{"id":4656,"date":"2026-10-08T06:27:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T06:27:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jumpresumebuilder.com\/blog\/?p=4656"},"modified":"2026-10-08T06:42:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T06:42:48","slug":"what-are-technical-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jumpresumebuilder.com\/blog\/what-are-technical-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are Technical Skills?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Technical skills are specific, teachable abilities that let you complete a task with a particular tool, system, or method. Writing a SQL query, welding a joint, and entering patient records into a health database all count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people link them only to coding, but nearly every profession has its own set. This guide shows how to tell whether a skill is technical, what examples look like across industries, and how to choose and present the right ones on your resume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Makes a Skill Technical? Use This Three-Question Test<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ask three questions about any skill:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Is it tied to a specific tool, system, or method, such as Python, CAD, or a diagnostic machine?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Can someone teach it and test it through a course, a certification, or a work sample?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Would a job description name it?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    If all three answers are yes, you are almost certainly looking at a technical skill. Teamwork fails the first two questions. Pivot tables pass all three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The answer also changes by job. A forklift certification is a technical skill for a warehouse worker and irrelevant to a graphic designer. The U.S. Department of Labor’s O*NET database reflects this by listing technology skills for each occupation separately. It also flags hot technologies, which it describes as requirements often included in employer job postings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The hot technologies list for accountants and auditors<\/a>, built from U.S. job postings between July 2024 and June 2025, includes SQL, Tableau, and Oracle PeopleSoft alongside Microsoft Word and Access. Even a traditional finance role asks for data and software tools beyond its core field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Technical Skills vs. Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills: Where Is the Line?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Once you can spot a technical skill, the next question is how it relates to the other labels you will see on job boards. Technical skills are a subset of hard skills, and soft skills are a separate group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
    Type<\/th>\n What it means<\/th>\n Example<\/th>\n <\/tr>\n <\/thead>\n
    Technical skill<\/td>\n Ability tied to a specific tool, system, or method<\/td>\n SQL<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
    Hard skill<\/td>\n Any teachable, measurable job ability<\/td>\n Accounting<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
    Soft skill<\/td>\n Behavior or interpersonal ability<\/td>\n Teamwork<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n <\/table>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Some skills sit in a gray area. Data analysis is a hard skill, but the tools you use to do it, such as Python or Tableau, are the technical part. Technical writing mixes a writing method with documentation software. A simple rule works for most cases: if the skill names a tool or method, treat it as technical. If it names a behavior, treat it as soft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What Are Examples of Technical Skills in Different Jobs?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Technical skills show up in every field, and each one involves a tool or method that can be taught and checked:<\/p>\n\n\n\n