Technical Skills Examples for a Resume: Lists by Field and Role

Technical skills are the job-specific tools, systems, procedures and methods you know how to use. They can include programming, spreadsheet analysis, clinical documentation, equipment operation or a trade technique. The relevant list depends on the work you are applying to do.

Use the field examples below to choose skills and show how you applied them. All sample resume bullets and numerical achievements are fictional examples. Replace them with your own tasks, scope and results, and describe training or student projects as such.

Technical skills involve applying particular tools, methods or procedures. Soft skills concern how you work with others and approach situations; both can be developed and demonstrated. Searchability does not define the difference, and both can appear in a skills section or an experience bullet. See hard and soft skills for more examples.

Technical skills are not limited to technology jobs. A teacher may use a learning management system, a manager may build a forecasting model, and a tradesperson may interpret a drawing. Name the capability and how you used it, rather than listing a tool you only recognize.

For each important requirement, ask whether your resume shows an example, only names the skill or leaves it out. This is an editing checklist, not a universal ATS scoring rule. A short skills list helps readers find relevant tools; a concrete bullet gives context about your level and experience.

For example, “AWS” alone does not tell the reader whether you completed a course, deployed a personal project or operated production services. Explain which is true. You do not need an individual bullet for every tool.

Job descriptions may ask for “proficiency in Python,” “hands-on experience with AWS,” “SQL analysis,” “CAD experience” or competence in a named clinical procedure. Identify which requirements are essential and which are preferred. Then connect the ones you meet to specific evidence.

The wording tells you what the employer is asking for, not exactly how its software or interviewers will assess you. The guide to resume keywords from a job description explains how to choose accurate terms.

Show a technical contribution with enough context to understand it: the system, your part in the work, testing and the result. Separate production work from prototypes and coursework. Choose languages and platforms relevant to the job rather than treating cloud or AI experience as a requirement for every software role.

• Python. “Built a Python script that grouped repeated log errors and produced a daily report for a six-person support rotation.”
• Java. “Developed a payment-reconciliation module in Java and Spring Boot, with automated tests for duplicate records and rounding differences.”
• JavaScript and TypeScript. “Rebuilt mobile checkout components in React and TypeScript, adding form validation and tests for payment-error states.”
• SQL. “Wrote the queries behind the finance team’s revenue dashboard, replacing a weekly manual export.”
• Git. “Helped nine developers adopt a documented branch-and-review workflow, adding a checklist for reviewing changes before merge.”
• Cloud platforms. “Migrated 14 services from virtual machines to AWS ECS, documenting deployment steps and testing the rollback process.” Name Azure or another platform when that is what you used.
• Linux. “Administered 60 Ubuntu servers and wrote Bash scripts for approved maintenance tasks, with logs for failures requiring review.”
• Ticketing systems. “Handled 25–30 daily ServiceNow tickets during Q2, documenting troubleshooting and escalating unresolved incidents.”

Prioritize tools you can discuss and demonstrate. Label basic familiarity, coursework and professional use accurately instead of presenting every language you have tried as a working skill.

Data examples should show both the tool and the question it helped answer. Explain the data, checks and output: a cleaned dataset, a report used in a process, or an analysis with clearly stated limits. Adoption is useful context when known, but a well-explained student analysis can also show relevant skill.

• SQL. “Scheduled a SQL report to replace a manual Monday export, reducing weekly preparation and review time from seven hours to one.”
• Excel. “Built a reconciliation model with PivotTables and XLOOKUP, adding checks for unmatched records across three data sources.”
• Power BI. “Designed a customer-retention dashboard used by 30 account managers in weekly reviews, documenting metric definitions and refresh timing.”
• Python with pandas. “Cleaned and merged two million order records in pandas, identifying a pricing discrepancy for finance to investigate.”
• Statistics and experiments. “Analyzed an A/B test of a signup flow, reporting the activation-rate difference, uncertainty and results for the agreed guardrail metrics.”

Use a result only when you know how it was measured. An estimated opportunity is different from realized savings, and a before-and-after change alone does not establish that your work caused it.

Engineering examples can describe a drawing package, model, analysis or commissioning task. Explain the deliverable, your role and the review or validation performed. Software output alone is not evidence that a physical design is safe or ready for release.

• AutoCAD. “Prepared a 60-sheet drawing package for a tenant-improvement project and resolved review comments with the project engineer.”
• SOLIDWORKS. “Modeled a 200-part conveyor assembly and prepared drawings for the team’s PDM release process.”
• MATLAB. “Built a vibration-analysis script to compare modeled frequencies with test measurements and flag discrepancies for review.”
• PLC programming. “Programmed Allen-Bradley PLC logic during packaging-line commissioning, documenting test cases and working with the commissioning team on validation.”
• GD&T. “Applied geometric dimensioning and tolerancing to a machined housing drawing and reviewed the tolerance stack-up with manufacturing.”
• Finite element analysis. “Compared bracket design options in Ansys, documenting loads, constraints and assumptions for engineering review.”

