Skills in a resume are the abilities that match the job you are applying for, listed in a short section and proved in your experience. Name hard skills precisely, such as SQL or Tally, and show soft skills through a task you completed. Choose skills from the job posting that you can explain in an interview.
The example below is fictional and instructional. Replace every placeholder with your facts and remove any experience or skill you do not have. Its tasks are not a real customer's results.
Example to copy and adapt
EXCEL
Built a supplier comparison sheet using filters and lookup formulas; checked missing values before the presentation.
COMMUNICATION
Rewrote event instructions after classmates misunderstood the registration step, then checked the revised version with the coordinator.
SQL
Wrote queries joining issues to their status records in a student application and checked results against a small test dataset.
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
Recorded an unresolved order question and handed it to the supervisor with the relevant reference and next action.
Which skills belong on your CV?
Choose a skill when it meets two tests: the vacancy needs it, and you have a real example of using it. Read the tasks in the job description rather than copying every word in the person specification. Separate a required credential from a skill you can learn. If a vacancy requires a licence you do not hold, writing the name of the profession in Skills does not resolve that requirement.
| Role | Possible skill, only if true | Evidence to describe |
|---|---|---|
| Accountant | Spreadsheet reconciliation | Compared transactions and identified unmatched items in a practice or work record |
| Customer service | Case documentation | Recorded the question, action and next step so another colleague could continue |
| Hotel receptionist | Reservation checks | Checked dates, room details and special requests in a training or work scenario |
| Junior developer | Input validation | Handled missing and invalid values in a project form and documented tests |
| Student intern | Research synthesis | Compared named sources and wrote a recommendation with stated assumptions |
Hard skills to put on a resume
Hard skills are teachable and checkable: a tool, method or qualification. Name the exact tool and add where you used it. Every example task below is a fictional [template].
| Hard skill | How to show it |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Excel (lookups, pivot tables) | Built a pivot-table report of [data] used weekly by [team] |
| Google Workspace | Maintained shared trackers for a team of [number] |
| SQL | Wrote queries joining [number] tables to produce [report] |
| Python | Automated [task] with a script, saving about [time] a week |
| Power BI or Tableau | Built a dashboard tracking [metric] for [audience] |
| Accounting software (Tally, QuickBooks, SAP) | Posted about [number] entries a month in [software] |
| GST and tax filing | Prepared monthly GST returns for [type of business] |
| CRM (Salesforce, Zoho, HubSpot) | Logged and followed up about [number] leads a week |
| Social media marketing | Planned and posted [platform] content for [client or club] |
| SEO basics | Rewrote titles for [number] pages on [site] |
| Graphic design (Figma, Canva, Adobe) | Designed [items]; portfolio at [link] |
| Video editing (Premiere Pro, CapCut) | Edited [number] videos for [channel or event] |
| Programming languages (JavaScript, Java, C++) | Built [project]; code at [link] |
| Git and version control | Reviewed and merged pull requests in a team of [number] |
| AutoCAD or other CAD tools | Drafted [type of drawings] for [project] |
| Project tools (Jira, Trello, Asana) | Tracked tasks for a [number]-person project |
| Typing speed | [number] words per minute, tested on [site] |
| Languages | [Language]: [level or test result] |
| Help-desk software (Zendesk, Freshdesk) | Handled about [number] tickets a day |
| Point-of-sale systems | Operated [system] at a store serving [number] customers a day |
| First aid and CPR | Certified by [body], valid until [date] [only if true] |
| Driving licence | [Category] licence, valid in [country] |
Soft skills to put on a resume
Soft skills cannot be proved by naming them. Pair each one with a short situation, then put the fuller example in your experience section.
