Should I list soft skills on a Materials Engineer resume?

Yes, but prove them rather than list them. 7 of the top 40 skills in these postings are soft skills, led by Communication (43 % of postings). Show them through results in your bullets, for example a project you coordinated or a process you explained.

Which tools and certifications do Materials Engineer postings ask for?

The tools and certifications named most often were Python (25 %), MATLAB (17 %), SQL (10 %) and Security clearance (8 %). List the ones you have exactly as the posting writes them.

Where does this data come from?

From 60 public Materials Engineer job postings at 32 employers, collected on October 23, 2026 from Greenhouse (33), Lever (6) and Ashby (21). A skill's share is the number of postings that mention it divided by 60. The data is updated quarterly and can be downloaded as a CSV.

Materials Engineer resume skills and keywords

In 60 Materials Engineer job postings from 32 employers analysed on October 23, 2026, the most requested skills are Communication (43 %), Problem Solving (33 %), Materials Characterization (27 %), Python (25 %) and SEM (25 %). Of the top 40 skills, 33 are hard skills, tools or certifications and 7 are soft skills.

Download the full list as a CSV or check your own resume against a posting with the free keyword scanner.

Top 40 skills in Materials Engineer job postings

Skills requested in 60 Materials Engineer job postings, by share of postings
Skill	Share of postings	Type
Communication	43 %	Soft skill
Problem Solving	33 %	Soft skill
Materials Characterization	27 %	Hard skill
Python	25 %	Tool
SEM	25 %	Hard skill
Metallurgy	23 %	Hard skill
Microscopy	22 %	Hard skill
Leadership	22 %	Soft skill
Data Analysis	18 %	Hard skill
Collaboration	18 %	Soft skill
Manufacturing Processes	17 %	Hard skill
3D Printing	17 %	Hard skill
MATLAB	17 %	Tool
Mentoring	17 %	Soft skill
Quality control	13 %	Hard skill
Troubleshooting	13 %	Hard skill
Formulation	13 %	Hard skill
CAD	13 %	Hard skill
Creativity	13 %	Soft skill
Failure Analysis	13 %	Hard skill
Product development	12 %	Hard skill
Printer	12 %	Hard skill
Measuring	12 %	Hard skill
SLAs	10 %	Hard skill
SQL	10 %	Tool
JMP	10 %	Hard skill
Security clearance	8 %	Certification
Scanning	8 %	Hard skill
Continuous improvement	8 %	Hard skill
Acceptance Criteria	8 %	Hard skill
Process improvement	8 %	Hard skill
Machine Learning Models	8 %	Hard skill
Spectroscopy	7 %	Hard skill
Organizational skills	7 %	Soft skill
Extractions	7 %	Hard skill
Product management	7 %	Hard skill
Prototyping	7 %	Hard skill
Statistical analysis	7 %	Hard skill
Technical Documentation	7 %	Hard skill
Auditing	7 %	Hard skill

Hard skills vs soft skills vs tools and certifications

Hard skills (29)

Materials Characterization 27 %
SEM 25 %
Metallurgy 23 %
Microscopy 22 %
Data Analysis 18 %
Manufacturing Processes 17 %
3D Printing 17 %
Quality control 13 %
Troubleshooting 13 %
Formulation 13 %
CAD 13 %
Failure Analysis 13 %
Product development 12 %
Printer 12 %
Measuring 12 %
SLAs 10 %
JMP 10 %
Scanning 8 %
Continuous improvement 8 %
Acceptance Criteria 8 %
Process improvement 8 %
Machine Learning Models 8 %
Spectroscopy 7 %
Extractions 7 %
Product management 7 %
Prototyping 7 %
Statistical analysis 7 %
Technical Documentation 7 %
Auditing 7 %

Soft skills (7)

Communication 43 %
Problem Solving 33 %
Leadership 22 %
Collaboration 18 %
Mentoring 17 %
Creativity 13 %
Organizational skills 7 %

Tools and software (3)

Python 25 %
MATLAB 17 %
SQL 10 %

Certifications and licenses (1)

Security clearance 8 %

Keyword phrases recruiters use

Multi-word phrases that recur across these materials engineer postings, with the share of postings that use each one.

chemical engineering 30 %characterization techniques 22 %u.s government 22 %u.s citizen 20 %permanent resident 20 %process development 20 %mechanical engineering 20 %subject matter 18 %export regulations 18 %state learn 18 %itar here 18 %u.s department 18 %lawful permanent 18 %matter experts 17 %government export 17 %

How to use this on your resume

Treat the table as a checklist, not a script. Put the skills you genuinely have in your skills section, using the same wording as the posting, and back the top ones with a bullet that shows the result.

Each job posting differs from the average, so compare your resume with the actual ad: paste it into the resume keyword scanner to see which terms you already have and which are missing. The ATS keywords guide explains where to place them so applicant tracking systems read them.

Skip any skill you cannot talk about in an interview; a keyword that falls apart under one question costs more than it gains. For a full layout with these skills in context, see the Materials Engineer resume example. Then prepare for the Materials Engineer interview questions that test them.

Build a materials engineer resume with these skills

Start in the editor, tailor your bullets to the job you want and download an ATS-friendly resume.

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