Skills sections that work for ATS and recruiters

Should I add a "Tools used" line under each job?

It can be very useful, especially in technical, digital, finance and engineering roles. A short line shows which tools you used in each job, which helps recruiters see how recent and how deep each skill is, and gives searches more chances to find the terms.

Example:
"Financial Analyst, Crescent Holdings, Dubai | 2022 – Present

  • Built the annual budget model for five business units.
  • Produced monthly variance reports for the CFO.

Tools: Excel (Power Query), Oracle Hyperion, Power BI"

Tips:

  • Keep it to one line per job.
  • List only tools you used substantially in that role.
  • Keep the names identical to those in your skills section.
  • Skip it for older roles where it adds nothing.

This approach also helps when a portal asks about your experience with a particular tool, because your resume shows exactly where you used it.

Reviewed · by the ResumeBuilder.ae editorial team

See all answers about skills sections that work for ats and recruiters

Templates to try

Free to edit and preview. Single-column layouts are the safest choice for applicant tracking systems.

ATS Classic

Single column

Use this template: ATS Classic

ATS Professional

Single column

Use this template: ATS Professional

ATS Minimalist

Single column

Use this template: ATS Minimalist

General guidance for job seekers, not legal or immigration advice. Employers and applicant tracking systems differ, so always follow the instructions in the job advert. Spotted a mistake? Email support@jobb.ae.

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