5 Key Tips for a Stellar Resume Skills Section

A well-crafted resume skills section allows you to showcase what you have to offer a company. It also packs a powerful punch that can help your resume navigate applicant tracking systems (ATS) used by a majority of companies to find the right candidates. 

Having the right keywords in your resume skills section, the greater the likelihood that your resume will get noticed.

What is the skills section?

While the Professional Experience section is most critical and will take up the bulk of your resume’s real estate, the Skills section cannot be treated as an afterthought. A great resume skills section will be short – only three to four lines – and will consist of between 9 and 12 ATS-friendly keywords and phrases that mirror the most critical skills found in the job description. 

It’s designed to highlight your expertise in a way that’s easily scanned by the human eye and type: entry-hyperlink id: 57uHHoNXOgZaBSPTHFMiJ9. Be sure to include:

• Technical/hard skills

• Soft skills

• Industry-specific knowledge

Why is the skills section important?

When properly put together, your resume skills section does a few things for you, including:

1. Clearly highlights that you have the right skills aligned with the job you seek

2. Improves your chances of getting past the ATS

3. Provides a quick way for future employers to assess your qualifications

4. Differentiates you from other job seekers

5. Complements the achievements in your resume by substantiating the skills you applied

How to create a stellar skills section 

Today's type: entry-hyperlink id: 2yecx1o6goan4EHcmVTHZF world demands a savvy understanding of keywords and their importance in helping your resume leap from a pile and shout, “Call me for an interview!” There are five things you can do to make sure your resume skills section hits the mark.

1. Identify the right skills

The best method to identify the ideal keywords to include in your resume Skills section is to review employment ads with the job titles you're seeking and identify the desired skills most often repeated. Then, include them in your resume Skills section.

2. Use keywords

Using the skills you identified from the job descriptions, cultivate a list of keywords – using the exact language from the job posting – that show how you've developed those skills in your previous positions.

3. Organize your keywords

Group like items together. Organize your skills into categories such as technical skills, type: entry-hyperlink id: h5fwNOMo2pPpLPPF0opDl, and industry-specific knowledge to make your qualifications clear and emphasize their relevance to the job. 

4. Keep it relevant, but stay flexible

Tailoring your resume every time you apply to a position is one of the most important things you can do for your job search. Job description #1 may seek someone strong in “customer service,” while job description #2 might use the phrase “client success.” Use their language.

5. Prioritize

It’s important that you list the most relevant and impressive skills first to catch the reader’s attention. Even if you consider yourself the best active listener around, don’t start with that, as it’s probably not the most important thing they’re looking for. 

What to put in your resume Skills section

Knowing HOW to put together a great resume Skills section is one thing. Getting it together properly is another. Let’s take a look at some examples of exactly what should go into this small yet crucial part of your resume. 

Hard and soft skills

A great resume skills section will contain a good mix of hard and soft skills. Hard skills will be the keyphrases specifically mentioned in the job description that match your abilities. These skills are learned during your career and come from education and experience. 

On the other hand, soft skills relate to how you work and interact with others and include things like teamwork, adaptability, and creativity. In fact, soft skills are being increasingly recognized as crucial to workplace success.

Example skills:

• Creativity

• Emotional Intelligence

• Conflict Resolution

Transferable skills

If you're switching fields or reentering the workforce after a lengthy absence, look to your other experiences to find type: entry-hyperlink id: 7mj2yOofnHp8jmPbjMysbE. Don't discount yourself from consideration because your skills don't match the job description exactly.

If you stayed home to raise your children for seven years, worked in sales while finishing grad school, or took care of your elderly parents, there are a range of skills you can cull from those experiences. 

Example skills:

• Project Management

• Leadership

• Budgeting

• Time Management

• Communication

• Problem-Solving

Technical skills for specialized industries

If you're working in certain industries – the Information Technology industry, for example – that require specialized skill sets, you can create a second resume skills section to highlight type: entry-hyperlink id: 4mjdNxaDzVGcm8MOrG8Jw2 like software proficiencies, programming languages, or machine operation capabilities. 

Example skills:

• Programming Languages (e.g., Python, Java)

• Software Proficiency (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite, Salesforce)

• Data Analysis Tools (e.g., SQL, Tableau)

Industry-specific knowledge

This includes skills and knowledge unique to the industry you’re targeting. They demonstrate your familiarity with the sector and your capability to jump right into the role with less training. Highlight your knowledge of industry-specific practices, regulations, or technologies to assure employers of your capability to seamlessly integrate into their operations.

Example Skills:

• Regulatory Compliance (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR)

• Sector-Specific Tools (e.g., CAD software for engineering, SPSS for research)

Skills that should not be missing

No matter if you’re switching careers, have very little experience, or are a seasoned professional, there are some skills that should always appear in your resume Skills section. These are universally recognized to boost your candidacy because they appeal to employers across industries and jobs. 

• Communication

• type: entry-hyperlink id: 5jD6o30pv6s29BdSYk0w3F

• Problem-solving

• Software proficiencies

• Technical writing or documenting

• Data analysis

• Strategic planning

• Team leadership

• Decision-making

The great thing is that everyone should be able to give an example of when these skills have been used – even someone fresh out of college can talk about a time when they led a team on a project or at a sporting event. 

Your resume Skills section: The final touch

A top-notch resume Skills section not only complements your experience but also propels your resume to the top of the stack to open doors to new career opportunities. When you use a bit of strategy to tailor your resume Skills section to align with the needs of potential employers, you position yourself as a top candidate.

Want to see how your resume stacks up? Try out our free critique today!

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