What to put in a resume skills section

A skills section helps an employer locate relevant information quickly. It works best when the important claims are supported elsewhere in the resume.

Start with the vacancy and your actual experience. A long list of loosely related terms can make it harder to see what you can confidently do.

Distinguish tools, methods, and broader capabilities

Tools might include a software package you use. Methods might include a type of analysis or a professional process. Broader capabilities, such as explaining a problem to a customer, usually need an example to become meaningful.

Group items when it improves readability, but avoid turning the section into a complicated matrix. Spell unfamiliar abbreviations clearly and use the employer's terminology when it accurately describes your experience.

Do not add a skill simply because it appears in several job advertisements.

Give important skills somewhere to live

If a vacancy requires reporting skills, include an experience or project bullet describing a report you prepared and how it was used. If it requires a technical tool, show a task you completed with it where relevant.

For example, a skills list could say "Spreadsheet analysis and recurring reporting," with a corresponding project explaining the records analyzed and the output produced. The example gives the reader a way to judge the claim.

Avoid unsupported ratings such as "five-star leadership." A visual scale rarely explains what you can do or how someone should compare it with another candidate's self-rating.

Be clear about proficiency

Use descriptions you can explain in an interview. Distinguish independent use from introductory exposure. If a skill is still being developed, identify the course or project context where that helps.

For languages, describe your ability accurately and use an established level only when you have a reasonable basis for it. Do not imply certification that you do not hold.

Keep the section readable after export

Use text rather than an image containing the entire list. Check that the content remains selectable in the file and appears sensibly when copied into a plain text editor.

Follow the application's instructions and review auto-filled fields after upload. Parsing behavior varies, so a successful visual check does not guarantee every employer's software will interpret the file identically.

Before submitting, choose an item from your skills section at random and explain a real example aloud. If you cannot explain when or how you used it, revise the wording or remove it until you have the evidence to support it.

Further reading

• Resumes – Career Advising & Professional Development | MIT
• 5 Critical ATS Resume Formatting Mistakes to Avoid in 2026

Related guides

• Identify the role’s relevant terminology
• Show skills in your experience
• How to write an ATS-friendly resume that people can read too