Soft Skills vs Hard Skills
“Soft” skills are those that are not quantifiable, such as leadership. These skills also cannot be learned, but are rather a facet of your personality. Nevertheless, soft skills are still critical to have, for they demonstrate that you are personable and competent.
Tip: Use some of the soft skills as adjectives when writing your profile summary. For example, try “enthusiastic entrepreneur,” “empathic childcare worker,” “organized nurses’ aid,” “supportive administration assistant” or “detail-oriented sales associate.”
The resume below is for a Childcare Worker and includes many soft skills that companies look for, including Creativity and Organizational skills.
In contrast, “Hard” skills are those that are learned -- either in school or through a certification program. These skills are quantifiable and can be continuously expanded upon through further education. Today, most hard skills have to do with computer technology, such as SEO, CSS/HTML, or Microsoft Suite. Even if you aren’t tech-savvy, chances are you still have a few hard skills.
Tip: Be specific about your hard skills. Instead of listing “Programming Languages,” specify which ones you know -- Python, Java, C, etc. Same with photo editing software and any other platforms you are familiar with.
The resume below is for a Content Marketing Associate, and includes manyhard skills that companies in the marketing industry look for, including experience with Social Media tools. Remember, it's important to be specific in terms of defining and listing what softwares you know.
How to List Your Skills
Whether you’re a jack of all trades or a master of one, you absolutely must list some skills on your resume. Skills offer additional insight into what you can offer the company as an employee, and may just push your resume over the edge and into the interview pile.
- Only list relevant skills. If you’re applying for a position as an engineer, don’t brag about your marketing abilities. Instead, save the space to list the software and programming languages that you know.
- List around 5 Skills. Writing too many skills on your resume can be an overwhelming experience for the recruiter. He or she may not fully register your skills, and instead just blankly skim the long list. Conversely, listing too few skills is only selling yourself short. You definitely have more than two skills -- no matter your experience level! So shoot for around 5 skills, with a little wriggle room.
- Include both hard and soft skills. Even if your profession seems to rely on soft skills more than hard skills -- or vice versa -- including both makes your resume stronger. For example, if you’re applying to work as a laboratory assistant, list soft skills such as “teamwork,” “problem-solving,” “time management,” or “organization.” If you’re in a more creative field, hard skills include softwares such as “Adobe Creative Suite” and talents such as “photography,” “writing & editing,” or “videography.”
- Note your experience level. With each skill, specify whether you are a “beginner,” “expert,” or somewhere in between (using words like “intermediate” and “moderate”). Our resume templates have bars beneath each skill that you can toggle to reflect your expertise.
The resume below is for a Human Resources Manager, and includes all of the above tips.
250+ Skills for Each Industry
Although we’ve split these skills up by industry, please note that many skills are applicable to a variety of careers. For example, someone working in marketing might find knowledge of JavaScript just as useful as someone working in the computer science field.
Let’s jump in!
Office and Administrative Job Skills
- Data Entry
- Answering Phones
- Billing
- Bookkeeping (Excel, Turbotax)
- Scheduling
- Ms Office
- Office Equipment
- Quickbooks
- Shipping
- Welcoming Visitors
- Salesforce
- Calendar Management
- Organization
- Time Management
- Problem Solving
- Attention To Detail
- Adaptability
- Written Communication
- Email Platforms (E.G., Gmail And iCloud Mail)
- Word Processing Software (E.G., Google Docs)
- Spreadsheet Software
- Databases
- Digital Calendars
- Prioritization
Sales, Retail, and Customer Service Job Skills
- Product Knowledge
- Lead Qualification
- Lead Prospecting
- Customer Needs Analysis
- Referral Marketing
- Contract Negotiation
- Self Motivation
- Increasing Customer Lifetime Value (Clv)
- Reducing Customer Acquisition Cost (Cac)
