The skills section is one of the most read parts of a CV, and one of the most misused. A good list is short, relevant and honest.
Hard skills and soft skills
Hard skills are teachable and measurable: Microsoft Excel, accounting software, AutoCAD, PHP, nursing procedures, typing speed. Soft skills describe how you work: communication, teamwork, problem solving, time management, adaptability.
How many skills should you list?
Six to ten. More than that looks like a keyword list and weakens the important ones.
How to choose them
- Read the job advert and underline skills and tools.
- Pick those that you really have.
- Put the most important ones first.
- Use the same words as the advert, for example "customer service" and not only "dealing with people".
Show levels honestly
A level next to a skill (Beginner, Moderate, Good, Very Good, Excellent) helps readers understand your experience. Do not write Excellent for everything. Our builder has a level dropdown for skills and languages.
Prove your skills
Do not leave skills floating on their own. Mention them in your experience too: "Built monthly sales reports in Excel with pivot tables" proves the skill.
Examples of skills by area
- Office: MS Office, scheduling, filing, phone etiquette
- Sales: negotiation, CRM, territory planning
- IT: PHP, JavaScript, MySQL, Git
- Healthcare: patient assessment, IV therapy, infection control
- Teaching: lesson planning, classroom management, assessment
Need ideas for your job? Open the builder and use Suggest skills with AI, or check our CV examples.