The technical skills on your resume can make or break your application. From software and tools to industry-specific systems, employers use these skills to quickly assess if you’re qualified for a role.

This guide explains what technical skills for resumes are, includes 150+ examples by industry, and offers practical tips for choosing and formatting your skills effectively.

What Are Technical Skills & Why Do They Matter?

Technical skills are specialized, teachable abilities required to perform specific tasks. They’re typically learned through education, training, certifications, or hands-on experience and often involve tools, software, systems, or procedures.

These skills show employers whether or not you can perform the essential functions of a job. They’re also keywords that applicant tracking systems (ATS) scan for, so if relevant skills are missing from your resume, you may be overlooked even if you’re qualified.

Technical Skills vs Hard Skills vs Soft Skills

Hard skills and technical skills are often used interchangeably, but there’s a distinction:

  • Hard skills are measurable abilities gained through training or experience, such as data analysis, bookkeeping, or contract negotiation.
  • Technical skills are a subset of hard skills that focus specifically on tools, technology, or specialized systems, such as specific software, programming languages, or data visualization platforms.
  • Soft skills are valuable interpersonal traits, such as communication, teamwork, and adaptability.

Top 10 Common Technical Skills Examples

Many technical skills appear across industries, even though the specific tools may vary by role. Before diving into industry-specific examples, the list below highlights 10 common technical skills that show up in job descriptions across fields.

  • Analytics and reporting tools: Google Analytics, dashboards, performance tracking
  • Data and spreadsheet skills: Excel formulas, data entry, data organization, reporting
  • Collaboration and communication platforms: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, shared workspaces
  • Content management systems (CMS): WordPress, Squarespace, publishing tools
  • Customer relationship management (CRM) systems: Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho
  • Email and calendar management: Outlook, Gmail, Google Calendar
  • File management and cloud storage: Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, version control
  • Productivity tools: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Docs, Google Sheets
  • Project and task management tools: Asana, Trello, Jira, Monday, task-tracking tools
  • Security and compliance basics: Password management, data privacy awareness, secure file handling

150+ Technical Skills Examples for Resumes by Industry

This list covers more than 150 technical skills by industry to help you quickly find what’s most relevant to your experience and goals. The sections are organized alphabetically, so you can easily scroll to the industries that apply to you.

For clarity, we’ve spelled out most abbreviated terms in this list. When writing your resume, it’s usually best to use a combination of spelled-out terms and abbreviations so ATS can pick up both versions. Programming languages and widely used software names, however, are typically listed as-is, since employers and applicant tracking systems already recognize them.

Accounting & Bookkeeping Skills

These technical skills are commonly associated with accounting and bookkeeping jobs:

  • Accounts payable (AP)
  • Accounts receivable (AR)
  • Auditing
  • Bank reconciliation
  • Budget tracking
  • Financial reporting
  • General ledger management
  • Invoice processing
  • Payroll processing
  • QuickBooks
  • Tax preparation
  • Variance analysis

AI, Machine Learning, & Automation Skills

As more companies adopt AI-driven tools and automated workflows, employers are prioritizing candidates who can build, train, evaluate, and integrate intelligent systems into everyday business processes.

These technical skills are commonly used in AI, machine learning, and automation-focused roles and are considered good technical skills for resumes because they’re in demand right now:

  • Algorithm development
  • Application programming interface (API) integration
  • Automation workflows
  • Chatbot development
  • Data labeling
  • Machine learning models
  • Model evaluation
  • Model training
  • Natural language processing (NLP)
  • Predictive analytics
  • Python
  • Workflow automation

Coding & Programming Language Skills

These technical skills are commonly associated with programming and coding jobs across industries. Because they’re widely recognized, they’re typically listed as-is on resumes.

