The 5 Best Skills to List on a Resume in 2027

Last updated: October 2026

Summary: The top skills to list on a resume in 2027 are communication, customer service, leadership and management, problem solving, and project management, based on CareerCircle's October 2026 analysis of 29M job postings via Lightcast. In this post, we'll cover the top skills employers are looking for and how to gain those skills if you don't have them yet.

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The skills section of your resume gives a recruiter a quick read on whether you fit a role, so the skills you choose, and the proof you put behind them, carry real weight in an application. When deciding what skills to list, look at the job posting itself, since employers spell out what they want in the job listing 

Because job listings can tell us so much about what employers are looking for, we zoomed out and examined millions of postings. When we did, a clear pattern appeared: the same skills came up again and again, from retail and healthcare to finance and tech. This guide breaks down five of the skills most worth building your resume around in 2027, how to prove each one with a measurable result, and the free courses that help you build them through CareerCircle.

What Are the Best Skills to List on a Resume in 2027?

The top skills to list on a resume in 2027 are: communication, customer service, leadership, management, problem solving, project management, and workflow management. Combine them with the job-specific skills a role asks for, and support each one with a number, such as time saved or sales increased.

How Do You Prove a Skill on Your Resume?

Start with a strong action verb, list the skill and where you used it, and end with a measurable result. A skill listed on its own isn't doing much for you, while a skill tied to a number, a timeline, or an outcome is evidence a hiring manager can ask you about in an interview.

Put together, that bullet reads: "Resolved an average of 40 customer escalations per week as lead service associate, raising the store's satisfaction score from 82% to 91%." Every example below follows the same three steps.

Why Is Communication the Most Requested Skill in Job Postings?

Communication appears in 47% of job postings, more than any other skill, because nearly every role depends on it: explaining an issue to a customer, updating a manager, or writing a clear handoff note. Employers use the word broadly, so your resume needs to show which kind of communication you do well.

Why It Matters

Since communication shows up in nearly half of all postings, just listing ‘communication’ as a skill won't set you apart. However, being specific in how you communicate effectively, will. Written updates, presentations, training sessions, and client calls are all types of communication that employers are looking for, so make sure you list these items clearly.

How To Show It on Your Resume

• Specify the format, such as presentations, reports, client emails, or training materials.

• Call out the audience, such as customers, executives, new hires, or vendors.

• Quantify the reach or the outcome your communication produced.

Example: "Wrote onboarding guides for 12 new hires that cut average ramp-up time from six weeks to four."

How To Build Communication Skills

IBM SkillsBuild's Effective Presentation and Communication and Interpersonal and Workplace Communication each take about 1.5 hours, so you can finish one in an afternoon and list it under professional development.

How Do You Show Customer Service Skills on a Resume?

Customer service appears in 27% of job postings, second only to communication. Show it with volume and quality metrics: how many customers you served, how quickly you resolved issues, and how satisfaction scores or repeat business changed. Those numbers carry across retail, healthcare, hospitality, banking, and tech support roles.

Why It Matters

Customer service is one of the most transferrable skills you can bring to a new career. The patience and judgment you built at a retail register or in a call center map directly to roles like patient services representative, help desk technician, and client success associate.

How To Show It on Your Resume

• Customers served per shift, per day, or per year

• Average resolution time or first-contact resolution rate

• Satisfaction scores (CSAT) or Net Promoter Score (NPS)

• Reduced escalations, complaints, or returns

Example: "Resolved an average of 60 customer inquiries per day with a 94% satisfaction rating, the top service score on a 15-person team."

How To Build Customer Service Skills

Customer Engagement Fundamentals from IBM SkillsBuild (15 hours) covers a lot of what you need to know to get started in roles like this.

What Is the Difference Between Leadership and Management on a Resume?

Management (23% of postings) is about overseeing the work: the schedules, budgets, people, and processes. Leadership (21% of postings) is about moving people toward a goal, with or without a title. Employers ask for both, so show where you kept operations on track and where you influenced others to act.

Why It Matters

You don't need a manager title to list either of these skills on your resume. Training a new coworker, covering a shift lead's responsibilities, or running a volunteer committee all count. Employers want evidence that a team performs better when you're involved.

How To Show It on Your Resume

• Use action verbs like led, mentored, trained, coordinated, or aligned.

• Include team size, budget, or scope so the reader can gauge the responsibility.

• Quantify what the team achieved, not only what you did.

Example: "Trained and mentored 8 seasonal associates, reducing first-month turnover from 30% to 12%."

How To Build Leadership and Management Skills

Start with IBM SkillsBuild's Leadership module (40 minutes), then add Collaboration and Team Dynamics (2 hours) or Professionalism at Work (1.5 hours) to round out the people side of the skill.

How Do You Describe Problem Solving Skills on a Resume?

Problem solving appears in 14% of job postings, and the strongest way to describe it is as a short story: the problem you spotted, the action you took, and the result. A specific fix with a number attached earns far more trust from a hiring manager than the phrase "strong problem solver" on its own.

Why It Matters

Problem solving tells employers you can spot what isn't working and fix it so the issue doesn't come back. It also shows up alongside related skills in job postings: detail-oriented appears in 16% of postings and continuous improvement in 5%, so pairing them on your resume works well.

