Skills to Put on a Resume: The Complete 2026 List

Hard skills vs soft skills: what's the difference?

Hard skills

Specific, teachable, and measurable. Software, tools, languages, methodologies, certifications. These are what ATS systems scan for and what recruiters filter by.

Examples: Python, Salesforce, PRINCE2, Google Analytics

Soft skills

Interpersonal and professional attributes. Harder to measure, easier to claim. ATS systems don't scan heavily for these — they're better demonstrated through your bullet points than listed separately.

Examples: Leadership, communication, adaptability

⚠️ The skills section rule

Your skills section should be primarily hard skills. Soft skills like “team player” and “good communicator” are claimed by everyone and verified by no one. If you have soft skills worth mentioning, demonstrate them through achievement-led bullet points in your experience section instead.

Hard skills list by industry

Technology

PythonJavaScriptTypeScriptReactNode.jsAWSAzureDockerKubernetesCI/CDREST APIsSQLPostgreSQLMongoDBGitAgileScrumSystem designMicroservicesMachine learning

Marketing

SEOSEMGoogle AdsMeta AdsHubSpotSalesforceContent strategyEmail marketingMarketing automationA/B testingGoogle AnalyticsCRODemand generationBrand strategyCopywritingSocial media management

Finance & Accounting

Financial modellingExcel (advanced)Power BITableauFP&AVariance analysisDCF valuationM&A due diligenceIFRSGAAPManagement accountsBudget managementSAPOracleCash flow forecasting

Sales

Salesforce CRMHubSpot CRMPipeline managementSolution sellingAccount managementOutbound prospectingCold callingNegotiationContract managementQuota attainmentSaaS salesEnterprise salesTerritory management

HR & People

Talent acquisitionHRISWorkdayBambooHREmployee relationsPerformance managementCompensation & benefitsLearning & developmentOrganisational designDEI programmesEmployment law (UK)TUPESuccession planning

Project & Operations Management

Prince2PMPAgileScrumJIRAAsanaRisk managementStakeholder managementBudget managementResource planningChange managementProcess improvementLeanSix SigmaP&L ownership

How to use soft skills effectively

If you do include soft skills — make them specific. Here's how to make the most common ones actually credible:

LeadershipBack it up with an example — "led a team of 8" beats just saying "leadership"

CommunicationOnly useful if you specify the type — written, stakeholder, executive-level

Problem solvingStrong when paired with a specific example of a complex problem you resolved

AdaptabilityParticularly relevant after career changes, redundancy, or company restructures

Project managementCrosses soft and hard skill — specify any methodology (Agile, Prince2)

CollaborationMore powerful when you name the teams — "cross-functional collaboration between product and sales"

How many skills should you list?

Aim for 8–15 skills. Fewer than 8 looks sparse and misses keyword opportunities. More than 15 starts to look padded and unfocused. The sweet spot is a concise list of genuinely held, relevant skills.

The most important rule: tailor it

Don't use the same skills section for every application. Read the job description and check which skills it mentions. Match your list to those terms exactly — if they say “Stakeholder management” and you've been writing “stakeholder engagement,” change it. Read our guide on resume keywords that get interviews for a deeper look at this.