CV Skills

CV Skills Employers Are Looking For

Many job ads these days list the personal skills that companies believe are important to be successful in their organizations. Many companies take this information very seriously and, besides that expect to see them on your CV skills’ list; some will use also sophisticated psychological tests to measure your ability to work in team, or how quickly you might lose your temper, etc.
Generally this sort of information is collected after reading your CV – in interviews and so on – but it is a good idea to emphasize the CV skills and personality profile the company is desiring. Especially because increasingly companies are becoming aware that their employees´ work personality can not only influence in the harmony of the workforce but may directly influence the quality of the work done too. Then, they are managing their recruiting process in accordance to select the right professional with the right personal skills to join their teams.

The Most Common CV Skills that Employers Look For

Here we highlight some of the most common skills that employers are looking for, explain what they mean, and show you how to emphasize these skills in your CV.

From a consideration of job advertisements, the following is our list of the most popular skills desired, what these CV skills mean for employers and how you can demonstrate these skills on your CV:

Communication Skills, Verbal and Written:

This is so common that you should assume that every job requires them. Then, try to demonstrate them on your CV. The type and degree of skill will depend on the type of job you are going for. The job might involve communication with people in your team or unit, other units at the same organization, other organizations or with the public, government officials, senior managers, etc. Look at the job description and try to identify who you might be communicating with. Different situations make different demands on you and you should be aware what sort of communication skills you should show up in your CV to attract the recruiter’s attention. Ask yourself:

  • Do I speak clearly?
  • Can I write clearly?
  • Am I able to understand what people are saying to me on most of occasions?
  • Can I explain things to people clearly?

Team Skills/ Team Player:

Basically, it means you are happy and effective working in groups with other people. You are happy together; share information; help out other team members when they are struggling. You tend to like people, and are reasonably well liked. Team player is added to just about every job going without any real reason. It occurs because it is the code for indirectly ask you if you get on with other people, or you are selfish and unpleasant.

Attention to Detail:

Making silly mistakes in some jobs such as an account clerk, where large sums of money may be involved, can lead to very expensive outcomes to companies. In general, it is a skill that you should demonstrate to most of the jobs, and the CV is the first place to show it. Spelling errors and typos, bad grammar and poor phrasing were some of the most frequently mentioned problems with CVs by the recruiters to exclude candidates from shortlist process. If you are going to claim that you have a good attention to detail, then, demonstrate it on your CV by making sure it is completely free of mistakes.

Energy /Dynamism / Drive / Enthusiasm and Initiative:

Nobody wants to employ somebody who slumps in their seat and sighs deeply every time they are asked to do something. The company looking for these qualities is looking for someone who is alert, gets on with work quickly without unnecessary complaint, and who will find solutions to problems rather than find problems without solutions. Do remember though that the CV is not the place for display negativity.

Ability to Handle Pressure:

Pressure varies from job to job, but the request for this ability is an indication that thighs might get very busy from time to time. What employers want to see is evidence that you will respond to the challenge and perhaps work faster or longer hours on occasion to meet deadlines or reduce the backlog.

Leadership:

It is one of those skills that tend to get thrown into a job ad without much justification. For a start, nobody can agree what makes a good leader. However, if you can demonstrate that you managed a team of people successfully, either by length of time in the position (it means that if you were not good leader you would have been moved on quickly) or tasks achieved by a group under your management, this may be the sort of things employer is looking for.

Identifying Skills for CV with EasyJob

To maximize job search success you must learn how to identify what employers need and to tailor your CV to match those skill needs. As you write your CV, it is very important that you think broadly about your CV skills leaving behind the tunnel-vision.

EasyJob’s features “skill-based CV” or functional CV that you can choose from the CV maker, which is the right solution to this problem. Moreover, EasyJob’s list of hundreds of skill headings and skill sentences to be directly pasted or rewritten in your CV, you will be able to do something like “CV skills mining” identifying many abilities you gained while working at other jobs. It constitutes a gold mine for you to find typical skills for CV almost forgotten or to reveal others that you even did not realize to have.

Download EasyJob CV Builder Demo and check it out NOW for FREE.