QA Engineer resume skills and keywords
In 621 QA Engineer job postings from 411 employers analysed on October 23, 2026, the most requested skills are Communication (57 %), Test automation (48 %), CI/CD (46 %), Python (44 %) and APIs (43 %). Of the top 40 skills, 34 are hard skills, tools or certifications and 6 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 QA Engineer job postings
| Skill | Share of postings | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Communication | 57 % | Soft skill |
| Test automation | 48 % | Hard skill |
| CI/CD | 46 % | Tool |
| Python | 44 % | Tool |
| APIs | 43 % | Hard skill |
| Playwright | 32 % | Tool |
| Git | 28 % | Tool |
| Quality assurance | 28 % | Hard skill |
| Collaboration | 28 % | Soft skill |
| Problem Solving | 26 % | Soft skill |
| Mentoring | 26 % | Soft skill |
| Selenium | 24 % | Tool |
| Jira | 24 % | Tool |
| Java | 23 % | Tool |
| SQL | 22 % | Tool |
| Automated Testing | 22 % | Hard skill |
| Debugging | 21 % | Hard skill |
| API testing | 20 % | Tool |
| Jenkins | 19 % | Tool |
| Postman | 19 % | Tool |
| Attention to detail | 19 % | Soft skill |
| Agile | 19 % | Hard skill |
| Software development | 19 % | Hard skill |
| JavaScript | 19 % | Tool |
| TypeScript | 18 % | Tool |
| Manual Testing | 18 % | Hard skill |
| Continuous improvement | 17 % | Hard skill |
| AWS | 17 % | Tool |
| Troubleshooting | 16 % | Hard skill |
| Leadership | 16 % | Soft skill |
| Triage | 16 % | Hard skill |
| Root cause analysis | 15 % | Hard skill |
| Cypress | 15 % | Tool |
| AI Tools | 15 % | Tool |
| Linux | 14 % | Tool |
| LLMs | 13 % | Tool |
| GitHub Actions | 13 % | Tool |
| Performance Testing | 13 % | Hard skill |
| Docker | 12 % | Tool |
| Acceptance Criteria | 12 % | Hard skill |
Hard skills vs soft skills vs tools and certifications
Hard skills (14)
- Test automation 48 %
- APIs 43 %
- Quality assurance 28 %
- Automated Testing 22 %
- Debugging 21 %
- Agile 19 %
- Software development 19 %
- Manual Testing 18 %
- Continuous improvement 17 %
- Troubleshooting 16 %
- Triage 16 %
- Root cause analysis 15 %
- Performance Testing 13 %
- Acceptance Criteria 12 %
Soft skills (6)
- Communication 57 %
- Collaboration 28 %
- Problem Solving 26 %
- Mentoring 26 %
- Attention to detail 19 %
- Leadership 16 %
Tools and software (20)
- CI/CD 46 %
- Python 44 %
- Playwright 32 %
- Git 28 %
- Selenium 24 %
- Jira 24 %
- Java 23 %
- SQL 22 %
- API testing 20 %
- Jenkins 19 %
- Postman 19 %
- JavaScript 19 %
- TypeScript 18 %
- AWS 17 %
- Cypress 15 %
- AI Tools 15 %
- Linux 14 %
- LLMs 13 %
- GitHub Actions 13 %
- Docker 12 %
Keyword phrases recruiters use
Multi-word phrases that recur across these qa engineer postings, with the share of postings that use each one.
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 QA Engineer resume example. Then prepare for the QA Engineer interview questions that test them.
Build a qa engineer resume with these skills
Start in the editor, tailor your bullets to the job you want and download an ATS-friendly resume.