---
title: "What Should I Put in the Skills Section of My Resume?"
description: "List hard skills that match the job description language, plus 2-3 soft skills you can back up. Mirror the JD for ATS. Aim for 8-15 skills. Cut generic phrases like \"team player\" - they add noise."
canonical: "https://mortit.com/blog/what-to-put-in-skills-section-of-resume"
---
Resume Writing

# What Should I Put in the Skills Section of My Resume?

Hard skills matched to the job description, 2-3 soft skills you can back up, and nothing generic. The rules for a skills section that works for both ATS and human reviewers.

9 min read Updated September 2026

By [Arash Abdollahi](https://mortit.com/about), Founder Published by [MORT](https://mortit.com/) Updated September 2026

TL;DR

**List hard skills that match the job description's own language, plus 2-3 soft skills you can back up with a bullet in your experience section.** Use the JD as a checklist: if a skill appears more than once in the posting, it belongs in your skills section. Cut generic phrases like "team player" and "hard worker" - they add noise and no signal. Aim for 8-15 skills and lead with the most relevant technical skills for the role.

The skills section is the part of a resume most people fill in last and think about least. That is a mistake. For many ATS systems, it is the first place keyword matching happens. For human reviewers, it is the quick scan that confirms whether you speak the language of the role. Getting it right is less about listing everything you know and more about listing the right things in the right words.

## What types of skills go in the skills section?

Skills broadly fall into two categories, and both belong in the section if they are relevant.

**Hard skills** are specific, teachable abilities: programming languages, software tools, certifications, technical methods, and domain knowledge. These are the primary content of most skills sections. They are also what ATS systems are scanning for, because they are concrete and unambiguous. "Python" is a keyword. "Good problem-solver" is not.

**Soft skills** are transferable abilities: communication, leadership, project management, critical thinking. They belong in the skills section only if you can point to evidence of them elsewhere on the resume. If you are listing "leadership" as a skill, there should be a bullet point in your experience section that demonstrates it - something like "Managed a cross-functional team of 8 across two product launches." A soft skill with no evidence is a claim; one backed by a bullet is a credential.

#### The evidence test

Before adding any soft skill, ask: can I point to a specific bullet point elsewhere on this resume that shows this? If yes, include it. If no, cut it.

For role-specific keyword guidance, the [resume keywords by industry guide](https://mortit.com/blog/resume-keywords-by-industry) covers the exact terms employers search for by sector.

## How to pick skills from the job description

The job description is your primary source. Read it carefully and note every skill or tool named in the responsibilities and requirements sections. Then look at how many times each one appears. Repetition is the recruiter signalling priority.

The critical rule: use the exact language from the JD, not a paraphrase. If the posting says "Salesforce", write "Salesforce" - not "CRM software" or "customer relationship tools." ATS systems do literal keyword matching on most configurations. A synonym that a human reader recognises as equivalent may not register as a match at all.

This matters because [62% of hiring managers say un-personalized resumes frequently lead to rejection](https://www.resume-now.com/job-resources/careers/ai-applicant-report) (Resume Now, 2025, 925 HR workers). A skills section copied from a previous application and not adjusted for the current role is exactly what that looks like to a reviewer.

1

#### Copy the full JD into a document

Paste the job description somewhere you can mark it up. Reading it once is not enough.

2

#### Highlight every concrete skill or tool mentioned

Include both the requirements and the responsibilities sections. Both are sources of keywords.

3

#### Count how often each skill appears

A skill mentioned three times is more important to the employer than one mentioned once. Prioritise accordingly.

4

#### Match against your actual experience

Only include skills you genuinely have. Listing a skill you cannot discuss in an interview is worse than omitting it.

5

#### Copy the exact phrasing into your skills section

Do not paraphrase. If the JD says "Tableau" write "Tableau". If it says "data visualisation" write "data visualisation".

For a full walkthrough of tailoring your resume to a specific posting, see the guide on [how to match your resume to job descriptions](https://mortit.com/blog/how-to-match-your-resume-to-jobs).

## How many skills should you list?

There is no published study on the optimal number of resume skills, so treat any specific figure as an estimate rather than measured data. In practice, 8-15 skills is a reasonable working range. Below 8 and the section looks thin or underpowered. Above 15 and it becomes a keyword dump where the most relevant entries get lost.

