Should I include soft skills on my CV?

Yes, but only when they are relevant and supported by evidence. Soft skills such as communication, leadership, teamwork and problem solving can be valuable, but they are weak when listed without context. Instead of simply writing “strong communication skills,” show who you communicate with, what problems you solve and why that communication matters in the role.

How many skills should I list on my CV?

Most UK CVs should include around 8 to 14 carefully selected skills in a dedicated skills section. Technical CVs may include more if tools, platforms, systems or programming languages are important. The aim is not to list everything you can do. The aim is to highlight the skills that best match the role and make your fit easy to understand.

Should I change my CV skills for every job application?

Yes, you should adjust your CV skills for each job application, especially if the roles have different requirements. You do not need to rebuild your CV every time, but your key skills should reflect the job description. Recruiters can usually tell when a CV is generic. A tailored skills section helps show that your experience matches this specific role, not just any role with a similar title.

Are skill bars good on a CV?

No, skill bars are usually not helpful on a CV. They look visual, but they do not give recruiters meaningful evidence. A bar showing “90 percent Excel” or “80 percent leadership” does not explain what you can actually do. It is better to use clear wording such as “Advanced Excel, including pivot tables, lookups and monthly reporting dashboards.”

What skills should I avoid putting on my CV?

Avoid skills that are too vague, basic or overused, such as hard working, punctual, reliable, friendly, motivated, good communicator and team player. These qualities may be positive, but they do not prove much on their own. Replace them with specific skills and evidence that show how you work, what tools you use, what responsibilities you have handled and what value you can bring to the employer.

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FAQ

The best skills to put on a UK CV are the ones most relevant to the job you are applying for. These usually include a mix of technical skills, role specific skills, transferable skills and carefully chosen soft skills. Strong examples include stakeholder management, data analysis, customer service, project coordination, Excel, CRM systems, leadership, budgeting, reporting and communication. The key is not just listing them, but proving them through your work experience.

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Skills to Put on a CV That Recruiters Actually Notice

Know which skills to put on a UK CV, how to choose them, where to place them, and how recruiters judge them during screening.

The best skills to put on a CV are the skills that prove you can do the job you are applying for. That sounds obvious, but it is where most CVs go wrong. Candidates often list generic skills such as communication, teamwork and organisation without showing what those skills actually helped them deliver. Recruiters do not read a skills section and think, “Lovely, they are organised.” We look for evidence. We want to see whether your skills match the role, the level of responsibility, the tools used, the problems you have solved and the results you can realistically repeat in a new job.

For a UK CV, your skills should be specific, relevant and backed up by your work experience. A good skills section helps the recruiter understand your fit quickly. A weak one feels like decoration.

What skills should you put on a CV in the UK?

You should put a mix of job specific skills, technical skills, transferable skills and soft skills on your CV, but only where they are relevant to the role. The mistake I see constantly is candidates treating the skills section like a personality list. It becomes a little shrine to being “hard working, motivated and enthusiastic.” That may be true, but it does not help much during screening.

A recruiter is usually trying to answer a few practical questions very quickly:

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Can this person do the core tasks of the job?
•
Have they used the tools, systems, methods or processes required?
•
Are they operating at the right level?
•
Do their previous responsibilities match the hiring manager’s expectations?
•
Is there enough evidence to justify an interview?

Your CV skills should make those answers easier.

For most UK job applications, the strongest CV skills fall into these groups:

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The real purpose of a CV skills section

The skills section is not there to impress everyone. It is there to help the right reader quickly recognise relevance.

That reader may be:

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A recruiter doing the first screen
•
A hiring manager comparing several shortlisted candidates
•
An internal talent acquisition partner checking role requirements
•
An applicant tracking system scanning for relevant keywords
•
A busy manager who wants proof, not a motivational speech

This is why skills on a CV need to be both human readable and ATS friendly. The applicant tracking system may help organise or search applications, but a person still makes the judgement. I always find it slightly painful when candidates write for the ATS as if a robot is about to offer them the job. It will not. The system may help your CV appear in a search, but the recruiter still has to believe you are worth progressing.