- CRM Software (Salesforce, Hubspot, Zoho, Freshsales)
- POS Skills
- Cashier Skills
- Problem Solving
- Patience
- Knowledge Of Products And Services
- Adaptability
- Customer Service
- Communication (More Specifically -- Verbal Communication Skills, Listening Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Written Communication Skills, Public Speaking Skills, Presentation Skills)
- Math Skills
- Organization
- Time Management
- Negotiation
- Persuasion
- Patience
- Diplomacy
- Cold Calling
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
- Lead Generation
- Buyer-responsive Selling
- Buyer Engagement
- Teamwork
Nursing and Healthcare Job Skills
- Patient Assessment
- Taking Vital Signs
- Patient Care
- Recording Patient Medical History
- Wound Dressing And Care
- Urgent And Emergency Care
- Record-keeping
- Patient Education
- NIH Stroke Scale Patient Assessment
- Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
- Medicine Administration
- Blood Pressure Monitoring
- Phlebotomy
- Rehabilitation Therapy
- Hygiene Assistance
- Use Of X-ray, MRI, Cat Scans
- Meditech
- Glucose Checks
- Electronic Heart Record (EHR)
- Time Management
- Prioritization
- Decision-Making Ability
- Critical Thinking
- Leadership
- Thorough Understanding Of HIPPA And Privacy Policies
- Ability To Take And Record Vital Signs
- CPR And First-Aid Certifications
- Perform And Evaluate Diagnostic Tests
- Maintain Patient Charts
IT Job Skills
- Programming Languages
- Web Development
- Data Structures
- Open Source Experience
- Security
- Machine Learning
- Debugging
- UX/UI
- Front-End & Back-End Development
- Cloud Management
- Agile Development
- HTML/CSS
- CSS Preprocessors
- Javascript
- Wordpress
- Graphic User Interfaces (GUI)
- Git/Version Control (Github, gitlab)
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Application Programming Interface (API)
- Adobe Photoshop, InDesign
- Content Management Systems (CMS)
- Testing/Debugging
- Responsive Design Principles
- Mobile and Web Development (e.g. iOS, Android)
Engineering & Technical Job Skills
- STEM Skills
- CAD
- Design
- Prototyping
- Testing
- Troubleshooting
- Project Launch
- Lean Manufacturing
- Workflow Development
- Computer Skills
- SolidWorks
- Budgeting
- Technical Report Writing
- Programming Languages HTML, CSS, CRM tools
Advertising & Marketing Job Skills
- SEO (SEMRush, WordPress, and Ahrefs)
- SEM (i.e., Google Adwords)
- PPC
- CRO and A/B Testing
- Social Media Marketing and Paid Social Media Advertising
- Sales Funnel Management
- CMS Tools (WordPress, Weebly)
- Graphic Design Skills (Adobe Creative Suite)
- Email Marketing (MailChimp, Constant Contact)
- Email Automation
- Data Visualization
- CPC
- Typography
- Print Design
- Photography and Branding
- Communication
- Creativity
- Data Analytics (Google Analytics )
- Web Analytics
- Adaptability
- Organized
- Email Writing
- Google Adwords
- Social Media And Mobile Marketing
- Paid Social Media Advertisements
- Consumer Behavior Drivers
- Brand Management
- B2b Marketing
- Writing Advertising Copy
- Soliciting Feedback From Customers
- Cutting Costs
- Leadership skills
- Task Delegation
- Strategic Management
- Negotiation
- Planning
- Proposal writing
- Problem-solving
- Innovation
- Charisma
- Problem solving
- Personable
- Website Management
- Social Media Outreach
- Video Production
- Data Visualization
- Campaign Management
- Photo Editing
- Editing
- Typography
- Logo Creation
- Digital Printing
- Interactive Media Design
- Color Sense & Theory
- Ad Design
- Social Media Publishing
- UX Design
- Storytelling
- Financial Analysis
- Consumer Research
- Statistical Analysis
- Drawing
- Design
- Videography
- Technical Writing
- Mobile and Web Development (e.g. iOS, Android)
General Management and Project Management Job Skills
- Agile Project Management (Kanban)
- Managing Cross-Functional Teams
- Scrum Management
- Performance Tracking
- Financial Modelling
- Ideation Leadership
- Feature Definition
- Forecasting
- Profit and Loss
- Scope Management
- Project Lifecycle Management
- Meeting Facilitation
- Leadership
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Time Management
- Mentoring
- Risk Management
- Negotiation
- Cost Management
- Data Analysis
- Collaborative
- Collaborative Programs (Slack, WhatsApp, Dropbox)
- Wordpress
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Performance Tracking
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