What to Include in a Resume Skills Section

[Reyed Mia (Apprentice, DIU)]

What to Include in a Resume Skills Section

Customize Your Resume Skills Section
Customize the skills section of your resume to match, as much as you can, the requirements listed in the job posting.
The closer a match your skills are to the job requirements, the better your chances of being selected for an interview.

For example
If you are applying for an administrative position, include in your skills section Microsoft Office skills, QuickBooks skills (if you have them), and other software programs you can use. If you are a computer programmer, list the programming languages, software, platforms, and other Information Technology skills you have.
Having a skills section makes it easy for a hiring manager to pinpoint if you have a specific skill required for a position. It is also an easy way to get resume keywords onto your resume.

Multiple Resume Skills Sections
If there are multiple types of skills that are important to the job you're applying for, you can include more than one skills list in your resume. For example, if you are applying for a job in education, you might include a "Computer Skills" list and a "Language Skills" list.

Skills Lists
Not sure what skills to include? Here's a list of resume and cover letter keywords you can use to describe your skills, and here are lists of resumes skills for a variety of occupations and types of jobs.

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills
Skill sets include both hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are teachable abilities or skills that can be quantified. Soft skills are subjective interpersonal skills that are much harder to quantify.
Both types of skills may be included on a resume and in cover letters. Here's more information on the difference between hard skills and soft skills, and a list of soft skills.

Job Specific Skills vs. Transferable Skills
Job specific skills are those abilities that allow a candidate for employment to excel in a particular job. Some skills are attained by attending school or training programs. Others can be acquired through experience learning on the job.

Job specific skills vary based on the position. For example, an IT help desk worker needs computer skills, teachers need lesson planning skills, and carpenters need skills working with power tools.

Source: https://www.thebalance.com/what-to-include-in-a-resume-skills-section-2063321