Here are some suggestions as to how you can best describe your skills on a CV (also commonly called a resume):
- Include a bullet-point list of job-relevant skills in the skills section of your CV. You should ensure you include all of the skills you have that meet the essential and desired criteria in the job ad.
- Explain how you used your skills to achieve results in your achievements in your professional experience section. For example, if you have good organisational skills, try to include some evidence with a sentence like “implemented systems and procedures to improve the organisation and performance of the team, resulting in a 20% improvement in productivity.”
- Use as many numbers as you can when describing your achievements. Numbers give hiring managers insight into what you’ll be able to do for them if they hire you. For example, instead of “By creating better communication systems, I turned the business from a loss making entity into a profitable one” say something like “Through effectively creating compulsory formal and informal team communication systems, we saved time that was dedicated to direct sales activities, which in turn improved the overall performance of the business by $40,000 over the financial year 2017-18, taking it from a loss of $10k annually to a profit of $30k per year”.
You should also describe your skills on a CV by including a mix of hard and soft skills, or technical and professional skills. Hard skills are technical skills needed to do a job, like being able to drive, having excellent written and verbal communication, or being a fast and accurate typist. Soft skills are related to your personality, like interpersonal skills, your ability to influence, your motivation, and your ability to work autonomously and within a team environment.
