Top 12 Oracle Developer Skills to Put on Your Resume

In today's job market, standing out as an Oracle Developer means showing a sharp, relevant skillset on your resume. The lineup below covers 12 core competencies employers scan for, giving you the language and focus to present real depth—not noise—across the Oracle stack.

Oracle Developer Skills

1. PL/SQL
2. Oracle Forms
3. Oracle Reports
4. SQL*Plus
5. Oracle APEX
6. Oracle Database
7. Java
8. XML
9. Oracle BI Publisher
10. Oracle EBS
11. Oracle JDeveloper
12. Oracle SQL Developer

1. PL/SQL

PL/SQL (Procedural Language extensions to SQL) is Oracle’s procedural layer for SQL. It blends SQL with control structures—loops, conditionals, variables—so you can craft robust stored procedures, packages, triggers, and functions that run close to the data and stay fast.

Why It's Important

PL/SQL lets you push complex business logic into the database for secure, reliable, and performant transaction processing. Less network chatter, tighter integrity, more predictable behavior.

How to Improve PL/SQL Skills

1. Nail the fundamentals: Data types, scope, records, collections, cursors, packages. Build on bedrock.

2. Write lean SQL: Most PL/SQL performance is SQL performance. Index sensibly. Filter early. Avoid over-fetching.

3. Bulk operations: Use BULK COLLECT and FORALL to cut context switches and speed up batch work.

4. Cursor discipline: Prefer implicit where you can, explicit when you must, and always close what you open.

5. Exception hygiene: Handle expected failures, log the rest with actionable detail. Never swallow errors silently.

6. Instrument: Add structured logging and timings. Make slow paths obvious. Make support happy.

7. Package design: Group related routines, hide internals, expose clean specs. Version thoughtfully.

8. Test ruthlessly: Unit test procedures and functions. Seed data. Mock dependencies. Automate regressions.

9. Stay current: Features evolve—simple expressions in SQL, function result cache, deterministic functions, and more.

How to Display PL/SQL Skills on Your Resume

2. Oracle Forms

Oracle Forms helps build data-entry applications against Oracle Database with rapid, declarative tooling. It’s classic, stable, and still the backbone in many enterprises.

Why It's Important

For shops invested in Forms, you deliver enhancements quickly, integrate with existing security and data models, and keep critical workflows humming without a full rewrite.

How to Improve Oracle Forms Skills

1. Performance first: Push heavy lifting to SQL/PLSQL. Trim network round-trips. Index with purpose. Partition big tables where it matters.

2. Modernize UX: Apply updated look-and-feel, streamline navigation, add keyboard shortcuts, and standardize visual cues.

3. Modular code: Centralize common logic in libraries/packages. Keep triggers slim. Document intent, not just behavior.

4. Security posture: Enforce least privilege, apply patches, use SSL/TLS, and validate inputs at both UI and database layers.

5. Deployment discipline: Automate builds and migrations. Keep environments consistent. Version artifacts.

6. Testing: Regression test core flows. Script data setups. Log runtime errors with context so fixes are quick.

7. Integrations: Call web services where needed, surface reports, and connect with BI tooling for richer outputs.

How to Display Oracle Forms Skills on Your Resume

3. Oracle Reports

Oracle Reports is a legacy but still-deployed reporting tool for building pixel-precise, data-driven documents from Oracle Database.

Why It's Important

Plenty of enterprises still depend on Reports for regulated outputs. Knowing it means you can maintain and stabilize business-critical documents while guiding a path to modern replacements when appropriate.

How to Improve Oracle Reports Skills

1. Faster data: Optimize SQL, reduce dataset size, use bind variables, and offload complex logic to PL/SQL where it’s cheaper.

2. Clean design: Template your layouts, standardize fonts and spacing, and use conditional formatting to highlight what matters.

3. Charts that speak: Pick the right visuals, avoid clutter, label clearly, and keep color palettes consistent.

4. Security: Lock down roles, protect transports with TLS, and keep components patched.

5. Automation: Schedule, batch, and route outputs. Archive smartly. Reduce manual steps.

6. Plan the future: Where possible, map reports to BI Publisher or APEX Interactive Reports for sustainability.

How to Display Oracle Reports Skills on Your Resume

4. SQL*Plus

SQL*Plus is the command-line workhorse for running SQL and PL/SQL, scripting, and doing quick admin tasks against Oracle Database.

Why It's Important

It’s everywhere. It’s scriptable. And when GUIs aren’t an option, SQL*Plus gets the job done fast and predictably.

