Jen David 
Balance hard and soft skills on your CV to land the role
As your personal sales document, your CV needs to highlight your key skills to a potential employer. The skills you include – and how you include them ‒ can make the difference between progressing to the next stage or landing in the reject pile. We're always hearing about hard skills and soft skills, but what are they - and how should you present these skills on your CV? Let's take a look.
The difference between hard skills and soft skills - with examples
Before we go any further, let's define hard and soft skills.
What are soft skills?
Soft skills are those that can apply to numerous different jobs in any sector, because they aren't specific to any particular role. Soft skills are linked to personal or character traits that can be transferred into any position. You'll need to include some soft skills on your CV so that recruiters can understand how you would fit into the role and into the company culture. You may also have heard the term “transferable skills,” which is the same thing.
Top soft skills for your CV
When it comes to soft skills, the same ones pop up every time. In a professional environment, these are the top 11 soft skills that employers tend to look for:
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Communication
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Teamwork
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Problem solving
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Time management
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Interpersonal skills
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Critical thinking
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Emotional intelligence
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Adaptability
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Active listening
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Creativity
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Reliability
What are hard skills?
Hard skills are specific to a particular job and relate to the knowledge or ability required to do that job. They don't usually transfer well from one sector to another and are generally acquired through learning and experience. Hard skills are important for your CV as they enable a recruiter to see whether you are able to perform the role they're recruiting for. Technical skills is another term for hard skills.
Top hard skills for your CV
The list of hard skills is endless. What employers look for will differ from role to role and from industry to industry, but hard skills examples include some of the following:
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Coding
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Fluency in another language
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SEO marketing
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Accounting
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Data analysis
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Technical writing
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Sales
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Project Management
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Video production
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Audit
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Graphic design
Hard skills and soft skills on a CV: what's more important?
Both hard and soft skills are critical for your CV. The weight you give to each will depend what stage of your career you're at.
For example, a recent graduate will probably lean heavily on soft skills, until they develop more industry-specific hard skills that they can emphasise. A senior executive will have a wealth of hard skills to lean on, so soft skills will be less prominent on their CV as they will be assumed to have them.
It's unlikely that you'll get a job based on your soft skills alone, so it's vital that your CV strikes exactly the right balance. You'll need to include both, but the proportion of each will vary according to the roles you're applying for and the skills the employers need.
A Software Developer, for example, will need to emphasise their hard skills. It's important that they prove that they have the technical IT skills and knowledge to do the job successfully. They will need to focus on skills such as coding languages, DevOps, automation and testing. Soft skills, such as phone etiquette, are less important in this situation. A call-centre worker, on the other hand, will need to focus on their communication and interpersonal skills, as they are critical to their ability to do the job. They can be trained in the product knowledge they need, so their CV will necessarily have a greater emphasis on soft skills.
How should I include soft skills on my CV?
Simply adding a long list of soft skills in a “Key Skills” or “Core Competencies” section really isn't very meaningful or engaging, so it isn't likely to impress.
To take your CV up a level, you need to show how you use these skills. Choose a concrete example of when you successfully used each soft skill and try to present it as an achievement. For example, instead of "teamwork," say "Increased customer satisfaction levels by sharing knowledge of new products with the team," or "Improved team morale and communication by organising informal team lunches." Specific examples are much more credible than a dry list of skills on your CV.
Ensure that your soft skills align with the level of the role you're aiming for. Whilst simply demonstrating the ability to communicate professionally and articulately may be enough at entry level, a senior executive will need to show higher-level interpersonal skills. For example, under the umbrella of "communication" at this level, your CV will also need to include skills such as stakeholder engagement, negotiation, and influencing.
How should I include hard skills on my CV?
As hard skills relate to the specific jobs you've done, you'll probably find them easier to include. Cross-reference your hard skills list with a few adverts for roles that interest you (and even your current job description), to make sure that you've included everything relevant. Again, solid examples will help you to build a stronger CV. Put the skills into context rather than just writing a list on your CV, so that employers can understand how you apply the skills practically. Aim to quantify your claims as much as possible.
For example, rather than simply stating "training" as a hard skill, you can say "Delivered training in crisis management to audiences of up to 20." Instead of saying "monitoring and evaluation," say "Monitored and evaluated a portfolio of 20 concurrent projects and provided reports to inform funding decisions."
Where should I include hard and soft skills on my CV?
