20 Skills Hiring Managers Look For In Resumes In 2025

Forbes

17-04-2025

'What tangible outcomes can you deliver?' is the only core question employers care about
Hiring managers are no longer asking, 'Where did you work?', 'What college did you graduate from?', or 'What subject did you major in?'
They want to know, "What results/tangible outcomes can you deliver, and what have you delivered in the past?"
Outcomes are created, not by papers or letters behind your name (although this can help in some professions), but by skills. Your "hireability" and competency in the job market in 2025 comes down to one critical question: How proficient are you in the skills employers need the most?
Even large banks like JPMorganChase recognize the value in hiring for skills over credentials. In a signal move for the bank, about 70% 'of roles for experienced hires--or candidates with full-time work experience--do not require a college degree,' LinkedIn noted in its Top Companies 2025 report, which ranked 50 of the world's best large employers to work for and included JPMorgan.
The World Economic Forum noted in its 2025 Future of Jobs report that there are specific skills which are on the rise this year, while others are on the decline. The skills which are on the rise are most essential in the workforce today because there is a serious skills crisis happening right now. As innovation and technological advancements progress, the talent gap continues to widen, and employers are scrambling to find adequate support in adapting to market shifts and navigating industry changes imposed by AI and tech.
The skills they listed are divided between 'core skills' and 'skills on the rise.' Looking at their Tableau data visualization, we can get a clear idea of what skills are considered as 'core' for U.S. employers. The top 17 listed are:
When it comes to skills on the rise, there is some considerable overlap here. The top 17 skills listed as on the rise over the next few years are:
Despite the overlap, three of the skills mentioned in the second list (skills on the rise) were not mentioned in the core skills list. This doesn't take away from their significance; rather, it demonstrates that these will become more prominent and perhaps have a feature on the core skills list in one or two years.
These three new skills are environmental stewardship, programming, and global citizenship, which reflect a strong push and prioritization towards CSR (corporate social responsibility), the growing remote work and digital nomad trend, and technical literacy as the foundation for complicated software systems and AI integration.
As you work on updating your resume, carefully consider these skills and look for practical, creative ways to interweave them into your experience, skills section, and professional summary. The best way to list skills is to cite proficiency level and use real-world examples. For instance, list initiatives you designed or projects you planned related to social impact programs or partnerships at work, even if they're voluntary and weren't tied directly to your main role. Most importantly, speak directly to the successful outcomes of these projects.
You can also approach these skills from another angle: If you're still building your analytical thinking skills, for example, you could include a course that you're currently studying via Coursera to develop your analytical skills, by mentioning 'Currently studying XYZ' in your education/professional certifications section.
Tech, creative thinking, and human-centered skills take the lead in the future of work
Ultimately, the key to more career opportunities and job success is to make yourself undeniable in the workplace. Achieve this by learning what skills are in demand, and reskilling or upskilling in the areas most relevant to your career goals.