  • C
  • C++
  • CSS
  • Git
  • HTML
  • Java
  • JavaScript
  • Python
  • R
  • Ruby
  • SQL

Cybersecurity Skills

These technical skills are commonly used in cybersecurity and information security roles:

  • Access control
  • Endpoint protection
  • Incident response
  • Malware analysis
  • Network security
  • Penetration testing
  • Risk assessment
  • Security audits
  • Threat detection
  • Vulnerability assessment
  • Vulnerability management

Data Science & Analysis Skills

These technical skills are common in data science and analysis careers:

  • Data cleaning
  • Data modeling
  • Data visualization
  • Excel
  • Microsoft Power Business Intelligence (Microsoft Power BI)
  • Predictive modeling
  • SQL
  • Statistical analysis
  • Tableau

Design Skills

These technical skills are associated with graphic, digital, and user experience (UX) design roles:

  • Adobe Creative Suite
  • Brand guidelines
  • Color theory
  • Figma
  • Layout design
  • Prototyping
  • Sketch
  • Typography
  • UX research
  • Visual design
  • Wireframing

Engineering Skills

These technical skills are common in engineering roles across disciplines:

  • Automatic computer-aided design (AutoCAD)
  • Failure analysis
  • Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB)
  • Process optimization
  • Quality assurance testing
  • SolidWorks
  • Systems design
  • Technical documentation
  • Tolerance analysis

Finance & Financial Analysis Skills

These technical skills are often used in finance and financial analysis roles:

  • Bloomberg Terminal
  • Budget forecasting
  • Cash flow analysis
  • Financial modeling
  • Investment analysis
  • Risk analysis
  • Scenario analysis
  • Variance analysis

Healthcare Skills

These technical skills are typically associated with clinical and healthcare support jobs:

  • CPR certification
  • Electronic health record (EHR) systems
  • Medical billing
  • Medical coding
  • Patient intake
  • Patient scheduling
  • Records management
  • Telehealth platforms

HR & People Operations Skills

These technical skills are often used in HR and people operations roles:

  • ATS
  • Benefits administration platforms
  • Compliance reporting
  • HR analytics
  • Human resources information system (HRIS)
  • Onboarding software
  • Payroll software
  • Performance management systems

IT Skills

These technical skills are commonly associated with IT and technical support roles:

  • Cloud platforms
  • Hardware installation
  • Network administration
  • Operating systems
  • System administration
  • Technical troubleshooting
  • User account management
  • Virtualization

These technical skills are commonly used in legal, regulatory, and compliance-focused roles:

  • Contract management software
  • Document review
  • eDiscovery tools
  • Legal research databases
  • Records management systems
  • Regulatory compliance systems
  • Risk documentation

Marketing Skills

These technical skills are commonly associated with digital and performance marketing roles:

  • A/B testing
  • CMS platforms
  • Conversion rate optimization
  • Email marketing tools
  • Google Analytics
  • Keyword research
  • Marketing automation tools
  • Search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Social media management

Operations & Supply Chain Skills

These technical skills are regularly used in operations and supply chain roles:

  • Demand forecasting
  • Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software
  • Inventory management systems
  • Logistics planning
  • Process mapping
  • Process optimization
  • Supplier coordination
  • Vendor management

Product Management Skills

These technical skills are associated with product management roles:

  • Backlog management
  • Feature prioritization
  • Product analytics
  • Product roadmapping
  • Requirements gathering
  • Stakeholder communication
  • User story writing

Project Management Skills

These technical skills are used in project management roles across industries:

  • Agile methodology
  • Budget planning
  • Jira
  • Kanban
  • Monday
  • Resource allocation
  • Risk management
  • Scrum
  • Timeline management

Sales & Revenue Operations Skills

These technical skills are associated with sales and revenue operations roles:

  • Contract management tools
  • CRM platforms
  • Deal tracking
  • Forecasting tools
  • Pipeline management
  • Sales analytics
  • Salesforce

Software Development Skills

These technical skills are commonly used in software development jobs:

