The skills section is one of the first places recruiters and applicant tracking systems look. A good skills section is short, relevant and honest.
Hard skills vs soft skills
- Hard skills are teachable, measurable abilities: software, languages, tools, techniques. Examples: Microsoft Excel, Python, bookkeeping, Arabic.
- Soft skills are how you work with people and problems: communication, leadership, time management.
Your skills list should be mostly hard skills. Show soft skills through achievements in your work experience instead.
How to choose the right skills
- Read the job advert and highlight every skill it mentions.
- Keep the ones you can honestly talk about in an interview.
- Use the same words as the advert so ATS software can match them.
- List 6–12 skills. More than that looks unfocused.
Skill examples by job type
Office and administration
- Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint
- Google Workspace
- Data entry and record keeping
- Scheduling and diary management
- Document control
Finance and accounting
- Financial reporting (IFRS)
- Accounts payable and receivable
- Bank reconciliation
- SAP, Oracle, QuickBooks or Tally
- Budgeting and forecasting
Sales and customer service
- CRM systems (Salesforce, HubSpot)
- Lead generation and prospecting
- Negotiation
- Complaint handling
- Upselling and cross-selling
Marketing
- SEO and content writing
- Google Ads and Meta Ads
- Google Analytics 4
- Email marketing
- Social media management
IT and software
- JavaScript, Python or Java
- SQL and databases
- Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure)
- Git and version control
- IT support and troubleshooting
Healthcare
- Patient assessment
- Medication administration
- Infection control
- Electronic health records
- Basic Life Support (BLS)
Soft skills recruiters value most
- Communication
- Problem-solving
- Teamwork
- Adaptability
- Time management
- Leadership
- Attention to detail
Prove it, don't just list it
Anyone can write "leadership". Back it up in your experience section:
Led a team of 6 customer service agents and reduced average response time from 9 to 4 minutes.
Add skills in seconds
In the Free CV Maker builder, type a skill and press Enter to add it. Each template shows your skills in a clean, readable layout.
Turn these tips into a great CV
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