When applying for a job, your resume’s skill section can make or break your chances. If you want to win over a hiring manager, the best way to do so is with your skills.
Whether you are an entry-level applicant or experienced in your sector, employers want to know that you have the top hard and soft skills required for the position.
Understanding the difference between hard and soft skills can get confusing. But knowing the right hard skills and soft skills for your experience can make optimizing your resume much easier.
Luckily, our AI-powered editor allows you to generate skills specific to your position, and with our tips in this article, you’ll know exactly how to create a balanced skill section.
Keep reading to find out how to add skills to your resume correctly and impress employers.
What Are Hard Skills?
Broadly speaking, hard skills for a resume are teachable qualities.
These are abilities that you learn at school or college or by actually doing a job completing an apprenticeship.
They are also the most quantifiable and measurable skills. As you might imagine, hard skills are a must for your resume.
Hard skills prove to an employer that you have the right training and practical knowledge to be successful in the vacancy.
Every position requires certain hard skills, and you’ll need to demonstrate them on your resume, whether you learned them through work experience, official training, or your time at school or college.
Check out some hard skills below that are needed for roles in different sectors, as well as some tools or software that you should know.
Hard skills examples
Marketing and Design:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Graphic design (e.g. Canva or Adobe)
- Content creation (Hemmingway, Keyword Surfer, Grammarly)
- Presentation skills (Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint, Prezi)
Engineering:
- Machine learning (Vertex AI,OpenNN, Microsoft Azure)
- Programming languages (Python, Java, C++)
- Data analysis
- AI skills (GitHub Copilot, Poe AI, Notion AI)
IT and Software Development:
- Network security
- Data management
- Software development
- Proficiency in tools like Salesforce or Google Analytics
Languages and Communication:
- Foreign languages (including the level or certification you have)
- Typing speed
Project management:
- Data analysis
- Project planning
- Resource allocation
- Time management
To demonstrate how you learned your hard skills, you can mention certifications, workshops, and other training.
What Are Soft Skills?
Soft skills are different from hard skills, as they focus more on your ability to interact with other people and manage your daily duties.
These are implicit or personality-based skills, which can often be learned in a course or workshop or in general life experiences and interactions.
While hard skills can be measured or proven with certifications, soft skills are a bit harder to demonstrate.
But don’t let the name fool you. Soft skills are perhaps just as significant on your resume as hard skills.
Soft skills like communication, relationship-building, adaptability, problem-solving, and critical thinking will be key for recruiters in the upcoming years, as seen in research conducted by Linkedin.
As AI takes over routine tasks, these human skills are still hard to replace.
Take a look at some useful soft skills that you can include on your resume below.
Soft skills examples
Communication:
- Active listening
- Writing skills
- Teamwork
- Relationship building
Leadership:
- Motivating a team
- Delegating tasks
- Conflict resolution
- Goal-setting
Problem-Solving:
- Creative thinking
- Analytical skills
- Decision-making
- Adaptability
Time Management:
- Prioritization
- Meeting deadlines
- Organization
- Multitasking
Emotional Intelligence:
- Building rapport
- Self-awareness
- Empathy
- Managing emotions
What Hard and Soft Skills Are Employers Looking For?
Employers value both hard and soft skills, with some hiring managers putting more focus on AI and machine learning than in previous years. The World Economic Forum released a report that mentions AI skills are now more than twice as common on professional profiles compared to 2018.
As for soft skills, they are still equally in demand. In 2024, SHRM reported that communication, along with teamwork and leadership, are among the most in-demand soft skills.
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💡 Our expert says
The focus for many employers in 2025 is cultivating a positive workplace culture and adapting to technological trends. Employers are looking for employees who have a unique blend of traits that includes contributing to building a positive workplace experience and an understanding of how to use AI tools to increase efficiency and productivity (allowing them to remain competitive in their industries).
Careers that were once focused on hard skills only (i.e. Tech, Government, Engineering) are now looking for candidates who excel in communication, team building, and time management, which contribute to attracting and retaining top talent. On the technical side, employers also want individuals who remain curious and adaptable to learning how to incorporate AI into everyday tasks (i.e. notetaking, editing, coding).
Chelsea Jay, Career and Leadership Coach
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💡 Our expert says
One of the most striking trends is the increasing role of automation in the workplace. In 2025, the hours of work performed by humans and machines are expected to be equal, highlighting the massive impact of automation on industries worldwide. This shift underscores the importance of developing skills that complement automation, such as creativity, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking, which machines cannot effectively replicate.
