If you want to know how many skills to put on your resume, you are getting straight to the answer here; as an overview, list 8-12 skills relevant to the job (what the job description indicates) – 3 to 4 Hard Skills (technical skills such as Excel, Python, Digital Marketing) and 4-5 Soft Skills (such as Communication and Problem Solving), and recent graduates should include their Academic Projects, Internships, Certifications and Transferable Skills. You should put your skills right before your Education or Summary Section and you need to customize them for every application you apply for.
- What Are Skills for Resume (And Why HR Actually Cares)
- Skills For Resume for New Graduates
- Skills for Resume for Experienced Professional
- Skills for Resume For Students
- How to List Skills for Resume For Freshers With No Experience
- Skills for Resume with No Experience (Career Switchers & Re-entry)
- How to Show Skills on your Resume (Formatting That Gets Your Resume Noticed)
- Resume Mistakes That Can Cost You Your Job
- Top Skills for Resume by Industry
- Commonly Asked Questions
- Closing Thoughts
Now let me tell you what no one ever tells you; the cousin who obtained a job from an MNC did not simply write “Microsoft Office” on her resume and leave it at that. She knew what hiring managers actually look at (within the 6 seconds they typically look over each resume), so that is what we will discuss today.
What Are Skills for Resume (And Why HR Actually Cares)
Skills that you list on your resume are specific capabilities or qualities that you use to demonstrate that you can perform this job successfully. Your resume can be thought of as a menu, with your skills being the dishes that create excitement within an employer to want to interview you.
There are two main categories of Skills for resume:
- Hard Skills for resume refer to the things you have learned through education or training (e.g., Technical Skills like data analysis, graphic design, java programming). Other examples might include specific software, such as Tally to a Function), and Content Writing vs. Data Analytics (Java).
- Soft Skills for resume are more subjective in nature – they determine how you interact with other people relative to the work environment (i.e. Communication, Time Management, Teamwork, Leadership). Soft Skills for resume are ultimately why you’re going to be enjoyable to work with and not going to cause an employer to want to tear their hair out as a result of working with you.
Not scroll through Indian job portals to determine what percentage of submitted resumes will not even be viewed by HR. 76% of individuals have had their resumes rejected for any number of reasons related to the application of skill sets to an employer’s needs. A lack of clarity on the actual type of skills an applicant possesses does not help either (i.e. providing a generic statement such as “good communication skills” would be similarly confusing to employers that could provide you with a job).
Skills For Resume for New Graduates
Graduate and looking for your first job? While experience does help, your strongest advantage will be your hunger for learning and your ability to adapt to any situation. To help you succeed in getting interviews, you must position yourself correctly in order to communicate these attributes.
Technical Skills for Resume for New Graduates
Review the following list and choose 4-5 of the technical Skills for resume below that pertain to your area of study:
- Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word – if you have knowledge of advanced features, also include them)
- Common Programming Languages (Python, Java, C++, etc., that you learned during your B.Tech or BCA)
- Understanding of Digital Marketing Basics (SEO, social media, Google Analytics)
- Knowledge of Data Analysis Tools (Excel, SQL, Tableau, Power BI)
- Knowledge of Basic Graphic Design (Canva, Photoshop, etc. even basic skill level can help)
- The ability to work with Content Management Systems (WordPress, Wix)
- Basic Accounting Skills (Tally, QuickBooks)
Soft Skills for Resume for New Graduates
Be sure to not only write these Skills for resume down but also write a proof of your demonstrated ability to successfully do what each skill states. Here are examples:
- Communication Skills → “Presented 10+ college seminars to audiences of 50+ students”
- Collaboration with Others in a Team Environment → “Led 5-person team in completing my Senior Project”
- Time Management Ability → “Ability to manage school with freelance writing (15 articles/month)”
- Ability to Problem Solve in Multiple Environments → “Debugged 20+ code errors during internship with XYZ Startup”
- Ability to Learn New Skills Quickly → “Completed my training with Figma in 2 weeks for work with my college’s Technology Festival”
CareerGrowKaro Suggestion: Use the skills listed in each job description to assist you in completing your resume. If the job description states that you must have “proficient in Excel and PowerPoint”, be certain to use the words that were in the job description exactly as they appear on your resume.
Skills for Resume for Experienced Professional
If your experience is between 2-7 years, your Skills for resume should indicate you have the experience and skill set to perform the tasks again with a higher level of success.
