Top 5 Skills Employers Want to See on a CV

Spice Up Your CV With These Essential Skills

By Craig from Jobulo

The skills section of your CV is one that can prove the difference between being invited for an interview, and being left in the ‘no’ pile. Although it’s not an absolutely crucial element of your CV, it’s one where you can highlight your advantages and gain an edge over your fellow job applicants. Even if you’re a highly qualified individual it can be difficult to think about and list one’s own skills. Many people simply use their skills day-to-day and think nothing of them, they may come naturally to the individual or they may believe that many people could carry out the same task in the same way. However, this is not the case, and if you are one of these people you need to take a deep look within and realise that you may have more skills to offer an employer than you realise. It’s with this in mind that we’ve put together a list of top 5 skills that any employer would want to see on the CV of a job applicant. The skills we feature here are purposefully generic and can be applied to many different job roles. If you’re stuck on what to include in the Skills part of your CV, then you really need to take a look at these:

#1 Ability to Learn New Skills

Seems an obvious one doesn’t it? But many people are averse to change and find taking on new tasks and new ways of working difficult. It’s a big advantage to an employer to know that an applicant is keen to learn new processes and can do so quickly and capably. In the employer’s mind seeing this written on a CV illustrates that you could fit within their organisation seamlessly. It also shows that you can adapt to new tasks which could be extremely useful to your employers. You could back up this skill by mentioning something in your job history that proves you have learnt a new process or skill promptly.

#2 Customer Service Skills

No matter what industry you work within there is normally some form of customer service required- whether it’s dealing with a trade company, a colleague in a production line or an end consumer in a retail shop. Due to its widespread need Customer Service Skills are a great addition to any skills list. They show that you have the ability to deal with people in a courteous and professional manner whilst representing your company. If you can deal with work-place issues and keep your customer happy at the same time it’s a very valuable skill to have in your arsenal.

#3 Computer Skills

Now depending on your chosen field of work this entry could detail the inner workings of Javascript or it could simply mean being proficient in the Microsoft Office Suite. Many jobs within the UK require some knowledge of computer programmes or operations, so if you are particularly well versed in software your employer uses, you should certainly include it within your CV. An employer will see this as a big boost as it will save them from training you on the software in question.

#4 Ability to Use Your Initiative

This is an important skill especially if you plan to work in a dynamic environment, where the work day could cover several different sectors and you may not have a manager or supervisor around (or perhaps you are the manager!) when a decision needs to be made. Taking your own initiative proves you have the confidence in your own ability and decision making to act without instruction, this ability may be very important in certain job roles. If the job you’re applying for requires a certain level of independent thought and decisions made quickly based on the information you have, then this skill could be a great one to feature on your CV.

#5 Ability to Work Under Pressure

The ability to work under pressure is certainly a skill in the truest form. Not everyone can perform tasks under scrutiny or to a very tight deadline- it requires a cool head and a focused mind. If this is something you can do, and working in a pressurised environment is actually where you thrive, then you should certainly consider listing this quality on your CV. Finding out that an employee struggles with the demands of a pressurised job after hiring them is a major problem for many employers. If you demonstrate on your CV that you can work well in this type of environment it will certainly make your application stand out.

Tip: When including a skill on your CV try to think about areas of your career or life experience where you’ve demonstrated that skill. Try to integrate these examples into your CV, where relevant, as this gives a prospective employer a real life idea of how you put your skills to use.

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