Top Skills To Put on Your CV (With Examples)

How do you make your CV stand out in a highly competitive marketplace? Whether you’re just starting your career or a seasoned professional, this is a common question as you begin to craft your CV, eager to land a coveted position.

In addition to the basics, such as being concise and ensuring your CV is free of errors, it’s crucial to feature your accomplishments and recognitions and tailor your CV to every job and industry you’re applying to.

It’s also important to highlight your job-specific skills.

We’ve created a list of hard and soft skills to review and consider as you write your CV that will grab the attention of clients, hiring managers, and recruiters and keep your job application live in applicant tracking systems (ATS).

Soft skills

Soft skills, or interpersonal skills, make up your personality and personal attributes. They’re always present but more difficult to prove, unlike hard skills, which are quantifiable and teachable.

Soft skills may not necessarily make you qualified for more jobs. Still, they help you perform the job more effectively and are valuable for team contribution and management.

Others may have the same required hard skills or work experience as you, so it’s critical to draw attention to your soft skills and achievements on your CV. These types of skills can help to set you apart from the competition.

The most in-demand soft skills include:‍

• Adaptability. The marketplace, workplace, and customer expectations are constantly changing in today’s environment. The ability to quickly adjust and acclimate to new conditions and requirements—versus being inflexible—is valued by clients and employers.
• Attention to detail. This is one of the most transferable skills. Even jobs that require creativity and the ability to see the big picture involve details. Paying attention to detail improves time management, increases efficiency, and helps you avoid mistakes.
• Collaboration. Collaboration in today’s workplace is vital to success. There are times to put your head down and get the job done and times to work collaboratively to accomplish a common goal, solve problems faster, pool skills to make a project more successful, and accelerate productivity and innovation.
• Empathy. The ability to understand other people’s feelings and sense their emotions keeps negative energy at bay. And while showing empathy and kindness in the workplace is easy to overlook, it’s one of the most important skills to enhance collaboration and engagement, build trust, and decrease conflict.
• Compassion. Compassion is similar to empathy but includes the desire to help others. Compassion for others reduces stress, supports work-related motivation, and even increases job satisfaction. Pair this with additional people skills and you’re demonstrating the skill set for leadership.
• Leadership. Good leadership qualities are valuable to an organisation and can contribute to your upward mobility. People with notable leadership skills inspire and motivate others and bring out the best in people and teams. They also communicate effectively, delegate responsibilities, and empower their employees.
• Coaching and mentoring. Mentoring and coaching are essential parts of the learning and development strategy of many organisations today and are useful in terms of engaging, developing, and retaining talent. They’re among the most invaluable management skills for leadership teams.
• Multitasking. Most jobs—especially in our digital age—require juggling several things at once. Managing multiple tasks, priorities, and projects is a must, increasing efficiency and productivity.
• Positivity. Having a positive attitude, practising positive thinking, and exuding genuine positivity at work reflect what you do and how others perceive you. It’s also one of the best skills for becoming a more productive professional and role model for co-workers and subordinates.
• Problem-solving. Issues and challenges are bound to arise at work. A solution-oriented worker with problem-solving skills is an asset to any organisation.
• Communication. Strong communication skills that include active listening, speaking, observing, writing, and emphasising are essential at every career level. The ability to convey information in an easily understood and open manner through written or verbal communication gets things done, supports smooth and productive operations, and builds trust and commitment.
• Creativity. More businesses are seeking creativity in their workers than ever before. Creativity does more than bring fresh ideas and new approaches to new and old problems; it encourages teamwork and bonding, increases problem-solving, and leads to greater productivity.
• Customer service. Research indicates 83% of people count excellent customer service as a critical purchasing factor. Professionals with customer service skills are an asset.
• Decision-making. Have you ever met a smart and skilled but indecisive person? The ability to make wise decisions expeditiously versus always delaying and asking for guidance is paramount.
• Ethical. There’s no place for unethical behaviour in the workplace.
• Self-motivation. Highlight examples of how you’ve taken the initiative, been self-motivated, and worked autonomously to solve problems.
• Time and project management. Effective, efficient workers have the discipline to prioritise their time to meet deadlines without compromising quality.
• Work ethic. Every client or employer seeks professionals who are punctual, reliable, and work hard to get the job done efficiently and effectively.
• Team player. Achieving goals in the workplace usually requires collaboration and teamwork.