Industry-Specific Skills for Resume
Skills for Resume For the IT Professional:
- Cloud Computing (e.g., AWS/Azure/Google Cloud)
- DevOps Tooling (e.g., Docker/Kubernetes/Jenkins)
- Programming (e.g. JavaScript/Python/React/Node.js)
- Basic Cybersecurity Knowledge
- Agile/Scrum methodology
Skills for Resume For the Marketing Professional:
- Pay-Per-Click Management (Google Ads and Facebook Ads)
- Email Marketing (Mailchimp/HubSpot)
- Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing
- Marketing Automation Software
- Analytic Tools (e.g., Google Analytics/Mixpanel)
Skills for Resume For Finance Professionals
- Extreme Excel Skills (i.e., Pivot Tables, VLookup, Macros)
- Creating Financial Projections
- CRM/MRP Systems (e.g. SAP or Oracle)
- Have Knowledge of the Filing Process for GST
- Risk Management Tools
Leadership & Management Skills for Resume
Your resume and/or LinkedIn profile, should contain the following evidence of increasing responsibility: (For example).
- Managing Team of 8 Sales Executives (Met 120%+ quarterly target).
- Managing Multiple Projects (15+ Client Projects Using Agile Methodology).
- Coordinating with 5 Departments (Managing Stakeholders) To Successfully Launch Product.
- Managed Marketing Budget of 12 Lakh Across 6 Campaigns.
Skills for Resume For Students
The purpose of your resume is to demonstrate to a hiring manager that you possess the potential for growth, even if you have never done anything before.
Academic Skills You May Have Obtained
If you have ever used any of these skills at an academic institution, use them! Include:
- Research Skills → the title of your seminar or dissertation;
- Statistical Analysis → SPSS/R/Excel to complete a college project;
- Presentation Skills → Power Point/Prezi/Google Slides, etc.;
- Report Writing → academic papers; case study analysis;
- Lab Experiences or Techniques → engineering/science majors.
Extracurricular and Volunteer Skills
This is a large source of valuable experience for students!
- Event Management → organized college event/community event that attracted 2,000 or more people;
- Social Media Management → managed the Instagram account of college club (50+ followers);
- Content Creation → wrote for college magazine;
- Fundraising → raised (number of Rs. or US) via fundraising campaign;
- Public Speaking → competed in public speaking competition 5+ times.
How to List Skills for Resume For Freshers With No Experience
This may be the toughest part of your resume. Without any internship or work history on record, it can be a challenge to illustrate your worth as a candidate.
Skills for resume you’ll want to Include
1. Transferable Skills for resume from Everyday Life
Remember to go beyond traditional work experience for these:
- Customer Service → Responding to email or telephone queries at family business
- Digital Media → Managing own Instagram or YouTube accounts and interacting with followers
- Language Skills → Fluent speaking & writing in English, Hindi, and your regional language
- Basic ICT Skills → Can use a smart phone, lap top or do online searches on the internet
2. Certificates and Online Learning
Take free or inexpensive courses to help become qualified in your field of interest. For example:
- Google Digital Marketing Certification
- Coursera or edX courses in your interests
- Engineering courses from NPTEL
- Specific software training using websites like Udemy
3. Academic Projects That Prove Your Skills
Put your college assignments into a different light when thinking about including them on this portion of your resume. For example:
- Did you do a Power Point presentation during your classes? → You have Advanced Power Point skills
- Did you use Excel for creating a data trace sheet? → You have Data Management Skills
- Did you submit a 50-page project? → You have Research and Documentation skills
Skills for Resume with No Experience (Career Switchers & Re-entry)
Do you want to change careers or are you returning to the workforce after taking a break? You may still be able to use your previous skills!
While your career may be in different industries, you have many transferable Skills for resume that would make you a valuable employee. The following is a few examples of transferable skills from one role to another:
| Previous Role | New Role | Transferable Skills |
| Teacher | Corporate Trainer | Presentation Skills, Communication Skills, Curriculum Development Skills. |
| Homemaker | HR/Admin | Organizing skills, ability to manage multiple tasks, conflict resolution skills. |
| Sales Executive | Digital Marketing | Communication with clients, ability to persuade, ability to work with CRM Tools. |
| Accountant | Data Analyst | Excel Skills, Analytical Thinking Skills, Attention to detail. |
Skills for resume to Add During Career Gap
If you have been out of the workforce for an extended period of time (e.g., 2-3 years), you can add the following to your résumé:
- Participated in Online Courses → List out what you took away from each course.
- Freelance Work → You can add any freelance jobs
- Volunteering → Taught children with few resources, helped with organization of community events, etc.
- Personal Projects → Blog, YouTube channel, or small business startup.
According to CareerGrowKaro, most recruiters will not have a problem with you taking a career break as long as you are still involved in continued learning.
