Not sure what skills to list on your resume? Browse 150+ in-demand hard and soft skills organised by industry, with examples of how to use each one. Updated for 2026.
Skills-based hiring is accelerating. According to TestGorilla's 2024 report, 81% of employers now use skills-based hiring, with recruiters increasingly filtering candidates by specific competencies rather than job titles or degrees. Your skills section is now the single most scanned part of your resume after your most recent job title.
Yet most job seekers treat it as an afterthought. They either leave it half-empty, copy generic terms from a template, or dump every technology they have ever touched into an unreadable wall of text.
This guide solves a specific problem: you are staring at a blank skills section and you need to know what to actually put there. We have compiled over 150 in-demand skills, organised by industry, with context on why each one matters and how to present it effectively.
If you are looking for advice on how to format your skills section (layout, grouping, ordering), check out our resume skills section guide. This post is focused purely on what to include.
Hard Skills vs Soft Skills: A Quick Primer
Before diving into the lists, it helps to understand the two categories you will be drawing from.
Hard Skills
Soft Skills
Definition
Teachable, measurable abilities gained through training or education
Interpersonal and behavioural traits that affect how you work
Behavioural interview questions, references, work samples
ATS relevance
Very high, exact keyword matches
Moderate, some ATS scan for these terms
Where they shine
Skills section, technical experience bullets
Summary, experience descriptions, cover letters
The ideal balance: Most hiring managers want to see a mix of both. A developer who lists 20 programming languages but no collaboration skills raises a red flag. A project manager who lists only soft skills with no tools or methodologies looks unqualified.
A strong skills section typically includes 8 to 15 skills, weighted roughly 60-70% hard skills and 30-40% soft skills. The exact ratio depends on your industry and seniority.
The 10 Most In-Demand Skills for 2026
Before we break things down by industry, here are the skills that consistently rank highest across hiring platforms, job posting analyses, and recruiter surveys.
Rank
Skill
Category
Why It's in Demand
1
AI / Machine Learning Literacy
Hard
Every industry is adopting AI workflows. Even non-technical roles need to understand prompt engineering and AI tools. See our AI skills for your resume guide for specifics.
2
Data Analysis
Hard
Data-driven decision making is now expected at every level, not just analyst roles.
3
Cloud Computing (AWS, Azure, GCP)
Hard
The shift to cloud infrastructure continues accelerating. Cloud skills appear in a growing proportion of tech job postings.
4
Cybersecurity Fundamentals
Hard
With breaches costing an average of $4.88M per incident (IBM 2024), security skills are critical everywhere.
5
Communication
Soft
Remote and hybrid work has made clear written and verbal communication more valuable than ever.
6
Project Management
Hard/Soft
Agile, Scrum, and hybrid methodologies are standard. PMP and Scrum certifications carry weight.
7
Critical Thinking
Soft
As AI handles routine tasks, the ability to evaluate information and make nuanced decisions matters more.
8
UX/UI Design Principles
Hard
User experience now drives product decisions across tech, marketing, and even internal tool development.
9
Adaptability
Soft
The pace of change in tools, processes, and market conditions rewards people who adjust quickly.
10
Financial Literacy
Hard
Budget management, forecasting, and ROI analysis are increasingly expected outside of pure finance roles.
Sources: World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report 2025, industry hiring data.
Skills by Industry
Each section below lists specific skills relevant to that field. The "Example Use" column shows how to demonstrate the skill in a resume bullet point or skills list, so you are not just listing a keyword.
Technology & IT
The tech industry moves faster than any other. Skills that were cutting-edge three years ago can be baseline expectations today. Focus on the stack relevant to your target role, and always include at least one emerging technology.
Skill
Why It Matters
Example Use
Python
The most versatile language in 2026, from data science to backend to automation
"Python (Django, FastAPI, pandas)"
TypeScript
Now the default for frontend and full-stack roles, preferred over plain JavaScript
"TypeScript, React, Next.js"
Cloud Architecture (AWS/Azure/GCP)
90%+ of enterprises are multi-cloud. Certifications like AWS Solutions Architect stand out
"AWS (EC2, Lambda, S3, RDS)"
Kubernetes & Docker
Container orchestration is standard for deployment pipelines
Healthcare hiring is booming and highly specialised. Clinical skills need to be exact and verifiable, while administrative and technical skills are increasingly digital.
