Updated
The Resume Skills List: 150+ Skills to Scan and Check Off
No prose, no theory — just 150+ hard and soft skills grouped into 12 categories so you can scan for what applies to you, check it off, and drop your picks straight into a resume. Want the full explanation of hard vs. soft skills and how to choose between them? See the complete resume skills guide.
Tip: use your browser's print function (Ctrl/Cmd+P) to save this checklist as a PDF.
Communication
- Written communication
- Public speaking
- Presentation skills
- Active listening
- Persuasion
- Cross-functional communication
- Client-facing communication
- Technical writing
- Storytelling
- Facilitation
Leadership & Management
- Team leadership
- People management
- Delegation
- Mentoring / coaching
- Performance reviews
- Conflict resolution
- Decision-making
- Change management
- Cross-team collaboration
- Strategic planning
Organization & Productivity
- Time management
- Prioritization
- Multitasking
- Attention to detail
- Project coordination
- Calendar management
- Process improvement
- Documentation
- Meeting facilitation
- Deadline management
Problem-Solving & Thinking
- Critical thinking
- Analytical thinking
- Root-cause analysis
- Creative problem-solving
- Data-driven decision-making
- Troubleshooting
- Research
- Strategic thinking
- Risk assessment
- Attention to detail
Software & Productivity Tools
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office / 365
- Google Workspace
- Slack
- Notion
- Zoom / Teams
- Asana / Trello / Monday.com
- Jira
- Confluence
- Adobe Acrobat
Data & Analytics
- SQL
- Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP)
- Python
- R
- Tableau
- Power BI
- Google Analytics
- A/B testing
- Data visualization
- Statistical analysis
Technology & Development
- JavaScript / TypeScript
- React
- Node.js
- Git / GitHub
- AWS / Azure / GCP
- Docker
- REST APIs
- Agile / Scrum
- CI/CD
- Unit testing
Sales & Marketing
- Prospecting
- Cold outreach
- Salesforce / HubSpot
- Negotiation
- SEO
- Content strategy
- Email marketing
- Social media management
- Google Ads / Meta Ads
- Copywriting
Finance & Accounting
- Financial modeling
- Budgeting & forecasting
- GAAP
- QuickBooks / SAP / NetSuite
- Accounts payable/receivable
- Reconciliation
- Financial reporting
- Cost analysis
- Tax preparation
- Auditing
Customer & Client Service
- Customer service
- De-escalation
- CRM systems (Zendesk, Salesforce)
- Client relationship management
- Order processing
- Live chat support
- First-call resolution
- Upselling / cross-selling
- Product knowledge
- Complaint resolution
Operations & Logistics
- Inventory management
- Supply chain coordination
- Quality control
- Process optimization
- Vendor management
- Scheduling
- Safety compliance (OSHA)
- Warehouse management systems
- Shipping / receiving
- Cycle counting
Adaptability & Work Ethic
- Adaptability
- Reliability
- Initiative
- Work ethic
- Resilience under pressure
- Learning agility
- Independence
- Accountability
- Flexibility
- Growth mindset
How to Use This Checklist
Skip straight to the categories that match your target role — you don't need every list, just the 2–3 relevant to the job.
Only pick skills you could speak to confidently in an interview. A skill you can't back up in conversation will hurt more than help once you're across the table from someone who asks about it.
Prioritize any skill on your list that also appears in the posting, using the posting's exact wording — that's what both ATS software and the recruiter are scanning for.
Pick your strongest matches, not everything that applies. A resume with 8–15 sharp, relevant skills reads stronger than one with 40 generic ones.
Not sure which skills a specific posting is looking for? Paste it into the resume keyword scanner to extract them automatically, or check your resume's match rate with the ATS resume checker.
Resume Skills List FAQ
What are the best skills to put on a resume?
The best skills are the ones that are both true for you and named in the job posting — there's no universal top-10 list, because the right skills change with the role. This checklist covers 150+ common hard and soft skills across 12 categories so you can quickly find the ones that match your target job.
How many skills should I list on my resume?
8 to 15. Fewer looks thin; more starts to read as padding and dilutes your strongest qualifications. Lead with the hard skills the job posting emphasizes, then add 2–4 relevant soft skills at most.
Should I list soft skills or hard skills first?
Hard skills first — they're what ATS software and recruiters scan for initially because they're specific and verifiable. Soft skills carry more weight when they're demonstrated inside your experience bullets rather than listed as bare keywords.
Can I use this list directly on my resume?
Use it as a starting point, not a copy-paste source. Pick only the skills that are genuinely true for you, then match the exact phrasing used in the job posting you're applying to — generic lists like this one are meant to jog your memory, not replace tailoring.
Put your skills on a resume that gets read
ATS-safe templates with a dedicated skills section built to be scanned. Free, no account needed.