The Key Skills Employers Seek on College Students’ Resumes

Employers seeking entry-level hires look at resumes for evidence for a host of skills and abilities, according to results of NACE’s Job Outlook 2026 Spring Update survey.

Chief among these are the ability to work in a team, problem-solve, and communicate effectively, but their “wish list” is extensive, with more than half of respondents citing 10+ skills. (See Figure 1.)

Show—Don’t Just Tell

It is not enough, however, for candidates to list their skills: Employers want to see examples.

In a recruiting environment that is increasingly based on skills that translate to the workplace and less so on GPA and major, it’s important for students to reflect on their academic, experiential, extracurricular, and work experiences to identify the skills they have gained and honed and connect them to the jobs for which they are applying.

They also need to prepare to further articulate their proficiency in these key skills during interviews—when recruiters use behavior-based questions to uncover candidates’ skills—and in other interactions with recruiters.

Some employers will provide students with examples of the questions they will be asking. Furthermore, previous NACE research found that many highlight key skills needed for the position when creating their job descriptions.

Career services can also help students prepare by apprising them of the aforementioned skills that employers covet and then working with them to reflect on and articulate their skills and how they apply to the job, employer, and industry.

The Job Outlook 2026 Spring Update survey, sponsored by Jobscan, was conducted from February 12 – March 17, 2026. Of the 185 total respondents, 142 were NACE employer members, representing 19.9% of eligible member respondents. The Job Outlook 2026 Spring Update survey was also distributed to nonmember companies; this group provided an additional 43 responses. The survey updates hiring projections for the Class of 2026; those projections were collected from NACE employer members from August 7 – September 22, 2025, and were reported in Job Outlook 2026, which was published in November 2025.