The goal is signal density, not length. A recruiter scanning a skills section in a few seconds should see the most relevant technical skills immediately. If the important ones are buried in a list of 25, you have diluted your own strongest argument.

The 8-15 figure is a practical working estimate based on readability and common practitioner guidance, not a result from a controlled study on callback rates.

One exception: highly technical roles, particularly in engineering and data science, may legitimately have more. If the role requires proficiency across multiple programming languages, cloud platforms, and frameworks, a longer list reflects real depth rather than padding. Even then, group them clearly so a reviewer can find what they are looking for.

## What NOT to include in your skills section

What you leave out is as important as what you put in. Several categories reliably harm a skills section.

**Generic soft skills with no evidence.** "Team player," "hard worker," "good communicator," and "results-driven" appear on nearly every resume and add no differentiation. A reviewer scanning for relevant skills will skip past them. If communication is genuinely important for the role, show it in a bullet point in your experience section, not as a keyword.

**Outdated technology.** Including skills in software or tools that have been superseded can signal that your experience is dated. If a technology is no longer appearing in job postings for your target roles, removing it is usually the right call. The exception is industries that run legacy systems where it is genuinely relevant.

**Obvious or universal skills.** For anything beyond entry-level roles, skills like "Microsoft Word," "email," or "internet research" are assumed. Listing them wastes space and can suggest a lack of judgment about what is worth highlighting.

**Skills you cannot discuss.** If you would struggle to answer a follow-up question about it in an interview, do not list it. Recruiters notice when someone claims proficiency in a tool and then cannot explain how they used it.

#### The AI resume detection risk

Unedited AI-generated skills lists tend to include generic fillers. According to a TopResume survey, [33.5% of hiring managers say they can spot an AI-written resume in under 20 seconds](https://topresume.com/career-advice/ai-in-hiring-survey) (2025). A skills section full of generic phrases is one of the fastest giveaways.

## How to format the skills section

There are two main approaches: grouped categories or a flat list. Both are ATS-parseable. The choice mainly affects human readability.

**Grouped categories** work well for roles with distinct skill domains. A software engineer might have groups like Languages, Frameworks, Cloud & Infrastructure, and Tools. A marketing manager might separate Digital Channels, Analytics & Tools, and Content Skills. Groups make it easier for a reviewer to quickly see depth in a specific area.

**Flat lists** work for generalist roles, shorter lists, or where the skills all sit in one domain. A single horizontal or vertical list with comma separation is clean and easy to scan.

In both formats, order by relevance: the most important skills for this specific role come first. Do not sort alphabetically - alphabetical order optimises for nothing.

Keep the formatting simple. Bullet points, commas, or pipe separators all parse cleanly. Avoid tables, text boxes, or icons for the skills section - these can confuse some ATS systems. For a full guide on ATS-safe formatting, see the [ATS-friendly resume guide](https://mortit.com/blog/ats-friendly-resume-guide).

## Skills section by career stage

The right content for a skills section changes depending on where you are in your career.

**Entry-level and graduate.** When you have limited work experience, the skills section carries more weight. Include technical skills from coursework, personal projects, internships, and volunteer work. This is also where certifications and training are worth naming explicitly - they signal investment in the field. For a full guide, see [how to write a resume with no experience](https://mortit.com/blog/resume-with-no-experience).

**Experienced professional.** With several years of experience, the skills section becomes a quick-reference index, not the main event. Reviewers will look at your experience section for context. Focus the skills list on the technical tools and frameworks you use regularly and that match the target role. Prune anything you have not used in three or more years unless it is directly requested in the JD.

**Career changer.** If you are moving into a new field, the skills section is where you surface transferable skills explicitly. Name the tools and methods you know from adjacent experience. Be honest about your level - "familiar with" is better than claiming expert proficiency you do not have.

## Strong vs weak skills section examples

The difference between a skills section that works and one that does not usually comes down to specificity and relevance.

| Weak skills section | Strong skills section | Why it matters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Team player | Cross-functional team coordination | Specific enough to match a JD keyword; backed by an experience bullet |
| Microsoft Office | Advanced Excel (PivotTables, VLOOKUP, Power Query) | Shows actual depth rather than a universal baseline skill |
| Good communicator | Executive presentations, stakeholder reporting | Named formats give a reviewer something concrete to assess |
| CRM software | Salesforce (Sales Cloud, Pardot) | Exact tool names match ATS keyword searches; generics do not |
| Coding | Python, SQL, dbt, Airflow | Specific stack is directly searchable and shows current relevance |
| Leadership | People management (team of 5) | Quantified context turns a claim into a credential |

Examples are illustrative. Replace with the specific tools and methods that appear in your target job descriptions. The right skills for a software engineer post differ from those for a marketing manager role.

