Checklist of Must-Have Skills for the 21st Century

Here are examples of Soft Skills to put on your CV:

Communication Skills

Communication skills are critical in almost any industry, but especially in sales, management, and human resources positions.

  • Confidence
  • Public speaking
  • Presentation skills
  • Mutual respect
  • Empathy
  • Active listening
  • Verbal communication
  • Non-verbal communication
  • Written communication
  • Giving and receiving constructive feedback
  • Friendliness
  • Storytelling

Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills indicate how well you will get along with others within the company as well as clients or customers.

  • Humor
  • Mentoring
  • Networking
  • Patience
  • Tolerance
  • Diplomacy
  • Collaboration
  • Sensitivity
  • Empathy
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Relationship building
  • Mediation

Teamwork Skills

The ability to work on a team is extremely important for many industries and is indicative that you will be a pleasure to work with and a valuable addition to a team setting.

  • Active listening
  • Collaboration
  • Cooperation
  • Coordination
  • Exchanging ideas
  • Mediation
  • Negotiation
  • Delegation
  • Conflict management
  • Influencing
  • Building rapport
  • Respectfulness

Leadership Skills

Leadership skills are essential for high-level positions, and they can help you get promoted quickly within a company or be given more responsibility.

  • Project management
  • Management skills
  • Generosity
  • Trust
  • Mentorship
  • Cultural knowledge
  • Empathy
  • Humility
  • Authenticity
  • Ability to motivate a team
  • Hiring skills
  • Training ability

Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking skills mean you can not only collect data, but you will know what to do with that information. Critical thinking skills are valuable in a wide variety of industries and positions.

  • Analysis
  • Evaluation
  • Extrapolation
  • Explanation
  • Inference
  • Interpretation

Work Ethic

Having a strong work ethic is always desirable in a job applicant. Some examples of work ethic skills include:

  • Responsibility
  • Discipline
  • Integrity
  • Dependability
  • Commitment
  • Self-motivation
  • Professionalism
  • Assertiveness

Adaptability Skills

The ability to adapt is critical in fast-paced work environments where things change quickly.

  • Self-management
  • Self-confidence
  • Self-motivation
  • Calmness
  • Open-mindedness
  • Organization
  • Optimism
  • Decision making
  • Ability to pivot and adapt quickly
  • Quick thinking
  • Versatility
  • Fast learner

Problem-Solving Skills

Employers will be pleased to know that if a problem arises in the workplace, you are equipped to handle it by finding and implementing a solution.

  • Logic
  • Reasoning
  • Lateral thinking
  • Analysis
  • Observation
  • Persuasion
  • Brainstorming
  • Decision making
  • Persistence
  • Initiative
  • Introspection
  • Troubleshooting
  • Solution-finding
  • Innovation

Creativity Skills

While creativity skills are of course most important in creative fields, they can be useful in almost any industry.

  • Inspiration
  • Imagination
  • Reframing abilities
  • Mind mapping
  • Innovation
  • Insight
  • Experimentation
  • Questioning
  • Design

Time Management Skills

Effective time management ensures that tasks will be completed on schedule and company time won’t be squandered.

  • Goal setting
  • Prioritization
  • Self-starting abilities
  • Planning
  • Scheduling
  • Stress management
  • Organization
  • Delegation
  • Focus
  • Multitasking
  • Resource management
  • Managing calendars/appointments
  • Meeting deadlines
  • Efficiency