Name a software version when the job requires it or it explains compatibility. Otherwise, use the space for the work you can perform. Keep professional licenses and sign-off authority distinct from software proficiency.

For healthcare applications, describe tasks you were trained and authorized to perform in the relevant setting. Distinguish supervised student experience from independent practice, and never include patient-identifying details. The BLS registered-nurse profile notes that U.S. registered nurses must be licensed; clinical responsibilities also depend on the role and applicable rules.

Name the EHR product and the work you did, such as charting or reviewing assigned records. See the nursing skills guide for role-specific examples. This is resume guidance, not instruction in clinical procedures.

• EHR systems. “Documented assessments and care provided in Epic for assigned patients, following unit documentation procedures.”
• Vital signs. “Measured and recorded vital signs during supervised clinical rotations, reporting readings that required review to the supervising nurse.”
• Phlebotomy. “Performed venipuncture in an outpatient laboratory within my authorized role, following specimen-labeling and collection procedures.”
• Medication administration. “Administered and documented medications for assigned residents within my licensed role and facility protocols.”
• Infection prevention. “Completed unit infection-prevention training and followed the required hand-hygiene and PPE procedures during patient care.”

List relevant licenses and credentials with accurate status and dates. Do not call an expired credential current, or claim a perfect safety record from limited audit data.

In trades and office work, connect the tool with a task. A clear description of diagnostics, recordkeeping or a completed process is useful even when you do not have a performance percentage. Include qualifications when the work requires them.

• Blueprint reading. “Used structural and MEP drawings to lay out ductwork on a 40,000-square-foot commercial project and raised a clash for review before rough-in.”
• HVAC diagnostics. “Diagnosed residential HVAC faults within my training and authorization, recorded findings and confirmed the approved repair plan.”
• Welding. “MIG- and TIG-welded stainless assemblies to the job’s approved procedure, documenting work for inspection.”
• Forklift operation. “Operated sit-down and reach trucks after employer training and evaluation, carrying out assigned material movements and required pre-use checks.”

For U.S. workplaces covered by OSHA’s powered-industrial-truck standard, operator training and evaluation are employer responsibilities. A generic course card does not by itself establish competence for every truck or workplace.

• Excel. “Built commission calculations using PivotTables and XLOOKUP, reducing monthly preparation and checking time from two days to three hours.”
• QuickBooks Online. “Tracked accounts payable for 120 vendors, reconciled statements and prepared items for month-end review.”
• Salesforce. “Maintained records for 1,400 customer accounts and reviewed missing fields before quarterly reporting.”
• Microsoft 365. “Built a SharePoint request list and Power Automate approval flow, documenting ownership and exception handling.”

Include basic software or typing skills when relevant to the work. An older system can still matter if the employer uses it; prioritize usefulness rather than age alone.

Coursework, labs, club projects and part-time jobs can show technical skills. Label the context, explain your own contribution and link to work you are permitted to share. A repository or project write-up provides additional evidence; it is not a substitute for every reference or qualification an employer requests.

• "Built a budgeting app in React for a four-person capstone team; 300+ downloads, full code on GitHub."
• "Analyzed a public transit dataset in Python and pandas for a statistics course; presented findings to 60 classmates and the department head."
• "Ran PCR and gel electrophoresis across a two-semester genetics lab sequence with documented protocol compliance."
• "Processed 200+ transactions per shift on a Square POS at a campus cafe while managing closing inventory counts."

Full-page models for this stage are in our student resume examples, from high school through final year.

List relevant credentials you actually hold, with the issuer and current status. Distinguish passing a certification exam from completing a course. For cloud work, “AWS training” and a named AWS Certification describe different claims; list the specific qualification rather than a generic brand name.

A credential supports part of your background. Pair it with practical experience when you have it, and do not assume it replaces a license or job-specific authorization.

Some U.S. trade requirements come from regulations rather than the wording of a vacancy. EPA Section 608 certification has different types for covered refrigerant work; list the type you hold. Check the applicable requirements for your role and jurisdiction.

An OSHA 10- or 30-hour Outreach card records course completion, not professional certification, and it does not replace training required by a specific OSHA standard. Use the accurate course name. See where to put certifications for placement.

Use the lists to review your resume against the actual vacancy:

An automated review can help identify wording to reconsider, but verify every suggestion against your experience and the job. No external resume score tells you exactly how an employer’s ATS or hiring team will evaluate you. The guide on checking a resume against a job description offers a manual review process.