Skills Section: Showcase Your Abilities

Your skills section is where you show what you can do. Let's make it count.

What to Include

Include skills that are:

• Relevant to the job - Match the job posting
• Specific - Not vague or generic
• Proven - You've actually used them
• Current - Up-to-date with industry standards

Types of Skills

Technical Skills

• Programming languages (Python, JavaScript, Java)
• Software and tools (Salesforce, Adobe Creative Suite)
• Platforms (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure)
• Frameworks (React, Django, Spring)
• Databases (SQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL)

Soft Skills

• Communication
• Leadership
• Problem-solving
• Project management
• Teamwork
• Time management
• Critical thinking

Industry-Specific Skills

• SEO/SEM (for marketing)
• Financial analysis (for finance)
• Patient care (for healthcare)
• Supply chain management (for logistics)

How to Organize

Option 1: By Category

Technical Skills
- Python, JavaScript, React, Node.js
- AWS, Docker, Kubernetes
- SQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL

Soft Skills
- Project Management
- Team Leadership
- Strategic Planning

Option 2: By Proficiency

Expert
- Python, JavaScript, React

Intermediate
- AWS, Docker, SQL

Beginner
- Kubernetes, GraphQL

Option 3: Simple List

Python, JavaScript, React, Node.js, AWS, Docker, SQL, MongoDB, Project Management, Team Leadership

Pro Tips

💡 Match the job posting - Use keywords from the job description

💡 Be honest - Only list skills you actually have

💡 Prioritize - Put most relevant skills first

💡 Be specific - "Python" is better than "Programming"

💡 Avoid generic skills - "Communication" is expected; be more specific

💡 Update regularly - Add new skills as you learn them

How Many Skills?

• Minimum: 5-10 skills
• Ideal: 10-15 skills
• Maximum: 20-25 skills

Quality over quantity. A few strong, relevant skills beat a long list of weak ones.

Skill Levels

If you include proficiency levels:

• Expert/Advanced - 5+ years or deep knowledge
• Intermediate - 2-5 years or solid knowledge
• Beginner/Basic - Less than 2 years or learning

Common Mistakes

❌ Too generic - "Communication" without context

❌ Too many skills - 50+ skills looks unfocused

❌ Outdated skills - COBOL in 2024 (unless relevant)

❌ Unproven skills - Skills you've never actually used

❌ Vague skills - "Stuff" or "Things"

Using shipresume

Our resume builder makes it easy to:

• Add and organize skills
• Categorize by type or proficiency
• Get AI suggestions for missing skills
• Optimize for job postings

Create your resume and add your skills.

Next Steps

• Learn about career transitions
• Get AI feedback on your skills section
• Create your resume
• Check our FAQs