A good skills section does three things:

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Hard skills to put on a CV

Hard skills are specific, teachable skills that are usually easier to verify. These are often the most important skills to include because they help recruiters match you to the role quickly.

Hard skills might include:

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Microsoft Excel
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SQL
•
Salesforce
•
Xero
•
Sage
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Power BI
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Google Analytics
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Python
•
Adobe Creative Suite
•
AutoCAD
•
Payroll processing
•
Financial modelling
•
Risk assessments
•
Safeguarding
•
Data analysis
•
Contract negotiation
•
Procurement
•
Budget management
•
CRM management
•
Paid social advertising
•
Search engine optimisation
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Inventory management
•
Health and safety compliance
•
Case management
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Policy development
•
Recruitment sourcing
•
Employee relations
•
Account management
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Copywriting
•
Customer service systems
•
Project planning
•
Agile delivery
•
Stakeholder reporting

Hard skills work best when they are specific. “IT skills” is too vague for most modern CVs. Tell the reader what systems, tools or technical processes you can actually use.

Weak Example:

Good IT skills

Good Example:

Advanced Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables, lookups, data cleaning and monthly reporting dashboards

The second version gives the recruiter something to work with. It shows the level, the tool and the context. That matters.

Soft skills to put on a CV without sounding generic

Soft skills are useful, but they are also where CVs become painfully generic. Almost every candidate says they have communication skills, teamwork, attention to detail and the ability to work under pressure. Employers do value those things, but they rarely trust them when they are simply listed.

The better approach is to include soft skills that are relevant to the role and then show them through your experience.

Useful soft skills for a CV include:

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Communication
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Problem solving
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Leadership
•
Adaptability
•
Time management
•
Resilience
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Organisation
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Collaboration
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Conflict resolution
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Emotional intelligence
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Decision making
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Critical thinking
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Attention to detail
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Initiative
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Commercial awareness
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Relationship building
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Influencing
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Negotiation
•
Coaching
•
Prioritisation

The trick is not to avoid soft skills. The trick is to stop presenting them like empty claims.

Weak Example:

Excellent communication skills and strong team player

Good Example:

Confident communicating with senior stakeholders, customers and internal teams to resolve issues, clarify priorities and keep projects moving

That is still a soft skill, but now it has a setting. It tells me who you communicate with and why it matters.

When I screen CVs, I am not mentally awarding points because someone wrote “team player.” I am looking at whether they have worked cross functionally, managed competing priorities, handled difficult conversations, supported colleagues, influenced decisions or kept customers calm when something went sideways. That is where the real evidence sits.

The best skills to include by career level

The skills you include should match your level. One of the most common CV positioning mistakes is using skills that are either too junior or too senior for the role being targeted.

A hiring manager recruiting for a management role does not want a skills section full of basic admin tasks. A hiring manager recruiting for an entry level role may not expect strategic leadership and budget ownership. Your skills need to make sense for the level you are applying at.

Entry level CV skills

If you are applying for entry level roles, apprenticeships, internships, graduate roles or your first full time job, your skills can come from education, part time work, volunteering, placements, university projects or personal projects.

Relevant entry level skills may include:

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Customer service
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Microsoft Office
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Research
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Data entry
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Time management
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Teamwork
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Written communication
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Presentation skills
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Social media support
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Basic Excel
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Cash handling
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Problem solving
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Academic research
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Report writing
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Organisation
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Working to deadlines
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Attention to detail

At entry level, recruiters are not expecting a perfect work history. They are looking for signs of reliability, learning ability, communication and potential. But potential still needs evidence.

Weak Example:

Hard working and willing to learn

Good Example:

Balanced university deadlines with part time customer service work, developing time management, customer communication and problem solving skills

That gives me something real. It shows behaviour, not just intention.

Mid level CV skills

At mid level, your skills should show that you can deliver independently. You should not sound like you still need constant supervision, but you also do not need to pretend you are running the entire business.

Useful mid level CV skills may include:

•
Project coordination
•
Stakeholder management
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Reporting
•
CRM management
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Process improvement
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Customer relationship management
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Budget tracking
•
Data analysis
•
Supplier communication
•

At this level, hiring managers want to know whether you can take ownership, manage your workload and solve normal problems without everything being escalated. Your skills should reflect responsibility, not just activity.

