Skills Based CV: Template & Writing Guide

A skills based CV (also known as a functional CV) is a type of CV format that focuses on your skills rather than your work experience.

Unlike traditional layouts, skills based CVs have large, detailed skills sections highlighting a few of your most relevant CV skills and explaining what you’ve achieved with them.

This format makes the skills based CV ideal if you’re writing your first CV, starting a new career, or preparing to apply for jobs after university.

Ready to write a strong skills based CV? Use our downloadable template and writing guide to get it done today.

Skills based CV template

Here’s a skills based CV template to give you an idea of what this format should look like:

Use CV Template

How to write a skills based CV

The process of writing a skills based CV is a little different from how you would write a standard CV. Follow these seven steps to lay out each section correctly.

1. List your name and contact information

Include the following information at the top of your CV:

• First and last name
• Target job title
• Mobile phone number
• Email address
• Location (You don’t need to put your full address on your CV)

2. Write an effective personal statement

For your CV personal statement, write 2–4 sentences or bullet points highlighting your top skills and accomplishments.

If you’re starting a new career, briefly mention a career goal or reason for applying. Doing so will personalise your application and show how you plan to apply your skills if given the job.

Here’s an example of a convincing personal profile that would look great on a skills based graduate CV. Despite not having previous work experience, the applicant highlights their transferable skills (researching, writing, and presenting) and technical skills (2D modelling software and risk management).

3. Group your CV skills by type

Your skills section is the most substantial part of your skills based CV, so including the right information is essential. Here’s how to add and format your skills correctly:

To write the skills section of your skills based CV:

1. read the job advert carefully to find the skills employers are looking for
2. think of any skills you have that would address the job requirements
3. add the 3–5 most relevant skills to your CV
4. for each skill, write 3–5 bullet points highlighting relevant achievements

This is an example of a CV skills section for a community coordinator role at a tech company:

TECHNICAL 

• Utilised Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma, and InDesign to create personalised graphics and infographics for businesses as a freelancer
• Created 2+ new websites for small businesses using JavaScript, React, and Ruby on Rails
• Taught HTML and CSS to online audiences of 50+ using Zoom

INTERPERSONAL

• Coached 10+ young entrepreneurs through 1–1 video calls on topics including self-confidence, overcoming failure, and goal setting
• Volunteered at Hybrid Career Centre from 2017–2018, mentoring 20 recent graduates on designing their online portfolios and personal websites
• Acted as a confidant and teacher for 5 secondary school pupils interested in tech through Meet-a-Mentor programme

CUSTOMER SERVICE

• Actively supporting existing and former members of the London Innovation Tech Group as a Facebook moderator
• Answered questions regarding UI/UX, graphic design, and mentorship opportunities from new members through Facebook Messenger
• Discovered new ways of engaging group members through relevant prompts, questions, and short videos

4. Include your employment history

Because this is a skills based CV, you should write less than you would in a traditional work experience section. Just include the essential information:

• Job title
• Company name
• Dates of employment (optional)
• Location
• A one-line description of the job if the role isn’t immediately clear to the reader

If you’re not including your dates of employment, list your jobs from most to least relevant. If you are including the dates, list them from the most recent to the earliest.

For instance, have a look at this applicant’s work history for a teaching position:

Teaching Assistant
Leeds Arts University, Leeds

Makeup Artist
Sephora, Brixton, London

Sales Clerk
TK MAXX, Brixton, London

5. Outline your education

Skills based CVs have a short education section to highlight your schooling, uni degree, and any other formal training that you received.

Normally the education section goes near the end of your CV, but if you’re applying for your first job after graduation, put it above your skills section.

Here’s an example of a CV education section on a skills based CV:

MA Computer Games Art and Design, Goldsmiths, University of London, 20XX–20XX

6. Mention your relevant hobbies and leisure activities

Listing your hobbies and leisure activities on your CV is a great way to highlight your personality and skill set, especially if you lack work experience (e.g. you’re writing a CV as a 16-year-old).

