Top 200+ Skills to Put on Your Resume
A browsable master list organised by category, built for skimming and copying, with the relevance test to apply before anything makes your page.
Kazifi Careers Team · Careers & ATS specialists
This is a browsable list to pick from, not a list to copy. Choosing skills to put on a resume is a filtering job, and the filter matters more than the source.
The filter, before the list
Apply three tests to anything below before it reaches your page.
Is it in the posting, or clearly implied by it? Relevance beats impressiveness every time.
Could you be tested on it tomorrow? If a task in the interview would expose it, leave it off.
Does your experience section already show it? The strongest listed skills are ones your bullets have already proved.
A skill that passes all three earns its line. Most do not, which is why lists this long produce short sections.
Business and operations
Process improvement · Scheduling · Inventory management · Vendor management · Procurement · Budget tracking · Forecasting · Capacity planning · Quality assurance · Compliance reporting · Risk logging · Stakeholder communication · Contract administration · Logistics coordination · Continuous improvement · SOP writing · Incident reporting · Resource allocation
Data and analysis
SQL · Excel (pivot tables, lookups, modelling) · Google Sheets · Power BI · Tableau · Looker · Python (pandas) · R · Data cleaning · Data visualisation · A/B testing · Statistical analysis · Forecasting · Dashboard design · KPI definition · Reporting automation · Cohort analysis · Survey design
Finance and accounting
Accounts payable · Accounts receivable · Bank reconciliation · Month-end close · Journal entries · General ledger · Payroll processing · Invoicing · Expense management · Budget variance analysis · Financial modelling · Audit preparation · Tax filing support · Credit control · Cash flow forecasting · QuickBooks · Xero · SAP · NetSuite
Software development
Python · JavaScript · TypeScript · Java · C# · Go · SQL · React · Node.js · Django · REST APIs · Git · Docker · Kubernetes · CI/CD · Unit testing · Code review · System design · Debugging · Performance optimisation · PostgreSQL · Redis · AWS · Linux
Marketing and content
SEO · Content strategy · Copywriting · Email marketing · Paid social · Google Ads · Analytics · Campaign management · Landing page optimisation · Marketing automation · CRM management · Brand messaging · Editorial planning · Community management · Influencer coordination · Marketing reporting
Healthcare and clinical
Patient assessment · Medication administration · IV insertion · Wound care · Telemetry monitoring · Charting (Epic, Meditech, Cerner) · Care planning · Infection control · Triage · Phlebotomy · Vital signs monitoring · Discharge planning · Patient education · HIPAA compliance · Sterile technique
Customer facing
Complaint resolution · De-escalation · Account management · Order processing · CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk) · Ticket triage · Live chat support · Onboarding · Retention · Upselling · Service level management · Escalation handling · Multilingual support
Trades and technical
Blueprint reading · Preventive maintenance · Fault diagnosis · Welding · Electrical installation · HVAC servicing · CAD (AutoCAD, SolidWorks) · Machine operation · Safety compliance · Equipment calibration · Hydraulics · Forklift operation · Quality inspection
Education and training
Curriculum design · Lesson planning · Differentiated instruction · Assessment design · Classroom management · IEP support · Behaviour management · Parent communication · Learning management systems · Training delivery · Workshop facilitation · Safeguarding
Credentials to list separately
Certifications belong in their own short section with the issuing body and year, not mixed in with software. Common ones worth their own line: PMP · CPA · CFA · RN licence · BLS and ACLS · CompTIA A+ · AWS Certified · CIPD · NEBOSH · Six Sigma · Prince2 · Teaching registration.
Now cut it down
Eight to twelve skills is right for most resumes. If your shortlist is longer, the extras are usually there because they felt impressive rather than because the role needs them.
The one exception worth keeping regardless: a genuinely distinctive skill, language or certification. Those differentiate rather than qualify, and they are worth a line even when the posting does not ask.
Related
For the rules behind all of this, see the skills section guide. For phrasing each one into a bullet, see how to list skills. For worked examples, see annotated skills sections, and for layout see formatting the section.
Our resume keyword scanner marks which of these a specific posting actually asks for.
Filter first, then list. You can check your skills section once it is down to a dozen.
Common questions
What are good skills to put on a resume?
The ones the posting names that are genuinely true of you. A skill is good in context, not in general, so a list is a starting point rather than an answer.
How do I pick from a long list of skills?
Read the job description, mark every skill it names, then keep only those you could be tested on tomorrow. That usually cuts a candidate list of thirty down to about ten.
Are there skills I should never list?
Basic computer literacy in a professional role, character adjectives like hard-working, and anything you could not discuss for two minutes. All three cost a line and add nothing.
Do soft skills belong in the list?
No. Prove them in your bullets instead. Nobody is persuaded by the word teamwork, and the line it occupies could carry evidence that demonstrates it.