Hard Skills

In recruiter context

Listed on every job description, scored by every ATS, and used as the first filter on most applications. The mistake candidates make is listing every tool they've ever touched — recruiters scan for the 5-8 most relevant, ignore the rest. The list should match the role's must-haves, not show your full toolkit. Hard skills are easier to demonstrate (build something, get certified, ship a project) than soft skills, which is why 70%+ matches on hard skills are often the threshold for interviews. Where candidates undersell themselves: tools they've used for years but don't list because 'I'm not an expert' — list them anyway, with the years of use as context.