Try to include hobbies and interests that relate to the job you want because it shows recruiters you’ve targeted your CV to their job advert.

For instance, ‘photography’ and ‘website design’ are valuable additions for a graphic designer CV, but ‘watching YouTube videos’ isn’t.

7. Write a cover letter to connect your skills to the job

Skills based CVs are incredibly useful for showing that you understand the job requirements and highlighting your relevant skills. But because the focus is on you, it can be difficult to clearly outline your motivations for applying and goals within the hiring company.

Writing a strong cover letter will help you make that connection.

Use your cover letter to give context to one or two of your most impressive skills-based achievements and explain your reasons for wanting to work for the employer. To convey professionalism, follow standard cover letter formatting and write concisely.

Or if you have writer’s block, consider using a cover letter builder to do some of the hard work for you by generating a quick first draft.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have doubts about this CV layout? Here are the answers to six questions about skills-based CVs:

1. When should I use a skill based CV?

You can use a skill based CV when you don’t have much work experience, are writing a career change CV, or have lots of gaps in your work history. Skills based CVs are also useful if you:

• have highly developed skills you haven’t used on the job before
• are a recent graduate
• work in creative or freelance industries
• are turning a hobby or passion into a career

Skills based CVs focus on what you know rather than where you used to work, by highlighting a few key skills and explaining what you can do with them.

This approach makes tailoring your CV to a specific job much easier if you haven’t worked in many relevant roles before.

2. What is a functional CV?

A functional CV is a CV that emphasises your skills experience, rather than your work experience. It’s the same thing as a skills based CV. This format is particularly useful if you:

• have gaps in your employment history
• are changing careers
• have a diverse range of skills and experiences that are hard to show on a regular CV

3. How do you write a skill-focused CV?

Write a skill-focused CV (another term for skills-based CV) by emphasising your transferable and technical skills. Skills-focused CVs normally include a personal profile, skills section, work experience section, education section, and in some cases, a brief list of hobbies and interests.

4. How do you write a skills-based CV without fluff?

When an employer reads your CV, they’re looking for three things: skills, achievements, and a sense of what kind of worker you are.

So anything on your CV that doesn’t address those needs is fluff.

Write a CV without fluff by looking for the following mistakes:

• Generic descriptions (e.g., ‘hard worker’, ‘enthusiastic’)
• Empty claims (e.g., you mention strong leadership but don’t give any examples of yourself in a leadership role)
• Unnecessary description (e.g., describing a recognisable employer or job title)

You should also edit your first draft carefully for any empty language or phrasing that makes your CV long and wordy.

5. Should I use a skills-based or traditional format for my graduate CV?

Whether you should use a skills-based or traditional format for your graduate CV depends on your previous experience.

If you don’t have any previous work experience or your work history isn’t relevant to the role, then a skills-based CV will be much more effective.

Using a format that centres your skills rather than previous jobs lets you highlight achievements from your degree and free time. For example, you could mention data analysis tools or research methods you’ve used. This approach is particularly useful if you’re pursuing an opportunity that’s closely related to your studies, such as a relevant graduate scheme.

If you do have relevant previous experience or a lot of useful transferable skills from part-time or student jobs, then opt for a traditional chronological CV.

You can still highlight your uni-based achievements by writing a detailed education section including your dissertation title, relevant modules, and any awards or special projects you completed.

6. Do hiring managers prefer results-based or skills-based resumes?

Hiring managers’ preferred CV format is the one that best suits your skills and experience.

When we hire for our team, the first thing we look for on a CV is evidence of relevant skills and achievements. Both skills-based and chronological formats can be suitable for this purpose, but which is better for you as an individual applicant depends on your background.

If you have relevant skills and experience from previous jobs, use a conventional CV layout. If you got your relevant skills from other areas of your life, use a skills-based CV to help them stand out.