Skills Based CV

What is a skills based CV?

Essentially this is a CV which places the emphasis on skills, including transferable skills, rather than focusing more on work achievements.

The theory is that if you don't have much work experience, or it is incomplete (or with gaps), then if you concentrate on skills rather than focusing more on the achievements then the employer will conveniently forget all of that.

The problem with the theory, however, is that it is a very competitive job market, and if you want employers to sit up and take notice of you, then you really need to come across as an achiever. And the best way to do this is via pertinent and powerful achievements. Yes, of course you need to include skills. But they need to be the right skills. Not only that, but if you can weave the right skills naturally into the body of your achievements then they become more powerful, and add more weight to your CV.

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A skills-based CV, is a convenient, quicker and easier way to create a CV if there is something lacking in your job application armoury. However, just be aware that skill-based CVs are usually not as effective as the ones which have the focus on powerful achievements. and you should also remember that just because you list skills, if you don't back them up with powerful achievements then it could be argued that they are just claims rather than anything tangible. Real achievements add more weight.

This advice on skills based CVs is based on extracts from a CV book by one of our senior consultants, and is not for copy or distribution.