also become another education route to develop hard skills, particularly digital skills like coding.
Internships: Internships give you real-life experience with the safeguard of being an educational experience. You can do an internship for credit while studying for your degree, as a recent graduate or as part of a student or professional association.
Returnships: If you’ve been out of the workforce for at least a year for whatever reason, such as maternity, to provide family care or due to unemployment, check out returnships. A returnship is an internship for an adult with work experience. You can apply for a returnship in a new industry to gain skills and experience.
Volunteer work: Skills learned through a volunteer opportunity can count toward your resume skills. Whether you handled a register during a fundraiser, operated the phones for a church, or designed flyers for a nonprofit event, these skills can be included in your resume.
Work experience: Everything that you learn through a job experience is a skill, from how to communicate and be part of a team to software and sales. You can also become part of a Train-to-Hire program, where a company will provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to perform a particular job.

While you cannot learn soft skills the same way you learn hard skills, you can certainly improve existing ones and slowly incorporate new ones. Here are a few steps you can take to work on these skills:

Work on your habits: We use soft skills all the time outside of a work environment, from your organizational skills to how you communicate and work with others, like your family or roommates. You can also spend time reflecting on your strengths and weaknesses. Improve your soft skills by intentionally practicing new personal and professional habits.
Ask for feedback: If you have a mentor, have an honest conversation with them about what you can do to improve yourself. You can also ask your peers what you can do to better yourself, for example, how you manage time.
Be open and receptive: Sometimes, you’ll receive feedback without asking or be forced to work on your habits due to a personal or professional issue. When this happens, be open and receptive to the information and make a conscious effort to improve. It will benefit your career in the long run.

Finding the Right Skills to List on a Resume

How you include skills on your resume will depend on your years of experience. First, you must check out the best resume format that suits your career level. A professional with a decade of experience will rely more on their work history, while someone looking to start their career will depend more on the skills they have gained through education or volunteer work.
Then, follow these steps:

Identify the right skills for the job.Before you start crafting your resume, make a list of all your skills, both hard and soft.
Find skills the company values.Gather this information from the job posting and research you’ve done on the company, from its website, recent news and professional social media.

How to Include Skills on a Resume

Once you’re done with these steps, you can gather the information to craft the different resume skills sections with the help of our How to Write a Resume guide. Remember that while not every single one is titled “Skills,” there will be skills throughout every section of your resume.

Start with the resume objective. This section will highlight your best skill, most relevant experience and any qualifications you might have, like education or a certification. It is only two to three sentences long; it is a small but powerful section. You can learn more about how to craft it on our resume objective page.
Include skills in your work experience. While resumes have at least one dedicated skills section, your work experience also allows you to include more. The main difference will be that these resume skills will be in a sentence and have an example. Instead of including sales in a bulleted list, you can include “Led software program sales, achieving a 35% conversion rate for the past three years” under your sales position.
Skills section. If you’re using a chronological or combination resume format, you will have a dedicated resume skills section. This will be a straightforward bulleted list of six to eight skills.
On the other hand, the functional resume, also called a skills-based resume, will have a summary of qualifications and professional skills. Both of these sections will highlight your resume skills. The summary of qualifications will list the skills where your expertise resides. The professional skills will have the skills you can use in the job you’re applying to.

You can see how different resume skills look on a finished document by checking our resume examples page.

Build a Skillful Resume

Hloom’s Resume Builder makes it easy to include the resume skills you need, plus it’ll give you pro tips to get the most out of each section

Most Requested Resume Skills Examples for Different Jobs

Customer service skills to put on a resume:

Clear communication
Empathy
Product knowledge
Positive attitude
Self-control
Sense of responsibility
Patience
Strong listening skills
Attentiveness
Time management

Ability to learn and improve
Knowledge retention
Calm under pressure
Adaptability
Professionalism
Acting chops
Rapid response reaction
Flexibility
Problem-solving skills
Confidence

Communication skills to list on a resume:

Active listener and participant
Provide positive or productive feedback
Gauge body language and social cues
Communicate with large groups
Public speaking skills
Assertive and confident
Quickly absorb and process information
Clarify complex thought and ideas
Cross-cultural understanding

Willing to hear multiple arguments
Ask questions to clarify projects or goals
Open and friendly team collaborator
Encourage honest communication
Quickly communicate project statuses
Open to constructive feedback
Recognize appropriate channels of communication
Pro tip: In today's highly digitalized world, a harmonious workplace thrives with workers that understand the importance of knowing how to share sensitive information. Discerning between a chat message and an in-person conversation is crucial.

