What Skills to Put on a CV — Examples & List for 2026

What Are Skills on a CV

The skills section of a CV is a dedicated part of the document where you present your key professional competencies in a concise form. It is one of the first areas a recruiter looks at when reviewing applications — according to research among HR professionals, as many as 76% of recruiters treat the skills section as a decisive factor in the initial screening of candidates.

CV skills fall into two main categories:

• Hard skills — specific, measurable technical competencies that can be verified through a test, certificate, or practical task. Examples: Python programming, operating AutoCAD, English at C1 level, Google Analytics certification.
• Soft skills — interpersonal and social competencies that describe the way you work with other people. Examples: communication, teamwork, time management, problem-solving.

A well-constructed skills section serves several important purposes. First, it speeds up candidate evaluation — in a matter of seconds the recruiter can see whether you possess the required competencies. Second, it optimises the CV for ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems), which automatically scan documents for keywords. Finally, precisely described competencies build credibility and a professional image, setting you apart from the competition.

When You Need a Skills Section

A skills section is important in every CV, but there are situations where its role becomes absolutely critical:

• Changing industries — if you are moving from one field to another, your previous work experience may not tell the recruiter much about your suitability for the new role. A carefully chosen skills section shows that you possess transferable competencies that will work in the new position.
• Starting your career — if you are just entering the job market and lack extensive experience, skills are your strongest card. They can convince the recruiter to hire you despite a short employment history.
• Technical roles — in fields like IT, engineering, or data analytics, employers look for specific technologies and tools. A missing or vague skills section means your CV may be rejected at the ATS scanning stage.
• Applying for roles with a long list of requirements — when a posting lists 10-15 required competencies, your skills section should mirror those requirements (only to the extent that you genuinely possess them).
• Returning to work after a break — if you have been away from the workforce for a while (parental leave, gap year, illness), an up-to-date skills list demonstrates that your competencies are still current.

Regardless of the situation, it is worth investing time in a well-thought-out skills description. It is an investment that directly translates into more interview invitations.

How to Choose Skills for Your CV on Your Own

Selecting the right skills is a process that involves several steps. Below you will find a detailed guide to help you independently build an optimal competencies section for your CV.

Step 1 — Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills

Before you start listing your competencies, you need to understand the difference between the two types:

Hard skills are everything you can learn through a course, a degree, or on the job, and that can be verified with a test. For example: operating SAP, knowledge of SQL, running bookkeeping in QuickBooks, IELTS score of 7.0.

Soft skills are personal and interpersonal traits — communication, leadership, adaptability, resilience under pressure. They are harder to measure but equally valued by employers.

The most effective CVs combine both types at a ratio of roughly 60-70% hard to 30-40% soft. Hard skills prove you can do the job; soft skills show you will do it effectively within a team.

Step 2 — Identifying Your Competencies

Many candidates struggle to articulate what they actually know. Here are proven methods for identifying your competencies:

1. Review your work experience — for each role, write down the tools, technologies, and methods you used day-to-day. These are your hard skills.
2. Analyse challenging situations — how did you handle team conflicts? How did you organise your work under time pressure? The answers reveal your soft skills.
3. Check certificates and training — every completed course, certification, or training programme is a potential skill to list on your CV.
4. Ask colleagues — sometimes others see our strengths better than we do. Ask work acquaintances what you are really good at.
5. Browse job descriptions in your field — even if you are not applying for those positions, the descriptions may remind you of competencies you possess but have forgotten.

Write down all identified skills on a single list — you will narrow them down in the next step.

Step 3 — Analysing the Job Posting

Every application should be tailored to the specific posting. Here is how to analyse a job ad for skills:

1. Read the entire posting carefully — not just the "Requirements" section, but also the job description, responsibilities, and "Nice to Have" section.
2. List every competency mentioned — create a list of every skill, technology, and tool that appears in the ad.
3. Pay attention to keywords — if the posting uses the phrase "project management", use exactly that wording, not a synonym like "coordinating activities". This is critical for ATS systems.
4. Distinguish mandatory from optional requirements — mandatory requirements should appear on your list first.

