CV TIPS - 85% Of Hiring Managers Want A Resume Skills Section. Is Yours Ready?
Posted 18th June 2026 • Written by Rachel Wells on forbes.com • • • • • •
Have a look at your resume.
Still listing “motivated and hardworking,” or “dynamic team player”?
Then don’t be surprised that you’re not hearing back with any interviews.
There are several factors that can make or break the success of a job application, from the details on your resume, down to formatting, application questions, and factors outside of your control like internal competition.
But one of the most controllable factors that influence whether a hiring manager proceeds to the next stage of the hiring process or not is:
Your skills section.
Situated near the top of the resume, your skills section anchors your experience by connecting it to keywords within the job description that automatically tell both the ATS and the hiring manager that you're a qualified match.
A fresh survey of about 1,000 U.S. hiring managers by (Resume Genius) revealed that:
Approximately 90% say that say a “clear resume summary helps them evaluate candidates faster”
About 85% say that they expect every resume to include a skills section
Almost nine in 10 hiring managers expect a skills section on your resume. If not, you're dismissed.
The Biggest Mistakes To Avoid When Putting Skills On Your Resume
Here are the biggest problems I see when candidates write their skills section:
1. It’s Completely Missing
If there are no skills listed in a standalone section, how will employers know if you meet their skill requirements for the role?
2. Generic Overused Language
I often see “hardworking,” “dependable,” “team player,” and “detail-oriented.”
Frankly, everyone wants to call themselves a hardworking team player. Who wouldn’t? There are thousands, if not millions, of hardworking team players just like you with the same degree, same job title.
But the defining question is, What makes you different?
What makes you stand out?
3. There Is Lack Of Alignment To The Role
I’ve seen skill sections where candidates list skills that were never even called for in the job description.
They proceed to list every single skill that they can think of, from pottery and creative writing to customer service and call center handling, when in reality, they’re applying for an engineering manager role.
This is counterproductive. You’re effectively using the space as filler rather than listing the skills that actually matter and ensuring alignment.
4. There’s No Proof Or Context
You’re lacking proof and context for these skills, not just within the skills section but also within other parts of the resume.
Over the years reviewing resumes, I’ve observed that candidates list skills as though they’re magic keywords. I must confess, I used to write resumes like this too. But I quickly realized that it doesn't work that way.
Keywords only work when they have real meaning attached.
A hand holding a pen pointing at a 32% growth on a digital chart showing resume metrics
Prove your skills. 32% growth? $75k saved? Provide evidence through specific metrics, to turn you into a 'must-hire'. Here’s how.
How To Write A Resume That Highlights Your Skills
Whenever I do resume makeovers for my clients, I always seek to extract details that justify why the listed skills actually make sense, for example:
The tension or challenge that you worked through
The financial results
Productivity results (time reduced, workflows optimized and streamlined)
Real projects you worked on and applied these skills to
For example, let’s say your resume lists:
Team-player
Communication skills
Leadership skills
You could strengthen and tighten it up by elevating it to:
Cross-functional stakeholder communication
Sales team coaching
Vendor contract negotiations
And then, take it a step further in the bullet points of your resume, in your work experience section. For instance (examples taken from my own resume):
Established strong, trust-led relationships with up to 15 interdepartmental and external stakeholders.
Achieved 98–100% compliance across audits, quality checks, and customer satisfaction metrics through coaching underperforming staff.
Led team of seven to increase revenue by 30% YoY
See how that provides more detail and meaning than buzzwords that have been recycled thousands of times over?
Now, take another look at your resume and ask yourself these three questions:
Do you have a skills section?
Where is it situated on your resume?
And are you listing meaningful, relevant skills, with evidence to back them?
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