Resume Skills Examples: 150+ Skills to Put on Your Resume in 2026

Q: Are soft skills worth listing on a resume at all?

Not as standalone claims in a skills section. Specific communication and leadership skills like technical writing, executive presentation, or people management are worth including because they describe verifiable competencies. Generic claims like team player or great communicator carry no ATS or recruiter value.

ATS systems match resumes to jobs by scanning for specific skill keywords, not general concepts. A resume that says "proficient in data tools" will not match a job posting that says "Tableau." This list covers 150+ specific, ATS-recognized resume skills examples across every major category, organized so you can find what you need and verify it against your target job description in under five minutes.

Why Specific Skills Examples Matter

75%

of resumes are auto-rejected by ATS before a human sees them (Jobscan, 2023)

63%

of hiring managers say skill relevance is their top screening criterion (LinkedIn Talent Solutions, 2025)

40%

more likely to advance to interview with a tailored skills section (Resumelab, 2024)

87%

of job postings list at least one specific required skill or tool (Lightcast, 2025)

How to Use This List

This is a reference resource, not a list to copy wholesale. Use it in three steps:

Find your category. Navigate to the section most relevant to your role and industry.
Pick 8 to 12 matches. Select only the skills you can genuinely demonstrate at an intermediate level or above.
Verify against the job description. Cross-reference your selections with the specific language in the posting. Use the posting's exact phrasing wherever possible.

For the strategic framework behind skill selection (which section to put them in, how many to list, how to format for ATS), see our full guide to skills for a resume.

Computer and Software Skills

Software proficiency is one of the most frequently tested skill categories by ATS. Use the exact product name, not the category name. "Microsoft Excel" ranks higher in ATS matching than "spreadsheet software." For detailed guidance on grouping, section headers, and parser behavior by platform, see our article on how to list computer skills on a resume.

Productivity Suites and Collaboration

Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Meet)
Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom
Asana, Monday.com, Trello, Smartsheet
Notion, Confluence, SharePoint
Zoom, WebEx, Google Meet

Business Applications

Salesforce CRM, HubSpot CRM, Zoho CRM
SAP ERP, Oracle ERP, NetSuite
QuickBooks, Xero, Sage Intacct
Tableau, Power BI, Looker Studio
AutoCAD, SolidWorks, MATLAB
Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Canva

Programming and Technology Skills

List languages and frameworks at the specific version level when relevant (e.g., "Python 3," "React 18"). ATS systems in technical recruiting often scan for version-level keywords in addition to the base language name.

Languages

Python
Java
JavaScript / TypeScript
C / C++ / C#
SQL
R
Go (Golang)
Swift / Kotlin
HTML / CSS
Bash / Shell scripting
Scala
Ruby

Frameworks and Libraries

React, Angular, Vue.js
Node.js, Express.js
Django, Flask, FastAPI
Spring Boot, .NET Core
TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn
Pandas, NumPy
LangChain, LlamaIndex
GraphQL, REST API design
Spark, Hadoop

Cloud and Infrastructure

AWS (EC2, S3, Lambda, RDS)
Microsoft Azure
Google Cloud Platform
Docker, Kubernetes
Terraform, Ansible
CI/CD (Jenkins, GitHub Actions)
Git, GitHub, GitLab
Linux / Unix administration
Snowflake, Databricks, dbt

For a full breakdown of tech-specific skills with ATS keyword strategy, see our guide to technical skills for a resume.

Analytical Skills

Analytical skills are most valuable when paired with the specific tool used to apply them. "Data analysis using Tableau" is far more ATS-effective than "data analysis" alone.

Analytical Skill Examples

Data analysis and visualization
Statistical modeling and regression analysis
A/B testing and experiment design
Financial modeling and forecasting
Market research and competitive analysis
Root cause analysis and problem-solving
KPI development and performance tracking
Business intelligence (BI) reporting
Predictive analytics
Qualitative and quantitative research

Strong vs. Weak Framing

Weak	Strong
Analytical skills	SQL-based cohort analysis
Data-driven	A/B testing, Optimizely
Research skills	Quantitative user research
Problem-solving	Root cause analysis, 5 Whys

Communication Skills

Generic communication skills ("strong communicator," "excellent verbal skills") carry almost no ATS or recruiter weight. The specific communication skills below are ATS-recognizable because they describe distinct, verifiable competencies.