Both hard and soft skills should be scattered throughout your CV. These sections are great for showing off your skills:
Profile section
As your elevator pitch, the profile paragraph should contain the most critical skills to sell you into the role you're applying for. In most cases, this will mean you focus on hard skills that are prerequisites for progressing to the next stage of the recruitment process. By looking at the job advert in depth, you should be able to get a good idea of what to include here.
Key Skills section
This is the obvious place to add skills to your CV, but don't go overboard. A long list with no context isn't an exciting read, so limit yourself to no more than 12 skills here. You'll want to weight this in favour of hard skills, although a few soft skills from the job advert won't be out of place.
Professional Experience section
The Professional Experience section is the place to give context to the skills you want to showcase. Use bullet points to not only list your skills, but to show the impact they've had on the business and the value you've been able to add. By showing, rather than telling, you can create a compelling narrative that proves your suitability for the role.
Education section
In most cases, the Education section isn't the place to be showing off your skills. However, if you're looking for an entry-level role and have no previous professional experience, you may want to expand this section to include skills gained whilst studying. Soft skills such as time management and teamwork can be gained in academic contexts, as well as in a professional environment, so use this section if needed to cover skills you can't fit elsewhere.
Professional Development section
The Professional Development section is ideal for displaying your hard skills. If you've completed a course or gained a certificate in a topic relevant to your target role, make sure you list it here. It doesn't need to be an official, accredited course - even online or in-house learning counts.
Hobbies and Interests section
This section isn't obligatory on your CV, but it can be worth including if you've gained skills outside of work that don't fit within your professional experience. This can be particularly useful for career changers, returners, and recent graduates.
Hard and soft skills - examples for your CV
With a clear understanding of hard and soft skills for a CV, you now know how to incorporate them and where to put them in your own application. All that remains is for us to provide some examples, so that you can use them as inspiration to create your own knock-out CV. Here, you can see the soft skills highlighted in italics and the hard skills highlighted in bold.
Examples of hard and soft skills on a CV for Students
In the Profile section:
A capable and reliable A-level student with a proven aptitude for teamwork. Willing to listen, share ideas and follow instructions. Combines initiative with a drive to find the most efficient way of completing a task. Gets on well with others and is quick to learn new skills and processes.
In the Professional Experience section:
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Assisted with coaching junior club members aged from 9-15
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Represented the Computer Science course as a Subject Ambassador, communicating clearly with prospective students and parents about the course
Examples of hard and soft skills on a CV for Software Developers
In the Profile section:
A knowledgeable Senior Software Developer, with sound technical expertise in analysis, design and development for Windows, mobile and web platforms. Collaborates with clients to meet their needs, explaining complex technical concepts in an easily understandable manner and avoiding jargon. Confident developing software and algorithms that drive innovation, increase efficiency and solve challenges.
In the Professional Experience section:
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Managed software development projects through their full lifecycle, including documenting customer requirements, producing specifications and costings, and deploying software
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Leading, supporting and delegating to a team of 5 on- and off-shore staff to ensure deadlines were met
Examples of hard and soft skills on a CV for Senior Executives
In the Profile section:
A commercially and financially astute Operations Director, with an extensive background in maintaining compliance and governance standards. Confident controlling multi-million-pound budgets and prioritising conflicting demands to consistently achieve statutory deadlines. Combines sound judgement with the ability to identify and mitigate risk.
In the Professional Experience section:
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Led fundraising to secure £7million+ by significantly improving the relationship with an independent fundraising charity
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Saved £50,000 annually by procuring a digital solution and actively listening to resolve problems flagged by colleagues
Use hard and soft skills to create a strong all-round application
Don't forget that, as well as emphasising your hard and soft skills on your CV, you should also aim to strengthen your application with a well-written cover letter or personal statement. This should again highlight skills that make you suitable for the role. Cover letters and personal statements are generally more flexible than a CV, so you can employ the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to give credible, high-impact examples of your skills. With a CV and supporting documents that make both your hard and soft skills stand out, you'll be giving yourself the best possible chance of securing your next role.
Key takeaways
Let's summarise the takeaways from this post:
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Soft skills are transferable between roles, whereas hard skills are specialised
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Your CV needs both types of skill, but the proportion of each is variable
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Skills can be included throughout your CV
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To create the strongest possible application, show your skills in context and explain how they've had a positive impact
Is your CV doing justice to your skills? TopCV has a free CV review service that will give you objective feedback. Submit your CV here.