  • API development
  • Application deployment
  • Debugging
  • Git version control
  • Software testing
  • System integration
  • Unit testing

Technical Writing Skills

These technical skills are commonly associated with technical writing and documentation roles:

  • API documentation
  • Content versioning
  • Knowledge base management
  • Process documentation
  • Release notes
  • Style guide adherence
  • Technical editing

Trades Skills

These technical skills are commonly associated with skilled trades and hands-on technical roles:

  • Automation and robotics in manufacturing
  • Blueprint reading
  • Computer numerical control (CNC) machinery operation
  • Electrical wiring and systems
  • Equipment maintenance and diagnostics
  • Green technology and energy-efficient systems
  • Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems
  • Safety compliance and regulations
  • Tool calibration and precision measurement
  • Troubleshooting and repair

How Technical Skills Evolve With Your Career

The technical skills you include on your resume will likely change throughout your career. Early on, employers want to see proof you understand the basics, whereas later roles focus more on depth, specialization, and leadership.

Tailoring your technical skills and strengths to your career stage helps employers quickly understand your capabilities and where you fit within their team.

Here’s how to approach technical skills on your resume at different stages of your career:

  • Students and new grads: Highlight technical skills gained through coursework, academic projects, internships, certifications, and hands-on learning experiences.
  • Entry-level professionals: Focus on foundational tools and technologies you use regularly, while showing the ability and willingness to learn new systems quickly.
  • Mid-career professionals: Emphasize specialized technical skills and tools, along with experience leading or contributing to technical projects and process improvements.
  • Senior-level professionals: Prioritize advanced expertise, strategic implementation, and skills related to system oversight, optimization, and training or mentoring others.

Match Your Technical Skills to the Job Description

The easiest way to decide which technical skills to include on your resume is to start with the job description. To identify the right skills to feature:

  • Look for specific tools, platforms, and technologies mentioned, especially in “Requirements” or “Qualifications” sections.
  • Note skills that appear more than once.
  • Distinguish between required and preferred qualifications.
  • Match those skills to your experience.

Only list technical skills you can back up. Adding skill keywords you don’t have may help you get noticed, but it can quickly hurt your credibility and cost you the job.

How to List & Format Technical Skills on Resumes (With Examples)

Technical skills can and should appear throughout your resume. If you’re starting from scratch, using a resume builder with quality resume templates can make it easier to organize your skills and tailor your resume to each job you apply for.

Professional Summary

Key technical skills can be highlighted in your professional summary, especially those central to the role.

Example:

Detail-oriented marketing professional with experience supporting cross-functional teams and driving data-informed campaigns. Skilled in search engine optimization (SEO), Google Analytics, content management systems (CMS), and marketing automation tools, with a track record of using data to improve engagement and performance. Known for strong collaboration, clear communication, and the ability to adapt quickly in fast-paced environments.

Work Experience Bullets

Whenever possible, demonstrate technical skills within your work experience rather than only listing them. This shows how you applied the skill and what impact it had.

Example:

Marketing Operations Analyst
BrightPath Solutions, Inc. |June 2021–March 2024

  • Used Excel and SQL to analyze sales and campaign performance data, improving monthly reporting accuracy by 20%
  • Built and maintained dashboards in Google Analytics to track traffic, conversions, and engagement trends
  • Managed cross-functional projects using Jira, coordinating timelines and deliverables across marketing and sales teams
  • Updated and maintained content in the company CMS to support campaign launches and product updates
  • Partnered with stakeholders to identify process improvements and implement data-backed solutions

Dedicated Skills Section

A skills section is the best and most expected way to include a list of technical skills for resumes (alongside other hard and soft skills).

For this section, put your most important technical skills first. Skills can be written as a comma-separated list, listed in one column, or grouped by category.