How To Show It on Your Resume

• Frame each bullet as a problem, action, and result.

• Include the method you used (if applicable), such as root cause analysis, Lean, Six Sigma, or Kaizen.

• Show the before and after with a number.

Example: "Identified a recurring inventory count error, rebuilt the cycle-count checklist, and cut monthly discrepancies by 35%."

How To Build Problem Solving Skills

IBM SkillsBuild's Problem Solving and Critical Thinking takes about 1.5 hours and gives you a structured approach you can describe in an interview.

What Counts as Project Management Experience on a Resume?

Project management experience includes any project you planned and saw through, such as an event, a system rollout, a process change, even without a project manager title. It ties with workflow management as the most requested specialized skill, each appearing in 7% of job postings. In order to stand out with this skill, show the scope of the work, timelines, and results.

Why It Matters

Project management is an interesting skill because there are so many ways employers ask about it. Planning (11%) and coordinating (10%) both rank in the top 10 soft skills, which signals that employers value people who keep work moving without constant oversight.

How To Show It on Your Resume

• State the scope: budget, team size, locations, and/or deliverables.

• Show how the actual project timeline compared to the planned timeline.

• List your tools (Asana, Trello, Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, Jira) and methods (Agile, Scrum, Kanban).

Example: "Coordinated a three-month POS system rollout across 4 store locations, finishing 2 weeks ahead of schedule and under a $50K budget."

How To Build Project Management Skills

IBM SkillsBuild's Project Management Fundamentals and Agile Explorer take about 7 hours each. Once you finish a course, add it to your resume and pair it with a project bullet that shows scope, timeline, and results.

Should You List AI Skills on Your Resume in 2027?

Yes. List the AI tools you use, then show how you use them. AI tools didn't make the top 10 in current job posting data, but the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 ranks AI as the fastest-growing skill area through 2030. A specific tool paired with a metric shows you use AI to do better work, not only to experiment.

Think of AI as a multiplier for the other skills that you have on your resume. A customer service rep who drafts responses faster, or a project coordinator who automates status reports, is showing two skills in one bullet. The same WEF report finds employers expect 39% of workers' core skills to change by 2030, so evidence that you continuously learn carries weight.

Example: "Used Microsoft Copilot to draft weekly inventory reports, cutting prep time from 3 hours to 45 minutes."

Not sure how proficient you are with AI? Take the 2-minute quiz: How AI-Literate Are You? for a course recommendation matched to your experience level.

Which Specialized Skills Are Employers Asking For?

*Specialized skills in hiring are unique, measurable technical abilities, tools, or domain-specific knowledge required to perform the core tasks of a specific role.

The top specialized skills in job postings are workflow management and project management (7% each), followed by marketing, auditing, merchandising, and nursing (6% each). Specialized skills are role-specific, so list only the ones that match your target job and pair each with a tool, certification, or license.

Which Soft Skills Appear Most in Job Postings?

*Soft skills in hiring are non-technical, personal traits that are often non-measurable. These skills transfer well between roles and aren’t as easily taught as specialized skills.

Communication leads all soft skills at 47% of job postings, followed by customer service (27%), management (23%), operations (22%), and leadership (21%). These transferable skills appear across industries, which makes them especially valuable for career switchers, transitioning service members, and anyone moving between roles.

Put Your Skills to Work in 2027

The skills to list on a resume in 2027 are no mystery: employers are telling you in their job postings. Use the in-demand skills in this guide as a starting point, then let each job description decide which ones make it onto the resume you submit. Prove every skill with an action verb, context, and a measurable result, and fill any gaps with a free course.

Ready to work on your resume? Check out our free resume builder.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Resume Skills

How many skills should I list on my resume?

Aim for 8 to 12 skills, pulled from the job description you're applying to. A short, relevant list is easier for a recruiter to scan than a long generic one, and most skills you list should also appear in your experience section with a result attached.

Should I put soft skills like communication in my resume skills section?

Yes, but don't stop there. List communication or leadership in your skills section so it matches the job posting's wording, then prove it in your experience bullets. A soft skill mentioned once and never demonstrated reads as filler.

How do I match my resume skills to a job description?

Copy the exact skill terms the posting uses, such as "workflow management" instead of "process organization." You can also use AI tools to compare your resume against a job description and spot missing terms. For tips on doing that well, read our guide to the dos and don'ts of using AI to apply for jobs.

What is the difference between specialized skills and soft skills on a resume?

Specialized skills are role-specific abilities like accounting, nursing, or merchandising. Soft skills, sometimes called soft or transferable skills, include communication, leadership, and problem solving, which apply across jobs. A strong resume includes a mix of both, matched to the target role.

Can I list a free online course on my resume?

Yes. Add free courses under a "Certifications" or "Professional Development" heading with the course name, the provider, and the year you finished it, such as "Project Management Fundamentals, IBM SkillsBuild, 2027." Recent learning shows initiative, especially when you're changing careers.

How do I list military skills on a civilian resume?

Translate your duties into the terms employers search for. CareerCircle's military service translator, Rank2Role, does this for you: enter your branch, rank, MOS, rate, AFSC, or rating, and it writes a civilian summary for your resume and shows open roles that fit your background.