Technical skills (hard skills) by industry

Technical skills—also known as hard skills—require specific training and education and are easier to prove, unlike soft skills.

For example, you either have experience with Photoshop, CSS, HTML, or a foreign language, or you don’t.

Each job comes with a different set of possible skill requirements. Below, we’ve outlined several job types and the skills you may need.

IT jobs

From software developers to network engineers and IT strategists, information technology jobs are booming right now.

In fact, the IT services market in the UK is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.36% by 2028.

Adding relevant skills to your CV can help you attract the attention of clients or hiring managers in a competitive marketplace. In addition to your skills section, highlight any IT certifications you’ve completed.Remember to highlight any IT certifications you have completed, too.

• Programming languages
• Web development
• Coding JavaScript
• Security
• Machine learning
• QA, testing, debugging
• User experience
• User interface (UI) design
• Data structures
• Open-source experience
• Front-end and back-end development
• Cloud management
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Agile development and Scrum execution
• Server maintenance

Engineering and technical jobs

Assess your essential job skills and highlight keywords—like those below—in your CV and cover letter to outshine the competition and score the best technical and engineering jobs, including computer engineering, civil engineering, and electrical engineering.

• Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills
• Computer-aided design (CAD)
• Workflow development
• Computer skills
• SolidWorks
• Design
• Prototyping
• Testing
• Troubleshooting
• Project management
• Lean
• Budgeting
• Technical writing

Advertising and marketing jobs

A company’s success, brand image, and ability to generate revenue and boost return on investment (ROI) hinge on several crucial functions, including traditional or digital advertising and marketing.

• Search engine optimisation (SEO)
• Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
• Display advertising
• Content marketing
• Conversion rate optimisation (CRO)
• A/B testing (set-up and analysis)
• Analytics tools like Google and Adobe
• Social media marketing
• Paid social media advertising
• Sales funnel management
• Content management tools
• Email marketing
• Traditional media
• Email automation
• Branding and design principles
• Role-specific software and tools

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General and project management jobs

Project managers and project schedulers are in high demand.

According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), project-related job roles in the UK are forecast to grow to 1.2 million by 2027.

Below are examples of key skills employers and clients look for from your CV or resume skills section.

• Agile
• Managing cross-functional teams
• Scrum
• Ideation leadership
• Feature definition
• Forecasting
• Performance tracking
• Financial modelling
• Meeting facilitation
• Scope management
• Project life cycle management
• Profit and loss (P&L)

Administrative jobs

Administrative positions require training and education and play a critical role in the success of an enterprise.

• Data entry
• Billing
• Scheduling
• Microsoft Office
• Shipping
• Salesforce
• Calendar management
• Vendor management
• Accounting software for bookkeeping
• Inventory management software

Sales and customer service jobs

Sales professionals are the revenue lifeblood of many companies, and the most desirable sales job professionals possess a combination of hard and soft skills.

Individuals who excel as customer service representatives need soft skills like communication, problem-solving, and active listening and hard skills like using CRM (customer relationship management) software.

Below are skills and knowledge recruiters look for in the experience section.

• Product knowledge
• Lead qualification
• Lead prospecting
• Self-motivation
• Customer needs analysis
• Referral marketing
• Contract negotiation
• Vendor relations
• Scope and contract negotiation
• Reducing customer acquisition cost (CAC)
• CRM software (e.g. Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Freshsales)

Accounting jobs

Accountants, financial analysts, and financial reporting specialists perform critical business functions that involve hard skills, such as those listed below, and soft skills, such as multitasking and attention to detail.

• Analytical and problem-solving
• Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets
• Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software
• Data analysis
• Revenue recognition
• Risk and compliance
• P&L
• Budgets
• International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
• Business and leadership
• Verbal and written skills

Next steps

Customising and perfecting your CV takes forethought, creativity, and expertise. Your CV can make or break your ability to get the job you want.

An experienced CV writer can help your CV stand out. Upwork has the largest pool of proven, remote writers available to help you get noticed and land a job interview.