The best hard skills and soft skills to put on your CV

Career

Creating a resume that stands out isn’t easy. One of the best things you can do is to focus on your skills. There are certain skills that can make your CV more attractive to employers.

In some cases, recruiters may even use automatic screening tools that look for certain keywords. These skill ‘keywords’ can usually be found in the job advert description.

Job-related skills come in many forms, but can largely be separated into two categories: hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are often job-specific and are skills that you must learn through training, education or self-teaching. Soft skills are usually applicable to any job and are more like personality traits. 

The way in which you discuss both of these skills in your resume is important. This post explores some of the most attractive hard skills and soft skills, how to achieve these skills and how to mention them in your resume in order to make your CV stand out. 

The best hard skills

Because hard skills are job-specific, they can often be quite niche (for example, a chef role may require skills like menu planning, food safety knowledge and knife skills). However, there are some hard skills that can be valuable in an array of jobs.

Some of these hard skills may be possible to prove through qualifications or certification. Others may be possible to prove in a CV by referencing certain specialist terminology. In other cases, a portfolio or aptitude tests may be required.

Here are some of the most sought-after hard skills.

1) Foreign languages

Being able to speak a foreign language is hugely useful in many industries including tourism, hospitality, healthcare, customer support, sales and education. It could allow you to communicate with customers, staff members, suppliers or investors from other countries. Even if there’s no use for it in the role you’re applying to, it’s likely to impress an employer.

Thinking about learning a foreign language to improve your employability? There are many ways to do this from home in your spare time. For example, if you want to learn Spanish, you could use a language-learning app, take an online course, or hire a Spanish tutor. Some of the most in demand foreign languages include English, Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, Arabic and Japanese. Having a formal qualification can help you appeal to employers.

2) Programming languages

Programming languages can be useful to know when applying for jobs in sectors such as web development, app development, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and data analysis. In fact, such languages can be useful in many tech jobs.

You can learn programming languages online via courses and tutorials. Alternatively, you can take an official college or university course. Some of the most in-demand programming languages include Python, Java, Javascript, C++ and SQL. 

3) Driving

Having a driving license is more valuable than many people realise. There are so many jobs that require the ability to drive a car. This includes obvious jobs like delivery driving and taxi driving, and less obvious jobs like real estate and cleaning.

It’s worth always mentioning that you have a driving license on your CV. Some driving jobs may also require you to have driven for a few years and not have any driving convictions. It’s worth noting that additional driving licences may be required for certain jobs such as a taxi license for taxi driving or HGV license for driving a lorry.

4) Data analysis

As more companies make use of big data, the demand for data analysts is increasing. Key industries that require data analysts include healthcare, finance and marketing. This involves being able to visualise and interpret data using tools like Python, SQL and Excel. 

You can take a data analysis course to help learn this hard skill. Having a qualification could help convince employers that you have the right level of expertise.

5) Digital marketing

Modern marketing has moved online and companies are struggling to keep up. Having digital marketing skills can be incredibly useful when applying for any marketing role.

Key areas of digital marketing that could be focusing on include SEO, social media marketing, PPC advertising and email marketing. There are digital marketing courses you can take to learn these skills and obtain qualifications. You may also be able to prove your digital marketing skills by building up your own digital presence. 

6) Graphic design

Many advertising, marketing and media roles require people with graphic design skills. This involves using tools like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Animation and video editing are also in-demand graphic design skills. 

There are many courses you can take to learn graphic design skills. Having graphic design qualifications can be hugely beneficial when applying for these types of roles. 

7) Financial analysis

Financial analysis is another hard skill worth mentioning. It is key to many financial roles such as accounting, banking and business development. 

Sub-skills which fall into this area include budgeting, financial forecasting and understanding financial statements. When convincing an employer that you have these skills, it could be important to use financial terminology to show exactly what areas of finance you have experience. Taking a finance course and getting a finance qualification can also be advantageous. 

The best soft skills

Soft skills are innate personality traits that can apply to a huge range of job roles. They are referred to as ‘soft’ because you typically don’t need to take any course or training to learn or develop them. 

You cannot prove soft skills through qualifications or use of technical language. Instead, you often have to prove them by referencing situations where you used these skills. A common interview question used by employers to gauge soft skills is ‘what would you do in this situation?’ or ‘name a time when you displayed (insert soft skill)?’. It is worth preparing such answers in advance. The best way to do this is to beat employers to the punch by referencing situations where you used soft skills on your CV.

Just what are some of the top soft skills that employers look for? Below are a selection of 7 skills that are often sought after.

1) Communication

Being a good communicator is a key skill in almost every role. This includes oral and written communication. Good communicators are able to convey necessary information clearly and in a timely fashion, while also listening to others and knowing how and when to respond.

You can showcase your communication skills by referencing times when you had to clarify things people didn’t understand, situations where you had to lead meetings or instances where you had to juggle multiple email conversations at once.

2) Teamwork

Any job where you are working with other colleagues will require teamwork. This involves being able to work productively with others while also maintaining peace.

To prove you have teamwork skills, references times when you had to pull together in a team to solve a problem or times when you may have had to overcome differences to achieve a team goal.

3) Problem solving

Almost all jobs also require you to solve problems independently. This could include having to overcome a surprise obstacle or simply finding a more efficient way of doing things.

When giving examples of problem solving skills, think about ways in which you used creativity to come up with unique solutions to problems. This may not necessarily have to be a job-related problem – there could be problems in your everyday life that you were able to solve independently. 

4) Adaptability

Work environments are ever changing. Showing that you are able to adapt to new ways of doing this is essential. 

You can showcase adaptability in the workplace by mentioning times when you had to quickly fill a new role or adopt new technology you hadn’t used before. You may also be able to showcase adaptability outside of work by referencing big changes in your life that you had to adapt to such as moving to a new location. 

5) Time management

A lot of jobs require juggling multiple tasks while working to deadlines. Demonstrating time management skills can show employers that you’re able to prioritise work and get things done in a timely manner.

You can showcase instances where you displayed time management skills by referencing times when you had to meet tight deadlines. Instances when you had to overcome unforeseen problems while working within deadlines could be particularly worth referencing. 

6) Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to manage your emotions at work, while also empathising with others. It is key to dealing with stress and getting along with others.

How can you give an example of emotional intelligence? Providing an example of when you independently helped an overwhelmed colleague or a time when you managed to get an angry customer on your side could be a good way to showcase this. 

7) Leadership

Even if you’re not applying for a leadership position, showcasing leadership skills could be valuable. There are times when we all have to take charge – proving that you have what it takes when it comes to these occasions is essential.

You can take leadership development programmes and courses to show that you have certain leadership skills. However, it may also be possible to showcase instances of times in your life when you took up a leadership position.