Should I list soft skills on a Technical Lead resume?

Yes, but prove them rather than list them. 9 of the top 40 skills in these postings are soft skills, led by Leadership (62 % 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 Technical Lead postings ask for?

The tools and certifications named most often were Python (34 %), AWS (28 %), CI/CD (26 %), LLMs (18 %), Kubernetes (15 %) and React (14 %). List the ones you have exactly as the posting writes them.

Where does this data come from?

From 567 public Technical Lead job postings at 354 employers, collected on October 23, 2026 from Greenhouse (285), Lever (105) and Ashby (177). A skill's share is the number of postings that mention it divided by 567. The data is updated quarterly and can be downloaded as a CSV.

Technical Lead resume skills and keywords

In 567 Technical Lead job postings from 354 employers analysed on October 23, 2026, the most requested skills are Leadership (62 %), Communication (55 %), Mentoring (53 %), Python (34 %) and APIs (33 %). Of the top 40 skills, 31 are hard skills, tools or certifications and 9 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 Technical Lead job postings

Skills requested in 567 Technical Lead job postings, by share of postings
Skill	Share of postings	Type
Leadership	62 %	Soft skill
Communication	55 %	Soft skill
Mentoring	53 %	Soft skill
Python	34 %	Tool
APIs	33 %	Hard skill
Collaboration	30 %	Soft skill
AWS	28 %	Tool
Code review	26 %	Hard skill
CI/CD	26 %	Tool
Problem Solving	24 %	Soft skill
LLMs	18 %	Tool
Distributed systems	16 %	Hard skill
Kubernetes	15 %	Tool
React	14 %	Tool
Azure	14 %	Tool
SQL	14 %	Tool
Git	14 %	Tool
Agile	14 %	Hard skill
TypeScript	14 %	Tool
Software development	14 %	Hard skill
GCP	14 %	Tool
System design	14 %	Hard skill
Continuous improvement	13 %	Hard skill
Coaching	13 %	Soft skill
Java	13 %	Tool
Decision making	12 %	Soft skill
Debugging	11 %	Hard skill
Accountability	11 %	Soft skill
PostgreSQL	10 %	Tool
Data pipelines	10 %	Hard skill
Flexibility	10 %	Soft skill
Machine learning	10 %	Hard skill
Go	10 %	Tool
Terraform	9 %	Tool
Node.js	9 %	Tool
Cloud infrastructure	9 %	Hard skill
Docker	9 %	Tool
Microservices	8 %	Hard skill
User Experience	8 %	Hard skill
Infrastructure as code	8 %	Hard skill

Hard skills vs soft skills vs tools and certifications

Soft skills (9)

Leadership 62 %
Communication 55 %
Mentoring 53 %
Collaboration 30 %
Problem Solving 24 %
Coaching 13 %
Decision making 12 %
Accountability 11 %
Flexibility 10 %

Tools and software (17)

Python 34 %
AWS 28 %
CI/CD 26 %
LLMs 18 %
Kubernetes 15 %
React 14 %
Azure 14 %
SQL 14 %
Git 14 %
TypeScript 14 %
GCP 14 %
Java 13 %
PostgreSQL 10 %
Go 10 %
Terraform 9 %
Node.js 9 %
Docker 9 %

Keyword phrases recruiters use

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

code quality 14 %full stack 12 %trade offs 12 %design reviews 11 %deep expertise 11 %architectural decisions 10 %

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 Technical Lead resume example. Then prepare for the Technical Lead interview questions that test them.

Build a technical lead 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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