Resume Qualifications: 4 Qualification Types To Put on Your Resume (+ Examples)

Getting a hiring manager to notice your resume is more difficult than ever. 

With so many qualified applicants, how do you show you're the best fit?

This post will guide you through what resume qualifications are, which are essential, and how to include your most relevant qualifications in your resume.

Struggling to focus on the best resume qualifications? Get started with Teal’s AI Resume Builder and build a resume that gets it right—for free.

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What are resume qualifications?

Resume qualifications are the job skills, experiences, formal education, and other credentials that demonstrate your ability to perform a particular job. They prove to employers that you possess the necessary qualifications for the role.

Qualifications are typically listed in a dedicated section on your resume, often near the top, to quickly showcase your relevant expertise.

This section allows recruiters and hiring managers to easily identify if you meet the basic requirements for the position before diving deeper into your work history and other details.

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Are resume qualifications still important?

Highlighting your qualifications helps you stand out from other candidates and increases your chances of getting selected for an interview.

A well-crafted qualifications section can grab their attention and demonstrate your fit for the role right from the start.

Qualifications are especially vital when an applicant tracking system (ATS) is used to screen resumes. These software programs are commonplace at large companies and scan for relevant keywords related to the job requirements.

Overall, the qualifications section provides a succinct snapshot of your most relevant skills and experiences tailored to the specific job.

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Types of resume qualifications

There are several types of qualifications that should be highlighted on a resume. The main categories include:

• Soft and hard skills
• Experience
• Education
• Additional qualifications

To meet the diverse requirements for a competitive job, you need to combine hard and soft skills, demonstrating a balance of technical expertise and interpersonal abilities.

Here's a look at each qualification type in more detail:

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1. Experience

Professional experience directly relating to the role is a crucial qualification.

This includes previous jobs, internships, co-ops, freelance work, and volunteer roles where you applied relevant skills and knowledge. Quantifying achievements with metrics helps demonstrate the impact of your experience.

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Where to place experience qualifications on your resume

Position your Experience section prominently, typically right after your statement of qualifications.

This ensures hiring managers see your relevant experience early on, making a strong impression immediately.

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How to add experience qualifications on your resume

1. Identify relevant experiences: Review your past roles and identify instances where you used skills pertinent to the new job. Even if the job settings differ, the skills might still be relevant.
2. Quantify achievements: Whenever possible, add numbers to your achievements. For example, "Increased sales by 20%" or "Managed a team of 10."
3. Tailor descriptions for the role: Modify the descriptions of your past job duties to emphasize the relevance to the new position. Use keywords from the job description to improve your resume’s relevance score in an ATS screening.
4. Include non-traditional experience: Don't overlook non-traditional work like freelance projects, volunteer positions, or internships. These can also demonstrate crucial skills and a proactive attitude toward professional development.
5. Focus on transferable skills: Especially when shifting careers, present your experience in a way that focuses on skills transferable to the new job. This might involve re-framing tasks and responsibilities to highlight relevant skills.

Once you've strategically positioned your experience and tailored the content to align with job requirements, you can significantly enhance the appeal of your resume to potential employers.

Teal's AI Resume Builder can help you highlight your experience qualifications by automatically identifying and quantifying your achievements. It suggests specific metrics and action verbs that make your experience more compelling.

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This tool ensures your experience is presented in a way that aligns perfectly with the job you're applying for, increasing your chances of catching a hiring manager's eye.

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Tips for addressing lack of experience

If you don’t have direct experience in the field you’re applying to, or if you are changing career paths, focus on transferable skills. Highlight aspects of your previous roles that are applicable to the new job, top skills such as project management skills, leadership skills, problem-solving skills, and technical skills.

If you managed projects in a different industry, emphasize your project management skills and how they can apply to the new role. For example, customer service skills are increasingly recognized as essential transferable skills that can be applied to various job roles, enhancing your ability to handle customer interactions, diffuse difficult situations, and provide helpful information across industries.

Have too much experience? Read this to learn what to do when you’re overqualified for a job. 

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2. Education

Academic degrees, certifications, licenses, training programs, and coursework all qualify for your resume  education section.

These showcase your commitment to learning and development within a particular field.

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Where to add education qualifications on your resume

The placement of the Education section can vary depending on your level of experience and the relevance of your educational background to the job.

For recent graduates or those with less professional experience, the Education section should be placed near the top of the resume, just after the Objective or Summary section.

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For seasoned professionals, it can be placed after the Experience section, as professional achievements may take precedence.