Senior level CV skills

Senior level CV skills should show judgement, leadership, commercial awareness and impact. This is where many candidates undersell themselves by listing the same skills they used five years earlier.

Useful senior level CV skills may include:

•
Strategic planning
•
Leadership
•
Budget ownership
•
Change management
•
Commercial strategy
•
Senior stakeholder management
•
Team development
•
Performance management
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Risk management
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Process transformation

At senior level, the reader is not just asking, “Can this person do tasks?” They are asking, “Can this person make good decisions, lead others, manage risk and improve outcomes?” Your CV skills need to reflect that shift.

How to choose the right skills from a job description

The job description is your best clue, but you need to read it properly. Many candidates scan a job advert, grab a few keywords and paste them into the CV. That is not tailoring. That is keyword decoration.

To choose the right skills, look for repeated themes. Employers usually reveal priorities through the language they repeat.

Pay close attention to:

•
Skills listed under essential criteria
•
Tools, systems or platforms mentioned by name
•
Responsibilities that appear more than once
•
Outcomes the role is expected to deliver
•
Stakeholders the person will work with
•
Industry regulations or compliance requirements
•
The level of ownership suggested by the wording

There is a difference between “supporting the team with reports” and “owning monthly board reporting.” There is a difference between “assisting with customer queries” and “managing escalated complaints.” The skill might look similar on the surface, but the level is different.

This is where candidates often get caught out. They match the keyword but not the responsibility level.

For example, if a job description says:

•
Manage key client relationships
•
Lead quarterly business reviews
•
Identify growth opportunities across existing accounts

A weak CV might say:

•Customer service

A stronger CV might say:

•Key account management, client retention, commercial relationship building and quarterly performance reviews

That is a much better match because it reflects the actual job, not just the broad category.

Where to put skills on a CV

You can put skills in several places on a UK CV. The best approach is usually to include a focused skills section near the top and then reinforce those skills in your work experience.

The skills section gives the quick match. The work experience gives the proof.

Skills section near the top

A skills section near the top is useful because recruiters often scan quickly before deciding whether to read in detail. This section should usually sit below your professional profile and above your work experience.

Keep it focused. A strong CV skills section usually contains around 8 to 14 carefully selected skills. If you list 35 skills, the important ones get buried. More is not always stronger. Sometimes it just looks like you copied the job advert and hoped nobody would notice.

A good skills section might look like this:

Key Skills

•
Stakeholder management
•
Project coordination
•
Budget tracking
•
Advanced Excel reporting
•
Supplier management
•
Process improvement
•
Risk and issue tracking
•
Cross functional communication

Work experience section

Your work experience should prove the skills you listed. This is where recruiters check whether the skills are real.

Weak Example:

Skills section says project management, but work experience only says “helped with admin tasks.”

Good Example:

Skills section says project coordination, and work experience shows that you managed timelines, tracked actions, updated stakeholders and supported delivery across multiple departments.

The second version creates trust. The first creates doubt.

Professional profile

You can also mention two or three core skills in your profile, but do not overload it. The profile should summarise your positioning, not become a keyword cupboard.

Good Example:

Commercially focused account manager with experience in B2B client retention, CRM management, pipeline forecasting and senior stakeholder communication.

This works because it gives a quick, relevant summary of the candidate’s skill base.

Skills to avoid putting on a CV

Some skills weaken a CV because they are too basic, too vague or too obvious. This does not mean you lack the skill. It means the skill may not be worth using valuable CV space.

Skills to avoid or rethink include:

•
Hard working
•
Reliable
•
Punctual
•
Honest
•
Friendly
•
Motivated
•
Enthusiastic
•
Works well alone or in a team
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Good communication skills
•
Computer literate
•
People person
•
Fast learner
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Detail oriented

Some of these qualities matter, of course. I am not suggesting employers want unreliable people who hate communication. But these phrases have become so overused that they rarely add value on their own.

“Punctual” is a good example. In most professional roles, punctuality is assumed. If you need to use CV space to say you arrive on time, the recruiter may quietly wonder why that is your strongest selling point. Harsh, but true.

