Key CV Skills in 2024 by Job Title [Real Data]

Having the right skills on your CV can make all the difference. But how do you know which skills truly stand out for your profession?

I’ve analysed over 6 million CVs created with the LiveCareer CV builder over the past 12 months, identifying the top skills professionals featured in their applications. Whether you're in tech, marketing, healthcare, or other field, this article will help you tailor your CV to showcase the most significant skills.

Must-have skills by job title: business development leads in marketing, enthusiasm in sales

Ever struggled to choose the right skills for your CV? Or wondered which ones could boost your chances of landing the job? Here’s a breakdown of the top skills highlighted by professionals in the most common roles across industries between August 2023 and August 2024, giving insight into what jobseekers prioritised in their applications.

Industry: Technology & IT

Role: Software & applications developers and analysts

Tech roles in the UK continue to be highly competitive, and professionals are expected to master both technical and soft skills. Skills most frequently mentioned by this job group include:

1. SQL
2. JavaScript
3. Project management
4. Python
5. CSS
6. Team player
7. HTML
8. MySQL
9. GIT
10. Software development

The prominence of SQL, JavaScript, and Python highlights the demand for strong coding skills. Upwork's 2024 report shows that skills like full-stack, front-end, back-end, and mobile app development are all in high demand across various industries. In turn, project management and team player skills indicate the need for developers and analysts to work as a team and coordinate complex projects.

Role: Information & communications technology operations and user support technicians

The most commonly highlighted skills across ICT & operations specialists are:

1. Technical issues analysis
2. Troubleshooting proficiency
3. Application support
4. Case management
5. Customer service expertise
6. Active directory
7. Computer backup management
8. Desktop support
9. Hardware maintenance
10. Data entry

IT support technicians need a combination of technical expertise and customer-facing skills. Troubleshooting proficiency and application support are at the core of their responsibilities, but customer service expertise and desktop support demonstrate a bigger emphasis on user experience. With the popularity of remote work, skills like active directory and computer backup management are key for smooth operations between dispersed workplaces.

Industry: Healthcare & Medical

Role: Medical doctors

The healthcare industry remains one of the most skill-specific fields, with roles like medical doctors and nurses focusing primarily on patient care and clinical expertise. The most frequently referenced abilities within this job group include:

1. Patient education
2. Treatment planning
3. Excellent diagnostic skills
4. Clinical diagnosis
5. Emergency care
6. Patient interviewing
7. Prescription writing
8. Treatment administration
9. Mental health assessments
10. Medical chart documentation

For doctors, the emphasis on patient education and mental health assessments highlights the significance of holistic care and preventive medicine. Research shows that patient-centered care, including effective communication, improves patient outcomes and satisfaction.

Role: Nursing and midwifery professionals

The top skills most frequently noted by this profession include:

1. Medication administration
2. Patient education
3. Compassionate care
4. Health checks 
5. Care procedure knowledge
6. Excellent time management
7. Accurate record-keeping
8. Phlebotomy
9. Adult care
10. Risk management

Nursing professionals focus on compassionate care and medication administration skills that demonstrate the balance between technical proficiency and interpersonal empathy. At the same time, the addition of risk management and accurate record-keeping highlights the increasing regulatory demands and the importance of careful documentation in healthcare environments.

Industry: Marketing & Communications

Role: Sales, marketing, and public relations professionals

Since the marketing field has become more data-driven in recent years, professionals working in this sector need to juggle creativity and analytics. The most commonly listed skills by marketing & communications specialists are:

1. Business development
2. Sales and market development
3. Customer service
4. B2B sales
5. Product knowledge
6. Account management
7. Business planning
8. Market and competitive analysis
9. Project management
10. Relationship management

Marketing professionals see a blend of traditional skills like Sales and market development with more strategic skills like market and competitive analysis and business planning. A recent report shows that 72% of marketing leaders are investing in data analytics and competitive analysis to sharpen their strategies. Relationship management and project management reflect the collaborative nature of marketing projects, where both cross-team coordination and long-term strategy can lead to success.