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How to add education qualifications on your resume

• For recent graduates: Emphasize your education by detailing relevant coursework, academic achievements, and projects that relate to the job. This can compensate for lacking work experience.
• For career changers or those with relevant coursework: If you're changing careers or have taken courses relevant to the new field, highlight this education prominently.
  Explain how this education provides a foundation for your career change and equips you with necessary skills.
• For those without formal degrees in the field: If you lack a formal degree in the area you are applying to but have professional certifications, continuing education courses, or licenses, highlight these to demonstrate your dedication to professional growth and relevance to the job requirements.

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Tips for addressing education qualifications

1. Detail your educational background: List your degrees in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent. Include the name of the institution, location, degree obtained, and graduation date. For ongoing education, you can note "Expected graduation [year]."
2. Highlight relevant coursework and certifications: If certain courses or certifications are particularly relevant to the job, include these details. Describe how specific courses have prepared you for the role.
3. Emphasize continuing education: If you've taken part in any professional development courses or workshops that enhance your qualifications for the position, list these to show your initiative and commitment to staying current in your field.
4. Use bullet points for clarity: Especially when listing multiple degrees or certifications, use bullet points to keep the section organized and easy to read.
5. Customize for each application: Tailor your Education section for each job application. If a job description emphasizes certain educational requirements or preferences, make sure these are clearly addressed in your resume.

Pro tip: Teal's match scoring feature is perfect for creating resumes tailored to specific job descriptions.

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3. Skills

Both hard skills (technical abilities specific to the job) and soft skills (interpersonal traits) are important qualifications, and effectively showcasing these resume skills together on your resume is crucial.

Hard skills could include proficiency in software, programming languages, equipment, data analysis, and project management skills, emphasizing their relevance in efficiently executing projects and achieving business goals

Soft skills include communication skills, leadership skills, interpersonal skills, active listing skills, and problem-solving skills, which are crucial across various job roles.

Today, highlighting computer skills and technical skills on a resume is increasingly important, regardless of the job’s focus on technology.

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Where to add skill qualifications on your resume

The resume Skills section should be prominently displayed near the bottom of your resume after your Experience and Education.

This is the icing on the cake to make your core competencies explicitly clear.

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How to add skill qualifications on your resume

• For tech-heavy roles: Focus on listing hard skills such as software proficiency, programming languages, and other technical tools or methodologies. Be specific by including versions of software or platforms, and consider your level of expertise for each.
• For leadership or team-based positions: Emphasize soft skills like leadership, teamwork, communication, and organizational abilities. Provide examples of these skills in action, possibly linking them to achievements listed in the experience section.
• For roles requiring both types of skills: Balance your listing of hard and soft skills. Start with the skills most critical to the job based on the job description. If both are equally important, alternate between hard and soft skills to create a well-rounded profile.

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Skill qualification tips

1. Identify the most relevant skills: Review the job description to determine which skills are most valued for the role. Highlight these skills first and foremost in your resume.
2. Quantify your technical skills: Whenever possible, back up your technical skills with specific examples or achievements that demonstrate your proficiency. For instance, “Developed a custom data analysis tool using Python that increased report generation speed by 50%.”
3. Illustrate soft skills with real-world examples: Instead of simply listing soft skills, pair them with brief examples that demonstrate how you’ve effectively used these skills. For example, “Led a team of six in a project that delivered on time and under budget, enhancing team collaboration and problem-solving capabilities.”
4. Keep formatting clear and consistent: Use bullet points to organize your skills. This format is easy to read and allows hiring managers to quickly scan your qualifications.
5. Tailor your skills for each application: Adjust your skills section for each job you apply to, emphasizing the skills most relevant to each position. This customization makes your resume more targeted and compelling.

Teal's AI Resume Builder can analyze job descriptions to pinpoint the most relevant skills for a particular role, helping you highlight both hard and soft skills that are critical for the job. 

The tool suggests specific skills to include and provides examples of effectively presenting these skills, ensuring your resume stands out to hiring managers and ATS systems.

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4. Additional Qualifications

Depending on the role, other qualifications may include: 

• Language proficiency
• Security clearances

• Professional memberships or affiliations
• Published works or presentations
• Awards or honors received
• Special project experience

The key is identifying the most relevant qualifications from your background that align with the requirements and preferences outlined in the job description.

Tailoring your qualifications to each specific opportunity can increase your chances of advancing through the hiring process.

