Additional Skills for Resume

What are additional skills for a resume — and what should you actually put there? 100+ examples across software, languages, technical tools, and specialist capabilities. With guidance on placement, formatting, and how to make supplementary skills credible. Updated 2026.

What "additional" means 100+ examples Where to place them Software, languages, certs
Quick Answer

Additional skills on a resume are relevant secondary capabilities that complement your primary qualifications. They typically include software proficiency (Excel, Salesforce, Figma), foreign languages, certifications, technical tools, industry-specific knowledge, and transferable skills that strengthen the application without being the central qualification. The word "additional" does not mean miscellaneous or filler — the strongest additional skills are still relevant to the target role, accurately stated, and supported by genuine experience or training.

What Are Additional Skills on a Resume?

When a job application includes an "Additional Skills" section — or when you are deciding what supplementary capabilities to include alongside your core experience — the question is: which capabilities add genuine value beyond your primary qualifications?

Additional skills are secondary or supporting competencies. They are not the reason you are qualified for a role, but they make you a stronger candidate because they show breadth, technical proficiency, versatility, or relevant specialisation. Here is the distinction in practice:

⚙️ Core Skills (Primary Qualifications)
  • Directly central to the target role
  • Usually demonstrated throughout experience section
  • Primary reasons the employer would consider you
  • Listed first, most prominent on resume
  • Example (Marketing Manager): campaign management, brand strategy, demand generation
➕ Additional Skills (Supplementary)
  • Strengthen and broaden the core qualification
  • May include tools, software, languages, tech
  • Supporting — not primary — reasons to hire you
  • Listed in a skills section or separate category
  • Example (Marketing Manager): Google Analytics, CRM, basic HTML, Spanish
What "additional" does NOT mean: Random filler, hobbies repackaged as skills, keyword copying from the job description, or a dumping ground for every capability you have ever had. Every skill in an additional-skills section should still be relevant to the target role and honestly stated. "Additional" describes position in the resume — not a lower standard for inclusion.

Types of Additional Skills for a Resume

Different types of supplementary skills belong in different places on your resume. Understanding the categories helps you decide not just what to list, but where.

💻 Software & Tools

  • Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint
  • Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides)
  • CRM: Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk
  • Design: Figma, Adobe CC
  • Project: Jira, Asana, Monday
  • Analytics: Tableau, Power BI, GA4

🌐 Languages

  • Listed with proficiency level
  • Native / Bilingual proficiency
  • Professional working proficiency
  • Conversational
  • Basic / Beginner
  • Goes in a Languages section

📜 Certifications & Training

  • IT: CompTIA A+, AWS Cloud Practitioner
  • Project: PRINCE2, PMP
  • Marketing: Google Analytics, HubSpot
  • Safety: OSHA, First Aid/CPR
  • Goes in a Certifications section
  • Not mixed into the skills list

🔧 Technical Skills

  • SQL, Python basics, R
  • Data analysis and visualisation
  • Troubleshooting and systems admin
  • Technical documentation
  • CAD / engineering software
  • Scripting or automation basics

🏭 Industry Knowledge

  • Regulatory and compliance awareness
  • Medical terminology
  • Legal research familiarity
  • GAAP / accounting standards
  • Industry-specific software
  • Supply chain / logistics terminology

🔄 Transferable Skills

  • Research and documentation
  • Presentation and training
  • Customer communication
  • Coordination and scheduling
  • Data entry and record keeping
  • Reporting and analysis

Find Your Additional Skills for This Role

Paste any job description to instantly identify which supplementary skills are worth adding — and which to leave out.

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100+ Additional Skills for Resume — by Category

Browse by category to find relevant supplementary skills for your field. Every skill listed here has genuine workplace value — but only include those that apply to your target role and your actual experience.