Industry: Finance

Role: Finance professionals

Key skills often cited by finance professionals include:

1. Bank reconciliations and balancing
2. Full-cycle accounting
3. Budget forecasting expertise
4. Bookkeeping
5. Financial reporting
6. Financial planning
7. General ledger accounting
8. Account reconciliation
9. Data entry
10. Payment processing

For finance professionals, technical expertise like bank reconciliations and full-cycle accounting remain at the core, but there’s also a growing need for forward-looking skills such as budget forecasting expertise and financial planning. As the finance industry becomes more data-centric, general ledger accounting and financial reporting skills show the critical role of accuracy and transparency in financial operations. The rise of fintech and automation tools also means that manual tasks like data entry are more streamlined but still vital to maintain accuracy.

Industry: Administration

Role: General office clerks

General office clerks focus on core administrative tasks that keep the office running smoothly. They tend to list these top skills in their CVs most frequently:

1. Microsoft Office
2. Strong interpersonal skills
3. Multitasking and prioritisation
4. Administrative operations
5. Customer service
6. Bookkeeping
7. Organisation and efficiency
8. Communication
9. Problem-solving
10. Documentation and reporting

In their CVs, general office clerks emphasise proficiency in Microsoft Office, given its role in daily tasks like word processing, spreadsheets, and email management. Multitasking and prioritisation are essential, too, as clerks often manage multiple responsibilities at the same time. Strong interpersonal skills and customer service are also important since clerks are frequently the first point of contact within an organisation.

Role: Administration professionals

Administration professionals typically operate at a more strategic level than office clerks, requiring skills that reflect managerial and operational oversight. These are the top skills mentioned by administration professionals:

1. Requirements gathering
2. Training and development
3. Project management
4. Customer service
5. Strong leadership skills
6. Process improvement
7. Business development
8. Communication
9. Team player
10. Operations management

Requirements gathering and process improvement indicate their involvement in streamlining workflows and ensuring that business processes are effective. In turn, project management and strong leadership skills highlight their responsibility for guiding teams and projects to success. Interestingly, administration professionals also frequently indicate business development skills in their applications, highlighting the expanding role of administration in contributing to an organisation’s prosperity.

Industry: Law & Legal services

Role: Legal professionals

Skills commonly highlighted by this profession are:

1. Case interpretation
2. Legal research
3. Reviewing contracts
4. Court procedures
5. Advanced research skills
6. Exceptional communication skills
7. Team collaboration
8. Litigation management
9. [Document] drafting
10. Dispute resolution

For legal professionals, the foundational skills are Case interpretation and Legal research. However, including dispute resolution and team collaboration shows a growing emphasis on resolving conflicts outside the courtroom and working within multidisciplinary teams. The ability to interpret complex documents, such as contracts, and manage litigation are crucial, but there’s clearly a trend toward more collaborative and holistic legal work.

Industry: Education & Training

Role: Primary school and early childhood teachers

Skills most frequently listed by this group include:

1. Behaviour management
2. Classroom management
3. Activity planning
4. Creative lesson planning
5. Play-based learning
6. Child-focused
7. Patient and caring
8. Creative, innovative, and imaginative
9. Teaching material development
10. Inclusive learning techniques

In education, primary and early childhood teachers need to balance behaviour management with creative lesson planningto maintain control in the classroom while fostering a creative learning environment. The emphasis on inclusive learning techniques reflects the growing importance of diversity and accessibility in education, ensuring every student’s needs are addressed regardless of learning style or ability.

Role: University and higher education teachers

University and higher education teachers include these skills most frequently:

1. Curriculum development
2. Student support
3. Classroom management
4. Data entry
5. Research presentations
6. Lecture planning
7. Effective communication skills
8. Seminar management
9. Online lesson delivery
10. Interactive teaching

University educators, on the other hand, focus more on curriculum development and research presentations. These skills highlight the multi-faceted responsibility of higher education teachers: developing robust academic programs while contributing to their fields through research. The increasing use of digital tools is seen in online lesson delivery and interactive teaching, which are critical for engaging students both virtually and in person.