## Frequently asked questions

### Should I include soft skills in my resume skills section?

Include soft skills only if you can back them up with a specific bullet point in your experience section. "Leadership" is worth listing if you have a bullet like "Led a team of 6 engineers." Generic phrases like "team player" or "hard worker" have no value in the skills section - every candidate claims them, so they add noise without signal.

### How many skills should I list on my resume?

Aim for 8-15 skills. This is a practical estimate rather than a measured figure: fewer than 8 and the section looks thin; more than 15 and it becomes a keyword dump that dilutes the most relevant entries. Lead with the technical skills most directly relevant to the role.

### How do I know which skills to put on my resume for a specific job?

Use the job description as your checklist. Read through it and highlight every skill or tool mentioned more than once. Those repeated mentions are the recruiter signalling what they care about most. Copy those terms into your skills section using the same language - not a paraphrase. ATS systems match keywords literally.

### What skills should I NOT include in my resume?

Cut generic soft skills (team player, hard worker, good communicator) unless backed by evidence. Remove outdated technology that no longer appears in job postings for your target roles. Skip hobbies and personal interests unless the role specifically requires them. Also avoid obvious skills like Microsoft Word for anything but entry-level roles where it is genuinely required.

### Should I group skills by category or list them in a flat list?

Categories work better for roles with distinct skill domains, for example a software engineer might group by Languages, Frameworks, and Tools. A flat list is fine for generalist or single-domain roles. Either way, put the most relevant skills first within each group. ATS systems parse both formats reliably; the choice mainly affects human readability.

### Does the skills section help with ATS?

Yes - the skills section is one of the clearest places to match JD keywords. ATS systems scan the entire document, but a dedicated skills section gives you a clean, parseable list. Mirror the exact language from the job description rather than paraphrasing. If the JD says "Salesforce" do not substitute "CRM software." For a full ATS pass, [run your resume against the specific posting](https://mortit.com/blog/how-to-check-if-resume-will-pass-ats) before you apply.

## Find out which skills you're missing for each role

MORT is an AI job-matching platform for people who want to apply to more relevant jobs in less time. It scans thousands of company career pages, scores every job 0-100% for compatibility with your skills and experience, and generates a tailored resume for each application. MORT's [ATS checker](https://mortit.com/ats-checker) scores your resume against the job description and identifies missing keywords, including gaps in your skills section, so you know exactly what to add before you apply.

[Start Free](https://app.mortit.com/signup) [How Resume Tailoring Works](https://mortit.com/features/resume-builder)

## Related Resources

### [How to Write an ATS-Friendly Resume](https://mortit.com/blog/ats-friendly-resume-guide)

Format your resume to pass filters and reach human reviewers

### [Resume Keywords by Industry](https://mortit.com/blog/resume-keywords-by-industry)

The exact keywords to include for different roles and sectors

### [How to Match Your Resume to Job Descriptions](https://mortit.com/blog/how-to-match-your-resume-to-jobs)

The step-by-step way to tailor for a specific posting

### [How Do I Know If My Resume Will Pass ATS?](https://mortit.com/blog/how-to-check-if-resume-will-pass-ats)

Run your resume against the posting before you apply

## Sources

-   Resume Now AI Applicant Report, 2025 (62% of hiring managers say un-personalized resumes often lead to rejection; 925 HR workers): [resume-now.com](https://www.resume-now.com/job-resources/careers/ai-applicant-report)
-   TopResume AI-in-hiring survey, 2025 (33.5% of hiring managers can spot an AI resume in under 20 seconds; 600 hiring managers): [topresume.com](https://topresume.com/career-advice/ai-in-hiring-survey)
-   Glassdoor, "50 HR & Recruiting Stats" (~250 applicants per opening; 4 to 6 interviewed): [glassdoor.com](https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/50-hr-recruiting-stats-make-think/)