Sales skills to put on a resume:

Problem-solving
Product knowledge
Drive and focus
Curiosity
Integrity
Charisma
Emotional and self-awareness
Resiliency
Pro tip: Whether it's a rude customer, drastic corporate changes or hard times beyond your control, a resilient worker shows up as best as they can. That positive attitude is highly-attractive to employers.

Management skills
Multitasking
Rapport-building skills
Persuasive
Self-motivated
Competitive
Collaborative
Strong initiative and self-motivated

Data analysis skills to list on a resume:

Statistical program training
Knowledge of programming languages (R/SAS, SQL, Python, etc.)
Data visualization creation
Experience in data mining
Gather data from primary and secondary sources
Organize data into clearly defined data sets

Discard irrelevant or unrelated information
Identify trends or patterns and translate to business opportunities
Create concise and legible data reports or data visualizations for project partners
Create and maintain databases and/or data systems

Computer programming skills to put on a resume:

Problem-solving ability
Strong memory
Innovative
Process and brainstorm improvements
System administration experience
Software/hardware installation
IT troubleshooting
Provide onsite tech support
Vendor management
Self-motivated and independent
Cloud management

Familiarity with multiple operating systems
Familiarity with database management programs
Familiarity with one or more coding languages
Familiarity with programming software
Pro tip: Be familiar with Java, JavaScript, MySQL, CQL, C#, C++, Python, Ruby on Rails and iOS.
Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite
Network automation
Installation and maintenance of conferencing materials
Email management and maintenance
Experienced in website analytics

Administrative skills to list on a resume:

Filing and document management
Above-average typing speed
Open to flexible working hours
Bookkeeping and budgeting
Familiarity with office equipment
Exemplary customer service skills
Strong researching skills

Motivated
Self-starter
Strong social media management
Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite
Excellent time management
Database management
Proven track record

Finance skills to put on a resume:

Project management
Formal accounting certificates or education
Understanding of accounting standards, techniques and principles
Problem-solving skills
Technologically proficient
Highly ethical
Foresight and analytical ability
Interpersonal skills
Strong communication skills

Intuitive financial reporting
Moderate knowledge of accounting software
Innovative mindset
Cost analysis
Cost reduction
Familiarity with GAAP, Microsoft Excel and ledgers
Analytical and prioritization abilities
Risk management
Pro tip: You need to exhibit the best organizational skills and trustworthiness to excel in positions that require you to handle money, create budgets and present accurate reports.

Health care skills to list on a resume:

HIPAA Knowledge
EHR System Knowledge (Electronic Health Record)
State and federal regulation knowledge
Billing and medical coding
Clear and concise communication skills
Multicultural competence (ability to interact with people from different backgrounds)
Quality assurance

Patient care
Case management
Electronic billing & EDI transactions
Supply chain management
Problem-solving
Analytical skills
Works well under pressure

Food service skills to put on a resume:

Multitasking
Attention to detail
Food safety
Sanitation and personal hygiene
Customer service

Knowledge of food handling procedure
Point-of-Sale (POS) System experience
Inventory management
Ability to stand for long periods
Culinary skills

Teaching skills to list on a resume:

Patience
Multicultural competence
Problem-solving
Adaptability
Competency-based assessment

Behavior management
Level-appropriate expertise
Proactive to feedback
Interpersonal communication skills
Proficient in monitoring and assessing performance

Copywriting skills to put on a resume

Creativity
Team player
Strong writing skills
SEO knowledge

Attention to detail
CMS knowledge
Analytical thinking
Empathy and concern for readers’ needs

Graphic and web design skills to list on a resume:

Creativity
Experience with design software and technology (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.)
Branding
Topography
Team worker

Time management
Collaboration
Innovation
Strong understanding of design best practices, standards and emerging trends
Knowledge of website development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)

Retail skills to put on a resume:

Customer service skills
Proactive and courteous customer communication
Highly organized
Sales knowledge
Attention to detail

Merchandising procedure familiarity
Self-starter
Flexible and proactive
Technology adept
Time management

Entertainment skills to list on a resume:

Creativity and versatility
Flexibility
Familiarity with production procedures, practices and safety regulations
Time management
Innovative

Attention to detail
Professionalism
Excellent interpersonal skills
Multitasking
Ability to handle stressful situations

What are Transferable Skills?

Transferable skills are those skills that can be used across different industries. They can be either soft or hard skills.

These are just a few examples of transferable skills to list on a resume.

Interpersonal skills for a resume: These skills pertain to how we communicate and relate to others. For an entry-level position, these skills will demonstrate how you interact with your co-workers, customers and management. For midcareer and experienced professionals, these skills will help demonstrate their management skills, conflict resolution and contribute to maintaining the workplace culture.