Specific Communication Skills

Technical writing and documentation
Executive presentation development
Cross-functional stakeholder communication
Client-facing communication
Public speaking and keynote delivery
Grant writing and proposal development
Copywriting and content writing
UX writing and microcopy
Bilingual communication (specify language)
Media relations and press communications

What to Use Instead of Generic Claims

Replace these in bullets, not the skills section:

"Presented quarterly roadmap to 200-person org" (not "public speaker")
"Authored 40-page technical spec adopted by 3 teams" (not "technical writer")
"Managed client relationships across 12 enterprise accounts" (not "client communication")

Leadership and Management Skills

Leadership Skill Examples

Team leadership and people management
Performance management and coaching
Hiring and talent acquisition
Organizational development
Executive leadership
Cross-functional team leadership
Mentoring and professional development
Conflict resolution
Strategic planning and vision setting
Change management

Management Skill Examples

P&L management
Budget planning and cost management
Vendor management and contract negotiation
Workforce planning and scheduling
Operations management
Compliance and regulatory oversight
KPI and OKR setting
Succession planning
Board and executive reporting
Risk management

Project Management Skills

Project management skills carry the most ATS weight when they include recognized certifications and methodology names. "Agile project management" matches postings differently than "project management" alone.

Methodologies and Certifications

Agile / Scrum / Kanban
Waterfall project management
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Certified Scrum Master (CSM / PSM I/II)
SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework)
Six Sigma (Black Belt / Green Belt / Yellow Belt)
Lean methodology
PRINCE2
ITIL Foundation / ITIL 4
CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management)

PM Execution Skills

Scope definition and WBS creation
Resource allocation and capacity planning
Risk identification and mitigation
Sprint planning and retrospectives
Stakeholder management
Project scheduling (MS Project, Smartsheet)
Budget tracking and cost control
Change control management
Program management
Portfolio management

Industry-Specific Resume Skills Examples

Healthcare

Clinical Skills

Patient assessment, IV insertion, medication administration, phlebotomy, wound care and dressing changes, vital signs monitoring, ECG/EKG interpretation, CPR/BLS, ACLS, PALS, TNCC, NRP

Health IT and Compliance

Epic EHR, Cerner, Meditech, Athenahealth, HIPAA compliance, clinical documentation, ICD-10/CPT coding, medical billing and coding, case management, utilization review

Specialty Certifications

CCRN (critical care), CEN (emergency), CPEN (pediatric emergency), CPN (pediatric nursing), CMSRN (med-surg), OCN (oncology), RNC-OB (ob/gyn)

Finance and Accounting

Accounting Skills

GAAP, IFRS, financial statement preparation, accounts payable/receivable, general ledger management, month-end close, audit support, tax preparation (individual and corporate), QuickBooks, SAP, Oracle Financials

Finance Skills

DCF valuation, LBO modeling, M&A analysis, FP&A, variance analysis, Bloomberg Terminal, FactSet, capital markets, credit analysis, portfolio management, SEC reporting, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX)

Finance Certifications

CPA (Certified Public Accountant), CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst), CMA (Certified Management Accountant), CFP (Certified Financial Planner), FRM (Financial Risk Manager), Series 7/63/66

Marketing

Digital Marketing Skills

SEO strategy, SEM/PPC management, Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, programmatic advertising, email marketing, marketing automation, HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, conversion rate optimization, landing page optimization

Analytics and Strategy

Google Analytics 4, Mixpanel, Amplitude, A/B testing, content strategy, brand management, demand generation, product marketing, go-to-market planning, market segmentation, customer journey mapping, competitive intelligence

