How to Write Skills on Your Resume
The placement and formatting of your skills section can make or break your chances of getting past the ATS filter and catching a recruiter’s eye during their average 7-second resume scan.
Skills Section Formatting
Place your skills section near the top of your resume, directly below your summary or objective. Group skills by category for easy scanning. Use the exact terminology from the job description — if the posting says “Salesforce CRM,” write “Salesforce CRM,” not “CRM software” or “customer relationship management.”
Example format:
- Data & Analytics: SQL, Python, Tableau, Google Analytics, Excel (advanced pivot tables, VLOOKUP, macros)
- Project Management: Agile, Scrum, Jira, Asana, PMP Certified
- Marketing: SEO, Google Ads, HubSpot, A/B testing, conversion rate optimization
ATS Optimization Checklist
Applicant Tracking Systems are the gatekeepers of modern hiring. Here is how to make sure your resume passes the automated screening.
| ATS Rule | Do This | Avoid This |
|---|---|---|
| Keywords | Mirror exact phrases from job posting | Synonyms the ATS does not recognize |
| Formatting | Simple single-column layout | Tables, text boxes, graphics, columns |
| File type | .docx or .pdf (check posting) | .pages, .jpg, image-based PDFs |
| Headers | Standard names: “Skills,” “Experience” | Creative headers like “My Superpowers” |
| Acronyms | Include both: “Search Engine Optimization (SEO)” | Only the acronym or only the full term |
Skills to Avoid on Your Resume
Some skills actively hurt your resume because they signal that you are padding your skills section or listing basic competencies that every candidate has.
Remove these immediately: Microsoft Word, email, typing, “proficient in Microsoft Office” (unless the role specifically requires advanced Excel), social media (unless you mean paid social advertising with metrics), “hard worker,” “team player,” and “detail-oriented” without supporting evidence.
Instead, replace generic skills with specific, measurable ones. “Proficient in Microsoft Office” becomes “Advanced Excel: pivot tables, VLOOKUP, Power Query, macros for automated financial reporting.” The specificity signals competence and passes ATS filters that generic terms miss.
From the FI perspective, investing time in building resume-worthy skills is one of the highest-return activities you can pursue. A $15,000 salary increase from having the right skills on your resume — and the ability to back them up — invested over 25 years at 7% returns generates over $950,000 in additional wealth. Your skills section is not just a list — it is a wealth-building strategy.