Instead of writing “fast learner,” show what you learned quickly.

Weak Example:

Fast learner

Good Example:

Quickly learned Salesforce reporting processes and became the first point of contact for weekly pipeline data checks within three months

That is much more persuasive.

How recruiters actually judge skills on a CV

Recruiters do not judge skills in isolation. We judge them against the role, the evidence and the overall career story.

A skill is more convincing when it appears in three places:

•
The skills section
•
The work experience
•
The achievements or outcomes

For example, if you list “data analysis” as a skill, I will look for signs that you have actually analysed data. Did you produce reports? Use Excel, SQL, Power BI or another tool? Identify trends? Influence decisions? Improve performance? Save time? Reduce errors?

If there is no evidence, the skill becomes weak.

Recruiters also look for recency. A skill you used heavily eight years ago but have not touched since may be less convincing than a skill you used last month. This matters especially with software, digital tools, compliance, technical platforms and fast moving industries.

Another thing recruiters notice is skill inflation. This happens when candidates describe themselves as advanced in everything. Advanced Excel, advanced stakeholder management, advanced leadership, advanced strategy, advanced everything. It starts to sound less credible, not more.

Use skill levels carefully. If you say “advanced Excel,” be ready for someone to expect pivot tables, lookups, complex formulas, data cleaning and reporting. If you only know how to format a spreadsheet and make the cells look tidy, call it working knowledge. There is no shame in being accurate. There is risk in overselling.

What employers say they want versus what they actually screen for

Job adverts often use polished language. Real hiring conversations are usually more practical.

When an employer says they want “excellent communication skills,” they may actually mean:

•
Can this person explain things clearly to customers?
•
Can they write professional emails without creating confusion?
•
Can they handle difficult conversations?
•
Can they update stakeholders without being chased?
•
Can they adapt their communication style to different people?

When an employer says they want “strong organisational skills,” they may mean:

•
Can this person manage competing priorities?
•
Will they miss deadlines?
•
Can they keep accurate records?
•
Can they handle pressure without dropping important details?
•
Will the manager need to constantly remind them?

When an employer says they want “commercial awareness,” they may mean:

•
Does this person understand how the business makes money?
•
Can they make decisions with cost, risk and customer impact in mind?
•
Do they understand targets, margins, retention or growth?
•
Can they connect their work to business outcomes?

This is why vague skills do not work well. You need to translate them into the reality of the role.

Best CV skills examples by job type

The best skills for your CV depend on the job you are targeting. Use these examples as a starting point, not a copy and paste list. The strongest CVs are tailored.

Administration and office support skills

•
Diary management
•
Inbox management
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Data entry
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Document control
•
Meeting coordination
•
Travel booking
•
Minute taking
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Microsoft Office
•
CRM updates
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Supplier communication
•
Record keeping
•
Process administration
•
Confidential information handling
•
Customer enquiries
•
Scheduling

For admin roles, accuracy matters more than candidates realise. Hiring managers often worry about whether someone will create more work by making careless mistakes. If your CV can show organisation, accuracy and calm follow through, it will do more than a generic “excellent admin skills” line.

Customer service skills

•
Customer communication
•
Complaint handling
•
Live chat support
•
Call handling
•
CRM systems
•
Query resolution
•
Escalation management
•
Product knowledge
•
Empathy
•
De escalation

Customer service CVs should show more than being nice to people. Employers want to see whether you can solve problems, stay calm with difficult customers and protect the business relationship.

Sales skills

•
Lead generation
•
Cold calling
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Account management
•
Pipeline management
•
CRM management
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Negotiation
•
Closing
•
Prospecting
•
Client presentations
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Objection handling

Sales CVs need measurable evidence where possible. If you list sales skills but avoid targets, revenue, conversion rates or pipeline size, the recruiter may wonder why.

Marketing skills

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Campaign planning
•
Content marketing
•
Email marketing
•
SEO
•
Paid social
•
Google Analytics
•
Social media management
•
Copywriting
•
Brand positioning
•
CRM segmentation

Marketing hiring managers care about creativity, but they also care about outcomes. A CV that only says “creative campaigns” is weaker than one showing audience growth, leads, engagement, conversion or brand impact.

