Skills for CV – a list of hard skills for your CV or resumé

Hard skills are specific – teachable skills that can be defined and measured. They may be contrasted with soft skills which are less tangible and harder to quantify. An example of the most common soft skills an employer looks for are communication, problem solving, organisation, and so on.

To view a list of soft skills go to: Work experience.

Most common hard skills for your CV

Here, we detail a fantastic list of skills that you may want to use for your CV:

  • Using word processing software (e.g. Word)
  • Using spreadsheets (e.g. Excel)
  • Using database software (e.g. Access)
  • Using presentation software (e.g. PowerPoint)
  • Delivering presentations
  • Dictation
  • Bookkeeping
  • Accounting
  • Shorthand
  • Typing/Audio typing
  • Ability with maths
  • Taking minutes
  • Being able to speak a language
  • Translation
  • Familiarity with technical language (e.g. medical)
  • Copywriting (e.g. being able to write landing pages for websites)
  • Blogging in a professional context (e.g. legal blogging)
  • Programming
  • Project management (e.g. Prince 2, Agile)
  • Awareness of the law in specific areas (e.g. HR)
  • Link building
  • Proofreading/editing
  • Event management
  • Creating internal newsletters
  • Maintaining company intranet
  • Managing company social media profiles
  • Graphic design
  • Use of Adobe software e.g. Photoshop, Illustrator
  • Use of online software e.g. Google Analytics, Majestic SEO
  • Data analysis skills
  • Familiarity with particular phone systems
  • Proficiency in a foreign language
  • The ability to operate certain machinery (e.g. fork lifts)
  • Use of telecommunications systems
  • Health and safety skills (e.g. the ability to carry out risk assessments)
  • First aid skills
  • Driving – including the ability to drive anything other than a car
  • Legal skills (e.g. you might have attended courses and dealt with HR matters previously)
  • Practical skills (e.g. manufacturing, plumbing, decorating – so far as they are relevant to the role or employer
  • Research skills

List relevant skills

As you can see from the above CV skills examples, the range of potential skills for CV writing is fairly wide and very specific to you. Try to include skills that are either directly relevant to the job post you are applying for, or valuable to your employer. For example, if you are applying for a job as a lawyer, legal blogging is unlikely to be listed on your responsibilities but this is a skill that most legal employers value highly.

Let them know how good you are

When listing skills for CV writing, prospective employers will generally expect you to give some indication of your proficiency. For example, if one of your skills is that you can speak French, you should indicate the level of skill (basic, intermediate, advanced, or fluent).

When mentioning certain skills for CV writing, employers may want to know how they were acquired. For example, if you say that you have first aid skills, employers will need to know which first aid courses you have attended and whether your training is up to date.

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