Skills to put on a CV

A skills section helps recruiters and application software match you to a job quickly. The trick is picking the right ones and backing them up.

Hard skills and soft skills

Hard skills are things you can be trained in and tested on: forklift driving, Excel, venepuncture, Python, bookkeeping. Soft skills are how you work: communication, teamwork, problem solving, reliability. A good CV has both, but hard skills belong in the skills list and soft skills are best shown through examples in your experience.

How to pick yours

Read the job advert and the person specification.
Highlight every skill, tool, licence and qualification they mention.
Put the ones that are true for you in your skills section, using the same words the advert uses.
Prove the most important two or three in your experience bullets.

Examples by job type

Healthcare: patient observations, NEWS2, medication administration, venepuncture, catheter care, safeguarding, infection control, moving and handling, dementia care, clinical record keeping.

Construction and trades: first and second fix, reading drawings, setting out, working at height, RAMS, CSCS, PASMA, IPAF, plant operation, snagging.

Warehouse and driving: picking and packing, RF scanners, counterbalance and reach truck, goods in, stock rotation, multi-drop delivery, route planning, manual handling, full UK licence.

Retail and hospitality: customer service, cash handling, EPOS, upselling, barista skills, food hygiene, allergen awareness, stock control, opening and closing, visual merchandising.

Office and admin: diary management, minute taking, Microsoft 365, Excel, data entry, invoicing, Xero or Sage, CRM systems, record keeping, travel booking.

Tech: Python, JavaScript or TypeScript, SQL, cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP), Git, testing, CI/CD, APIs, data analysis, system design.

Finance: month-end close, reconciliations, management accounts, forecasting, variance analysis, VAT returns, payroll, advanced Excel, Power BI, audit.

Marketing: copywriting, social media, SEO, Google Ads, email marketing, content planning, analytics, Canva, campaign reporting, PR.

Show, don't just list

"Excellent communication skills" means little on its own. Turn it into evidence:

Communication: "Explained care plans to families of 30 residents and ran monthly relatives' meetings."
Teamwork: "Covered three roles during a staff shortage so the site kept its delivery slots."
Problem solving: "Spotted a recurring stock error and fixed the process, saving 4 hours a week."

Skills to leave out

Basics every employer assumes, such as "email" or "using the internet"
Skill rating bars or stars, which say nothing and confuse application software
Out-of-date software nobody uses any more

See skills for your profession

Each CV template page lists the skills employers in that field look for. When you paste your CV, Your CV Studio pulls your skills into their own section automatically.