Finance and accounting skills

•
Financial reporting
•
Month end close
•
Reconciliations
•
Accounts payable
•
Accounts receivable
•
Payroll
•
VAT returns
•
Budget tracking
•
Forecasting
•
Variance analysis

Finance CVs need precision. If you are vague in a finance CV, it works against you. Hiring managers want to know which processes, systems and reporting responsibilities you have handled.

HR and recruitment skills

•
Employee relations
•
Recruitment coordination
•
Candidate sourcing
•
Interview scheduling
•
Onboarding
•
HR administration
•
Policy updates
•
ATS management
•
Payroll coordination
•
Training coordination

For HR and recruitment roles, people skills matter, but process matters too. A strong CV shows that you can handle sensitive information, manage stakeholders and keep things moving without turning the process into a small administrative crime scene.

IT and technology skills

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Technical support
•
Troubleshooting
•
Python
•
JavaScript
•
SQL
•
Cloud platforms
•
Cybersecurity awareness
•
Network administration
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Service desk support
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Software development

Technology CVs should be specific. List tools, languages, frameworks, platforms and project context. “Tech savvy” is not enough. It sounds like something someone writes when they know where the WiFi settings are.

Project management skills

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Project planning
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Risk management
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Issue tracking
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Stakeholder management
•
Budget tracking
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Resource coordination
•
Agile delivery
•
Waterfall methodology
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RAID logs
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Reporting

Project management skills need evidence of delivery. Employers want to know what size of project you handled, who was involved, what changed and what you were accountable for.

How many skills should you list on a CV?

For most UK CVs, aim for 8 to 14 strong skills in a dedicated skills section. You can include more skills naturally throughout your work experience, but the top skills section should stay focused.

Too few skills can make your CV look thin. Too many can make it look unfocused.

A good rule is this: if a skill does not help prove your fit for the job, remove it.

Your skills section should not be a storage unit for every ability you have ever collected. It should be a shortlist of the most relevant reasons to interview you.

For technical roles, you may need a slightly longer technical skills section, especially if tools, programming languages, platforms or certifications matter. In that case, group skills by category so the reader can scan them easily.

Example:

Technical Skills

•
Languages: Python, SQL, JavaScript
•
Data Tools: Power BI, Excel, Tableau
•
Platforms: Azure, AWS, GitHub
•
Methods: Agile, Scrum, API testing

This is much easier to read than one long line of disconnected keywords.

How to make your CV skills ATS friendly

An ATS friendly skills section uses clear, standard wording that matches the role without keyword stuffing. The goal is to help your CV be found and understood.

To make your skills ATS friendly:

•
Use the same common terms found in the job description where accurate
•
Write full tool names rather than unclear abbreviations
•
Avoid graphics, icons or skill bars
•
Do not hide keywords in white text or strange formatting
•
Use simple headings such as Key Skills or Technical Skills
•
Keep skills in normal text, not images or tables that may parse badly
•
Use realistic variations where needed, such as “customer service” and “customer support” if both fit naturally

Skill bars are one of my least favourite CV trends. A little bar saying you are 80 percent good at leadership tells me absolutely nothing. Eighty percent compared with what? A team leader? A CEO? A golden retriever with excellent stakeholder management? Use words and evidence instead.

ATS friendly does not mean ugly. It means readable, searchable and sensible.

Common mistakes candidates make with CV skills

Most CV skills mistakes come from trying to sound impressive rather than trying to be useful.

Listing skills with no evidence

If your skills section says “leadership,” but your work experience shows no leadership, mentoring, supervision, decision making or ownership, the claim feels weak.

Using relevant language is smart. Copying the job advert line by line is not. Recruiters can spot it. It makes the CV feel manufactured rather than tailored.

Including every skill you can think of

A long skills list often signals a lack of strategy. The reader should not have to work out which skills matter most.

Using skills that are too basic for your level

If you are applying for senior roles, do not lead with basic Microsoft Word or email skills unless there is a specific reason. Use the space to show higher value capability.

Overselling skill level

Do not call yourself advanced unless you can defend it. Interviews have a funny way of exposing inflated claims.