Step 4 — Matching and Selecting

Now merge both lists — your competencies and the posting's requirements:

1. Highlight the overlap — skills you possess that are also mentioned in the posting. These are your priorities — list them on your CV first.
2. Add supplementary skills — competencies you have that are not explicitly mentioned in the posting but could add value in the role.
3. Remove irrelevant items — skills unrelated to the role are better left out so the most important competencies stand out.
4. Limit the list to 8-12 items — this is the optimal number that presents a full competency profile without going overboard.

Golden rule: 8 well-targeted skills beat 20 random ones. Every item on the list should be defensible in an interview.

Step 5 — Describing Proficiency Levels

Simply listing a skill is not enough — recruiters want to know at what level you command each competency. Here are the most commonly used methods:

Descriptive scale — the simplest and most universal:

• Basic — you know the fundamentals and can handle simple tasks.
• Intermediate — you work independently in most typical situations.
• Advanced — you have in-depth knowledge and can handle complex tasks.
• Expert — you are the specialist others turn to for advice.

Years of experience — a popular format, especially in IT: JavaScript — 5 years of experience, React — 3 years.

Certifications — the strongest proof of level: Google Ads — Google Ads Search certification (2025), AWS — Certified Solutions Architect Associate.

For foreign languages, use the CEFR scale (A1-C2) — for example: English — C1 (advanced), CAE certificate.

Tip: avoid listing skills at a basic level unless they are explicitly mentioned in the job posting. The recruiter may ask about any competency listed on your CV.

Step 6 — Grouping and Formatting on the CV

How you present your skills greatly affects CV readability. Here are best practices:

• Group skills into categories — for example: "Technical Skills", "Languages", "Soft Skills". This helps the recruiter quickly find what they are looking for.
• Place the most important skills first — the recruiter reads from the top, so key competencies should be immediately visible.
• Use concise phrasing — the skills section is not the place for lengthy descriptions. "Python — advanced" is enough; details can be expanded in the experience section.
• Maintain a consistent format — if you include a proficiency level for one skill, include it for all of them. If you use dashes, use them consistently.

Most Common Mistakes in the Skills Section

Knowing what to avoid is just as important as knowing what to include. Here are the most common mistakes that reduce the effectiveness of the skills section:

1. Overly generic phrasing — "computer skills", "internet knowledge", or "PC proficiency" are expressions from the 1990s. Instead, be specific: which programmes, tools, and technologies you know, and at what level.
2. No tailoring to the posting — sending an identical skills list for every position is a wasted opportunity. Every CV should be customised for the specific job ad.
3. Listing the obvious — "email", "typing", or "smartphone use" are competencies the employer takes for granted. Do not waste valuable space on them.
4. Lies and inflated levels — claiming "fluent English" when you are actually at B1 will backfire in the interview at the latest. Recruiters value authenticity, and dishonesty disqualifies a candidate.
5. No proficiency information — just "Excel" says very little. Is it basic usage or advanced VBA macros? Specify the level for every key skill.
6. Too many skills — a list of 25 competencies does not impress; it makes the candidate look unable to prioritise information. 8-12 well-chosen skills is the optimum.
7. Ignoring soft skills — a CV filled exclusively with technical competencies suggests the candidate may struggle with team collaboration. Add 3-4 relevant soft skills.
8. Outdated technologies — listing technologies that have fallen out of use (e.g. Flash) suggests you are not developing your competencies. Regularly update the skills list and remove obsolete entries.

Ready-to-Use Skill Templates by Industry

Below you will find ready-made skill sets for the most popular industries. Treat them as a starting point — always tailor the list to the specific job posting and only include competencies you genuinely possess.

