Technical skills are invaluable in the modern working world. Yes, that’s true in high-tech companies, but even many entry-level positions require some level of technical proficiency.
If you’re a tech whiz kid, now is the time to shout about it. Pinpointing the best technical skills for a resume will help you to instantly maximize your chances of getting hired.
Ready to get started? In the following post, we look at the top trending technical skills for a resume and explore how you can include them in your next application.
Technical skills: what are they and why do they matter?
First up, let’s talk about the importance of technical skills. When it comes to resume skills, technical skills are relatively easy to define.
They involve computer proficiency or other technological know-how. These unique talents are usually developed with specific training, education, and experience.
You will use them in most areas of your work. For that reason, it’s important to choose the right technical skills for your resume when you are applying for your next job.
Technical skills fall into the category of hard skills, so they can be tested and measured. In some cases, you may even take exams to prove that you are proficient in certain technical skills. By contrast, soft skills are people skills and are difficult to measure objectively.
Key takeaway As technology becomes more common, technical skills are increasingly in demand. Use your resume to convey your skills to any prospective employer.
It goes without saying that technical skills are in great demand in our modern era. We live in an age where computers are seemingly everywhere.
Even simple cashier jobs require some level of proficiency with computerized cash registers, and other technology. Many manufacturing jobs require employees to use various computer-operated machines too. Put simply, we all need to have them.
That principle holds true for millions of jobs across a broad spectrum of industries throughout the economy. Everywhere you look, technology is embedded within our daily lives and — by extension — the workforce.
When you apply for any of these positions, odds are that you will be competing with candidates who possess at least some (if not all!) of these technical skills.
So, you need to be proficient in the use of different technologies if you want to land a great job. Selecting the right technical skills for your resume is an artform — let us help you out.
How do I include technical skills on my resume?
Now that you’re aware of why you need technical skills for your resume, let’s talk about how you do it. Simply start with the basics: make a list of your technical skills.
Consider any technology, software, or programs that you have used or know how to use. Whatever comes to mind, get it down. You will then have a long list of technical skills.
Next up, the challenge is to shortlist them. Think about each skill in turn and whether it aligns with the demands of the role that you are applying for. If the answer is yes, include it.
You need to properly showcase technical skills on your resume. There’s no “one size fits all '' answer here. However, there are two different ways to include technical skills on your resume to make things easy for the hiring manager:
1. Make your technical skills the centerpiece of your resume intro
Want to emphasize your technical skills? You should go beyond just choosing technical skills for a resume. Instead, weave them into the very fabric of the document.
This method is best for those listing only a handful of tech skills, such as Marketing, Finance, Healthcare, Education, or Customer Success workers.
This is a variation on the summary statement and can be a useful way to draw immediate attention to the most relevant technical skills. Basically, you need to create a summary that emphasizes your technical qualifications.
If you’re not sure what a resume summary is, head over to this post about how to write a resume summary that will win you interviews, and then come back to this post.
Your modified resume summary will be an abbreviated version of your experience section, compiling and extolling your proficiency in the required technical areas of the job.
You might label it “Qualifications Summary” or “Professional Qualifications” to signal the content. For example:
Professional Summary
Dynamic and results-driven professional with an accomplished track record of deploying marketing and sales initiatives that consistently achieve client satisfaction, preserve brand integrity, translate product vision, and connect with diverse audiences. Collaborative and energetic leader who infuses modern tools (CRM, search engine optimization (SEO), Google AdWords, SalesForce) and emerging technologies into compelling sales and advertising plans that exceed performance goals in high-volume, rapidly-evolving environments. Fluent in German.
You can also add a line at the end of your summary that lists out your technical skills.
Example: “Proficient in WordPress, SEMRush, Google AdWords, Google Analytics, and Salesforce”
2. Make a separate technical skills section
When you’ve chosen your technical skills for a resume, where should you include them? Here’s another, simple approach you can use.