How to Improve SQL*Plus Skills

1. Try SQLcl: A modern CLI with history, formatting, and scripting niceties while staying familiar.

2. Customize startup: Use login.sql or glogin.sql to set formatting, pagesize, linesize, and handy column definitions.

3. Script routine tasks: Parameterize scripts, chain them, and store outputs for audits.

4. SET/SHOW mastery: Control execution and output behavior to make results readable and repeatable.

5. Pretty output: Use COLUMN, TTITLE, and BTITLE. Align, wrap, and round thoughtfully.

6. SPOOL wisely: Capture logs and data extracts consistently. Timestamp filenames. Compress big outputs.

7. Conventions: Adopt a standard folder and naming scheme for scripts, logs, and reports.

How to Display SQL*Plus Skills on Your Resume

5. Oracle APEX

Oracle APEX (Application Express) is a low-code platform for building secure, scalable web apps right inside Oracle Database. Develop in the browser, deploy on-premises or in the cloud.

Why It's Important

APEX lets Oracle Developers turn SQL and PL/SQL into polished apps quickly—data-first development with fine-grained security and performance.

How to Improve Oracle APEX Skills

1. Own the fundamentals: Strong SQL/PLSQL pays off immediately in APEX development.

2. Page design discipline: Reduce dynamic actions, reuse components, and keep pages light for snappy loads.

3. Security from day one: Use built-in authentication/authorization schemes, item-level protections, and session state rules.

4. Universal Theme fluency: Leverage templates, theme roller, and template options for consistent UX.

5. REST savvy: Expose and consume REST services to integrate cleanly with other systems.

6. Performance tuning: Profile slow queries, cache where appropriate, and minimize round-trips.

7. Extend with JS: Add just enough JavaScript for interactivity without compromising maintainability.

8. Package apps: Use export, build options, and install scripts for clean CI/CD pipelines.

How to Display Oracle APEX Skills on Your Resume

6. Oracle Database

Oracle Database is a multi-model, enterprise-grade RDBMS for OLTP, analytics, and everything between—on-prem or cloud. SQL and PL/SQL at the core, with powerful options for scale, security, and reliability.

Why It's Important

It’s the foundation. Knowing how the database thinks—optimizer behavior, memory, concurrency—lets you build applications that stay fast and safe under load.

How to Improve Oracle Database Skills

1. Index strategy: Create the right indexes, monitor usage, and remove the dead weight. Mind composite order and selectivity.

2. SQL tuning: Read execution plans, bind correctly, and reshape queries to guide the optimizer.

3. Partitioning: Slice large tables for faster scans, simpler maintenance, and smarter pruning.

4. Memory and caching: Size buffer cache and shared pool appropriately. Pin what matters, not everything.

5. Resource management: Isolate noisy neighbors, prioritize critical jobs, and cap runaway consumers.

6. Statistics and upkeep: Keep optimizer stats fresh, gather histograms when they help, and automate housekeeping.

7. Backup and recovery: Practice restore scenarios. Verify RPO/RTO. Test, don’t trust.

How to Display Oracle Database Skills on Your Resume

7. Java

Java is a portable, object-oriented language used across servers, middleware, and Android. It meshes well with Oracle databases through JDBC and broader enterprise stacks.

Why It's Important

From batch jobs to services to UIs, Java gives Oracle Developers a sturdy, scalable way to build and integrate applications around the database.

How to Improve Java Skills

1. Core fluency: Collections, generics, streams, concurrency, exceptions—write code that’s clear and safe.

2. Modern features: Records, var, switch expressions, pattern matching—use them judiciously.

3. JDBC mastery: Efficient connection management, prepared statements, batching, and proper transaction control.

4. Jakarta EE (formerly Java EE): Understand JPA, CDI, JAX-RS, JMS for enterprise workloads.

5. Design patterns: Apply patterns pragmatically—DAO, Factory, Strategy—to keep code maintainable.

6. Testing: Unit, integration, and contract tests. Mock data sources. Measure coverage with purpose.

7. Build and CI: Maven/Gradle basics, dependency hygiene, and automated pipelines.

How to Display Java Skills on Your Resume

8. XML

XML (eXtensible Markup Language) structures and transports data with schemas and namespaces. In Oracle, it shows up in integrations, configs, and document-style storage.

Why It's Important

XML support in Oracle—storage, indexing, querying—makes it a reliable choice for hierarchical data and external system exchanges.