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Where to add qualifications on your resume

You should typically add any additional qualifications after your Education section but before any less relevant sections like personal interests. Its placement can be adjusted based on the relevance and significance of the qualifications to the role.

If, for example, you have security clearances essential for the job, you might choose to highlight this information earlier in the resume.

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How to add qualifications on your resume

• For roles requiring specific certifications or clearances: Directly list any relevant certifications or clearances early in this section, especially if they are prerequisites for the job.
• For positions valuing language skills or international experience: Highlight your language proficiencies and any international project work or experiences that align with the job's requirements.
• For academic or research-oriented positions: Detail your publications, research, presentations, or related professional memberships prominently.

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Tips for adding resume qualification

1. Identify relevant qualifications: Review the job description to pinpoint which additional qualifications are most valued by the employer. This could be language skills, technical certifications, or even certain awards that demonstrate excellence in your field.
2. Organize clearly: Use bullet points to list these qualifications, starting with the most relevant. Ensure each point is concise and clearly stated so that its relevance and importance are immediately apparent.
3. Quantify and qualify your achievements: Whenever possible, provide context or quantification for your qualifications. For example, if you received an award, mention out of how many competitors or participants you were chosen.
4. Tailor your listings: Customize this section for each job application. Emphasize the qualifications most relevant to each position. This may require rearranging the order of qualifications or omitting less relevant details to keep the section concise and targeted.
5. Highlight transferable skills: If changing industries or roles, focus on qualifications that showcase transferable skills or notable achievements that will be relevant in a variety of contexts.

You can capture the attention of hiring managers by clearly demonstrating how your unique skills and experiences make you an ideal candidate for the position.

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How to list qualifications on a resume

When listing qualifications on your resume, it's important to be clear, concise, and quantifiable. Including numbers in your accomplishments makes your qualifications more impressive and credible to potential employers. 

Follow this step-by-step guide to craft compelling achievement statements using the formula:

Action Verb + Skill/Task + Metric + Result/Outcome

This formula allows you to showcase your skills and experience in a tangible, measurable way that demonstrates the value you provided.

Example:

"Optimized website load time by 35%, increasing online conversions by 18%."

Here is the step-by-step outline for how you follow this formula to add qualifications to your resume

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Step 1: Choose strong action verbs

Start each qualification statement with a strong action verb to convey decisiveness and clarity.

Use words like "developed," "optimized," "increased," to show the action you took immediately.

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Step 2: Highlight relevant skills or tasks

After the action verb, specify the skill or task you performed. This should be directly related to the role you are applying for, ensuring relevance to potential employers.

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Step 3: Add a metric

Quantification creates impact.

Add numbers, percentages, dollar amounts, or time frames to your achievements to illustrate the magnitude of your contributions.

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Step 4: Include the result or outcome

Conclude with a positive result or outcome.

Highlight how your action, skill, or task led to a benefit for your employer or project.

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Step 5: Focus on achievements over duties

Emphasize your notable achievements rather than routine daily duties. Focus on instances where you delivered added value.

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Step 6: Tailor your qualifications to the job description

Align your qualifications with the job description.

Customize your resume for each application to mirror the requirements of the role.

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Step 7: Maintain consistent formatting

Use consistent formatting for your qualifications.

Bullet points, the same tense, and the same style throughout make your resume easier to read and more professional.

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Step 8: Be clear and jargon-free

Ensure your qualifications are easily understood. Avoid industry jargon, acronyms, or complex language that the reader may not recognize.

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Resume qualification template

Below, you'll find a templated version of statements that you can use when showcasing your qualifications for your experience, education, and other relevant skills.

Simply replace the bracketed sections with your actual qualifications and specifics relevant to your career and the job you are applying for.

• [Number of years] of experience in [field/industry/specific role]
• Proficient in [Skill/Area of Expertise] with extensive knowledge in [Related Skill/Area of Expertise]
• Proven track record of [Specific Achievement or Contribution], resulting in [Outcomes/Improvements]
• Adept at managing teams of [Number]+, with a focus on [Key Task/Responsibility]
• Recognized for [Award/Accolade/Certification] reflecting [Skill/Ability/Competency]
• Successful in [Major Project or Responsibility] achieving [Quantifiable Outcome]

This bullet-point format allows for quick scanning and emphasizes key achievements and skills tailored to the role.

Each resume bullet point should be concise, ideally no longer than two lines. Use active voice for each, starting with strong action verbs.