This option is the best choice for those in highly technical industries where numerous technical skills are required. If you’re in IT or Engineering, this is what you want to use.
One of the most effective ways to highlight technical skills is to place them in their own separate section of the resume. For jobs that emphasize these skills, make sure that you place this section near the beginning of your resume.
Step 1: Identify your key skills
Your key skills are the skills you excel in, as well as the industry-specific skills used in the job description. These “keywords” also play an important role in passing the ATS test.
Obviously, only include skills that you actually possess on your resume. However, you can make simple swaps for skills that are valued by one employer but not by another (i.e. “customer service” vs. “client interaction”).
You can include keywords on your resume in your core competencies or skills section. These are hard skills that are relevant to the position you’re targeting.
Example of key technical skills for a software engineer:
Application Programming
Software Analysis and Design
Application & Unit Testing
Object-Oriented Technology
Database Design/Development
Lean/Agile Methodologies
Project Management
Web Design/Development
Process Improvement
Okay, let’s see how this looks on a resume:
As you can see here, the candidate has selected prime technical skills for their resume and listed them succinctly. You can emulate this style when applying for jobs.
Step 2: List your other relevant skills in a technical skills section
When you have decided on the right technical skills for your resume, consider listing them in their own space. You can create a separate section that details your specific knowledge of tools, languages, databases, etc. That way, the hiring manager will find them with ease.
Example of general technical skills for a software engineer:
With this method of listing your technical skills, you can be thorough for the ATS scan without overfilling your core competencies section.
Core competencies should be limited to nine to 12 really key talents, often with a few soft skills thrown in. Your technical skills section is a more comprehensive view of your abilities.
Expert Tip
Our resume experts tend to prefer a Core Competencies section over a skills section. Learn how to write your own with this guide: Core Competencies Section on a Resume
How important are technical skills to employers and hiring managers?
Choosing technical skills for a resume can seal the deal. As we have covered, these are extremely valuable competencies. So, make them count!
When you’re seeking a job in a technical field, those technical skills can make or break your candidacy. That’s why it is critical to ensure that you properly list them in your resume.
By identifying the right technical skills for your resume, and accurately conveying your proficiency to an employer or hiring manager, you can maximize your chance of success.
Including the right technical skills–those relevant to the positions you’re targeting–can really help you get past the ATS filter as well. If you want to know how your resume will look after it’s been scanned by an ATS, check out ZipJob’s free resume review.
Top 9 technical skills employers look for
So, what are the top technical skills to put on your resume? We’re glad you asked. The truth is that there are a wide variety of technical skills that employers need.
You may possess many different skills, so it can sometimes be difficult to know which ones to include in your resume. It helps to identify your unique skills.
Remember to create a separate list of technical skills for jobs that require you to be familiar with different languages, databases, tools, etc.
When you are listing technical skills on your resume, you need to make sure that they will wow hiring managers. Here are some examples of the type of valuable technology skills that employers commonly seek:
1. IT Skills
This is a no-brainer, but it can be difficult to narrow down your list of skills if you’re an information technology specialist.
For an IT resume, just remember to be thorough and include all the important technical skills you rely on each day.
Relevant skills will include network setup and management, network security, front-end and back-end development, mobile platform development and management, and all the hard skills associated with maintaining a large network and keeping all systems up-to-date and running smoothly. See these skills on our related IT resume examples:
2. AI Skills
Unless you’ve been living under a rock in recent years, you will have seen the AI revolution happening. Yes, the robots are coming and you either have to learn to work with them–or against them. If you’re smart and you choose the former, list these skills on your resume.
If you’re a pro at writing AI prompts and getting the desired outcome, shout about it here and now. You may also want to talk about any talents you have in robotics, machine learning, data science, deep learning, and Natural Language Processing (NLP).
3. Web Development Skills
Web development continues to be in high demand. If you know your way around the leading programming languages, you should choose these technical skills for your resume.