How to Improve XML Skills

1. Essentials: Elements, attributes, namespaces, XSD validation. Keep documents strict and predictable.

2. XPath/XQuery: Navigate and query efficiently. Index XML where query patterns are stable.

3. XML DB features: Know when to store as XMLType, when to shred to relational, and how to mix both.

4. XSLT transformations: Convert XML to HTML, text, or other XML forms cleanly.

5. Security: Guard against oversized payloads, external entity expansion, and injection.

6. Performance: Keep documents compact, avoid deep nesting when possible, and profile queries.

How to Display XML Skills on Your Resume

9. Oracle BI Publisher

Oracle BI Publisher delivers highly formatted reports—statements, invoices, government forms—sourced from Oracle and beyond, with scalable bursting and scheduling.

Why It's Important

It streamlines creation and delivery of polished outputs while separating data models from templates, which keeps maintenance sane.

How to Improve Oracle BI Publisher Skills

1. Smart data models: Fetch only what you need, pre-aggregate heavy logic, and parameterize filters.

2. Template reuse: Build RTF/Excel/PDF templates with shared headers, footers, and styles.

3. Performance: Tune SQL, paginate thoughtfully, and limit large images or embedded objects.

4. Caching and scheduling: Accelerate frequent reports and push big jobs off-peak.

5. Security: Role-based access, secure transports, and careful handling of PII.

6. Distribution: Use bursting to route tailored outputs by user, region, or channel.

How to Display Oracle BI Publisher Skills on Your Resume

10. Oracle EBS

Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) is a broad set of applications for ERP, CRM, and SCM. Customizations often span Forms, OAF, workflows, and integrations.

Why It's Important

EBS powers mission-critical processes in many organizations. Developers who can enhance, stabilize, and extend it are in constant demand.

How to Improve Oracle EBS Skills

1. SQL/PLSQL tuning: Keep customizations efficient. Profile queries in context of EBS schemas.

2. OAF know-how: Build maintainable pages, follow MVC patterns, and keep personalization vs. customization clear.

3. Oracle Forms: For legacy modules, keep triggers thin and move logic to packages for reuse and testability.

4. Workflow: Automate approvals and events. Monitor queues, handle exceptions gracefully.

5. APEX add-ons: Build adjunct apps and reports quickly without disturbing core EBS flows.

6. Governance: Version control, transport scripts, and clear migration paths between environments.

7. Security and compliance: Respect segregation of duties, audit trails, and data masking where needed.

How to Display Oracle EBS Skills on Your Resume

11. Oracle JDeveloper

Oracle JDeveloper is an IDE tailored for Java and Oracle ADF work, with design-time support for building enterprise applications integrated with Oracle technologies.

Why It's Important

In ADF-heavy environments, JDeveloper accelerates development with wizards, visual editors, and tight framework integration.

How to Improve Oracle JDeveloper Skills

1. Learn the IDE: Master navigation, refactoring tools, code analyzers, and debuggers. Customize keymaps and templates.

2. Tune the workspace: Adjust memory settings, disable unused extensions, and keep projects lean.

3. ADF patterns: Understand bindings, task flows, and component lifecycles. Encapsulate business logic away from the view.

4. Build automation: Script builds, package artifacts, and integrate with CI for consistent delivery.

5. Stay current: Track updates and patch sets. Document upgrade steps before you push.

How to Display Oracle JDeveloper Skills on Your Resume

12. Oracle SQL Developer

Oracle SQL Developer is a free IDE for building and managing Oracle Database—SQL, PL/SQL, migrations, data modeling, and more.

Why It's Important

It centralizes daily developer workflows—queries, debugging, tuning—into one workspace, shaving time off routine tasks.

How to Improve Oracle SQL Developer Skills

1. Comfortable UI: Choose readable fonts and themes, tweak layout panes, and save window profiles.

2. Shortcuts: Learn keyboard combos for formatting, executing, and navigating. Speed compounds.

3. Explain and tune: Read plans, capture statistics, and iterate until the plan shape makes sense.

4. Extensions: Add only what you need. Keep the IDE snappy.

5. Version control: Wire in Git or your team’s VCS. Treat SQL and PL/SQL like first-class code.

6. Reports and snippets: Build reusable reports and code templates for common tasks.

7. Connections hygiene: Organize by environment, label clearly, and protect credentials.

8. Data Modeler: Use the integrated tool to visualize schemas, manage changes, and generate DDL safely.

How to Display Oracle SQL Developer Skills on Your Resume