What technical skills are
O*NET, the US Department of Labor's occupational database, defines technical skills as “skills used to design, set up, operate, and fix machines and systems at work”. On resumes and in job ads the term is used more widely, for any job-specific, testable ability. There are three kinds:
- Software and tools: Microsoft Excel, SQL, Python, Tally, SAP, Salesforce, AutoCAD, Photoshop, an electronic health record system.
- Equipment and procedures: operating a forklift or a CNC lathe, wiring a panel, phlebotomy, running an ECG, welding.
- Methods and knowledge: double-entry accounting, GST filing, statistical analysis, software testing, structural design, SEO.
Technical vs soft skills. A technical skill can be checked with a test or a work sample; a soft skill, such as teamwork or communication, shows in how you work. Most jobs need both, and employers say so: in NACE's Job Outlook 2026 Spring Update, technical skills sat alongside teamwork, problem-solving and communication among the attributes employers look for on graduates' resumes. For the other half, see soft skills for a resume.
The eleven technical skills, as the US Labor Department defines them
O*NET rates every occupation on these eleven. They are a useful checklist for trade, engineering, IT and maintenance roles. Definitions are O*NET's; resume lines are illustrative.
| Skill | O*NET's definition | On a resume (illustrative) |
|---|---|---|
| Programming | “Writing computer programs for various purposes.” | Wrote Python scripts that cleaned 2 million sales records a month for the BI team. |
| Troubleshooting | “Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.” | Diagnosed recurring PLC faults on a packing line; downtime fell from 9 to 2 hours a month. |
| Quality control analysis | “Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.” | Ran incoming-inspection checks on 40 parts a shift; supplier defect rate fell by a third. |
| Equipment maintenance | “Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.” | Kept a preventive-maintenance schedule for 25 machines; no unplanned stops in a quarter. |
| Repairing | “Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.” | Repaired split AC units and refrigeration systems, about 6 service calls a day. |
| Installation | “Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.” | Installed and configured network switches and Wi-Fi across a 3-floor office. |
| Operation and control | “Controlling operations of equipment or systems.” | Operated a 5-axis CNC machine to drawings with ±0.02 mm tolerance. |
| Operations monitoring | “Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.” | Monitored boiler pressure and temperature logs on night shift; flagged two faults early. |
| Equipment selection | “Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.” | Specified the test rig for a new product line within a ₹12 lakh budget. |
| Operations analysis | “Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.” | Turned sales team requirements into a CRM workflow used by 60 people. |
| Technology design | “Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.” | Designed a jig that cut assembly time per unit from 4 to 3 minutes. |
The software employers ask for most
O*NET also counts how often each technology is named in employer job postings. In US postings for 2025, 46.9 million unique postings (data from Lightcast), the top fifteen were:
| Rank | Technology | Postings naming it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft Office | 3,421,542 |
| 2 | Microsoft Excel | 3,211,598 |
| 3 | Microsoft Outlook | 1,712,260 |
| 4 | Microsoft PowerPoint | 1,618,650 |
| 5 | Microsoft Word | 956,468 |
| 6 | Python | 814,960 |
| 7 | SQL | 758,250 |
| 8 | Salesforce | 581,755 |
| 9 | Amazon Web Services (AWS) | 537,989 |
| 10 | SAP | 534,138 |
| 11 | Microsoft Azure | 454,236 |
| 12 | R | 401,957 |
| 13 | Microsoft Power BI | 357,898 |
| 14 | Oracle Java | 333,511 |
| 15 | Epic Systems (health records) | 311,250 |
Two lessons. First, everyday office software is the most requested technical skill of all: if you are good at Excel, say exactly what you can do in it (pivot tables, VLOOKUP or XLOOKUP, charts, macros). Second, the list is US data; Indian, Filipino and Gulf ads add their own staples, such as Tally and GST software in Indian accounting jobs. Your target ad is always the better guide.
