Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on FlexJobs.com.
Writing a strong resume is about balancing brevity with showcasing what you bring to the table.
Since hiring managers focus on skills, it’s important to highlight those you truly have that are relevant to each job you apply for.
With so many skills you could list, however, it’s essential to understand which ones matter most.
From hard and technical, job-specific skills to transferable soft skills, this guide shows you how to choose the best skills for your resume, with examples and tips to guide your process.
10 Best Hard Skills for Your Resume
What are hard skills? Hard skills are job-specific abilities that can be taught, measured, and tested.
For example, a software developer’s hard skills might include specific programming languages or development frameworks. Technical skills are a subset of hard skills focusing on tools, systems, software, or technologies used to perform a job.
Because hard and technical skills are closely tied to job requirements, the exact skills employers look for vary by role and industry. In many cases, these hard skills are also high-income skills that directly impact earning potential.
Following are examples of hard skills that are in demand across many fields.
1. Administrative Skills
Even if your role isn’t administrative by title, most jobs involve behind-the-scenes tasks that keep work running smoothly.
Administrative skills show how well you handle organization, communication, and day-to-day coordination, which helps employers trust you with details and deadlines.
Examples of administrative skills:
- Calendar management and scheduling
- Data entry and recordkeeping
- Email and written communication
- File organization and document management
- Meeting coordination
2. Data Analysis
Many roles rely on data to guide decisions, measure performance, and spot trends.
Data analysis skills show employers you can interpret information, identify patterns, and turn numbers into insights that support smarter business choices.
Examples of data analysis skills:
- Data cleaning and preparation
- Data visualization and reporting
- Metrics tracking and performance analysis
- Predictive modeling
- Spreadsheet analysis
3. Design
Design skills aren’t limited to creative job titles. Many roles require visual thinking to communicate ideas clearly, whether that’s shaping presentations, mapping workflows, or contributing to branding and product concepts.
Examples of design skills:
- Brand consistency and visual standards
- Layout and composition
- Prototyping and mockups
- Visual storytelling
- Wireframing
4. Digital and Computer Skills
Most jobs rely on technology in some form, especially in remote jobs. Computer and digital skills show employers you’re comfortable using modern tools to collaborate, stay organized, and complete work efficiently.
Examples of digital and computer skills:
- Cloud-based collaboration tools
- Database management systems
- Project management platforms
- Videoconferencing tools
- Workplace software proficiency
5. Foreign Language
Foreign language skills can set you apart by expanding who you can communicate with and support, making them great skills to put on resumes.
Even when not required, being bilingual or multilingual can be valuable for client interaction, global teams, or customer-facing responsibilities.
Examples of foreign language skills:
- Conversational fluency
- Cultural awareness
- Professional translation
- Reading comprehension
- Simultaneous interpretation
6. Marketing
Marketing skills focus on communicating value and driving interest in products or services. These skills are useful across many roles, especially when your work involves messaging, audience engagement, or brand representation.
Examples of marketing skills:
- Audience research
- Campaign coordination
- Content promotion
- Messaging and positioning
- Social media strategy
7. Math
Finance, business, engineering, construction, manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and operations jobs require you to be competent with math in some capacity.
Highlighting specific math-related strengths helps employers understand how you apply numerical reasoning in real work situations.
Examples of math skills:
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Cost estimation
- Data modeling
- Financial calculations
- Statistical analysis
8. Negotiation
Negotiation skills demonstrate your ability to reach agreements that benefit multiple parties. These are great skills to include on resumes for roles that involve sales, partnerships, purchasing, or any situation where outcomes depend on collaboration and compromise.
Examples of negotiation skills:
- Conflict resolution
- Contract discussion
- Deal structuring
- Stakeholder alignment
- Value-based bargaining
9. Project Management
Project management skills show how well you plan, coordinate, and follow through on work. Employers value candidates who can balance priorities, meet deadlines, and keep projects moving forward from start to finish.
Examples of project management skills:
- Agile methodology
- Deadline management
- Resource coordination
- Risk assessment
- Task planning
10. Writing
Strong writing skills help you communicate clearly and professionally in the workplace. From emails to reports, writing ability affects how your ideas are understood and how effectively you collaborate with others.
Examples of writing skills:
- Business correspondence
- Content strategy
- Editing and proofreading
- Instructional writing
- Report writing
10 Best Soft Skills for Your Resume
What are soft skills? Soft skills are transferable abilities that shape how you work with others, communicate, and approach challenges.
