100+ Best Skills for a CV (List & How to Include Them)

You can’t write a CV without including skills. They give the hiring manager proof that you have the necessary qualifications to do the job.

Crafting an effective CV skills section involves more than a random list—it requires careful selection. It's a daunting task, with thousands of professional skills for a CV available. Fear not; we'll guide you through the process, offering insights into different skill types, providing useful examples, and teaching you how to present them effectively on your CV.

In this guide, you’ll get:

• A breakdown of key skills for CVs and their types.
• Over 100 of the most in-demand CV skills for any job.
• Where and how to incorporate your skills on a CV.

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CV example with selected skills for a CV

What are the best skills for a CV?

The best skills to put on a CV are those that are in high demand. The top 10 skills employers seek the most right now are:

1. Customer Service
2. Operations & Logistics Skills
3. Marketing Skills
4. Engineering
5. IT Skills
6. Reasoning & Problem-Solving
7. Critical Thinking
8. Resilience & Adaptability
9. Reliability
10. Creativity

If you possess one of these highly coveted skills, it would be a great idea to include it on your CV—even if it’s not specifically mentioned in the job description.

This list is a mix of soft skills and hard skills. What’s the difference between them?

Hard CV skills versus soft CV skills

Hard skills encompass specific and measurable abilities or knowledge, often tied to technical expertise, such as programming languages, data analysis, or proficiency in various software applications. These quantifiable skills can be demonstrated through certificates, degrees, or assessments.

On the other hand, soft skills focus on non-technical attributes related to how individuals work and interact with others. Examples include communication, teamwork, adaptability, and problem-solving. Unlike hard skills, soft skills are more abstract and often developed through experiences.

When selecting the key skills to put on a CV, you need to consider both. So, let’s examine some of the best soft and hard skills for a CV.

Best soft skills for a CV

We’ll take a look at soft CV skills first because they’re widely considered the most important skills you need for career success. In fact, they’re said to be of paramount importance for the 21st-century workforce, ranking above hard skills in terms of desirable qualities in an employee. 

Even a century ago, a study conducted by Harvard University concluded that 85% of job success is directly related to soft skills, so they’ve stood the test of time. Here are some of the best soft skills for a CV separated into thematic groups:

Interpersonal & communication CV skills

These skills are essential for fostering positive workplace relationships. Effective communication ensures collaboration, conflict resolution, and a harmonious work environment.

• Effective communication skills
• Active listening
• Leadership skills
• Public speaking & presentation skills
• Written communication
• Persuasion
• Teamworking skills
• Customer service
• Verbal communication
• Interpersonal skills
• Giving & receiving feedback
• Storytelling
• Negotiation

Creative skills

Creative skills encourage innovative thinking and unique problem-solving approaches. They also drive adaptability, helping employees thrive in dynamic work settings.

• Creative thinking
• Originality
• Artistic abilities
• Design thinking
• Open-mindedness
• Imagination
• Visualization
• Idea generation

Critical thinking & analysis akills

These skills are crucial for informed decision-making. Critical thinking enables workers to analyse situations, solve complex problems, and make strategic choices that benefit the organization.

• Analytical thinking
• Logical reasoning
• Research skills
• Data analysis
• Problem analysis
• Attention to detail
• Evaluation
• Critical thinking
• Judgment

Problem-solving skills

Fundamental to overcoming challenges, problem-solving skills empower you to identify issues, develop solutions, and contribute to a more efficient and effective work process.

• Decision-making
• Troubleshooting
• Solution orientation
• Resourcefulness
• Crisis management
• Innovation
• Systems thinking
• Initiative

Resilience skills

Vital in navigating setbacks and uncertainties, resilience skills empower employees to bounce back from challenges, maintain motivation, and sustain a positive attitude in the face of adversity.

• Flexibility
• Adaptability skills
• Rapid learning
• Openness to change
• Agile decision-making
• Versatility
• Tolerance for ambiguity
• Agility

These are the same skills groups that are among the top most in-demand CV skills in the world.

Importantly, they’re all transferable skills, too, meaning they can be carried with you from job to job, even if you make a career change. But as important as they are, they’re not the only skills to put on a CV. Hard skills are essential, too, and every CV should contain a good mix of the two.

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Best hard skills for a CV

While most employers listed a soft skill when asked to name the most important skill in an employee, hard skills are absolutely essential to function effectively at work. So, let’s look at some of the best types of hard skills for a CV.

IT skills to put on a CV

IT skills empower workers to navigate the digital landscape, fostering efficiency and innovation in a technology-driven workplace. They are also some of the most in-demand CV skills.

• UI/UX design
• Artificial intelligence (AI)
• Coding languages
• Operating systems
• Machine learning
• Networking and wireless technologies
• Software development
• Virtual reality
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• Mobile development
• Cybersecurity
• Cloud computing
• Programming
• Blockchain technology

Project management CV skills

Project management is simply the process of guiding a team to achieve goals and succeed during a specified time period. As such, it’s applicable across all industries and an essential skill to have in your professional arsenal. Here are some of the top project management skills for a CV.

