Skills to Put on a CV: Hard and Soft Skills Examples That Get Interviews

The skills section is one of the first places a recruiter's eye lands — and the first place ATS software looks for keywords. Yet most CVs fill it with vague words like "hard-working" or "computer skills" that prove nothing. In this guide you will learn which skills to put on your CV, how to split hard and soft skills, how many to list, and how to word each one so it matches the job you want.

Hard skills vs. soft skills: what's the difference?

• Hard skills are teachable, measurable abilities: software, programming languages, accounting, foreign languages, machine operation, data analysis.
• Soft skills are how you work with people and problems: communication, leadership, time management, problem-solving, adaptability.
• ATS filters match hard skills almost word for word — so they belong in your skills section using the exact wording of the job ad.
• Soft skills are judged by humans, and only convince when proven inside your experience bullets, not listed alone.

In-demand skills examples by field

• IT and software: Python, JavaScript, SQL, cloud (AWS, Azure), Git, REST APIs, cybersecurity basics.
• Marketing: SEO, Google Ads, Meta Ads, content strategy, Google Analytics, email marketing, copywriting.
• Finance and accounting: financial reporting, budgeting, Excel (pivot tables, XLOOKUP), SAP, IFRS, reconciliation.
• Sales and customer service: CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot), negotiation, lead generation, complaint handling.
• Administration and HR: MS Office, scheduling, recruitment, payroll, onboarding, document management.
• Healthcare and engineering: patient care, clinical documentation, AutoCAD, project management, quality control.

How to choose the right skills for each job

1. Copy the job ad and highlight every tool, qualification and skill it names.
2. Keep only the ones you genuinely have and could discuss in an interview.
3. Put the ad's must-have skills first, using exactly the same wording ("Microsoft Excel", not "spreadsheets").
4. Add a level where it helps: languages (C1, native), tools (advanced, intermediate).
5. Prove your top 2–3 skills inside your experience with a concrete result.

How many skills should you list?

Aim for 8 to 12 skills. Fewer looks thin; a wall of 30 buzzwords looks padded and dilutes the important ones. Group them if your list is technical — for example "Languages", "Tools", "Methods" — so a recruiter can scan it in five seconds.

Mistakes that weaken a skills section

• Clichés with no proof: "team player", "motivated", "fast learner".
• Outdated or obvious skills: "Internet browsing", "Windows", "email".
• Skill bars and star ratings — ATS can't read them and recruiters don't trust them.
• Putting skills in images, icons or text boxes that screening software skips.
• Claiming skills you can't demonstrate — the first technical question exposes it.

Expert tip: show, don't list

Instead of writing "leadership" in your skills list, write a bullet like "Led a team of 5 to deliver the project two weeks early". The hard skill goes in the skills section for the ATS; the soft skill lives in the achievement for the human reader. That combination is what turns a CV into an interview.

A skill you list is a claim. A skill you prove is a reason to call you.