How to List Skills on a Resume (With Examples)
Published July 17, 2026 · ResumeAI
The skills section is often the most heavily scanned part of a resume — by both ATS parsing and a recruiter’s six-second skim. Most people fill it with generic filler instead of using it well.
Hard skills vs. soft skills — lead with hard skills
Hard skills are specific and verifiable: a software tool, a programming language, a certification, a machine you’re trained on. Soft skills (communication, leadership) are real but harder to prove from a list — they land better woven into your experience bullets than as standalone entries. Put hard skills first and let soft skills show up through your accomplishments instead.
Where the skills section goes
For career changers and entry-level candidates, put it near the top, right after the summary — it does more work early when your job titles alone don’t make the case. For experienced candidates with a strong, directly relevant work history, it can sit after the experience section, since the work history is already carrying the argument.
How to pick which skills to list
Start from the job posting: list every tool, certification, and skill it names that you genuinely have. Add 2-3 more that are standard for the role but not mentioned. Resist the urge to list everything you’ve ever touched — a focused list of 8-12 relevant skills reads as stronger than a sprawling list of 25.
Formatting: simple list vs. categorized
A simple comma-separated or short bulleted list works for most resumes. If you have skills across genuinely distinct categories (say, "Technical Skills" and "Languages," or "Software" and "Certifications"), categorized subheadings can make the section easier to scan — but don’t create categories just to look thorough.
Skills to cut
Basic software everyone is assumed to know (Microsoft Word, email) unless the job specifically requires proving it. Vague soft-skill entries like "team player" or "hard worker" listed as if they were technical skills. Outdated tools no longer relevant to the roles you’re applying for.
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Try the free resume builder →Frequently asked questions
- How many skills should I list?
- Roughly 8-12 focused, relevant skills works well for most resumes. Fewer can look thin; more than 20-25 starts to read as an unfiltered list rather than a curated one.
- Should I list proficiency levels (beginner/expert) for each skill?
- It’s optional and adds clutter for most roles. It’s more useful for language skills (e.g. "Spanish — conversational") than for software or technical tools, where being listed at all implies working proficiency.
- Do certifications belong in the skills section or their own section?
- Either works. A short list of 1-3 certifications can live in the skills section; a longer or more important set (especially licenses required for the role) usually deserves its own "Certifications" section so it doesn’t get lost.