💬 Communication & Professional Writing
Business writing Technical writing Report writing Professional correspondence Presentation design Public speaking Meeting facilitation Stakeholder communication Client communication Cross-cultural communication Documentation Proofreading and editing
💻 Digital & Computer Skills
Microsoft Excel (advanced) Microsoft Word / PowerPoint Google Workspace Salesforce CRM HubSpot CRM Adobe Acrobat Cloud collaboration (Teams, Slack) Digital scheduling tools Project management software (Jira, Asana) Digital file management Video conferencing (Zoom, Teams) AI-assisted productivity tools
📊 Data, Analytics & Research
SQL (basic to intermediate) Data analysis (Excel, Python, R) Data visualisation (Tableau, Power BI) Google Analytics Spreadsheet analysis Dashboard creation KPI tracking Statistical analysis Market research Academic / web research Reporting and forecasting Data entry and cleaning
🎯 Customer, Sales & Marketing
Customer service Complaint resolution Relationship management Account support Upselling and cross-selling Social media content management Email marketing SEO basics Copywriting Content creation CRM reporting Lead tracking
📋 Organisation & Operations
Scheduling and calendar management Record keeping Task coordination Deadline management Workflow organisation Inventory tracking Budget tracking Procurement support Process documentation Quality control Compliance documentation Vendor coordination
🎨 Creative, Design & Media
Graphic design (Canva, Figma, Illustrator) Photography and image editing Video editing (Premiere Pro, CapCut) Presentation design Social media graphic creation Visual communication Branding basics UI/UX prototyping (Figma) Infographic design
👥 Leadership, Training & HR
Team coordination Training delivery Mentoring and coaching Onboarding support Interview scheduling HRIS (Workday, BambooHR) Employee records management Conflict resolution Facilitation
💰 Finance, Accounting & Admin
Excel financial modelling Bookkeeping Invoice processing Accounts payable / receivable support Expense management Financial reporting Reconciliation Data entry (ERP: SAP, Oracle) Payroll support

Where to Put Additional Skills on a Resume

The placement of supplementary skills depends on the type of skill and the resume's overall structure. Here is a practical guide to where different additional skills belong.

📝 Skills Section

For a mix of technical tools, transferable skills, and role-relevant capabilities that don't fit another specific section.

Additional Skills
Excel · Google Analytics · CRM (Salesforce) · Presentation design · Coordination

💻 Technical Skills

A dedicated section for software, systems, platforms, programming, and tools — especially for technical and digital roles.

Technical Skills
SQL · Python · Tableau · Power BI · Google Analytics · AWS basics

🌐 Languages

A separate section with proficiency levels. Never list a language without an accurate level.

Languages
English: Native
Spanish: Professional working proficiency
French: Conversational

📜 Certifications

Certifications and licences in their own section — not mixed into the skills list.

Certifications
Google Analytics (GA4) — 2025
PRINCE2 Foundation — 2024
First Aid/CPR — 2026

📊 Experience Bullets

For important additional skills, include them in context inside experience bullets — the most credible placement.

"Used Tableau to build a weekly sales dashboard — reduced manual reporting from 4 hours to 20 minutes"

📄 Professional Summary

Mention 1–2 highly relevant supplementary strengths that add material value to your profile at a glance.

"…bilingual (English/Spanish), with working knowledge of Salesforce and Google Workspace."

Additional Skills — Formatting Examples

Simple comma-separated list (ATS-safe, concise)
Additional Skills
Microsoft Excel · Google Analytics · CRM (HubSpot) · Presentation design · Spanish: conversational · Data visualisation
Categorised list (for multi-type supplementary skills)
Additional Skills
Technology: Excel, Google Workspace, HubSpot CRM, Tableau
Communication: Technical writing, stakeholder reporting, training delivery
Languages: Spanish (conversational), Mandarin (basic)
Separated sections (cleanest for multiple categories)
Technical Skills: SQL, Python (pandas), Tableau, Power BI, Google Analytics
Languages: English (native), Spanish (professional working proficiency)
Certifications: Google Analytics (GA4) — 2025, CompTIA A+ — 2024

How to Make Additional Skills Credible

Listing a skill is only as strong as the evidence behind it. For additional skills that are genuinely important to the role, include a specific use case in your experience section below.