Because soft skills for resumes apply across roles and industries, they’re often grouped into common categories rather than tied to specific tasks like the hard and technical skills above.
The following list breaks these skills down into 10 widely valued soft skills examples, with context for how each one typically shows up in the workplace.
1. Attention to Detail
On the job, you need to ensure you follow all instructions in order to complete your work. This can be especially important when you work with others.
Paying attention to detail will be needed in any role you have. Consider times when you caught or fixed a potential mistake due to your attention to detail.
2. Communication
Whether it’s written or verbal, being able to clearly communicate with your boss, coworkers, and clients/customers in all situations is very valuable. The better you are at it, the better results you’ll generate.
3. Creativity
Thinking outside the box and coming up with creative solutions can be a real asset in any role. Perhaps you’re good at thinking about something in a way that hasn’t been done before.
Creativity can be shown on your resume through a problem you solved or through a creative skill, such as writing or design.
4. Critical Thinking
Being able to think rationally and thoughtfully is the basis of critical thinking. Employers want workers who can think through a problem or a project and determine the best steps needed.
Critical thinkers come up with new and better ways to work, making it an invaluable skill to put on a resume.
5. Emotional Intelligence and People Skills
According to Psychology Today magazine, “Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others.”
In the workplace, this means you’re rational and even-keeled and can handle ups and downs without losing control.
6. Flexibility
All organizations and industries value employees who are dynamic and adaptable, with the ability to use a variety of methods and approaches in different situations to achieve the best results.
7. Organization
Being organized isn’t just about having a neat desk — it’s about managing tasks and projects for your coworkers, management, and yourself. A tightly structured resume is a great way to showcase strong organizational skills.
8. Problem-Solving
No matter what the job is, eventually something will go wrong. Employers want to know that you’re capable of coming up with a quick and effective solution.
In fact, there are jobs that are entirely focused on solving problems for a company, its clients, or both.
9. Responsibility
Part of being a good employee is taking responsibility for your duties and owning up to mistakes. Most managers don’t want to have to check in on their employees to ensure every part of their job is getting done.
Responsibility means holding yourself accountable to complete your tasks.
10. Teamwork
Most jobs will require you to work with other people at some point, and employers want to know that you can succeed in a team environment. Some jobs will prize this skill more than others.
How to List Skills in Your Resume
Once you’ve identified the hard and soft skills you want to showcase, the next step is placing them effectively in your resume skills section.
The goal is to highlight the skills that matter most for the role you’re applying for and make it easy for employers to see how your experience aligns with the job.
The steps below walk through how to prioritize, organize, and present your professional skills so they’re relevant, clear, and easy to scan.
1. Sort Skills by Relevance
If you’re applying for a sales job, your prior experience as a car mechanic isn’t the most relevant. You’ll want to emphasize experience and key strengths that can be applicable to a sales role.
However, if you lack the experience, search through your existing positions for relevant job skills.
For example, if you were a mechanic responsible for providing customer service, that’s a transferable skill relevant to a sales role.
2. Add a Career Highlights Section
Modern resumes are built to be value-oriented, which requires providing information that’s more achievement-based as opposed to task-based.
If you’ve had multiple roles with varying achievements, select the top three you’re most proud of and incorporate them into a “Career Highlights” section.
Try to avoid adding more than four, as this section is meant to be a snapshot of your greatest achievements. You don’t want to create sections with long lists of bullets, resulting in a boring way to read content.
Examples of career highlights:
- Implemented new request protocols for technical support tickets, improving resolution time by 30%.
- Led migration to a new CRM system, reducing manual data entry and increasing team productivity by 25%.
- Developed standardized reporting dashboards, enhancing data accuracy and decision-making speed.
3. Categorize Resume Skills by Type
If you’re higher up in your career, you likely have multiple responsibilities that cross several platforms or departments.
If you’re an operations manager, for instance, your responsibilities may include managing staff, maintaining smooth daily operations, communicating with key stakeholders and/or vendors, developing and managing projects, and hiring and training staff.
With either your task-based information or achievements, you can categorize the content into sections to illustrate the types of skills used in your responsibilities.
Examples of resume skill categories:
- Change management: Information related to restructuring staff, developing training programs for employees, and coaching individuals or groups on company best practices.
- Customer service skills: Content that illustrates how you maintain or improve the customer experience.
- Process improvements: Information on responsibilities and/or achievements that relate to creating and implementing processes to improve operational efficiencies.
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