To effectively use this resume qualification template, remember the following guidelines:

• Customization: Adjust each bullet point to reflect your own experiences and the job requirements.
• Be concise: Keep each point short and impactful. Avoid unnecessary words and get straight to the point.
• Keywords: Implement keywords from the job description. This is especially important if your resume will be scanned by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
• Active voice: Use an active voice and strong action verbs to begin each bullet point. This creates a more engaging and dynamic description of your qualifications.
• Relevance: Make sure every point you include showcases how you're a great fit for the job. Non-relevant information can dilute your qualifications.

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Resume qualification example

Here's what the above template might look like when the bracketed sections have been filled in:

• 10 years of experience in software development, specializing in scalable web applications
• Proficient in full-stack development with extensive knowledge in JavaScript, React, and Node.js
• Proven track record of leading the design and deployment of a microservices architecture, resulting in a 30% reduction in latency for a high-traffic online platform
• Adept at managing teams of 15+ engineers, with a focus on mentoring, code quality, and agile methodologies
• Recognized for “Outstanding Innovative Solution,” award reflecting exceptional problem-solving and programming ability
• Successful in the end-to-end delivery of the 'ShopFast' e-commerce app, achieving over 500,000 downloads and a 4.5-star rating in its first-year

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Real-world qualification examples

1. Project manager qualifications

• Spearheaded $5M IT infrastructure upgrade, delivering 35% cost savings and 20% performance boost
• Coordinated 15 cross-functional teams across eight locations to launch new product line ahead of schedule
• Implemented Agile project management reducing time-to-market by 40% for new software releases
• Trained and mentored 25+ junior project managers on risk mitigation and stakeholder management

Why this works: The qualifications listed for the project manager clearly demonstrate leadership, efficiency, and impact. Each of these is quantified, providing concrete evidence of capabilities and achievements.

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2. Marketing manager qualifications

• Devised multichannel campaigns generating $2M in sales and 25% YoY revenue growth
• Optimized $1.2M annual marketing budget, reallocating 35% spend to digital channels
• Conducted in-depth market research identifying 3 untapped audience segments valued at $5M
• Overhauled brand messaging and positioning raising unaided awareness by 27%

Why this works: These qualifications reflect a strong ability to drive revenue and manage budgets effectively. They also quantify the results achieved, begin with an action verb, and demonstrate concrete experience with the role.

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3. Software Developer qualifications

• Architected and deployed microservices reducing infrastructure footprint by 60% and boosting app performance 40%
• Refactored legacy monolith to Kubernetes reducing technical debt by 55% and accelerating deployments 75%
• Automated 80% of CI/CD pipelines using Kubernetes, Terraform, and GitHub Actions
• Mentored 8 junior developers on coding best practices improving team velocity 35%

Why this works: This set of qualifications showcases technical expertise and a direct impact on operational efficiency.

Each qualification is technical and specific, aligning well with what is valued in software development.

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Using AI for qualifications

AI has made it easier to write about yourself. Writing assistants like Teal’s AI Resume Builder help job seekers generate compelling and quantified resume achievements in seconds, automatically transforming your job duties into powerful, metric-driven achievements tailored for your resume.

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Plus, Teal can help tailor your qualifications to precisely match what a hiring manager is looking for in candidates, ensuring your resume stands out by showcasing the specific skills and achievements that catch the hiring manager's attention.

For example, if you were a project manager who “led a team of 10 developers to successfully launch a new mobile app ahead of schedule, resulting in a 25% increase in user engagement within the first month,” Teal’s AI could rephrase this as:

“Spearheaded the launch of a new mobile app two weeks ahead of schedule by leading a cross-functional team of 10 developers, driving a 25% boost in user engagement within 30 days.”

This AI-generated achievement is more concise, impactful, and highlights key qualifications like leadership, project management, and delivering results ahead of schedule.

With Teal’s AI, you can ensure your resume showcases your most impressive qualifications through clear, quantifiable achievements.

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Resume qualifications are still important

While it’s become less common to include a dedicated qualifications section on your resume, showcasing relevant qualifications is crucial for making your resume stand out. By addressing experience, education, and skill qualifications on your resume, you provide a snapshot of your professional capabilities that can immediately catch a hiring manager's eye.

With tools like the Matching Mode and AI Achievement Generator, Teal’s AI Resume Builder can transform your professional experiences into compelling, metric-rich achievements that highlight your proficiencies.

Try out Teal's Resume Builder to create a resume that not only meets the demands of modern job searching but exceeds them by balancing your qualifications in a way that's tailored to the specific requirements of each job posting.