Best Skills to Put on a CV
Dec 6, 2025
Understanding what sort of skills to put on a CV could be the deciding factor between getting shortlisted or ignored, employers tend to scan through CV’s and one section they pay key attention to is if the skills on your CV match the role that you are applying for. This indicates how important the skills section is on your CV. Employers don’t just look for skills, they scan through the CV looking for the most relevant and proven skills that will help you fulfill the job that you are applying for.
Nevertheless, the majority of people make the same mistake of generalising and listing skills that may not have any relevance to the job you are applying for or even listing generic skills without explaining their relevance. Most of the time employers don’t just want to see what skills you have but most importantly they want to know how you use these key skills. In this blog we will be covering and explaining which skills employers value the most and how you can showcase these skills effectively. Whether this is your first role or you are looking to change roles or even progress in your career, understanding the key skills to put on a CV is crucial and this is what will help you stand out in a competitive market.
Hard Skills Employers Value
So firstly let’s identify what the meaning of hard skills is; hard skills are specific, teachable abilities or a skill set that is easy to quantify and measure. They are the technical abilities that are required to perform specific tasks or jobs. These skills are usually acquired through education and training or even hands-on experience and can be very important for showcasing an individual's ability to perform job related tasks.
Some examples of hard skills include:
Technical Skills:
Programming languages; Python, SQL, Java, JavaScript etc.
Data Analysis
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
CRM systems; Salesforce, HubSpot
Business:
Project Management
Bookkeeping
Agile Management
Language:
Proficiency in spanish
German
Sign Language
Trades:
Welding
Carpentry
Plumbing
Including a list of skills to put on a CV relevant to the job you are applying for can really increase your chances, it shows the employer that you are a good potential for the job.
How to show Hard Skills
Hard skills can be shown via qualifications or specific projects that you may have done. For example for a software engineer they could use a degree to showcase that they have acquired the skill of using different programming languages. However alongside this they could also mention a bunch of projects they have done using the specific programming languages. Both of these ways showcase a person's hard skills and this is applicable across different industries.
Soft skills that stand out
Now let’s discuss what soft skills are; so soft skills also known as people skills or interpersonal skills, these are usually subjective to an individual person's attributes. They show how well someone can work with people or how effectively they interact with others. Different from hard skills which are all about what you can do, however soft skills are about how you do it, these often are less of a technical trait and more about a person's character.
One key point to remember is that soft skills are universal, what this means is that for example “Good Communication” is just as valuable for a project manager as it is for a doctor. Soft skills can be learnt however these more often are acquired through life experiences and social interactions.
Soft skill examples
Some good key skills to put on a CV in terms of soft skills include:
Communication
Teamwork
Problem Solving
Time management
Adaptability
Leadership
Most of these soft skills are valued across different industries, making them good to include in your CV.
How to show soft skills
Usually what a lot of people tend to do is list out their soft skills, this doesn't really show the employer if you possess that specific skill. For example;
Communication: Presented weekly projects to update the team or Helped my team understand a specific task for a sprint so we could finish on time
Problem solving: Resolved coding bugs by scanning the code and fixing different grammatical coding problems
Whenever you are deciding what to put for skills on a CV, make sure that your soft skills are backed up by examples of how you may have used them previously in your other job or if you are a student at work experience or even at university. This allows the employer to be more engaged and ensures them that you could be a suitable candidate for the job.
How to tailor skills to a job description
The best way to improve your employability is by catering your CV to the specific job that you are applying for. A lot of or should I say majority of the employers use an ATS system that looks for specific skills that match the job description. So having a CV that is almost bespoke to the job that you are applying for can increase your chances.
How to match your Skills to the role
So there are different ways to understand how you can match your skills to the role. Here are some things to look out for;
Identify repeated skills that have been mentioned, look for keywords in the job description
Match your own skills using similar wording
Make to prioritize the most relevant skills at the top of your CV
Ensuring this means that you are highlighting the best key skills to put on a CV for the specific job role.
Common skills sections mistakes to avoid
Listing too many unrelated skills
Copying generic skills lists
Including skills without context or evidence
Having a good idea on what are good skills to put on a CV is crucial, but knowing how to tailor these specific skills is what will allow you to get the job.
To sum up
Ensuring that you choose the right skills isn’t just about listing what you can do, it’s about showing employers what you can do for them with the specific skills. Focusing on relevance, tailoring the skills for each role and supporting them with examples is the most important. By understanding what are good skills to put on a CV, you’ll substantially increase your chances of landing interviews and potentially the job