Organizations are abandoning rigid, predefined job roles and adopting a skills-based hiring and workforce development approach. This trend allows for greater agility in filling skills gaps and adapting to rapidly changing market demands. For example, companies may prioritize candidates with expertise in data analytics, project management, or cultural competency instead of hiring for a specific title.
Dahlia Ashford, CPRW, career and leadership coach
How many hard skills and soft skills should a resume have?
The optimal number of hard and soft skills on a resume varies depending on the job role and industry, but a balanced approach is typically the most effective.
Our resident expert, Dahlia Ashford, CPRW and career coach, recommends the following:
Entry-Level Candidates: For those just starting their careers, including 5 to 10 skills is generally sufficient. At this stage, candidates should focus on fundamental skills they acquired through education, internships, or relevant projects.
Mid-Level Candidates: Individuals with more experience should aim for 8 to 15 skills. This allows them to showcase a broader range of technical and soft skills they have developed over time.
Senior-Level Candidates: For candidates applying for senior positions, we advise listing 10 to 15 skills. This reflects their more extensive experience and the diverse skill set required for higher-level roles.
How to Add Skills to Your Resume
There are a few ways to get both the most eye-catching hard skills and soft skills onto your resume.
Done right, this mixture will give an employer the best impression possible of your know-how and professional abilities.
Follow the advice below to understand how to include your hard and soft skills throughout your resume.
Also, our AI builder can give you expert suggestions in seconds, suggesting hard skills and soft skills relevant to the role to catch the recruiter’s eye.
Include skills in your resume summary
As your resume summary is one of the first places recruiters look, you should pick out the best hard skills and soft skills you would bring to the job.
For example:
Dynamic project manager fluent in Spanish and English, with extensive experience in leading cross-functional teams and managing large-scale projects internationally. Skilled in using bilingual communication to negotiate and establish partnerships, enhancing project efficiency and stakeholder engagement. Proven track record of delivering projects on time, under budget, and with high client satisfaction.
Create a skills section
Add a list of your abilities to the skills section of your document. This can be done using bullet points or dividing bars, depending on how you want to format your resume.
Skills
Microsoft 365 | Google Workspace | Adobe Illustrator | Jira | Asana | WordPress | Canva
Here’s the same set of skills presented in a vertical bullet list.
Skills
- Microsoft 365
- Google Workspace
- Adobe Illustrator
- Jira
- Asana
- WordPress
- Canva
This will vary according to the job description and your industry, so you will have to tailor it for each role you apply for.
Recruiters will check this list for a quick overview of the sort of abilities that you’ll bring to the table. Make sure you use the keywords used in the job description.
Mention skills in your experience section
You can also use the experience section to add more skills to your doc. Here, you’ll state examples of where you learned or made use of your skills in your day-to-day.
This can be best illustrated by using the CAR method to construct your bullet points. It focuses on:
- Challenge
- Action
- Result
The action part of these bullet points will demonstrate the skills you used to achieve a positive result.
Here’s an example of soft skills in an experience section:
Marketing Coordinator
ABC Corporation, New York, NY
June 2021 – Present
- Led a team of 10 to launch a marketing campaign, driving a 20% sales increase in Q1, showcasing leadership and teamwork.
- Improved client satisfaction by optimizing communication and streamlining processes, demonstrating strong interpersonal skills.
How To Improve Both Your Hard And Soft Skills
It’s important to constantly improve both your hard and soft skills if you are aiming to become a well-rounded professional. Here are several ways to develop new skills:
- Online courses: Use platforms like Coursera, Udemy, or LinkedIn Learning to build skills like coding, data analysis, project management, and more.
- Volunteering: Volunteer for projects or organizations where you can practice soft skills like communication, leadership, and teamwork.
- Networking and mentorship: Join industry-specific groups or attend events to learn from others and build connections. Find mentors who can provide feedback on your strengths and areas for growth.
- Reading and research: To develop your soft skills, look for personal development books or resources on emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and effective communication.
- Workshops: Attend workshops focused on specific skill development, such as technical (like software training) or interpersonal (like leadership development).
Use our AI-powered resume builder today to highlight both your hard and soft skills. By balancing them, you’ll demonstrate the full range of your abilities and stand out from other candidates.
Don’t forget to mention key skills in your cover letter, expanding on how you’ve used them. With both a strong resume and cover letter, you’ll be one step closer to landing an interview for your dream job.
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