How to Show Skills on your Resume (Formatting That Gets Your Resume Noticed)
1. Make A Separate Dedicated Skills Section
The Right Way to Format Your Skills Section: Technical/Soft Skills
Example Of What To Include as Technical/Soft Skills:
- Technical Skills: Python, SQL, Tableau, Advanced Excel
- Soft skills: Leadership, Communication with Clients, Problem Solving
The Wrong Way to Format Your Skills Section:
An example of how not to format your skills section would be something such as:
“I have a good understanding of many technical and soft skills, such as”
2. Use The Job Description As A Template For Your Resume
Instead of: The job requires “Knowledge of SEO & Google Analytics”
You Should put: Digital Marketing Knowledge/SEO Optimization/Google Analytics/Content Strategy
3. Quantify Your Skills
Quantifying your skills is helpful when illustrating your capabilities
Example of how to quantify your skills:
- Excel → Advanced Excel (Pivot Tables, VLookup, Macros)
- Communication → Delivered 20+ presentations to clients
- Writing → Published 50+ articles on my blog (or over 100,000 total views)
4. Separate Your Skills Into Categories By Levels of Proficiency
- Proficient: Python, Data Analysis, SQL
- Intermediate: Tableau, R Programming
- Beginner: Machine Learning, Cloud Computing
This honesty will help you avoid any potential embarrassments during an interview when the interviewer asks questions about an item you may have only searched on Google.
Resume Mistakes That Can Cost You Your Job
- Skills that don’t pertain to the job position you are applying to – If you are applying for a software development position you shouldn’t include Microsoft Paint as a skill.
- Sharing generic skills without context – The phrase “Good team player” on a resume does not mean very much to recruiters; however, if you say “I worked with a cross functional team of 10 people to get a product launched within 3 months” it means so much more.
- Skills that are outdated – Nobody is looking for you to say you have 40wpm typing skills unless you are applying for a data entry position so update all your skills to be reflective of current capabilities as related to the year 2026.
- Misrepresenting yourself or your skill level – If your only experience with Python is watching 1 video from Coursera, don’t put on your resume as being “Proficient” in Python, instead, you should say “Familiar with the basic capabilities of Python”. When you are interviewed, it will become clear that you are not being truthful about your skill level.
- Ignoring Key Words – ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) use specific keywords to determine if your application meets the requirements of the job description. If the job description uses Content Writing, you should not write Creative Writing as an example of one of your skills.
Top Skills for Resume by Industry
For Engineering Graduates
- Java, Python and C++ programming languages
- AutoCAD and SolidWorks design software
- Problem solving & analytical skills
- Managing projects
- Writing technical documentation
For Commerce/MBA Graduates
- Financial analysis & modeling
- Using Tally accounting software
- Excel with advanced calculations/commands/functions
- Business communications
- Market research data
For Arts/Humanities Graduates
- Content development and copy editing
- Research and analysis
- Presentation & communication skills
- Managing social media accounts
- Creativity.
Commonly Asked Questions
Q1: How many skills should I put on my CV?
Ideally, between eight to twelve skills including three to four hard skills relevant to the position you are applying for, and four to five soft skills. Quality of the skills is more important than quantity.
Q2: What are good skills for a graduate with no experience?
Focus on large number of technical skills developed during your studies, such as Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power Point and some basic programming, on soft skills, such as communication and ability to work within a team, on either online or in-house training courses you have completed, as well as on any technical skills gained through project work or through participating in extracurricular activities.
Q3: Is it a good idea to include levels of proficiency for the skills you include on your CV?
Yes you should do this for technical skills, e.g. through using the terms Expert, Intermediate, and Basic to describe your proficiency level; Example: Expert – Excel, SQL | Intermediate – Python, Tableau.
Q4: Can I include skills I am working on developing?
Yes, you can list the skills you are currently working on as currently learning or Familiar with, but do not list them as having a proficiency level at this stage.
Q5: What is the difference between hard skills and soft skills?
Hard skills refer to your measurable skill level in a specific field, while soft skills refer to attributes about yourself that are more subjective in nature, (i.e. leadership and ability to communicate). You should ensure you include both sorts of skills in your CV.
Q6: How can I select skills when you are changing careers?
When changing careers, you should consider which skills are transferable between the two industries to ensure they fit together. As an example; if you are moving from Teaching to Human Resources, you could highlight the following transferable skills; Communication, Training, Organisation, and Conflict Resolution.
Closing Thoughts
Your Skill set is not simply a compilation of your Skills, but rather your sales pitch to potential hiring managers. If you’re either an inexperienced fresher or a seasoned pro branching out into a new career path, presenting the correct skills correctly can lead to getting interviewed in even the most competitive job markets.
Rather than stealing a random resume template off the internet, tailor each skills area of your resume directly toward the position you wish to apply for. Provide proven evidence through measurable results, rather than making uneducated claims. Skills do not equate to having taken action towards attaining them, they will remain words on paper until that occurs.
Are you ready to put together an effective resume that will get you noticed? Visit CareerGrowKaro today for free resume building tools and resources for successfully controlling your career development!
