Hard Skills: Definition, Examples, and What to Include on Your Resume

Did you know that 88% of hiring managers and recruiters focus on hard skills when reading your resume?

With skills-based hiring on the rise in the world of recruitment, listing your relevant hard skills on your resume is more important than ever.

In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about hard skills: what they are, why they’re crucial for your career, and how you can develop them. We’ll also give you many examples of in-demand hard skills you can list on your resume to stand out to recruiters and increase your chances of landing interviews.

What are hard skills?

Hard skills are specific, measurable, and teachable knowledge or expertise you need to do a job effectively. These skills are often industry-specific or role-specific and can be developed through education, training, and on-the-job experience.

Examples of hard skills include proficiency in data analysis, accounting, cloud computing, programming, foreign languages, project management, and operating machinery.

Hard skills vs. soft skills

While hard skills can be learned in class or on the job, soft skills are personal attributes that help you work with other people. In fact, soft skills are often called “people skills” or “interpersonal skills.”

Examples of soft skills include communication, time management, organization, collaboration, and critical thinking.

Soft skills are also transferable. This means they can be used in any type of job in any field. This isn’t the case with hard skills.

Hard and soft skills are different, but both are important. Having a variety of hard and soft skills on your resume shows you’re a well-rounded candidate.

Why are hard skills important?

It is critical that you list your hard skills on your resume because they show recruiters and hiring managers that you are equipped and technically able to do the job well.

According to a Jobscan survey, 76.4% of recruiters filter resumes by skills when using applicant tracking systems (ATS).

If your resume doesn’t clearly feature the hard skills from the job description, it may never be seen by a human.

For instance, recruiters want to see hard skills such as “proficiency in SQL, Tableau, and Python” on your resume if you’re applying for a data analyst role. These hard skills confirm and show recruiters you can handle the role’s technical requirements. 

Listing hard skills on your resume is important because they:

1. Boost your employability

Possessing in-demand hard skills makes you a desirable candidate in the job market. Employers want candidates who can contribute immediately to their organization. Hard skills help you secure job offers and increase your chances of employment. They show you have the technical expertise and practical knowledge needed to perform the job well.

2. Enhance your job performance

Hard skills enable you to perform your job effectively and efficiently. They ensure you meet industry standards and achieve professional goals. With strong hard skills, you can complete tasks accurately and on time. This leads to better job performance and job satisfaction.

3. Help advance your career

Having relevant hard skills can lead to promotions and career advancement. Employers are more likely to invest in employees with the skills necessary to take on higher responsibilities. As you acquire more skills, you can qualify for more advanced roles.

Types of hard skills

Different industries require different hard skills. For instance, key hard skills in finance include financial modeling, budgeting, and using specialized software like QuickBooks.

Understanding the different types of hard skills is essential when writing a standout resume. Here are different types of the most in-demand hard skills.

1. Technical skills

2. Computer skills

3. Industry-specific skills

4. Analytical skills

5. Project management skills

6. Creative skills

7. Administrative skills

More examples of hard skills

Here are other examples of hard resume skills you can include on your resume:

How to choose what hard skills to include on your resume

How do you know which hard skills you should add to your resume? Here are three simple tips for choosing the best hard skills to highlight on your resume.

1. Tailor hard skills to the job description

Tailoring your hard skills to match the job description is critical because most companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to streamline their hiring process.

When you submit your resume, it goes right into an ATS database. Recruiters then search the database for suitable job candidates by typing in keywords. These keywords are usually job titles or hard skills.

So your resume needs to contain those keywords. Otherwise, your resume will not be seen by recruiters, no matter how qualified you are for the job.

Tailoring your resume for the job you’re applying for will get you better results. Unfortunately, it’s also time-consuming. That’s why most people don’t do it.

To save you time and energy, you can use free online tools like Jobscan’s resume scanner.

When you scan your resume into Jobscan, it analyzes both your resume and job description and comes up with a list of hard skills you need to incorporate into your resume.

It also analyzes the other sections of your resume to ensure they’re optimized for the ATS. The tool then gives you a comprehensive resume report and a score showing how well your resume matches the job. The higher your score, the higher your chances of getting your resume seen by recruiters.

As you can see, the resume scanner will analyze the number of times a hard skill is mentioned in the job description and show if your resume mentions them just as frequently. The scanner also notes hard skills that are missing from your resume. Above, you can see that the scanned resume is missing important hard skills: “business development,” “business insights,” and “finance.”

To use the tool, you just have to paste your resume and the job description and click “scan.”