Example (comma-separated list):

Skills

Data analysis and reporting, Excel and SQL, SEO, Google Analytics, Salesforce and HubSpot, project coordination, process improvement, cross-functional collaboration, written and verbal communication

Example (simple list):

Skills
  • Data analysis and reporting
  • Excel and SQL
  • SEO
  • CMS
  • Google Analytics
  • Salesforce and HubSpot
  • Project coordination
  • Process improvement
  • Cross-functional collaboration
  • Written and verbal communication

Example (categorized list):

Skills
  • Data and Analytics: Excel, SQL, Tableau
  • CRM and Sales Tools: Salesforce, HubSpot
  • Marketing: Google Analytics, CMS tools, SEO
  • Professional Skills: Project coordination, cross-functional collaboration, written and verbal communication

Bonus Mentions: Your Cover Letter

Your cover letter is a strong place to reinforce technical skills that matter most for the role, especially ones that are harder to show through bullet points alone. Add context, focusing on how you’ve used specific technical skills to solve problems, improve processes, or support results.

Example:

In my current role, I regularly use SQL and Excel to analyze performance data and support monthly reporting. I apply SEO best practices and Google Analytics insights to track organic performance, identify trends, and optimize content strategy. By building automated dashboards, I improved visibility into campaign results and reduced manual reporting time for the team. I’m comfortable learning new tools quickly and adapting my technical skills to evolving systems and processes.

How to Develop Technical Skills for Your Resume

Many in-demand technical skills can be developed gradually through a mix of learning, practice, and real-world exposure.

  • bolt

    Online Courses

    Platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning offer instruction on software, tools, and technical concepts at different skill levels, making it easy to learn at your own pace and fill specific gaps.

  • award

    Certification Programs

    Career certification programs can also be valuable, particularly in technical fields where employers expect proof of competency. They help validate your skills and show a commitment to professional development.

  • clipboard

    On-the-Job Experience

    On-the-job experience is one of the most effective ways to build technical skills. Taking on new tasks, helping with technical projects, or learning new systems gives you hands-on experience you can use right away.

  • brain

    Self-Directed Learning

    Practicing skills on your own time helps reinforce what you learn. This can include analyzing data, automating simple tasks, joining bootcamps or industry challenges, or building small projects to apply and strengthen your skills.

How to Keep Your Technical Skills Current & Competitive

Technical skills change quickly, and tools in demand today may not stay relevant for long. To keep your technical skills fresh and competitive:

  • Follow industry trends. Read industry blogs, newsletters, and product updates to stay aware of new tools, features, and best practices.
  • Practice skills regularly. Use technical skills consistently in your day-to-day work so they stay sharp and relevant.
  • Learn as tools evolve. Take advantage of new features, updates, or training offered for the tools you already use.
  • Pursue ongoing education. Enroll in courses, workshops, or certifications to deepen or expand your technical expertise.
  • Update your resume often. Add new technical skills as you gain them and remove outdated ones to keep your resume aligned with employer expectations.

Tech-Skill Your Way Into a New Job

Technical skills matter most when they align with the job and reflect what you can actually do. Use the examples in this guide to choose relevant skills and show how you’ve applied them across your summary, skills section, and work experience.

As you gain new skills, update your resume regularly. With Monster’s Resume Builder, you can organize and showcase your technical skills to create resumes tailored to each role. Clear, relevant technical skills make it easier for employers to see your value and move you closer to landing your next job.

Kirsten Chorpenning profile image
Kirsten Chorpenning Career Advice Expert

Kirsten Chorpenning is a career advice writer who empowers job seekers to take control of their career paths using Monster’s comprehensive job search and resume tools. She specializes in helping job seekers find rewarding jobs in today’s dynamic work environment.Holding a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in writing, Kirsten combines academic knowledge with five years of career industry experience to provide practical job search guidance. She focuses on the nuances of the modern job market and effective strategies for job applications. Her work, which focuses on providing actionable advice on how to secure interviews and achieve long-term career success, has been featured in Forbes, Money Talks News, MSN, and FlexJobs.

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