Microsoft Excel
❌ Listed only
"Microsoft Office" — in skills section, no context elsewhere
⚠️ Better
"Microsoft Excel" — listed in skills section with brief use mention in one bullet
✅ Evidenced
Skills: "Excel (advanced)" → Experience: "Consolidated weekly sales data from 12 regional reps into a single Excel dashboard — automated with formulas, reducing manual compilation from 3 hours to 20 minutes per week"
Language Skill
❌ Listed only
"Spanish" — no proficiency level, no context
⚠️ Better
"Spanish: conversational" — accurate level stated
✅ Evidenced
Languages: "Spanish: Professional working proficiency" → Experience: "Served as bilingual point of contact for 40+ Spanish-speaking clients — handled account queries, complaint calls, and documentation in Spanish"
Social Media / Content Skills
❌ Listed only
"Social media" — no platform, no context
⚠️ Better
"Social media content management (Instagram, LinkedIn)" — platforms named
✅ Evidenced
Skills: "Social media management (Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok)" → Experience: "Created and scheduled 12–16 posts/month for a 25k-follower brand account using Buffer — grew engagement rate from 2.1% to 4.8% over 6 months"

Generic vs Specific — What Works

❌ Too Vague✅ More Specific & Credible
Computer skillsExcel (PivotTables, XLOOKUP), Google Sheets, HubSpot CRM
Microsoft OfficeExcel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook (each separately)
Social mediaSocial media content management (Instagram, LinkedIn, Buffer)
CommunicationClient communication / Technical writing / Stakeholder reporting
Design skillsCanva, Figma (wireframing), Adobe Photoshop (basic)
LanguagesSpanish: Professional working proficiency; French: Conversational
DataSQL (queries, joins), Excel (analysis, dashboards), Tableau
LeadershipTeam coordination / Training delivery / Mentoring juniors

Languages as Additional Skills — How to List Them

Language skills are one of the most commonly requested types of additional qualification — particularly for customer-facing, international, and healthcare roles. Always include a proficiency level; a language without a level tells the employer nothing useful and risks an awkward interview question.

  • Native / Bilingual proficiency — equivalent to a native speaker in both written and spoken form
  • Professional working proficiency — can communicate effectively in a professional context, write reports, and handle client calls
  • Conversational — can hold general conversations but not complex professional dialogue
  • Basic / Beginner — elementary knowledge only; only list if relevant and you are explicit about the level

Languages belong in a dedicated Languages section rather than mixed into a general skills list. If a language is directly relevant to the role (customer-facing work, international teams), mention it in your professional summary as well.

Common Mistakes With Additional Skills

  • Listing skills that don't relate to the target role. "Photography" is not an additional skill for an accounting role unless the posting or role specifically involves visual content.
  • Using "Microsoft Office" as a single skill. Name each application separately — Excel, Word, PowerPoint — and describe how you use them.
  • Mixing certifications into the skills section. Certifications like PMP, PRINCE2, CompTIA A+, or Google Analytics belong in a separate Certifications section with dates, not in the skills list.
  • Listing languages without proficiency levels. "Spanish" with no level is useless to an employer. Always state your level honestly.
  • Padding with soft-skill adjectives. "Hardworking," "motivated," and "enthusiastic" are not additional skills. Replace them with specific capabilities: "Training delivery," "conflict resolution," or "client communication."
  • Claiming advanced proficiency you cannot support. If you have only used Excel for basic data entry, do not list "Excel (advanced)." Overstated skills are tested in interviews and on the job.
  • Creating too many separate sections. A resume with "Skills," "Additional Skills," "Soft Skills," "Other Skills," and "Competencies" all separately is confusing. Consolidate into clean, clearly labelled sections.
  • Using the same additional skills list for every job. Additional skills should be chosen for each specific application — the supplementary skills relevant to a marketing role differ significantly from those relevant to a nursing or construction role.

Explore Skills by Field

Looking for additional skills specific to your industry? Each guide below covers 100+ skills with evidence examples and ATS tips.

