CV – How to make your skills stand out

Have you ever asked yourself what your best skills are, or alternatively, has anyone ever asked you that very same question? You would probably say no, but you may have experienced being asked at an interview as it is a classic question, or upon completion of an employer’s application form. In both cases you might not have been prepared fully with a positive and timely response. This article focuses on never being put in that situation ever again!

How to bring your skills and abilities to the forefront?

No matter who we are, we have a range of skills, some of which we are good at and others where improvement is welcome. There is also the possibility that we may not recognize that we actually have them. Skills and abilities must therefore be included in your CV to clearly show what you have to offer to an employer.

In order to bring skills and abilities to the forefront, a self-analysis is necessary to identify a full range of soft skills showing what level each one currently stands at and equally as important, those skills which need attention for ongoing improvement. As this is a self-analysis we have to be honest with ourselves when completing this. No one is 100% perfect, and there should always be room for improving our skills whoever we are.

How to analyze your skills?

Among others, the following skill areas are to consider when realizing your self-analysis:

• Interpersonal & Interaction, e.g. being sensitive to people’s needs and feelings/empathy or mediating & resolving conflicts
• Communication, e.g. listening effectively or speaking persuasively
• Leading & Managing, e.g. inspiring/motivating others through role modelling or thinking strategically
• Developing & Coaching, e.g. motivating others to achieve their goals or counselling, advising & maintaining confidences
• Planning & Organizing, e.g. prioritizing tasks and assignments or integrating efforts of others
• Customer & Client Service, e.g. building and maintaining relationships at all levels
• Management of Change, e.g. readily accept changes or can convey change to others in a positive manner.

How to put your key skills in your CV effectively?

The next step would be to put all your high and medium ranking skills under a section of your CV, headed up Key Skills and Abilities. Following you can find some examples of how to describe those skills.

• Displays strong interpersonal skills, through the ability to gain the trust and respect of others, being sensitive to people’s needs and feelings, and enjoying the building and bonding of teams.
• Listens very effectively, and is able to write in a concise manner, and speaks in a persuasive style.
• Inspires and motivates others when leading and managing, giving at all times clear and concise direction with the added ability to think in a strategic manner.
• Works effectively under pressure and where both demanding and stringent deadlines are present and prioritizes to ensure that the needs of both the client and business are fulfilled.
• Thinks in a strategic manner and sees the bigger picture at all times, which contributes to the establishing of achievable objectives.
• Develops an innovative and effective solution to complex problems, and is able to diagnose an issue by getting to the root cause.

The final area to consider is if you have recorded any technical skills such as experienced at installing wireless technology. If this is the case, a section simply headed Technical Skills can be introduced.

Conclusion

In addition, you also need to know how to include them in your CV in a professional way. This will create impact and interest in an employer. It is also vitally important that you have at least one example of each key skill and ability statement you have made.

Finally, look carefully at the skills you have identified where improvement can be made and establish ways of how to address them. It could be that training is required either on the job or by attending a course or maybe additional reading is required to increase your understanding. Whatever action is taken, try then to create the opportunities of putting them to the test.