Technical skills examples by job
| Job | Technical skills to look for in the ad |
|---|---|
| Accountant | Tally Prime, SAP FICO, QuickBooks, GST and TDS filing, bank reconciliation, Excel (pivot tables, XLOOKUP), financial statements |
| Software developer | Java, Python, JavaScript, React, Node.js, SQL, Git, REST APIs, Docker, AWS or Azure, unit testing |
| Data analyst | SQL, Excel, Power BI, Tableau, Python (pandas), statistics, data cleaning, dashboards |
| Civil / mechanical engineer | AutoCAD, Revit, STAAD.Pro, SolidWorks, MATLAB, site surveying, quantity estimation, GD&T |
| Nurse | patient assessment, IV cannulation, medication administration, wound care, ECG, BLS / ACLS, EHR systems (Epic, Cerner) |
| Electrician / technician | wiring and installation, PLCs, troubleshooting, multimeter and test equipment, preventive maintenance, safety codes |
| Digital marketer | SEO, Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, GA4, email platforms, Canva, A/B testing, HTML basics |
| Graphic designer | Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Figma, After Effects, typography, print production |
| Admin / office | Microsoft 365 (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint), Google Workspace, typing speed, data entry, ERP or HR software |
| Customer service / BPO | CRM tools (Salesforce, Zendesk, Freshdesk), ticketing, typing speed, knowledge-base tools, call-centre software |
For complete skill lists by role, mixing technical and soft skills, see resume skills by job, for example data analyst, data engineer or accountant.
How to list technical skills on a resume
- Use a separate “Skills” or “Technical skills” section, under or beside your summary for technical jobs, after experience for others.
- Group them when you have more than eight: Languages · Frameworks · Databases · Tools, or Software · Equipment · Certifications.
- Name exact tools, in the ad's spelling: “Microsoft Power BI”, “Tally Prime”, “AutoCAD”, not “computer skills” or “design software”. Hiring software and recruiters search for those names (see resume keywords).
- Put the ad's must-haves first. Readers skim the start of each line.
- Leave out the obvious and the outdated: “internet browsing”, “MS Paint”, a tool you used once in 2019.
An illustrative skills section for a data analyst:
- Analysis: SQL (PostgreSQL), Python (pandas, NumPy), Excel (pivot tables, Power Query)
- Reporting: Power BI, Tableau, Google Looker Studio
- Methods: A/B testing, regression, data cleaning, dashboard design
Showing your level
Star ratings and progress bars look neat but mean nothing to a reader (what is four stars of Excel?) and software can't read them. Use words, or better, facts:
- Words: Advanced / Intermediate / Basic, used consistently, only if the ad asks for levels.
- Years: “Java (4 years)”.
- Certificates: “AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (2026)”, “Tally Prime certificate”, “JLPT N3”.
- Work samples: a GitHub, portfolio or Behance link in your contact line.
Proving technical skills in your experience bullets
A list says you know a tool; a bullet shows what you did with it. For your two or three most important technical skills, add a bullet that names the tool and the result. Illustrative:
| Skills list says | A bullet that proves it (illustrative) |
|---|---|
| Excel | Built an Excel model (XLOOKUP, pivot tables) that cut the monthly stock reconciliation from two days to three hours. |
| SQL, Power BI | Wrote SQL queries and a Power BI dashboard used by 25 store managers to track daily sales. |
| Tally, GST | Filed monthly GST returns for 14 clients in Tally Prime with no late fees in a year. |
| AutoCAD | Drew 120 shop drawings in AutoCAD for a 12-storey residential project, all approved first time. |
| React, Node.js | Built the customer portal in React and Node.js; page load fell from 4 seconds to 1.2. |
| Phlebotomy | Collected about 60 blood samples a shift in an outpatient lab, with a re-draw rate under 1%. |
Technical skills for freshers and students
Freshers list technical skills from coursework, projects, internships and certificates, and prove them the same way: in Projects instead of Experience. “Built a library management system in Java and MySQL for 300 students as a final-year project” (illustrative) proves Java and MySQL better than the list alone. List only what you could answer questions on in an interview; a technical round will test it. See the fresher resume format and a resume for your first job.
Which technical skills to put on a resume
Technical skills are the tools, systems and methods a job needs, and the ones to list are the ones the posting names: software such as Excel, SQL, Tableau or a CRM, and methods such as testing, drafting or data cleaning. Group them so a reader can scan: software first, then languages or platforms, then certifications, each with a level you can defend.
Freshers use the same grouping in one or two lines and repeat each skill in the project bullet that used it. An entry with no project behind it is one an interviewer may ask about, so leave off anything you cannot discuss.
Adding a new technical skill honestly
If the ad asks for a tool you don't have yet, you have three honest options: learn the basics and list it once you can use it (many tools have free official tutorials and certificates); list a close equivalent you do know (“Tableau” when the ad says Power BI), and say in your cover letter that you are learning theirs; or leave it out and lead with your other strengths. Never list a skill you couldn't demonstrate: a technical interview or test is the one place on the way to a job where the claim is checked directly.
Sources
Checked on 4 October 2026.