Top 7 Skills Recruiters Are Actually Looking for in 2026

Across the entry-level postings we tracked, cloud familiarity (especially Azure and AWS basics), applied AI/ML, and demonstrable project experience came up far more often than specific frameworks.

Soft skills matter too — recruiters consistently mention "can explain their own project clearly" as a differentiator, which is exactly why viva-style project defenses are such good interview practice.

Our advice: pick one cloud platform and get comfortable deploying something real to it, build at least one project that touches AI/ML even tangentially, and be ready to talk through your project’s technical decisions in plain language.

Devika Pillai

Internship Program Manager

Devika designs and runs the Strydo internship program, focused on giving students real product-team experience.