How to write a Key Skills section for your resume that gets you hired

Your Key Skills section can make a big difference to your job applications. This approach helps you navigate both automated talent systems and human reviewers to maximize your chances of landing the job.

Tailor your key skills to each job

• Every job requires different skills, even within the same company or role title

• The required skills are usually listed on the job advert

• This makes it easy to tailor your Key Skills section based on the job ad

Escape the eliminator

Understanding the first review stage

• HR professionals, recruiters, or ATS systems serve as the first filter

• Their primary goal is making quick cuts to reduce applicant volume

• They often lack deep industry knowledge and focus on basic qualification screening

Working with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

• ATS software scans resumes for keywords based on employer criteria

• Systems convert ideal candidate qualifications into searchable terms

• Only resumes with high percentage matches get passed to human reviewers

Tactics for getting through

• Extract skills directly from the job description that match your experience

• Narrow your selection to the three or four most critical or frequently mentioned skills

• Use the exact language from the job advert

• If possible, prioritize skills that give you an edge over other candidates

Appeal to the selector

Understanding the decision makers

• Selectors include hiring managers, potential coworkers, and leadership

• They possess deep industry knowledge and understand the role

• They're looking for reasons to choose someone, not eliminate candidates

Advanced Key Skill selection strategies

• Research company-specific software or systems they use (if not listed on the job advert)

• Include skills that show you will require less training than other candidates

• Go beyond the job description to show industry expertise

Where to place your Key Skills section on your resume

Standard placement

• Most professionals should place Key Skills below their professional experience

• Students and recent graduates may also want to place the Key Skills section below their education

Technical role exception

• Highly technical positions may benefit from placing the Key Skills section above their Professional Experience section

• Recruiters often scan technical resumes for hard skills first (e.g. specific programming languages)

Avoid these critical mistakes with your Key Skills

Don't be generic

• Avoid skills that most people could claim to possess (e.g. Gmail)

• Replace generic terms like “people skills” with specific ones like “relationship building”

• Choose “conflict resolution” over generic “client management skills”

Don't list personal traits as Key Skills

• Avoid generic characteristics, especially if they’re difficult to prove (people person, determined, motivated)

• Focus on acquired skills that required work to develop (knowledge of programming languages, food preparation skills etc.)

• Let your work history demonstrate personality traits instead

Don't deprioritize hard skills

• Hard skills are essential to performing the job

• Soft skills impact how you perform tasks but are secondary

• Hard skills show you won't require additional company resources for training

• Soft skills often emerge naturally through job interviews