Key Skills: A Vital Part Of Your CV
Hiring managers and recruiters consider skills the most important section of your CV. They want to be able to identify on a first glance if you have the required skill set a potential candidate needs to have.
A solid set of relevant skills sets you apart from other applicants and shows what you can bring to the job. Your skill section is also important to ensure your CV is keyword optimised and passes ATS.
Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills
Hard Skills
Hard skills are knowledge specific to a job and/or industry. These are skills that you have obtained and gained in school, certification programs, training and experience on the job.
Soft Skills
Soft skills are behavioural skills that relate to how you work and interact with other people. Soft skills are abilities that can be applied in any job and can enhance your hard skills.
Job-Related Skills vs. Transferable Skills
Job-Related Skills:
These skills are specific to a certain line of job or industry and require experience or training to perform.
Transferable Skills:
These are skills that have been obtained in one setting but can be used and transferred to many different sorts of jobs or industries.
How To Create A Strong Skill Section
- Research into the positions and requirements of the roles you want to apply for.
- Cross-reference with your experience, skills, and qualifications.
- Don't simply list this relevant skill set as bullet points, tell one or two sentences about it. However, make sure that they are short, factual and fit in the top half of the 1st page.
- Have the right mix! It's important to highlight your best hard and soft skills to position yourself as a well-rounded candidate.
As part of the selection process employers more and more look for "soft skills & attributes" which match their company culture. We recommend you to review the company profile and introduce "soft skills & attributes" to your CV that match.
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