Using your CV to identify your skills

Standing out as a candidate goes beyond simply having the right work experience and qualifications. Employers are keen to build a more rounded view of each candidate to ensure that they’re not only a good fit for the job now, but that they also have the potential for a future with the company.

Your hard skills will generally be obvious to you, for instance, coding or accounting, but it can be a challenge to pick out the more elusive soft skills that you possess. Let’s start with a look at how hard and soft skills vary.

What is the difference between hard and soft skills?

Hard skills are the technical abilities you need to do the job, for instance:

• diagnosing a medical condition
• laying bricks
• installation of an electrical system

Soft skills are non-technical abilities that are an aspect of your personality, such as leadership, an aptitude for problem-solving, and creativity.

Hard skills are generally developed through training and work experience. Soft skills may be developed in either of these environments, but candidates generally possess these personality traits from birth.

Why are skills important in your job search?

Why is it beneficial to identify your skills instead of simply relying on your work experience and qualifications to land a job?

• You can match the skills you have to the required skills laid out in the job description and alter your CV accordingly.
• Many skills are transferable from one job to another, for instance, teamwork, so even if you don’t have the exact experience needed for a position, your skills may make up for this gap.
• Knowing what skills you have, and don’t have, increases self-awareness and makes it easier to plan personal development.

Using your CV to identify your skills

Your CV will generally include qualifications that you hold, work experience, and your hobbies and interests. These three sections provide a starting point for identifying your skills.

Skills linked to your education

The education section of your CV may reveal both hard and soft skills, for instance:

• a medical degree reveals a skill in understanding how the body works and diagnosing medical conditions. It may also reveal skills in communication, leadership, and empathy.
• an apprenticeship in engineering obviously points to engineering skills but may also indicate skills in teamwork and assessment.
• a diploma in occupational health and safety management links to skills in identifying risks in the workplace but may also demonstrate problem solving skills.

Consider your qualifications in this way; what are the technical skills gained by holding this qualification and what soft skills did you develop during your training?

Skills developed through work experience

Look at each entry in your work history separately. What hard skills did you use to carry out each job? For instance, knowledge of Microsoft Word and diary management are hard skills that a secretary or PA might use. For you, hard skills might include:

• bookkeeping
• coding in one or more computer languages
• database management
• retail
• help desk support
• speaking a foreign language
• plumbing

Now consider the soft skills you used for each job. Some of these may be mentioned on your CV already but it’s worthwhile thinking through each job in depth. What soft skills did you use for each position listed on your CV? In this context, soft skills might include:

• leadership
• empathy
• communication
• time management
• adaptability

Hobbies and interests

Skills aren’t simply used in the workplace; they can be developed and demonstrated through your hobbies and interests too. Here are a few examples:

• leadership and organisational skills developed through leading a dungeons and dragons (D&D) campaign
• communication skills and public speaking used for amateur dramatics productions
• fundraising skills developed from running charity events
• construction skills learned through DIY projects
• competitiveness and self-discipline developed as a gymnast

What next?

Once you have a list of hard and soft skills you can add a Skills section to your CV. Generally, this will be placed before your work history. To save space, why not make it a three-column section like this?

Skills

This can be altered to suit each job you apply for. It may also change over time as you use and develop new skills, so don’t forget to keep this section up to date.

Final Thoughts

Your challenge as a job seeker is to prove to the right employer that you are the best candidate for their vacancy. Knowing the skills you possess can ease this process by:

• identifying jobs that are the right fit for your skills as well as your work experience and qualifications
• helping you to adapt your CV to suit each job you apply for
• providing you with a more rounded way to answer interview questions