Top Principal Resume Skills for 2026

Use a simple, clean format that highlights your skills and experiences. Focus on readability by using bullet points and short phrases to present your skills. Properly organize your resume into education, experience, and skills sections.

“Adding a skills section to your resume is a great way to draw the recruiter’s attention to your most relevant strengths and competencies.”

– Ashley Watkins, NCRW, NCOPE, Job Search Coach

For example, principal resume bullet points might look like this:

• Led a team of 50+ educators, resulting in a 15% improvement in student test scores.
• Managed the annual budget of $2 million, achieving a 5% cost reduction without compromising quality.
• Spearheaded strategic initiatives that increased community engagement by 25%.
• Collaborated with local organizations to enhance extracurricular programs, boosting student participation by 30%.
• Developed and implemented a comprehensive professional development program for staff, leading to a 20% increase in teacher retention rates.

Hitting all the top job requirements with your skills list will help you rank highly for a keyword search within an applicant tracking system. But don’t stop there. Add context for every skill elsewhere in your work experience.

If a recruiter is excited by your customer service skills, for example, the first thing they’ll do is skim your work experience to figure out when, how, and how much you used that skill.

As you list your responsibilities, it’s also important to highlight your specific achievements wherever you can.

“For soft skills, it’s often more effective to demonstrate them in the context of your past work experience. Instead of merely stating “excellent team player”, you are better off saying “collaborated with a cross-functional team of 6 on a new product launch that boosted sales by 30% in one year”. Examples of specific accomplishments or business outcomes speak louder than buzzwords.”

– Ana Lokotkova, Career Coach and Advisor

Instead of saying,

“Managed school activities.”

You could say,

“Successfully coordinated and managed school-wide activities, enhancing student participation by 20% and fostering a more inclusive school culture.”

This demonstrates your level of expertise with the skills you listed. It gives the recruiter more reason to be interested in you as a result.

If you’re applying for a role requiring a broad skillset, categorize your skills.

“If you opt to include a designated skills section on your resume, include up to 10 of your core competencies. Excessive skills lists are overwhelming and sometimes confusing to the reader.”

– Kelli Hrivnak, Marketing and Tech Recruiter

• Management: Leadership, Management, Strategic direction
• Financial Management: Financial planning, Reporting

Use numbers to quantify your accomplishments wherever possible. This helps potential employers understand your abilities and the impact you can have on their organization.

“Recruiters and hiring managers are looking for relevancy of how and when you applied those skills, so provide examples of this in your experience section. Bonus tip: Don’t just insert the skill like a task–include results.”

– Kelli Hrivnak, Marketing and Tech Recruiter

Instead of saying,

“Improved school policies.”

You could say,

“Improved school policies, resulting in a 10% increase in operational efficiency and a 15% reduction in disciplinary incidents.”

Read the description carefully and emphasize the relevant skills and experiences. Highlight the skills that the employer seeks and provide examples of how you’ve used those skills in your previous roles. Doing so can demonstrate that you’re a strong fit for the position and increase your chances of being invited to an interview.

“The ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach doesn’t work when it comes to your resume. For every job application, tailor your skill set to match the job description. Most companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that filter candidates based on keywords and skills listed in the job description. So, research the role you’re applying for and distill the skills required.”

– Ana Lokotkova, Career Coach and Advisor

In order to do this, “you must first understand what skills are most important for the target role,” says Ashley Watkins.

Sample job description for a principal:

Seeking a dynamic Principal to lead our school with strategic vision and effective management. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong leadership, excellent communication, and the ability to manage financial and educational resources effectively. Responsibilities include guiding faculty, collaborating with the community, and ensuring the school meets academic standards.

Resume bullet points tailored to the job description:

• Led strategic initiatives that aligned with the school’s mission, resulting in a 12% increase in student achievement scores.
• Developed comprehensive communication channels with parents and community stakeholders, enhancing engagement by 20%.
• Managed a $3 million budget, optimizing resource allocation to support educational programs.
• Guided a team of educators to implement innovative teaching practices, boosting student engagement by 25%.
• Ensured compliance with educational standards, leading the school to achieve top rankings in district evaluations.

“Focus on the sought-after and in demand skills. A great way to figure out what is currently in demand is by researching current job openings from your preferred companies and reading through the posting. Pay close attention to the preferred requirements section and build your skills section based on this list.”

– Chelsea Jay, Career & Leadership Development Coach – Seasoned and Growing

Start each bullet point with an action verb. An action verb expresses an action, such as “create,” “build,” “manage,” “lead,” or “implement.”

Action verbs grab the reader’s attention and paint a vivid picture of what you accomplished at work.

Action verbs make your resume more interesting to read. They also show the kind of can-do attitude that employers are looking for.