Industry: Sales & Retail

Role: Shop salespersons

These are the most frequently mentioned skills by this job group:

1. Enthusiastic communicator
2. POS systems
3. Cash handling accuracy
4. Returns
5. Excellent telephone manner
6. Active selling
7. Loss prevention
8. Brand awareness
9. Business development
10. Inventory management

For shop salespersons, customer-facing skills like enthusiastic communicator and POS systems proficiency are critical to boosting sales. However, business development and brand awareness show a broader strategic focus in retail, where salespeople are also responsible for promoting brand loyalty and adding value to customer experience. In a digitalised world, even entry-level retail positions require a mix of technology and interpersonal skills.

Role: Client information workers

The most commonly mentioned skills include:

1. Customer experience
2. Live chat support
3. Stock management
4. Group leadership
5. Problem-solving
6. Microsoft Office
7. Remote teamwork
8. Multitasking ability
9. Customer data management
10. Salesforce

Client information workers, including customer service representatives, account managers, and consultants, focus on live chat support and remote teamwork, proving how customer service has shifted online. The significance of Salesforce and customer data management highlights the essential need for effective customer relationship management (CRM) and proficient navigation of CRM systems to build strong client connections and drive business growth.

Industry: Engineering & Construction

Role: Engineering professionals (excluding electrotechnology)

These professionals highlight specifically the below skills:

1. Process improvement
2. Risk assessment
3. Root cause analysis
4. Quality control
5. Problem-solving
6. Team leadership
7. Communication
8. SolidWorks
9. Cost management
10. Site inspections

For engineers, process improvement and root cause analysis are critical to maintaining efficiency and solving problems. As industries focus more on sustainability and cost efficiency, skills like cost management and risk assessment are gaining importance. Team leadership and communication skills remain important soft skills for engineers, especially since they work in cross-functional teams more often.

Role: Architects, planners, surveyors, and designers

Architects and designers need a mix of creative and technical skills. This job group focuses particularly on these skills in their applications:

1. AutoCAD
2. Adobe Creative Suite
3. Project management
4. Adobe Photoshop
5. Logo creation
6. Video editing
7. Graphic and media design
8. Creativity
9. Team player
10. Web design

Here, AutoCAD and Adobe Creative Suite dominate the technical side, while graphic and media design and creativity underscore the importance of visual and aesthetic design. The ability to manage projects from conception to completion is crucial in architecture and design roles.

Industry: Creative & Design

Role: Creative and performing artists

Creative and performing artists tend to include these skills in their CVs:

1. Live performance
2. Creativity
3. Project management
4. Team player
5. Communication
6. Improvisation
7. Problem-solving
8. Adaptability
9. Enthusiasm
10. Verbal communication

In the creative sector, Live performance and Creativity are still central, but there’s also an increasing need for practical skills like project management and problem-solving. As creative professionals take on more freelance and self-directed work, the ability to manage both the creative and business sides of their projects is crucial. Adaptability is also key, as the creative industries often require professionals to shift gears quickly and respond to new challenges.

Industry: Hospitality

Role: Hotel and restaurant managers

Hospitality managers require a balance of customer service and operational skills. These are the most commonly listed skills among this job group:

1. Customer service
2. Operations management
3. Restaurant marketing
4. Workflow optimisation
5. Supervisory skills
6. Staff development and mentoring
7. Menu planning
8. Labour and food cost control
9. Forecasting and planning
10. Sales techniques

Hotel and restaurant managers often highlight customer service and sales skills, but the emphasis on labour cost control and forecasting and planning shows a need for strong financial and logistical management in this fast-paced industry. As hospitality continues to recover after the pandemic, operational efficiency and adaptability are more critical than ever.

