Skills – makes your CV shine

Our CV includes details, profile sentences, work experience, education history, references and skills. While education and experience are essential, the skills we have and can offer to the job can sometimes make all the difference. The CV is a flexible document that we can change according to our position and history. When it is essential to prove our education – we start with that. When it is the experience we can impress with to get the job, we start with it. If we don’t have enough of either, we can put our skills at the start of the document and use them to impress the reader.

Skills refer to the ability to do something well. It can be the ability to use knowledge effectively and readily in execution and performance. They are divided into two, hard and soft skills.

Hard skills are the abilities you learnt and can easily prove, for example, computer skills and driving.

Soft skills are attributes you have within you (by nature, or you developed and practised) which are not unique to any job, such as communication and management skills.

Everyone should have both skills to be employed. In your CV, list a combination of both.

When using the buzzwords of soft skills, it’s best to know what they stand for and ensure you can perform them if asked to do so. Refrain from stating you have Excellent communication skills when you cannot speak loudly and clearly at the job interview. Here are some of the more common soft skills we should be able to have:

Communication and interpersonal skill is the ability to express your ideas and opinions clearly and to explain what you want to achieve without ambiguity. This includes listening, understanding and acting upon what others are saying or instructing.

Problem-solving skills is the skill that allows someone to think logically and find a solution.

Self-motivation is the ability to develop new ideas and solutions

and display enterprising capabilities to do things independently without being instructed.

Working under pressure, the ability to deliver the best performance within deadlines without buckling under stress.

Identify your hard skills by listing what you learnt or did at your previous work. If you have work experience, list all the things you do at work and map them to the list of employability skills. If you have yet to gain experience, record the activity you know best from your course or life experience. Try to show unique employability skills.

Visit Likusasa Letfu Youth Centre for Employability for more information and support in job searching. Please find us on social media at Likusasa Letfu, or call 79585564/ 78033230 info@likusasaletfu.com.