IT and Software Development

Hard skills:

• JavaScript / TypeScript — advanced (5 years of experience)
• React.js — advanced, Next.js — intermediate
• Node.js, Express.js — advanced
• Databases: PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis
• Git, GitHub Actions, CI/CD
• Docker, AWS (EC2, S3, Lambda)
• Testing: Jest, Cypress, Testing Library

Soft skills: Scrum methodology, problem-solving, communication in distributed teams

Marketing and Communications

Hard skills:

• Google Ads — Google Ads Search and Display certification
• Meta Ads Manager — advanced
• Google Analytics 4 — advanced
• SEO: technical audits, keyword research, link building
• Copywriting and content marketing
• Tools: HubSpot, Mailchimp, Canva, Figma
• Social media management

Soft skills: creativity, analytical thinking, project management

Sales and Customer Service

Hard skills:

• CRM: Salesforce / Pipedrive / HubSpot CRM — advanced
• Sales techniques: SPIN Selling, Solution Selling
• Business negotiation — advanced
• B2B and B2C customer service
• Sales reporting, forecasting
• MS Excel — intermediate (pivot tables, charts)

Soft skills: communication, relationship building, resilience under pressure, persuasion

Administration and Office

Hard skills:

• MS Office Suite — advanced (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Calendar)
• Electronic document management systems (EDMS)
• Document management and archiving
• Correspondence handling
• Basic knowledge of administrative procedures and public procurement
• Meeting organisation and calendar management

Soft skills: work organisation, independence, attention to detail, communication

Finance and Accounting

Hard skills:

• Financial and management accounting
• ERP system: SAP FI/CO / QuickBooks / Xero — advanced
• Tax compliance: corporate tax, income tax, VAT
• MS Excel — advanced (VBA macros, Power Query, pivot tables)
• Financial analysis and reporting
• Knowledge of IFRS/IAS and local accounting standards
• Budgeting and financial forecasting

Soft skills: analytical thinking, attention to detail, time management

Logistics and Transport

Hard skills:

• WMS / TMS — advanced
• SAP MM/WM — intermediate
• Supply Chain Management
• Lean Management, Six Sigma (Green Belt certification)
• Import/export, customs procedures, INCOTERMS
• Driving licence (category C+E), digital tachograph card
• Forklift operator certification

Soft skills: work organisation, time management, resilience under pressure

How to Speed Up Skill Selection

Manually analysing job postings and matching skills to each one is a time-consuming process — especially when you are applying to many positions at once. Each posting requires separate analysis, comparison with your profile, and selection of the most relevant competencies. With a dozen or more applications per week, fatigue and errors are easy to accumulate.

In recent years, AI-powered tools have become increasingly popular. They can automatically analyse the text of a job posting, compare it with the candidate's profile, and suggest an optimal list of skills. AI recognises keywords important for ATS systems, identifies transferable competencies, and helps avoid typical mistakes — such as vague wording or overlooking key requirements. As a result, a process that manually takes 30-60 minutes per application can be reduced to just a few minutes.

How to Use CV AI to Select Skills

One of the tools that automates skill selection for your CV is CV AI (cv-ai.pl). Here is how the process works step by step:

1. Upload an existing CV or start from scratch — you can submit your current CV in PDF format, and the system will automatically extract your data and existing skills. If you do not yet have a CV, you can fill in the form from the beginning.
2. Paste the job posting — copy the ad you want to apply for. The AI analyses the employer's requirements, identifies key competencies, and picks out keywords important for ATS systems.
3. Review suggestions and adjust — based on the posting analysis and your profile, the system suggests an optimal skills list tailored to the role. You can accept the suggestions, modify them, or add your own competencies.
4. Download the finished CV as a PDF — once you have approved the skills and remaining sections, you download a professionally formatted document ready to send.

The entire process takes a few minutes instead of dozens, and thanks to AI analysis you can be confident that your CV contains the competencies most important from the recruiter's and ATS's perspective. This is especially useful when you are applying to multiple positions simultaneously and need to quickly produce tailored versions of your CV.

Summary

The skills section of a CV is one of the most important elements that directly influences whether you receive an interview invitation. Key principles to remember:

• Combine hard skills with soft skills, maintaining a ratio of roughly 60-70% to 30-40%.
• Always tailor the competency list to the specific job posting — analyse the ad and use the same keywords.
• Specify proficiency levels — concrete information builds credibility.
• Keep an optimal count of 8-12 skills and group them into logical categories.
• Avoid generalities, exaggeration, dishonesty, and outdated technologies.

Remember that well-chosen skills are a strategic decision that affects how your candidacy is perceived by both ATS systems and human recruiters. If you want to save time and ensure your competencies are optimally selected, try CV AI — a tool that automatically matches skills to your professional profile and target role.