Job Qualifications: Types & Examples

This typical interview question, “What makes you qualified for this job?” doesn’t have to feel intimidating. 

What makes you qualified for a job is not elusive, vague, or ambiguous. Similar to skills, qualifications are tangible.

If you’re a candidate just entering the job market or a recruiter writing your first job posting, however, you may need help deciphering what job qualifications are and what they look like in written form.

This guide will help you better understand job qualifications—what makes them different from skills, the different types of job qualifications, and how to list them on a resume.

Struggling to land interviews with your resume? Get started with Teal’s AI Resume Builder for free.

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Understanding job qualifications

A critical element in any job description, job qualifications are the skills, education, or experience required for a job position. They’re what ensure an individual can be successful in a role.

Qualifications for a job depend widely based on the specific role and industry. Formal qualifications such as degrees and licenses in fields like medicine, law, engineering, and education are often mandatory. 

Large corporations are similarly strict with job requirements. Carefully assess the requirements of a role to see how well you match the desired skills, experiences, and accomplishments.

What is the difference between skills and qualifications

While similar to skills and core competencies, qualifications differ from both. Skills are specific abilities you possess which make you valuable at your job. 

Skills are categorized into two types: hard or technical skills and soft skills. Many hard and technical skills, such as licenses and application knowledge, overlap with qualifications. 

You’ll list both your qualifications and your hard skills on your resume.

What is the difference between eligibility and qualifications?

While the terms may sometimes be interchangeable, there is a key difference between eligibility and qualification. Eligibility refers to the basic criteria a candidate must meet to be considered for a job. 

Eligibility can refer to being part of a specific group of people the company wants to hire, such as a current federal employee, a veteran, or a student. It can also refer to legal requirements. 

For example, a minimum age requirement and work authorization.

Common eligibility examples

• Must be 18 or older
• Eligible to work in the US

In many cases, your work experience, skills, and other qualifications do not factor into your eligibility.

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Types of job qualifications in the hiring process

You won’t run into every type of job qualification, but it’s good to know what could help—or hurt—your chances at landing a role.

Here is an overview of different qualification types you may see in a job posting: 

Educational qualifications

• Degrees and diplomas: Academic credentials are very common qualifiers. These credentials could be a high school diploma, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or doctorate. 
• Relevant coursework: Similar to the above point, some employers may require specific courses, classes, or training programs pertinent to the job.

Professional qualifications

• Professional certifications: Credentials obtained through standard assessments and recognized by professional bodies, such as a CPA (Certified Public Accountant).
• Licenses: Official permissions mandatory to practice in certain fields, such as a medical license.
• Hard skills: The abilities often gained through training, such as SEO knowledge or understanding of cryptography.

Other qualifications

• Physical ability: If it’s an essential part of certain tasks, physical abilities may be listed as a qualification. For example, a job may require you to pick up boxes weighing up to 40 pounds. 
• Language ability: The ability to speak a language outside of your native language, such as proficiency in Spanish and English.

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11 examples of job qualifications

Whether you’re wondering what you may need to apply to a role or you are a recruiter creating job postings, the below examples provide a brief overview of qualifications for common roles.

Data analyst qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or similar 
• Certified Analytics Professional (CAP)
• Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate
• Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate
• Python or SQL
• Advanced in Microsoft Excel

Quality assurance qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Quality Assurance, Engineering, Computer Science, or similar
• QA tools such as Selenium, JIRA, and LoadRunner
• Member of relevant professional organizations such as ASQ or ISTQB

Bookkeeper qualifications

• Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or similar
• Certified Bookkeeper (CB)
• QuickBooks or Xero
• Strong ethical standards

Cyber security qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Technology, or similar
• Knowledge in operating systems (Windows, Linux, Unix)
• Certifications such as CISSP, CEH, CompTIA Security+, CISM
• Proficiency in network security (firewalls, VPNs, and IDS/IPS)

Copywriter qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in English, Journalism, Marketing, Communications, or a similar
• Experience working in the same or similar industries can be beneficial
• Familiarity with content management systems (CMS) like WordPress
• Strong portfolio of writing samples

Administrative assistant qualifications

• A high school diploma or equivalent
• Certified Administrative Professional (CAP)
• Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Data entry skills

Auditor qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or similar
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
• Additional certifications such as Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
• Proficiency with auditing software such as ACL and IDEA
• Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems such as SAP, Oracle, or QuickBooks

HR qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or similar
• Master’s degree or relevant postgraduate qualification is a plus
• Coursework specific HR areas such as benefits, compensation, or talent management
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint

IT qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology or similar
• Master’s degree or relevant postgraduate qualification (at some companies)
• Certifications such as CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)
• Experience in managing IT infrastructure, including servers, networks, and databases
• Proficiency with operating systems (Windows, Linux, MacOS)
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills

Sales qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or similar
• Additional certifications or experience in specific industries (e.g., technology, pharmaceuticals) are a plus
• Proficiency with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software such as Salesforce
• Proven track record of meeting or exceeding sales targets
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Medical assistant qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent
• Graduation from an accredited medical assistant program is preferred
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification
• Minimum of 1-2 years of experience working in a clinical setting
• Familiarity with medical billing and coding practices

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How to identify qualifications in job descriptions

Luckily, job postings clearly state qualifications—so you’ll use that to highlight key qualifications on your resume.

In the below example for a senior product manager position, the qualifications are clearly listed in the job description.

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A great way to see how your qualifications line up with a job is by using Teal’s AI Resume Builder. Leveraging AI, the tool compares your resume against your desired job description and provides a score on how well you match. 

This helps you see areas highlight opportunities to add additional qualifications that you may have otherwise left out.

Worried your resume makes you look overqualified? Read about what to do if you’re overqualified for a job.

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How to list your job qualifications in your resume

The best practice for adding qualifications to your resume is to incorporate them in each section to elevate your entire professional profile. This is different from a statement of qualifications. 

Adding qualifications to your resume summary

You can do this with the free Teal AI Resume Builder. Start by creating a new resume.

1. Click the "Resume Builder" icon in the left navigation panel. 
2. Choose an existing resume or click the "New Resume" button at the top right.

3. Scroll to Professional Summaries, click the drop-down button, then click "Add Professional Summary." 
4. Create one from scratch, or click the "Generate With AI" Button. This will help you create a powerful, metric-rich job summary for your resume. 

Need some inspiration? Take a look at the qualifications in this professional summary example:

Results-oriented HR Specialist with over 5 years of experience in talent management, recruitment, and employee relations. Proven track record in enhancing employee engagement and organizational effectiveness. Certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) with strong skills in HRIS and ATS systems.

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Adding qualifications to your job duties

You may have skills and qualifications you’re proud of, but the hiring manager won’t need a laundry list. Present them in your job duties so the hiring manager or recruiter can match their needs with your qualifications.

Pro tip: Teal’s AI Resume Achievements will automatically generate quantified achievements you can tailor and use.

Adding qualifications to your skills section

Highlight key technical skills, hard skills, and soft skills in the skills section. Take a look at the example below. This gives hiring managers a quick overview of your qualifications. 

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Showcase your qualifications to land your dream job

Job qualifications are a necessity for companies on the hunt for qualified candidates. It’s your job as the candidate to showcase the right qualifications in the right way can highlight your aptitude to take on the role. 

Summarizing your qualifications on a resume can be hard, but Teal’s with AI Resume Achievements and Matching Mode features within its AI Resume Builder can take the pain out of the process by automatically finding the right keywords to include and generating metric-driven achievements.