Cooperation
Communication skills
Teamwork
Empathy

Active listening
Self-awareness
Patience

Collaborative resume skills examples: Whether you’re going from retail to a call center or from finance to tech, collaboration is an essential part of all job industries. These resume skills are important for a job that requires teamwork:

Trustworthiness
Ability to clarify roles
Pro tip: Being a point of reference when co-workers are unclear about their roles and how to execute them shows you have excellent leadership and communication abilities.
Direct team focus
Ability to read the room
Setting and maintaining realistic deadlines

Flexibility
Openness to working outside specialties
Establishing strong mentor/mentee bonds
Team-builder
Multi-departmental coordination

Management resume skills examples: A good manager, or manager candidate, has to be patient, a great communicator, a critical thinker, and a smart delegator, regardless of the size of their team or the type of industry. Include these in your resume skills to highlight your interest in leadership:

Leadership
Critical thinking
Financial acuity
Project management
Social skills
Prioritization
Rational decision-making
Delegation

Adaptable
Motivational speaker
Develop and maintain trust
Advanced operational training
ORAPAPA (Opportunities, Risks, Alternatives and Improvements, Past Experience, Analysis, People and Alignment and Ethics)
Pro tip: Understanding this decision-making method allows you to consider all the important factors when making a decision.

Communications resume skills examples: No matter which position or industry, communication is vital. You need to deliver a clear and concise message that gets your point across to your peers, management, customers and others. Include at least one in your resume skills:

Excellent written and verbal communication
Nonverbal communication
Active listening
Culturally competent communication
Professional presentation (how you present to others, peers or management)

Ability to connect with others
Public speaking
Persuasive
Engaging communicator
Knowledgeable in communication (format, method, medium)

Sales resume skills examples: Even if you’re trying to leave sales, the skills you gain in this field can help you land another position. Your commercial awareness could allow you to move to marketing or your negotiation skills to the security industry. Show them off in your resume skills:

Market knowledge
Relationship building
Commercial awareness
Negotiation

Time management
Customer relationship management software (CRM)
Buyer research
Resiliency

Technical resume skills examples: No need to be a technological expert to include technical skills on your resume. These programs are used across industries and make an excellent addition to your resume skills.

Microsoft Office
Microsoft Teams
Email marketing software, like MailChimp
Social media management software

HTML, CSS
Content management systems (CMS)
Project management software (Jira, Monday, Asana)
Customer service software, like Zendesk

Resume Skills FAQ

What are the best skills to include in a resume?

The best skills to put on a resume are those that represent you and that will serve the company. Find specific keywords in the job description and by researching the company. Always include a combination of hard and soft skills on a resume.

How many skills should I include in my resume?

This will vary depending on your resume format. On a chronological resume and a combination resume, you will have a dedicated resume skills section, which should include between six to eight skills. Your work experience section will also include skills from your previous or current role description. This is also an opportunity to showcase your soft skills with concrete examples. For example:

Organized and kept records of all internal company projects with expert use of Asana.
Implemented a digitalized bookkeeping system increasing accuracy of paychecks and financial reports by 55%.

The functional resume, also called a skills-based resume, will have a summary of qualifications and professional skills. Both of these resume skills sections will highlight your best skills. The summary of qualifications will list the skills where your expertise resides. The professional skills will have skills you can apply to the job.

What are my top three skills?

To raise your chances of getting an interview, you should always craft a resume for a specific job application instead of a general resume. This means that your top three resume skills will vary according to the position you’re applying for. Always include real and current skills.

Which skills are employers looking for?

Employers are looking for a combination of soft skills and hard skills. Make sure to use both in your resume skills. Use the job posting to tailor your resume to their target keywords. You can find the keywords under “Requirements” or “Qualifications.”

Where should I list my skills?

Your skills will be all over your resume. Each section will showcase them in a different format.

Your resume objective will include your strongest skill with your qualifying credential or years of experience.
Your resume skills section will have the skills that the company is seeking in a bulleted list format.
Your work experience will include the skills used in your previous position.

What if I don’t have the skills for the job?

If you do not have the hard skills needed for a job, your soft skills will take the spotlight in your resume skills sections. Include transferable skills from other job experiences or volunteer work you’ve done in the past. Transferable skills can also help if you’re changing industries. Also, remember that a resume is only part of the application. You can include a cover letter explaining your situation and garner enough interest to land that interview.

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Gabriela Barcenas

Gaby is Hloom’s resident writer, a certified professional resume writer (CPRW), and a baking enthusiast. She likes to defend the use of the functional resume to her friends in HR. She graduated from the University of San Francisco with a B.A. in English and Creative Writing and wrote about career growth, tech startups, education, fashion, travel and lifestyle culture throughout her career.