Glossary
Hard skills
What hard skills are, hard skills examples by field and how to present them on your resume to pass the ATS filter.
Hard skills are the measurable, verifiable technical abilities you learn through study or practice: a language, a software tool, a certification, a methodology. They are the first thing an ATS filters and the first thing a recruiter verifies, because they can be checked against a degree, an exam or a technical test.
Hard skills examples by field
- Technology: Python, SQL, AWS, data analysis.
- Administration and finance: advanced Excel, SAP, IFRS, financial modeling.
- Marketing: SEO, Google Ads, CRM, web analytics.
- Languages: English B2/C1, Portuguese for regional operations.
- Operations and trades: machinery handling, safety standards, logistics.
The list that matters is the one your target role asks for: two or three real postings for your position say more than any generic skills ranking.
How to present them on your resume
- Use the posting's exact words: if it asks for "project management", the ATS won't always understand "PM".
- Add level and evidence: "advanced English (C1)" or "SQL: 3 years in reporting" weighs more than a loose list of names.
- Don't inflate: a hard skill gets verified in the technical test, and claiming one you don't have costs you the whole process.
Hard skills get you past the filter; soft skills usually decide the hire. A serious search shows both.
How Ingenium works on this
Ingenium's 22-point employability diagnostic compares your hard skills against what the market demands for your role, and in the Career Accelerator the resume optimization includes mapping your industry's keywords so ATS platforms find them written exactly as they search for them.