Key Skills for Your CV: 137 Examples & Writing Tips

Writing a great CV is all about knowing how to sell your strengths to employers.

To make a strong case for yourself, you’ll need to pick the right skills for your CV — and present them memorably on paper.

Hard skills vs soft skills

To get any job, you’ll need the right combination of hard and soft skills.

Hard skills are skills you learn through education, on-the-job training, or other life experiences. Some examples include coding, working a cash register, and graphic design.

Meanwhile, soft skills are personal strengths you have because of your personality. Being a good communicator, having empathy, or working well under pressure are all good examples of soft skills.

7 soft skills for any CV

Soft skills are widely transferable between jobs and industries. These are seven of the most sought-after soft skills for a CV:

Adaptability

Adaptability (or having a growth mindset) is the ability to adjust to changes and challenges in the workplace quickly.

In a professional setting, adaptability is a valuable trait for learning new tools and methodologies, handling high volumes of work under pressure, or maintaining composure during a challenge.

Example of adaptability on a CV

Swiftly adapted communications in response to a PR emergency, ensuring continued positive media coverage and client satisfaction

Analytical skills

Analytical skills involve the ability to collect, interpret, and analyse information to solve problems and make decisions effectively.

Some workplace achievements that require analytical skills (and similar critical thinking skills) include market research and data analysis:

Example of analytical skills on a CV

Conducted comprehensive blockchain analysis to identify key market trends that helped increase revenues by 15% in Q1 of 20XX

Interpersonal skills

Also known as ‘people skills’, interpersonal skills are traits that make it easy to build positive relationships with others.

Empathy, conflict resolution, and active listening are important types of interpersonal skills. Here’s how you could talk about your interpersonal skills on a customer service CV:

Example of interpersonal stills on a CV

Praised for demonstrating an excellent telephone manner, listening closely to customer problems and guide them toward satisfactory solutions

Communication skills

Written and verbal communication skills are essential for conveying information clearly and effectively to both customers and fellow team members.

Communication can mean different things depending on the job you’re applying for. Strong writing skills, public speaking, and negotiation skills are some types of communication skills that employers often ask for.

Example of communication skills on a CV

Presented compelling weekly marketing reports to department heads, synthesising key information into memorable bites that kept stakeholders up-to-speed with key developments

Time management skills

Time management skills are essential for jobs that feature tight deadlines, working under pressure, or handling multiple projects at once.

Demonstrating an ability to plan, prioritise, and finish tasks efficiently will help you prove your time management skills to employers.

Example of time management skills on a CV

Efficiently manage multiple project timelines, ensuring all deliverables were completed ahead of schedule and under budget, resulting in a 25% increase in client satisfaction

Teamwork skills

Teamwork skills are a valuable addition to any business. The ability to work well with others is a sign you’ll grow quickly with the company.

You can’t measure teamwork in hard numbers, but you can describe your collaborative strengths by specifying how you’ve contributed to team goals, worked well in a fast-paced environment, or handled group deadlines.

This bullet point from a retail CV demonstrates strong teamwork skills:

Example of teamwork skills on a CV

Worked closely with a team of 30 retail assistants to manage one of Parka’s busiest UK stores, with an average daily footfall of approximately 30,000 visitors

Leadership skills

Leadership skills are essential for guiding, motivating, and inspiring individuals to achieve their goals and drive team success.

Examples of leadership skills in a professional setting include mentoring, decision-making, and strategic planning.

Example of leadership skills on a CV

Led a sales team to exceed quarterly targets by 25% through strategic planning and motivational coaching, resulting in increased revenue and team cohesion

130 hard skills for different jobs

Including the right hard skills on your CV emphasises your technical skills and demonstrates that you’re a good fit for the job.

These hard skills are specific to certain occupations and industries, so we’ve organised them as such.

Finance skills

Engineering skills

Design skills

Project management skills

Marketing skills

Administration & office support skills

Hospitality and food skills

Retail skills

Care skills

Teaching skills

Information Technology skills

Here are some key computer skills for your CV:

Creative arts skills

Journalism and media skills

How to put skills on your CV

Highlight relevant skills throughout your CV by giving specific examples of your responsibilities and achievements. Employers like seeing proof that you have the skills you say you do.

Identify what the employer is looking for

Check the job description to identify the key skills you need to include on your CV. Most employers list the most important skills first.

Here’s a job description that highlights some of the skills the employer is looking for:

List hard skills in your CV skills section

Write any relevant tools or technical skills that you can offer the employer in a short bulleted list:

Key Skills

• Adobe Photoshop and Indesign
• Typography
• Brand development
• Market research
• Animation skills

If the job requires a specific level of ability (e.g., fluent foreign language skills), you can describe the relevant skill in one or two words:

Spanish (Bilingual)

Remember to back up your skills with relevant achievements either in your work experience section or when you write your cover letter. A list of your skills will catch an employer’s attention, but you need to provide evidence as well if you really want to impress them.

Illustrate soft skills with specific examples

Soft skills look vague on paper. For example, listing ‘Great communication skills’ in your skills section doesn’t say tell the employer how you communicate or whether you’re a good writer.

The best place on your CV to show your soft skills is in your work experience section.

Include achievements or responsibilities that illustrate how you’ve applied your soft skills in previous roles.

For example, this bullet point demonstrates empathy, customer service, and the ability to work under pressure by specifying the number of inquiries the applicant handles daily:

Resolved 15+ returns, complaints, and general inquiries per day, taking time to understand customer issues and provide personalised solutions in a fast-paced environment

Highlight key skills in your personal statement

Your personal statement is a brief 3–5 line summary of your skills and experience.

Because it’s so brief, only include the most important skills you can bring to the role. Keep mentions to a few words in length so employers can quickly scan your introduction:

Personal Statement

Senior graphic designer with 5 years of agency experience in branding, UI/UX design, and motion graphics. Proficient in Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop and can handle multiple projects under pressure. Strive to create impactful, cohesive visuals that resonate across all media platforms.

Frequently asked questions

Here are four additional questions you might have about CV skills:

What are the best skills for a student CV?

Highlight your transferable skills when you’re writing a student CV:

• Research skills that you’ve used to familiarise yourself with topics, prepare reports, and test theories
• Written communication skills that you’ve developed through essay writing, blogs, and creative writing projects
• Public speaking skills that you may have practised online or in person
• Organisational skills, whether you’ve handled admin as a volunteer or a member of a student organisation

Where should you put your skills section on a CV?

Put your skills section where it will make the most impact.

If you’re writing a CV without much work experience, consider putting your skills section near the top of the first page can quickly tell what you know.

On the other hand, if you already have relevant experience, you should put your skills section after your job history because the employer will be more interested in your previous roles.

How do I talk about my skills in an interview?

The STAR method is one of the best ways to talk about your skills in a job interview.

STAR stands for:

• Situation: a situation or problem you dealt with
• Task: your role or responsibility in the situation
• Action: the actions you took to address the situation
• Result: the results of your actions

Here’s how you might use the STAR method when answering a question about your strengths and weaknesses:

Using the STAR Method to talk about your skills

In my previous role at a digital marketing agency, we had a major client who was launching a new product line. (Situation). I was responsible for leading the design team to develop engaging and cohesive visual content for the product launch, including social media graphics, display ads, and promotional videos. (Task). To meet the deadline, I delegated more specific tasks to junior designers and leveraged my design expertise to ensure the outputs were high-quality while taking care of the project’s wider objectives. (Action). We were able to quickly produce the requested assets, leading to a successful campaign that saw a 25% increase in customer engagement in the lead-up to the launch. (Result).