Role: Domestic, hotel, and office cleaners and helpers

The most frequently listed skills by this job group include:

1. Stain removal
2. Glass cleaning
3. Polishing and dusting
4. Exceptional communication skills
5. Carpet shampooing
6. Kitchen sanitising
7. Hard-working
8. Furniture maintenance
9. Bed making
10. Chemical safety and storage

For cleaners and helpers, practical skills like stain removal and kitchen sanitising are vital. Exceptional communication skills are also listed among the top skills for these roles. This shows how much these positions require direct interaction with clients and the need to maintain high service standards, particularly in luxury and high-end environments.

Industry: Human Resources & Recruitment

Role: Business services and administration managers

HR specialists tend to focus specifically on these abilities:

1. Department management
2. Customer complaint management
3. Bookkeeping
4. Employee relations
5. Stakeholder management
6. HR and recruitment
7. Employee management
8. Employee retention strategies
9. Logistics management
10. Stock management

HR professionals highlight employee relations and retention strategies, reflecting the growing importance of maintaining a healthy workplace culture and keeping top talent in-house. HR and recruitment skills remain critical, but the need for logistics management and stock management shows how HR is expanding beyond traditional hiring roles to assume more operational oversight.

How many skills typically appear on a CV by profession?

On average, software developers and ICT technicians list around 6 to 6.5 skills, reflecting the technical nature of their roles. Similarly, medical doctors and registered nurse specialists tend to include 6.5 and 7.5 skills, emphasising both clinical and interpersonal competencies.

In marketing and sales,professionals feature around 7 skills, while finance specialists list 5, and accounting professionals list 7. General office clerks, administration professionals, and legal professionals consistently include about 7 skills, balancing administrative and organisational abilities. Primary school teachers and freelance architects highlight the most, with 8 skills on average, underlining their versatility.

In customer-facing roles, shop salespersons, customer service workers, and hotel room attendants generally list 5 to 7 skills, while hotel managers and HR specialists list 7 to 8, focusing on operational and people management skills. Higher education lecturers include fewer skills, averaging 5, likely reflecting their specialised academic focus. Creative and performing artists and architectural engineers tend to include about 6.5 to 7 skills, combining technical expertise and creative problem-solving.

Conclusions

As work environments change and evolve, so do the skills employers seek in candidates. Our analysis shows several important trends:

• Tech fluency across industries:Tech skills like data analysis and AI literacy are essential not only in IT but also in sectors like healthcare, marketing, and law, reflecting digital shifts across professions.
• The rising value of soft skills:Communication, teamwork, and problem-solving are expected in many roles, with collaboration and leadership required at all levels due to remote and cross-functional work environments.
• Project management in demand:Project management is increasingly important in different industries, from IT to healthcare, as roles become more structured and focused on achieving specific goals.
• Business and operational integration:Administrative roles now require strategic skills like business development and operations management, showing increased responsibility within organisations.
• Adaptability and continuous learning:Professionals must stay adaptable and continuously learn new tools and practices, particularly in fields like engineering, law, and education.

As technology continues to shake up many industries, professionals must focus on developing skills that will be in demand in the coming years. Our data indicates that tech proficiency, remote collaboration tools, and data-driven decision-making will be increasingly valuable across industries.

Roles in HR, marketing, and administration will likely see an even greater need for automation and data management, while technical professionals should remain proactive in adopting new solutions and technologies. By following these trends, as a candidate, you have greater chances to remain relevant and competitive when searching for a job.

Methodology

The findings of this study are derived from an analysis of authentic professional CVs crafted by users of the LiveCareer CV builder—individuals of varying ages from diverse locations, industries, and career stages. These CVs were generated by professionals holding over 2,200 unique job titles. The documents analysed were created between August 2023 and August 2024.

How we review the content at LiveCareer

Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with Livecareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.

Sources

• Skills to Learn in 2024: In-Demand and High-Income Skills for Career Growth
• The Most Requested Technical Skills in 2024 and Why Their Demand is Rising
• Java, SQL, and Python are the most in-demand digital skills globally