Hard Skills - Examples, Definition, & How to List on a CV

What are hard skills?

Hard skills are knowledge or abilities that you can learn. For example, the ability to speak a second language is a hard skill that requires training.

Listing hard skills on your CV is key to landing the job you want, because employers prioritise applicants who have expertise specific to the roles they’re hiring for. Here are the top hard skills to put on a CV in 2023, based mainly on the World Economic Forum’s latest Future of Jobs Report for the UK:

Keep reading to see:

• lists of hard skills examples
• the difference between hard and soft skills
• how to highlight hard skills on your CV
• answers to hard skills FAQs

Hard skills examples

Need ideas for hard skills to put on your CV and cover letter in 2023? Click on any of the 11 types of hard skills below that fit your industry to view examples of abilities that’ll impress your target employer:

1. Management hard skills

While managers rely on soft leadership skills to succeed in supervisor roles, they also need technical expertise to connect with their employees and spearhead projects. These are hard skills to emphasise if you’re applying for a management position:

• Project management software (Trello, Asana, and Basecamp)
• Current industry knowledge
• Economic forecasting
• Coaching skills
• Motivation techniques
• Project management methods (Scrum, Agile, and Kanban)

2. Hard skills for customer service

Any job that involves interaction with clients requires good customer service skills. Here are examples of what to include in a cover letter and on your CV if you’re applying for a customer service job or transferring your customer service hard skills to another industry:

• Phone skills
• Typing skills
• Customer database software
• Conflict resolution strategies
• Point of sale (POS) systems
• Negotiation skills

3. Marketing hard skills

If you’re writing a CV for a marketing job, you’ll need skills related to creating and maintaining a brand’s image online, in traditional media, and during face-to-face interactions with target audiences. As a marketer, you’ll use hard skills like the following:

• Customer resource management (CRM) systems
• Advertising and public relations expertise
• Content marketing
• Social media management
• Product knowledge
• Search engine optimisation (SEO)

4. Hard skills for finance

Finance roles include accountants, investment managers, and analysts. If you want to work in a financial field, develop hard finance skills like these:

• Market knowledge
• Financial planning
• Investing platforms
• Bookkeeping software (QuickBooks, FreeAgent, and Xero)
• Maths skills
• Cryptocurrency expertise
• Knowledge of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) law

5. Creative hard skills

Creatives use many hard skills to maximise their artistic output. For example:

6. Hard skills for medical care

Whether you’re a surgeon or a dental nurse, you’ll use hard skills to care for patients. Some common medical hard skills are:

7. Data analysis skills

The demand for data scientists has skyrocketed in the last decade, so skills related to analysing data are valuable in 2023. Below are hard skills employers expect to see on CVs submitted for data analyst jobs:

• Analytical software (Captera, Minitab, and Incorta)
• Advanced spreadsheet skills
• Google Analytics (GA4)
• Research skills
• Reporting and presentating
• Analytics coding languages (SQL, R, and Python)

8. Technology skills

Technology skills range from knowing how to run a basic Google search to being able to write a computer program. Below are good examples of technical skills to showcase on your CV:

9. Vocational hard skills

Some of the most needed hard skills to have in 2023 don’t require formal academic training. Vocational training is increasingly popular in the UK, and can lead to functional skills like:

• Firefighting skills
• Air traffic control skills
• Refrigeration & air conditioning installation and repair skills
• Construction skills
• Law enforcement skills
• Cosmetology techniques
• Cooking skills

10. Hard communication skills

Every job you apply for requires good communication skills. Many communication skills are soft skills, such as confidence, empathy, and friendliness. But there are also many communication hard skills that you can develop through training, such as:

What are soft skills vs. hard skills?

In addition to hard skills, you’ll need good soft skills to succeed in your career. Soft skills are abilities connected to your personality, like friendliness and leadership. While you can develop and improve such skills, they’re limited by your nature.

Even employers in the most technical industries look for employees with soft skills that help them interact with others in the workplace. So remember to emphasise your top soft skills along with your hard skills to show recruiters that you’re a well-rounded worker who can handle technical tasks as well as be a great cultural fit.

Here are some examples of soft skills to go along with your hard skills:

• Problem solving
• Teamwork
• Interpersonal skills
• Positive attitude
• Attention to detail

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How to list hard skills on your CV

Not sure how to write a great CV that highlights your hard skills? Here’s how to describe them in three steps:

1. Use hard numbers and examples

The information you put on your CV should include data and examples of how you’ve used your hard skills to contribute to your employers. Numbers and examples of your accomplishments show employers what they can expect to get if they hire you.

Describing your hard skills with data also makes them stand out. Look at the two examples below to see how this works:

The first example — which is the one you should follow — uses numbers to give the recruiter a clear picture of what the applicant can do. On the other hand, the second example above is just a description of a responsibility that doesn’t engage the reader.

2. Choose the hard skills most likely to get you hired

The most important thing to remember about listing your hard skills on your CV is to highlight the ones the employer needs you to have. If you’re not sure which of your technical abilities your target employer needs, here’s how to find out:

• Check the job advert to see which hard skills the employer specifically mentioned as required for your target role
• Research the company to get a better idea of what it does and how your hard skills will benefit its work
• Read other similar job adverts to see what hard skills are needed in your target industry

Different employers have different needs, so retool your CV for every job you apply to. You may need to do a complete rewrite to emphasise a different skillset. But usually all you need to do is move information around so that your most job-relevant skills are near the top of your CV where they’re most likely to be seen.

3. Put them in all your CV sections

Recruiters read CVs quickly, so place your hard skills in every section to ensure they’re not missed. Put your hard skills in your CV’s:

• personal statement
• work experience section
• education section
• skills section
• hobbies and interests section

Frequently asked questions about hard skills

Here are answers to some more of the most common questions about hard skills:

1. What are hard skills everyone should have?
2. How do you list hard skills on a resume?
3. Which hard skill is best for the future?