💻 Computer Skills 🔧 Technical Skills 🗣️ Soft Skills ✨ Special Skills 🔑 Key Skills Guide ⭐ Top Skills for Resume 🏆 Best Skills for Resume 📋 Full Skills List (500+)

Frequently Asked Questions

Additional skills on a resume are relevant secondary capabilities that complement your primary qualifications. They typically include software proficiency, foreign languages, certifications, technical tools, industry-specific knowledge, and transferable abilities that strengthen your application without being the central qualification. The most common types: named software tools (Excel, Salesforce, Figma), language proficiency with stated levels, technical capabilities (SQL, data analysis, scripting), and supporting professional skills (technical writing, presentation design, training delivery). Every additional skill should still be relevant to the target role and honestly stated.
Placement depends on the type of skill. A general mix of tools and transferable skills goes in a "Skills" or "Additional Skills" section, usually near the top or bottom of the resume. Software and technical tools often work best in a dedicated "Technical Skills" section. Languages belong in their own "Languages" section with proficiency levels. Certifications go in a "Certifications" or "Professional Development" section with dates — not mixed into the skills list. For any additional skill that is genuinely important to the role, include a specific use-case bullet in your experience section — contextual evidence is more credible than a listed item alone.
There is no fixed number, but 5 to 15 additional skills is a practical starting range for most resumes. The right number depends on your target role, career level, and how many genuinely relevant supplementary skills you have. Relevance matters far more than quantity — a focused list of 8 specific, evidenced additional skills is stronger than a padded list of 20 generic terms. Remove anything that does not add new information or relate to the target job. For specialist or technical roles, a longer dedicated Technical Skills section may be appropriate; for management roles, a shorter additional-skills section is usually cleaner.
No — certifications belong in a separate "Certifications" or "Professional Development" section, not mixed into the skills list. A certification (PMP, PRINCE2, CompTIA A+, Google Analytics, AWS Cloud Practitioner) is a credential, not a skill. List it with the issuing body and the year obtained or expiry date where relevant. Listing certifications in the skills section alongside abilities like "Excel" and "stakeholder management" muddies the distinction between what you have formally qualified in and what you have learned through practice. Clean separation makes the resume easier to read and more credible.
Yes — language skills are one of the most commonly listed types of supplementary qualification. However, always include an accurate proficiency level: "Spanish: Professional working proficiency" or "French: Conversational" rather than just "Spanish." Languages without proficiency levels are unhelpful to employers and can lead to an uncomfortable interview moment if the level assumed is higher than your actual ability. Languages work best in their own "Languages" section rather than mixed into a general skills list. If a language is directly relevant to the role (customer-facing, international teams), mention it in your professional summary as well.
Additional skills with no work experience can come from coursework, academic projects, online courses, certifications, volunteering, student societies, sports, or personal projects. The key is to name the specific skill or tool and describe the context honestly: "Excel — used for data analysis in a statistics module" or "Canva — designed social media graphics for a university society's Instagram account." Software tools you have genuinely practised, language skills with accurate proficiency levels, and any industry-relevant certifications (Google Analytics, CompTIA IT Fundamentals, First Aid) are all legitimate additional skills even without a professional work history.
Soft skills can appear in an additional skills section, but only if they are specific and can be supported by evidence. "Hardworking," "motivated," and "enthusiastic" are not additional skills — they are adjectives that belong in a cover letter if anywhere. Specific soft skills with context are worth including: "conflict resolution" if you have mediated team disputes, "training delivery" if you have trained colleagues, "stakeholder communication" if you have presented to senior audiences. The test is: can you describe a specific situation where you used this skill? If yes, it belongs. If it is just a positive personality trait with no evidence, leave it out.
Yes — just like the rest of your resume. The supplementary skills relevant to a marketing role differ significantly from those relevant to a nursing, engineering, or retail role. For each application, review the job description and identify which of your secondary capabilities the employer has mentioned or implied. Then include only those additional skills that match — and list them using the same language the employer uses. A language skill is a meaningful additional skill for a customer-facing role in a bilingual market but irrelevant for an internal data analyst position. Tailoring takes a few minutes and meaningfully improves relevance signals for both ATS and human reviewers.