Sales

Category	Skills and Tools
CRM platforms	Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho CRM, Pipedrive, Microsoft Dynamics
Sales methodologies	MEDDIC, SPIN selling, Challenger Sale, solution selling, consultative selling
Prospecting tools	LinkedIn Sales Navigator, ZoomInfo, Apollo.io, Outreach, Salesloft
Core skills	Pipeline management, territory management, quota achievement, contract negotiation, account expansion, cold outreach

Education

Instructional Skills

Curriculum development, lesson planning, differentiated instruction, project-based learning, formative and summative assessment, data-driven instruction, classroom management, PBIS, RTI/MTSS, IEP development, 504 plan management

Ed-Tech Platforms

Canvas LMS, Blackboard, Google Classroom, Schoology, Nearpod, Kahoot, Edpuzzle, Pear Deck, Seesaw, PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, FERPA compliance, ESL/ELL instruction

Engineering

Mechanical / Civil

AutoCAD, SolidWorks, CATIA, ANSYS FEA, GD&T, design for manufacturability, structural analysis, finite element analysis, ASME standards, PLC programming, SCADA

Electrical / Controls

Circuit design, PCB layout, Altium Designer, OrCAD, signal processing, FPGA programming, embedded systems, LabVIEW, MATLAB/Simulink, power systems, NEC code compliance

Process / Chemical

Process design, P&ID development, Aspen HYSYS, process simulation, HAZOP analysis, PSM/RMP compliance, ISO 9001, Six Sigma, Lean manufacturing, value stream mapping, 5S

Skills to Avoid: Vague Terms That Hurt More Than Help

The following skills appear on millions of resumes and carry virtually no weight with either ATS systems or recruiters. They are unfalsifiable claims that every candidate makes and no hiring manager can verify until an interview.

Skip These

Hardworking
Team player
Detail-oriented
Motivated / self-motivated
Passionate
Good communication skills
Fast learner / quick learner
Results-oriented
Strong work ethic
Problem solver (as a standalone claim)

Use These Instead

"Delivered X project 2 weeks ahead of schedule" (hardworking)
"Led cross-functional team of 8" (team player)
"Reduced QA error rate by 23%" (detail-oriented)
"Completed AWS certification in 6 weeks" (fast learner)
"Increased pipeline from $1.2M to $3.4M in 12 months" (results-oriented)
"Presented quarterly roadmap to 150-person organization" (communicator)

Why these terms are ATS-invisible: ATS keyword matching is designed to find specific skills listed in job postings. Employers do not write "must be hardworking" in their required skills fields. These terms are never ATS filter criteria, and they give recruiters no information they could not assume about any applicant.

How Resume Optimizer Pro Extracts and Matches Skills

Manually comparing your skills against a job posting is useful but time-consuming, and it is easy to miss synonyms and keyword variants. Resume Optimizer Pro automates this by parsing the job description for every explicit and implicit skill requirement, then comparing them against your resume at the keyword level.

The result is a match percentage and a prioritized list of skills to add, along with the exact phrasing from the posting. This means you do not just know a skill is missing; you know the precise ATS keyword to add. For skills already present on your resume, it confirms which ones are properly formatted for parsing.

Optimize My Resume

Frequently Asked Questions

Skills that transfer well across most jobs include Microsoft Office Suite (especially Excel), project management tools (Asana, Jira, Trello), data analysis basics, and written communication skills listed as specific types (technical writing, business writing). For a general-purpose list to customize, start with the computer and software skills section above and filter to what you genuinely know.

Start with the job posting. Find every skill mentioned in the required and preferred qualifications, then cross-reference with this list to find the exact ATS-recognized phrasing. Only include skills you can genuinely demonstrate. Listing skills you cannot back up in an interview is a fast way to lose an offer at the reference or background stage.

Not as standalone claims in a skills section. The specific communication and leadership skills listed in this article (technical writing, executive presentation, people management) are worth including because they describe verifiable competencies. Generic claims like "team player" or "great communicator" carry no ATS or recruiter value. Demonstrate soft skills through quantified achievement bullets in your work history instead.