Ignoring the role’s real priorities

Some candidates tailor their CV to the job title rather than the job description. Two roles with the same title can require very different skills. Always read the detail.

A simple framework for choosing CV skills

When choosing skills for your CV, use this practical filter:

•
Relevance: Does this skill clearly relate to the job I am applying for?
•
Evidence: Can I prove this skill through my work experience, achievements or training?
•
Level: Does this skill match the seniority of the role?
•
Specificity: Is the skill clear enough for a recruiter to understand quickly?
•
Value: Does this skill help show why I should be interviewed?

If a skill passes all five, it probably belongs on your CV. If it fails two or more, it may be filler.

The best CVs are not the ones with the most skills. They are the ones where the skills, experience and achievements all tell the same story.

That story should be simple: I understand the work, I have done relevant things before, and I can bring useful capability to this role.

Final checklist for skills to put on your CV

Before you send your CV, check your skills section against the role you want.

Ask yourself:

•
Have I included the most important skills from the job description?
•
Have I removed generic skills that do not add value?
•
Have I included specific tools, systems or technical knowledge where relevant?
•
Can my work experience prove the skills I have listed?
•
Does my skills section match the seniority of the job?
•
Have I avoided skill bars, vague claims and overused phrases?
•
Would a recruiter understand my fit within a quick scan?
•
Have I tailored the skills for this specific role rather than using the same CV for everything?

This is the part candidates often resist because tailoring takes effort. But hiring is comparative. You are not being judged in isolation. Your CV is being compared with other people who may have made their relevance easier to see.

That does not mean you need to rewrite your entire CV for every job. It does mean your skills section should reflect the role in front of you.

About the Author

Written by Simar Malhi, a recruiter and headhunter with international recruitment experience. I write about CVs, job applications, hiring decisions, and the reality behind recruitment processes. My goal is to help candidates understand more honestly how employers, recruiters, and hiring managers actually select candidates.

Team collaboration

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Account management

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Sales pipeline management

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Campaign delivery

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Case handling

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Compliance checks

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Scheduling

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Training support

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Operational problem solving

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Quality assurance

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Forecasting

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Business partnering

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Negotiation

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Programme delivery

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Workforce planning

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Board level reporting

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Vendor management

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Operational leadership

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Decision making

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Governance

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Order processing

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Refunds and returns

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Territory management

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Forecasting

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Relationship building

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B2B sales

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Lead generation

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Conversion tracking

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Market research

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Performance reporting

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Sage

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Xero

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QuickBooks

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Excel modelling

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Audit support

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Compliance checks

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Workforce planning

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Screening

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Offer management

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API integration

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System testing

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CV Skills Recruiters Look For Before Shortlisting You

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FAQ

What are the best skills to put on a CV in the UK?

Should I include soft skills on my CV?

How many skills should I list on my CV?

Should I change my CV skills for every job application?

Are skill bars good on a CV?

What skills should I avoid putting on my CV?

Build Your Resume in2 Minutes

Skills to Put on a CV That Recruiters Actually Notice

Know which skills to put on a UK CV, how to choose them, where to place them, and how recruiters judge them during screening.

What skills should you put on a CV in the UK?

The real purpose of a CV skills section

Read more similar articles

Hard skills to put on a CV

Soft skills to put on a CV without sounding generic

The best skills to include by career level

Entry level CV skills

Mid level CV skills

Senior level CV skills

How to choose the right skills from a job description

Where to put skills on a CV

Skills section near the top

Work experience section

Professional profile

Skills to avoid putting on a CV

How recruiters actually judge skills on a CV

What employers say they want versus what they actually screen for

Best CV skills examples by job type

Administration and office support skills

Customer service skills

Sales skills

Marketing skills

Finance and accounting skills

HR and recruitment skills

IT and technology skills

Project management skills

How many skills should you list on a CV?

How to make your CV skills ATS friendly

Common mistakes candidates make with CV skills

Listing skills with no evidence

Copying the job advert too closely

Including every skill you can think of

Using skills that are too basic for your level

Overselling skill level

Ignoring the role’s real priorities

A simple framework for choosing CV skills

Final checklist for skills to put on your CV

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