Skill
Why It Matters
Example Use
Electronic Health Records (EHR)
Epic and Cerner dominate. Specific system experience is a major differentiator
"Epic EHR (certified), patient record management"
Patient Assessment
Core clinical competency for nursing and allied health
Many admin roles include HR support responsibilities
"Onboarding coordination, leave management, HR systems (BambooHR)"
Office Technology
Managing office hardware, software, and vendor relationships
"Office equipment management, vendor negotiations, IT liaison"
Universal Soft Skills That Work on Any Resume
These soft skills are valued across every industry. The key is to be specific about what each skill means in your context, rather than simply listing the word.
"Developed new content strategy that increased engagement by 45%"
Emotional Intelligence
Show people management ability
"Emotionally intelligent"
"Stakeholder management, conflict mediation, team morale building"
Organisation
Demonstrate systems thinking
"Organised"
"Project scheduling, resource allocation, process documentation"
Work Ethic
Provide evidence, not self-assessment
"Hard worker"
"Consistently exceeded quarterly targets by 15-20%"
Initiative
Show proactive behaviour
"Self-starter"
"Identified and implemented automation that saved 10 hours/week"
Resilience
Demonstrate performance under pressure
"Resilient"
"Maintained team productivity through organisational restructuring"
Cultural Awareness
Relevant in international or diverse teams
"Culturally aware"
"International team management across 4 time zones, multilingual communication"
Important: Soft skills work best when they appear in your experience bullets, not just your skills list. A claim of "leadership" is meaningless without evidence. Pair the keyword in your skills section with a concrete example in your experience section.
Skills to Avoid on Your Resume
Some skills actively hurt your application. They either signal inexperience, waste valuable space, or annoy recruiters who have seen them thousands of times.
Skill to Avoid
Why It Hurts
What to Do Instead
"Microsoft Word"
Assumed baseline for any professional role. Listing it suggests a lack of more advanced skills
List advanced Office skills instead: "Excel (VBA, Power Query)"
"Team player" (standalone)
The most overused phrase in resume history. Every candidate claims this
Show collaboration through experience: "Coordinated with 5 departments to launch..."
"Hard worker"
Unverifiable self-assessment that every applicant makes
Demonstrate through results: "Delivered project 2 weeks ahead of schedule"
"References available upon request"
This is not a skill, and references are assumed to be available
Remove entirely, use the space for actual skills
"Internet research"
Like listing "can use a telephone." It is expected of every knowledge worker
List specific research skills: "Competitive intelligence, market analysis"
"Typing speed"
Unless you are applying for a data entry or transcription role, this wastes space
Replace with relevant technical skills
"Social media" (without specifics)
Too vague. Which platforms? What activities? Posting on your personal account does not count
"LinkedIn content strategy, Meta Ads Manager, TikTok campaign management"
"Basic [anything]"
Never describe your skill level as basic. If you are a beginner, leave it off
Only list skills you can perform competently
"Responsible" (as a skill)
This is a personality trait, not a skill, and it communicates nothing
Replace with specific accountability examples
"Multitasking"
Research consistently shows humans are bad at multitasking. Recruiters know this
Having a master list of skills is only half the battle. The other half is selecting the right skills for each application.
Here is a quick process:
Read the job description carefully. Highlight every skill mentioned, whether in the requirements, responsibilities, or "nice to have" sections.
Identify the top 5 non-negotiable skills. These appear in the requirements section and are usually listed first. They must appear on your resume.
Find your matching skills. Cross-reference the job description against your own experience. Only list skills you can genuinely discuss in an interview.
Use the exact phrasing from the posting. If the posting says "Salesforce," do not write "CRM software." ATS systems often match on exact terms.
Prioritise the top-listed skills. Place the most important skills first in your skills section. Recruiters scan left to right and top to bottom.
For a deeper guide on tailoring your entire resume to a specific job description, read our guide to tailoring your resume.
Tools like JobSprout can automate this matching process, analysing a job posting and suggesting exactly which skills from your profile to highlight for each application.
Putting It All Together
Your skills section is a compact, high-impact space that deserves real attention. Here are the key takeaways:
Be specific. "Python (Django, pandas, FastAPI)" beats "Programming" every time.
Mix hard and soft skills. Aim for roughly 60-70% hard skills and 30-40% soft skills.
Tailor for every application. Pull skills directly from the job description.
Show, do not just tell. Back up soft skills with evidence in your experience section.
Cut the generic filler. Every skill on your list should be defensible in an interview.
If you found this list useful, you might also want to explore:
Your skills section takes five minutes to get right and can be the difference between an automated rejection and a first-round interview. Use the lists above as your starting point, tailor them to each role, and you will be ahead of 90% of applicants who never bother to optimise this section.
