10 key skills to include in CV
The skills part of your CV demonstrates to employers that you have the talents needed to succeed in the position. Employers often pay close attention to the skills section when deciding who should advance to the next stage of the recruiting process. The key skills to include on CV are an important part of your CV along with the other sections to be included in a CV like personal information, educational qualifications, etc. To know more about what sections to include in your CV, (link)
What skills can I include in my CV?
If you have a question as to what key skills to include on CV, keep reading to find out.
Hard Skills and Soft Skills
Employers are searching for workers that have the appropriate combination of soft skills and hard skills.
Hard skills are abilities that are unique to a certain profession or sector. These are often more technical skills learned in school, graduation programs, training materials, or on-the-job experience. Proficiency of the following hard skills is an example of a hard skill:
- Software
- Foreign languages
- Using specific technology or equipment
On the other hand, soft skills are skills that may be used in any profession. Soft skills are sometimes referred to as “people skills” or “social skills,” and comprise abilities such as:
- Communication
- Customer service
- Problem-solving
- Time Management
- Leadership Skills
What skills can I include in my CV?
Hard skills can generally be taught, while soft skills are personality characteristics that are far more difficult to acquire yet are highly important to employers. Most of the time, your soft skills may help you improve your hard abilities. If you’re a detail-oriented software engineer who knows how to code in a computer programming language, for example, you’ll be able to spot mistakes and fix problems in the code you and your team write.
To assist you in crafting the skills part of your resume, here are 10 suggestions and resume skills samples.
What skills can I include in my CV?
Top 10 key skills to include on CV:
Key Skills to include on CV #1: Communication:
To present oneself as a well-rounded candidate, it’s critical to emphasise your greatest hard and soft talents as a job seeker. It’s also a good idea to think about how the two kinds of talents connect to one another and the job in order to properly position yourself in your next interview.
Communication talents are the capabilities you employ to provide and receive various types of information. Communicating thoughts, emotions, or what’s going on around you are some examples. Listening, speaking, watching, and empathising are all communication abilities. Strong communication skills are necessary for every sector and at every level of employment.
The following are some related communication skills:
- Listening attentively
- Criticising while being constructive
- Interpersonal Communication Skills
- Speaking in front of an audience
- Communication (verbal and nonverbal)
- Written word communication
Key Skills to include on CV #2: Interpersonal Skills
When you connect and communicate with people, you depend on interpersonal skills. They cover a wide range of situations in which collaboration is required. Working effectively with people, solving issues, and leading projects or teams necessitates the development of interpersonal skills.
Interpersonal skills that are related include:
- Communication
- Leadership
- Patience
- Empathy
- Flexibility
Key Skills to include on CV #3: Leadership
Was there a time when you led a group to tremendous success? Or have you ever organised a student project and received a good grade for your leadership? Make sure to include this in your CV.
Leadership skills are those that enable you to manage others in order to achieve a common objective. Leadership abilities are required to inspire people to accomplish a sequence of tasks, typically on a schedule, whether you’re in a managerial role or heading a project.
Leadership abilities that are related:
- Teaching and mentoring abilities
- Flexibility
- Team development via risk-taking
- Organise your time.
Key Skills to include on CV #4: Problem Solving Skills
This is another crucial ability skill which you could mention – Problem Solving. This might be an underrated skill but being a good problem solver can advance your career options in many ways. Consider a time when you utilised logic and reasoning to arrive at a good answer, conclusion, or strategy.
Issue-solving abilities are traits that enable you to pinpoint the root of a problem and swiftly devise a viable solution. This ability is highly appreciated in any sector and in any position. Certain industry or job-specific technical abilities may be required to solve issues in your position.
Problem-solving abilities that are related:
- Pay close attention to the details.
- Patience
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Research
Key Skills to include on CV #5: Active Listening Skills
The capacity to concentrate entirely on a speaker, hear their message, comprehend the information, and react intelligently is known as active listening. Active listeners utilise both verbal and nonverbal cues to demonstrate and maintain their focus on the speaker. Active listening abilities may demonstrate to your coworkers that you are involved and interested in the project or job at hand.
Listening skills that are related include:
- Punctuality
- Communication (verbal and nonverbal)
- Posing inquiries
- Note-taking
- Organisation
Key Skills to include on CV #6: Time Management
Employers want to see that you can properly manage your time. Employees that are productive and efficient are more valuable to the company. Demonstrate how you used time management to complete a project or assignment ahead of schedule.
You may finish activities and projects ahead of schedule while still preserving a work-life balance if you have good time management abilities. Keeping yourself organised may assist you in allocating your workday to particular activities based on their significance. Understanding your personal, team, and business objectives in depth may help you decide how to best manage your time.
Time management abilities that are related:
- Task delegation
- Focus
- Prioritisation of Organisational Goals
Key Skills to include on CV #7: Management Skills
Managerial talents are characteristics that aid in the management of both tasks and people. To assist a team or project, a good manager is organised, sympathetic, and communicates effectively. Managers should be well-versed in both soft and technical skills relevant to their business.
Management abilities that are related:
- Decision-making
- Planning a project
- Delegation of tasks
- Leadership and communication within the team
Key Skills to include on CV #8: Customer Service Skills
Every business will have to deal with customers at some point. You may work in a customer-facing or behind-the-scenes capacity, depending on your position. Consider the methods you’ve interacted with consumers in the past. Include this on your CV if you effectively handled a tough issue. Customer service skills are characteristics and behaviours that enable you to meet the requirements of customers and provide a pleasant experience. Customer service abilities, in general, are highly reliant on problem-solving and communication. Customer service is often seen as a “soft talent,” requiring characteristics such as active listening and the ability to interpret both verbal and nonverbal signals.
Customer service abilities that are related include:
- Listening attentively
- Empathy
- Personality traits
- Problem-solving
- Reliability
Key Skills to include on CV #9: Industry-Specific Skills
In certain sectors, specific talents are required. The capacity to produce financial reports, as well as forecasting, generating forecasts, and conducting audits, are essential abilities in finance and accounting. Don’t assume that your prospective employer is aware of your qualifications. Make sure you mention them in your CV if you have them.
Key Skills to include on CV #10: Digital Know-How
Many companies now operate online, but digital skills are in short supply. Add abilities like WordPress management, blogging, or managing online communities if you have them. Your company would be more than happy to hire you if you possess extra skills such as the Digital ones. With many businesses going live on social media, possessing Digital skills will increase your chances of getting a job, and being learned and informed of these skills will not go waste for sure.
What Skills Can I Include in my CV: How to Recognize the Correct Skills
Each CV you create should be customised especially for the job you’re looking for.
This may seem to be more complicated than it is. All you have to do is take a strategic approach and thoroughly study the abilities listed in the job description, which you can then customise your CV around.
Every part of your CV should include facts that will help you stand out from the crowd. Having said that, the material you provide must be relevant. Don’t feel compelled to include a talent you don’t have simply because it’s in the job description.
One of the most essential aspects of your CV for companies is the manner you communicate your talents. If you’re hired, a recruiter or hiring manager will want to know what’s in it for them.
They will specifically aim to address the following questions:
- What you may be able to contribute to the business
- What you might do to help the department and the organisation as a whole
- How would you add value to the current team?
- As a result, you must demonstrate not just whatever talents you possess, but also how you have used them.
One of the most important qualities you must show is teamwork.