While these talents are central to web development roles, if you have them and don’t work in that sector, it is wise to highlight them. Whether you work in marketing, administration, or even within the ranks of a startup, these savvy technical skills may come in handy.
3. Graphic Design Technical Skills
As a graphic designer, you need to highlight relevant skills for that position. These can include basic HTML skills, design skills, Photoshop skills, and experience with other graphic design software, branding, and print design.
Tell but don’t show: your resume shouldn’t be a graphic design masterpiece. List your skills and include a link to an online profile of your graphic design projects if you have one.
See our graphic designer resume example.
4. Analytical Skills
If your job requires analysis, there are specific business analysis technical skills that you will need to showcase.
They include data analysis skills, data modeling, data visualization, experience with information technology skills, knowledge of common program languages, and others.
Refer to our Business Analyst resume example to see more skills.
5. Marketing Technical Skills
Most people think of marketing skills as soft skills like communication and organization. However, modern marketing relies on a variety of hard technical skills as well.
Moreover, possessing these skills can provide you with a leg up on your competition. They include skills like website design, social and mobile marketing proficiency, experience with digital advertising campaigns, and content development.
For more job-specific skill sets, look at these resume examples:
6. Management Technology Skills
Yes, today’s managers in all industries also need to be familiar with technology. Depending upon the industry you’re in, you may need to possess technical skills ranging from project management and information technology to data analysis and management.
You may even need to have some familiarity with various programming languages. Some management positions may require technical writing skills, or experience with computer networks.
While specific programs will vary from company to company, it’s a good idea to show any experience you have with software, programs, and tools relating to management roles.Look at these related resumes for industry-specific skills in management roles:
7. Accounting Skills
Accountants today do more than deal with numbers: they must manage that data using modern technical tools.
As an accountant, your technical skills can include proficiency with various accounting tools such as Oracle, or knowledge of ERP systems and auditing tools.
Other technical skills will include experience with cost analysis, trend identification, and broad proficiency with most common computer programs.
See more examples of skills for accountants on our accountant resume example.
8. Engineering Skills
It’s obvious that a computer engineer will be expected to have a wide range of computer-related technical skills. But engineering covers a lot of ground, so your technical skills may extend well beyond computer design or programming.
As an engineer, you may possess data modeling skills, proficiency with statistics and probability, and other higher-end math skills. Technical reporting may also be a part of your repertoire, and you may even possess technical writing skills.
See more examples of skills for engineers on our engineering resume example.
9. Medical Technology Skills
Technology has made its way into most professions, including areas like the medical field and education. As a result, nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals need to have some proficiency with computers and other technology.
The technical skills for your resume may include advanced lifesaving training, familiarity and experience with dialysis and phlebotomy, and knowledge of the computer systems used in daily medical practices.
Summary
Your technical skills are your superpowers. Don’t be afraid to show them off to the hiring manager. By this point, you should feel prepared to choose the right technical skills for your resume. Whether you are working in the tech field or within a role that requires some technical knowledge, it’s vital to let the hiring manager know what you can do.
Follow our advice when listing these skills and pick one of the options we have outlined here. Keep in mind that you need to be crystal clear about the technical skills and ability level you have. Adding these talents to your resume is a quick way to enhance your next application.
Creating a resume from scratch? ZipJob’s team of professional resume writers can give you the support you need. Our team of 100+ writers is ready to help you highlight your professional talents and expertise. Take a look at our resume writing services to get an optimized application that is sure to turn recruiters’ heads.
If you already have a resume in place, start with our free resume review tool to see how your resume looks to an expert and an ATS scan.
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Written by
Charlotte Grainger, Editor & Content Writer, Charlotte Grainger, Editor & Content Writer
Charlotte Grainger is a freelance writer living and working in Sheffield, UK. She has a passion for career development and loves sharing tips and advice. Follow her on Twitter