• Scrum
• Kanban
• Agile practices
• Budgeting
• Project planning
• Project scoping
• Scheduling
• Forecasting
• Reporting
• Budgeting
• Procurement
• Risk management
• Project management software
• Project management methodologies
• Task management
• Procurement

Analytical skills for a CV

Workplaces are increasingly data-driven, and that data needs to be effectively analysed to drive business performance. So, analytical skills are another essential subset of hard skills to consider putting on your CV.

• Data entry
• Budget management
• Mathematical skills
• Software skills
• Statistics
• Troubleshooting and problem identification
• Reporting
• Documentation
• Research
• Diagnostics
• SWOT analysis
• Benchmarking
• ROI analysis
• Data analysis
• Comparative analysis
• Comparison e.g. A/B testing
• Forecasting

Marketing CV skills

These are skills related to the promotion of products and services. They’re particularly important for jobs in the media, advertising, and sales. However, any job that involves an element of promoting a product or service requires knowledge of marketing skills.

• SEO & SEM
• PPC
• Funnel management
• Email marketing and automation
• Technological Proficiency
• Social media marketing
• Mobile advertising
• Content creation
• Content editing
• CRM tools
• CMS tools
• Design
• Data analysis
• A/B testing
• Digital marketing
• Video marketing
• Market analysis
• Layout and design
• UX analysis and reporting
• Project management
• Website management

Operations & logistics CV skills

Essential for smooth business operations, these skills optimize processes, enhance productivity, and ensure seamless resource management.

• Supply chain management
• Inventory management
• Logistics planning
• Warehouse management
• Transportation management
• Procurement and sourcing
• Quality control
• Risk management
• Process improvement
• Project management
• Lean Six Sigma
• International trade regulations
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Technology integration

That was just a brief selection of the most popular soft and hard skills to put on a CV. But it barely scratches the surface. There are many more skills specific to different roles in different industries. So how are you supposed to choose which are the key skills for your CV, and what’s the best way to include them? That’s what we’ll cover next.

Where and how to list skills on a CV

Every time you apply for a job, you should adjust your CV to tailor it to the specific job requirements. Using the same generic CV for every application won’t do you any favours. Luckily, ensuring you choose the right skills for a CV is easy.

All you need to do is refer to the job advert and note all the skills it mentions. Then, consider your own skills and see what matches the job requirements. Make sure you also consider transferable skills and any other industry-specific skills the job advert doesn’t mention.

So, how many skills to choose for a CV? The ideal number is 5–10. Pick skills from your own list that are relevant to the job and include them in the skills section of your CV. Here’s an example of how it should look:

How to include skills in your CV skill section

Note how there’s a short sentence explaining how you demonstrate that skill. A powerful way of adding proof to your claims. But when you’re considering skills for a CV, it doesn’t stop with the skills section. You can actually include them throughout your entire CV.

How to include skills in your CV summary

You can put skills on your CV right from the start in your CV profile, also known as your CV summary or CV objective, depending on your experience level. Including a couple of relevant skills in the introduction to your CV is a great way to hook the hiring manager and convince them to keep reading. Here’s an example of how to incorporate skills into your CV summary.

This candidate demonstrates leadership and management abilities, having managed teams of software and games developers. Meanwhile, the emphasis on budget control underscores financial management skills, crucial for completing projects efficiently. He also shows proficiency in Agile methodology.

How to include skills in your CV work experience section

As the most important section of your CV, it’s essential that you use your work history to include more evidence of your skills. It’s actually the perfect place to show how your skills have yielded quantifiable results. Here are two bullet points from a CV work experience section that do exactly that.

These measured work achievements showcase a blend of project management, Agile methodologies, stakeholder engagement, and effective communication skills.

How to include skills in your education section

If you’re writing a student CV or a graduate CV, you can use your CV education section as an additional place to put skills on your job application. Without a professional work history, it’s an ideal way to show off your abilities. Simply add one or two bullet points highlighting relevant coursework or extracurricular activities demonstrating your hard or soft skills. Here’s how it could look:

With just one bullet point, this candidate shows he’s educated in these three important financial skills.

How to include skills in additional CV sections

When it comes to bonus sections, the world is your oyster. They are a great way of including more skills in your CV.

A languages section is an obvious one, that’s a highly desirable hard skill nailed. But you can also show evidence of your skills with a hobbies and interests section. You may have a hobby that demonstrates a specific hard skill or one that indicates soft skills. A well-known example is team sports, which demonstrates teamwork and leadership skills.

You could also include projects or certificates on your CV. There are many ways to demonstrate your skills in additional CV sections. Here’s an example:

These certifications show expertise in project management, while publications demonstrate a commitment to Agile methodologies and innovative project planning, showcasing an adaptive project management approach.

That’s all there is to it. Here’s a brief summary of what we’ve covered:

• Select a blend of soft and hard skills tailored to the job you're targeting.
• Include both role-specific and general transferable skills that highlight your value proposition.
• Integrate skills throughout your CV, emphasizing their application and impact, especially in the work experience section.
• Demonstrate how your skills contributed to measurable achievements to reinforce their practical relevance.

You don’t have to be a CV writing expert. In the LiveCareer CV builder you’ll find ready-made content for every industry and position, which you can then add with a single click.

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Thanks for reading. If you have any questions about good skills for a CV, please ask in the comments section, and we’ll be happy to help.

How we review the content at LiveCareer

Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with Livecareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.