2. Focus on your relevant expertise

If you have a wide range of hard skills, it might be tempting to list all of them on your resume. However, including too many skills can be overwhelming and may actually hurt your chances.

So, you should not list every hard skill you possess. Instead, only select those skills directly applicable to the job you’re applying for. This also helps recruiters reviewing your resume not get overwhelmed with unrelated information.

Here is an example:

3. Quantify your hard skills

To make your resume stand out, give specific examples that back up your proficiency and quantify the impact of those skills. Instead of just stating that you have a specific hard skill, show recruiters how you’ve applied it successfully. Here are a few examples:

How to showcase your hard skills

Identifying your hard skills and their relevance to a specific job is just the beginning. To succeed in your job search, you have to effectively highlight your skills to show hiring managers you have the skills they’re looking for to do the job.

You can effectively show off your hard skills in a range of methods.

Hard skills on your resume

There are four resume sections where you should try to add your hard skills:

1. Resume headline

Your resume headline is a one-line phrase at the top of your resume, right beneath your contact information. The purpose of the headline is to quickly tell the hiring manager who you are.

While many job seekers use the resume headline to clearly state their job title or target role, it’s also a great place to highlight valuable hard skills right at the top of your resume. When you emphasize the most critical skills, the hiring manager will see them right away and encourage them to keep reading.

Here’s an example of a resume headline for a software developer:

2. Resume summary

Your resume summary appears right beneath your resume headline. Your summary is a brief statement that highlights your skills, experience, and professional accomplishments. Including the most important hard skills in the resume summary keeps the information at the top of the page, so when the reader scans your resume, the hard skills are some of the first details they see.

Here’s an example of a resume summary that features a variety of hard skills:

3. Skills section

The most obvious place to put your skills on your resume is your skills section. If you’re using a chronological resume format the skills section will usually go below your work experience. On a hybrid resume, the skills section typically goes above your work experience.

You can either use bullet points to list your skills or separate them by vertical bars, commas, or some other separator. Here’s an example:

4. Work experience section

The work experience section is the heart of your resume and a great place to add your hard skills.

Always try to start each bullet point with an action verb, such as “Implemented,” “Initiated,” or “Spearheaded.” Whenever possible, try to use numbers and metrics to describe your accomplishments.

Here’s an example of a work experience section with plenty of hard skills:

Hard skills in your cover letter

Your cover letter is the best place to expand on specific points in your resume and apply your experience to the particular employer. It’s also an underrated place to mention hard skills and keywords from the job description.

Below is an example of a cover letter with the hard skills in bold. The ATS can parse cover letters, so it’s a great place to restate your most important hard skills.

Hard skills during your interview

Securing the interview is an accomplishment to celebrate and it’s the right time to discuss your hard skills with a hiring team. During your job interview, weave your answers with measurable accomplishments that highlight your hard skills.

Use the STAR method (situation, task, action, result) to answer your interview questions with maximum impact on the hiring team.

How to develop your hard skills

You can acquire and practice hard skills in a range of methods.

1. Formal education

Attending university or college is a traditional way to acquire hard skills. Many institutions offer specialized courses tailored to specific career paths. Besides having the education accomplishments listed on your resume, these courses provide structured learning and expert guidance. For example, a computer science degree teaches programming and software development.

Read more: How to Format Your Resume Education Section

2. Online courses and certifications

There are plenty of online platforms, like Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning, that offer courses on various hard skills. These platforms allow you to learn at your own pace and convenience. You can choose from a wide range of subjects to suit your career goals.

Certifications can also help validate your hard skills and make you stand out to employers. Examples include CompTIA for IT pros, PMP for project managers, and Google Analytics for marketers. These certifications demonstrate your expertise and commitment to your field.

Read more: 75+ Free Certifications to Help You Land Your Dream Job

3. On-the-job training

Many hard skills are best learned through hands-on experience. Internships, apprenticeships, and entry-level positions provide practical knowledge and skills. These opportunities allow you to apply what you have learned in real-world situations. Working alongside experienced professionals helps you gain insights and improve your abilities.

4. Self-study and hobbies

Self-study involves learning through books, tutorials, and practice. This method requires discipline but allows you to gain expertise in your own time. You can focus on topics that interest you and learn at your own pace. Self-study is a flexible way to develop hard skills without formal education.

Engaging in hobbies can also help build your hard skills. Consider taking up a hobby tied to your career—or your career of choice if you’re changing careers. For example, if you’re looking to transition into a social media role, mention hobbies like graphic design or video editing. They can be valuable hard skills to highlight on your resume.

Key takeaways

Here are key pointers to remember:

Frequently asked questions