It isn’t always easy figuring out what employers are looking for in a CV. Three things you should try to bear in mind are: understanding the necessary skills for the job (often set out in the job description or person specification), adapting your CV to highlight these skills, proving you actually have these skills by backing up your statements with evidence.
Below we’ve set out five skills employers look for in every application, and some advice on how you can demonstrate them effectively.
Communication Skills
Whatever job you’re in, you’re going to have to communicate with others. It might be with clients, customers, colleagues or the general public, so it’s vital you don’t underestimate the importance of effective communication.
Not all communication is verbal; you might be applying for a job which requires writing clearly and accurately on paper or via email. Top tip: if you’re applying for a job which involves substantial written communication, include examples of your skills with your CV.
It can be a challenge to avoid essential skills sounding generic, and the trick is to back up your skills with examples, e.g. refer to a role where you showed excellent customer service, or a successful project that involved communicating closely with a team of people.
Don’t say: ‘I have excellent communication skills.’
Do say: ‘Able to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing, as demonstrated in my role as administrator for a reputable Estate Agents, which required communicating with clients on a daily basis. Also a confident communicator on a range of social media platforms – as shown when managing a local charity’s online presence.’
Organisational Skills
Having good organisational skills shows you’re capable in a number of ways, from working to tight deadlines, managing and prioritising your time effectively, to showing your employer that you’re self-motivated and proactive.
Use your judgement to decide how much emphasis you should put on these skills. For jobs in fast-paced industries (such as media, publishing, graphic design) employers will be keen to see that applicants can keep up with the workload. As always, back up your abilities with real examples and remember to focus on achievements as well as the tasks carried out.
Don’t say: ‘An organised worker with an ability to prioritise tasks.’
Do say: ‘Able to manage time effectively and prioritise tasks in line with the needs of the client. Recently implemented an improved diary management system for a team of 10 staff, which increased the number of client meetings by X%.’
Teamwork
Just like communication skills, almost every role will require teamwork on some level. Luckily, teamwork skills can be developed through all sorts of jobs, hobbies and study. You might be a member of a sports team or choir or you might have experience working with a team of colleagues in a shop or restaurant.
For an idea of how much to focus on teamwork skills, have a look back over the job description and see how much focus is put on it by the employer. Think of some unique examples to prove your skills and decide on the best place to put them in your CV. You could include them under work experience, hobbies or education, or even make a section specifically for skills and include examples of teamwork there.
Don’t say: ‘I’m a team player, who also works well alone.’
Do say: ‘Excellent at working in a team and experience of managing volunteers, for example in my role as Team Leader on a recent charity expedition with 8 other volunteers. Able to take initiative when working on projects alone, such as in my role as social media assistant, where I increased website traffic by X%.’
Commercial Awareness
Commercial awareness means you understand the business and industry you’re applying to work in, for example having some knowledge of market trends, the company’s products and their competitors. There are many ways you can build up your knowledge of a particular industry, including part-time work, an internship or work experience, study or carrying out extra-curricular activities. Whenever you have some spare time, keeping track of social media feeds, articles and journals can also help.
As with all your skills and knowledge, give the employer practical examples of times you’ve utilised your commercial awareness.
Don’t say: ‘Good commercial awareness.’
Do say: ‘An active follower of industry specific trends within the retail sector. Commercial awareness proven by the implementation of a new marketing strategy and shop layout based on competitor insights and comparisons, resulting in an increase of weekly sales by £X.’
Job Related Skills
Many of the skills employers look for are those known as ‘transferrable skills’ which means they can generally be transferred from one role, workplace or industry to another. Communication, organisational and teamwork skills are all examples of transferrable skills. Occasionally however, a job will require some specialist expertise in addition to other essential skills, depending on the type and level of job you’re applying for.
For example, if you were applying for a job in computer programming, you may need to prove you have skills in coding; or if you were a graphic designer looking for work you might want to show a potential employer your skills using Photoshop. There are many industries that require job related skills, such as accountancy, nursing, construction and engineering.
Avoid vague statements and specify any relevant qualifications you have.
Don’t say: ‘Able to use a range of specialist software.’
Do say: ‘Extensive skills in IT packages and proficient in the use of Photoshop, InDesign, and Dreamweaver, as shown by a number of website designs I have produced as a freelance web designer, many of which have led to returning customers. Also proficient in print, logo, and layout design, as shown in my portfolio of commissioned work.’