| Soft skill | Evidence sentence to adapt |
|---|---|
| Communication | Rewrote the onboarding guide so new staff needed fewer follow-up questions |
| Teamwork | Shared call coverage with [number] colleagues during peak season |
| Problem solving | Found the cause of repeated billing errors and changed the checklist |
| Time management | Handled [number] client deadlines in the same week without extensions |
| Leadership | Led a college event team of [number] volunteers |
| Adaptability | Moved from in-store to online support within [time] when the store closed |
| Attention to detail | Checked [number] invoices a month against purchase orders |
| Customer focus | Resolved complaints by phone and followed up by email the same day |
| Negotiation | Agreed revised delivery terms with [number] suppliers |
| Critical thinking | Compared three vendor quotes on cost, delivery and support before recommending one |
| Organisation | Kept a shared calendar for [number] managers |
| Conflict resolution | Mediated a scheduling dispute between two shifts |
| Presentation skills | Presented project findings to [audience] |
| Learning quickly | Learned [software] in [time] to cover a colleague's work |
| Reliability | Opened the store on time for [number] months as the first shift |
| Empathy | Supported first-time applicants filling government forms at [organisation] |
Skills for freshers and students
If you have not worked yet, take skills from coursework, projects, internships, college events and part-time jobs, and say where each came from.
| Skill | Where a fresher can show it |
|---|---|
| MS Office | Coursework reports and presentations |
| Research | Final-year project or dissertation |
| Presentation | Seminars and project reviews |
| Teamwork | Group projects, sports teams |
| Event coordination | College fest or club events |
| Coding basics | Assignments and personal projects on GitHub |
| Languages | Languages you use every day, with level |
| Social media | Running a club or event page |
| Data entry | Internship or part-time office work |
| Customer handling | Retail, tutoring or delivery work |
Skills by job
| Job | Hard skills | Soft skills |
|---|---|---|
| Accountant | Tally or SAP, GST returns, bank reconciliation | Accuracy, deadline management, discretion |
| Customer service | CRM or help-desk tools, typing speed, product knowledge | Patience, clear communication, problem solving |
| Sales executive | CRM, lead generation, product demos | Negotiation, persistence, relationship building |
| Software developer | JavaScript or Java, Git, SQL | Problem solving, code review, teamwork |
| Data analyst | SQL, Excel, Power BI or Tableau | Critical thinking, explaining findings, attention to detail |
| Teacher | Lesson planning, classroom technology, assessment design | Patience, communication, classroom management |
| Nurse | Patient assessment, medication administration, charting | Empathy, calm under pressure, teamwork |
| Administrative assistant | MS Office, scheduling tools, filing systems | Organisation, discretion, time management |
| Graphic designer | Figma, Adobe Illustrator, typography | Taking feedback, creativity, deadline management |
| Marketing executive | Social media tools, SEO basics, analytics | Creativity, writing, planning |
| HR assistant | Applicant tracking systems, payroll inputs, onboarding | Confidentiality, communication, organisation |
| Mechanical engineer | AutoCAD or SolidWorks, preventive maintenance, quality checks | Problem solving, safety awareness, teamwork |
| Civil engineer | AutoCAD, quantity estimation, site supervision | Coordination, attention to detail, reporting |
| Security guard | CCTV monitoring, access control, incident reporting | Alertness, calm communication, reliability |
| Hotel receptionist | Property management system, check-in and billing | Hospitality, multitasking, languages |
Hard skills and soft skills need different wording
A technical skill can often be named precisely: Excel lookup formulas, SQL joins or a reservation system you have actually used. A soft skill such as communication needs context. “Communication: explained a delayed order and recorded the agreed next step” tells the reader more than “excellent communicator.” Do not turn every bullet into a skill label; put longer evidence under the relevant project or role and keep the Skills section easy to scan.
Copyable skills section: graduate operations example
SPREADSHEETS: Excel filters, lookup formulas and duplicate checks used in a university inventory assignment.
DOCUMENTATION: Step-by-step checking notes and an exception log prepared for the project team.
COMMUNICATION: Presented the review findings and answered questions about missing records.
