MANY Hired

Entry-level and new grad resume keywords

We counted the skills in 263 open entry-level and new grad job postings from 71 employers, including Palantir, Sila Services and Bosch. The ones employers ask for most are Python (25% of postings), supply chain (19%) and prototyping (16%). 42% of the postings mention AI, though often in the company's description rather than as a skill the job needs.

Top skills and tools in entry-level and new grad postings

#KeywordShare of postings
1Python 25%
2supply chain 19%
3prototyping 16%
4Java 14%
5frontend 14%
6electrical 13%
7compliance 13%
8TypeScript 13%
9machine learning 12%
10sales 12%
11automation 11%
12troubleshooting 11%
13UX 10%
14LLMs 10%
15shipping 10%
16C++ 10%
17manufacturing 9%
18inventory management 9%
19customer service 9%
20backend 9%
21algorithms 8%
22data structures 8%
23JavaScript 8%
24HVAC 8%
25warehouse operations 8%
26assembly 8%
27onboarding 7%
28marketing 7%
29Google Workspace 7%
30fraud prevention 6%

Share of the 263 postings whose description names the skill (plurals and common spellings, such as “JS” and “JavaScript”, count as one).

Soft skills employers mention

communication · 19%collaboration · 11%reporting · 10%ownership · 9%documentation · 9%leadership · 8%work ethic · 6%attention to detail · 6%problem solving · 6%mentoring · 5%

Show these through results in your bullets (“led a team of six”) rather than listing them as adjectives.

How to use these keywords on your entry-level and new grad resume

  1. Start with the posting, not this list. These are averages across 263 jobs; the one you're applying for has its own priorities. Use this page to spot common gaps, then match the specific posting.
  2. Name skills the way employers do. If you use “Python”, “supply chain” and “prototyping”, write those exact words. Applicant tracking systems and recruiters search for them, and a close synonym can be missed.
  3. Put each skill in a bullet that shows a result. Naming Java inside a bullet about what you achieved with it, with a number where you can, is stronger than listing it alone in a skills section.
  4. Add only what's true. If you've worked with “Java”, “frontend” and “electrical” but your resume doesn't say so, add it. If you haven't, leave it out: interviews expose padded resumes quickly.

More about entry-level and new grad jobs

Resume keywords for other jobs

How these numbers are calculated

Every figure comes from open entry-level and new grad job postings on MANY Hired, imported from employers' own career pages. For each posting we pick out the skills, tools, certifications and qualifications its description names, then count how many postings ask for each one. A job counts as entry-level and new grad by its title. Updated October 28, 2026.