LANGUAGES: [Language] — [level you can demonstrate]; [language] — [level].
This example deliberately omits advanced Excel, project management and bilingual fluency. Add them only if your experience supports the claim. A course introduction is not the same as regular workplace use. Where useful, write “coursework using…” or “basic practice with…” so the level is clear.
Replace ratings with a task you can perform
| Weak entry | More useful entry |
|---|---|
| Excel: 90% | Excel: filters and lookup formulas used to compare stock records |
| English: five stars | English: [accurate level], used for [real task if applicable] |
| Leadership | Coordinated the meeting agenda and assigned agreed actions in a student project |
| Problem solving | Traced a mismatch to duplicate records and documented the correction |
| AI expert | Used [tool] for [specific task] and checked its output against [source] |
A progress bar does not define what a percentage means. A concrete task gives the employer something to ask about. For language proficiency, use an accurate description or a verified test result with its date when relevant. Do not invent a test score or assume that an Arabic marketing page proves your ability to work in Arabic.
Match skills to the advertisement without keyword stuffing
Use the employer’s terminology when it accurately names your skill. If the advertisement says customer relationship management and you have used a CRM, name the system and a task. If you only used a spreadsheet for a classroom exercise, say that. Adding the abbreviation CRM to an unrelated project can mislead the reader. There is no universal keyword percentage that certifies a CV for every ATS.
Prepare a small evidence note for each important claim: what you did, where, how recently, and what you could show or explain. If you cannot answer those questions, reduce the claimed level or leave the skill out. For a public work sample, remove private data and state your contribution. The portfolio workflow explains how to turn a short claim into a useful example.
CV skills questions
A skill is easier to believe when the reader can see it. Portfolio examples for jobs lists the evidence that proves common skills in 14 roles, and does a personal website help you get a job explains when a link is worth adding.
Languages are a skill employers check. List them with a CEFR level rather than "good" or "fluent"; the language levels on a CV guide shows the format with examples.
- What are the top skills to put on a resume?
- The ones the job posting asks for that you can prove. For most office roles that includes communication, Excel or Google Sheets, time management and one tool specific to the job, such as a CRM or accounting software.
- What skills should a fresher put on a resume?
- Skills you used in coursework, projects, internships or part-time work: MS Office, research, presentation, teamwork and any tools from your field. Say where you used each one.
- What is the difference between hard and soft skills?
- Hard skills are specific and checkable, such as SQL or AutoCAD. Soft skills are ways of working, such as communication or teamwork, and need a short example to be believable.
- How many skills should I list?
- Use enough to cover the relevant work you can actually perform. A short set with evidence is easier to assess than a long collection of unrelated tools. Remove duplicates and prioritize the skills the vacancy needs most.
- Can I list a skill learned in a course?
- Yes, with an accurate level and a completed exercise where possible. Distinguish classroom practice from professional experience and a course completion certificate from a professional licence.
- Where should the evidence go?
- Keep short labels in Skills and fuller evidence in the related role or project. See the graduate CV for section order and the accountant example for an occupation-specific version.
Choose and check each skill
- Highlight the vacancy's actual tasks before selecting skills. A junior accountant may need spreadsheet evidence; a hotel receptionist may need a clear guest-service example.
- Use an honest level such as 'course project' or a named task instead of a percentage bar. There is no shared measurement behind 'Excel 90%'.
- For languages, describe speaking and writing levels you can demonstrate. Translating the document does not establish language proficiency.
- If you cannot give an example, either remove the skill or practise it through a small project. A course certificate can show study but does not by itself prove workplace proficiency.
Why the example is written this way
Each example connects a skill to an output or a check. The communication example identifies what changed in the instructions without inventing a satisfaction score.
Next step
Use the UAE guide or Saudi guide for your application, or return to the guides hub. Use the resume builder to organise your information. Building and previewing are free; PDF export requires a paid plan. See pricing.
