Essential professional skills to develop: examples and tips

Having the right professional skills will help you land interviews and get a job. But what are the best skills to have? And how do you develop them?

In this article, we'll go over everything you need to know, including the top work skills employers are looking for, how to get better at them and how to include them in your CV and cover letter. We’ll cover:

• What are professional skills?
• Top professional skills
• How to develop professional skills
• How to include them on your CV

Professional skills are the hard and soft skills that’ll help you succeed in your career.

Hard skills are measurable and sometimes technical (eg. foreign language fluency, coding knowledge). Soft skills are things like teamwork or organisation – more difficult to measure but still important. Of course, a plumber has to have plumbing skills. But they also need communication skills to explain work to clients and other tradespeople. Having a mix of hard and soft professional skills will help you thrive in any industry.

Many soft and hard skills are transferable. So, they’re useful in a wide range of job roles in different fields. And that’s why employers in all sectors value professional skills.

There are lots of professional abilities. Here are some of the job skills that employers want to see on your CV:

• Organisational skills
• Adaptability
• Self-management
• Motivation
• Communication
• Leadership
• Digital skills
• Initiative
• Team working
• Problem-solving
• Commercial awareness
• Emotional intelligence
• Reliability
• Decision-making
• Innovation
• Project management
• Software knowledge
• Language fluency
• Copywriting
• Analytical abilities

We’ll run through what these are and explain how to show you’ve got them in interviews.

Organisational skills cover a lot of tasks, including keeping track of your workload, filling in paperwork and being on time for meetings. It also includes planning and prepping for big projects and taking notes.

Give an example of when your organisation has helped you – and others. Maybe you took charge of a uni society’s socials and booked the end-of-term party. Or you’ve got a robust checklist you use for projects. Think about anything you’ve done that involved logistics.

Adapting to change is vital when an unexpected issue pops up, or just when you’ve got to turn your attention to something else. If you’re adaptable, you’ll be able to handle surprises.

Talk about any times you’ve dealt with change. For example, share the story of when you managed a busy shift that became even busier once your colleague went home sick. Or tell the interviewer about when a uni professor asked you to change the direction of your dissertation. Show how you’ve coped well with change.

Self-management includes knowing your schedule, being on time and getting on with your job without supervision. Employers love it because managers are free to focus on more than helping other employees.

For this one, talk about any projects or tasks you’ve done by yourself. Examples include setting up a window display without full instructions or responding to a vague essay brief.

Employers want workers who don’t need prompting to undertake their tasks. Having good motivation means you get your work done on time without someone having to nudge you. A real asset to a company. If that’s you, you’ll be in-demand.

To show you’re motivated, talk about when you’ve taken on extra work or gone beyond your job description – without your boss asking you to do so. But stay positive. Talk about the things you enjoy putting extra effort into, not just emergency shift cover.

Good communication is about how you address your colleagues, clients, suppliers and anyone else. It’s both written and verbal. Efficient communication is vital for improving productivity and avoiding misunderstandings. Get the balance of niceties and getting straight to the point right and you’ll see your career fly.

Hopefully, your CV will highlight your ability to communicate. It’ll certainly showcase your written communication, so watch out for typos. If you’ve passed the first test and made it to the interview, keep your answers clear and concise to show your verbal communication skills.

Leadership is about working to organise and motivate a team. As a leader, you need to guide others to complete a certain role or project. It includes using soft skills such as active listening and conflict resolution.

Talk about when you’ve been a leader. It doesn’t have to be an example from a past job. Think about education and your hobbies. Been captain of a basketball team? That’s great.

Being able to use a computer, troubleshoot basic problems and learn new software are important job skills. There are very few roles that don’t involve tech in some way. Employers expect that workers will cope with basic web use, document creation and other everyday digital tasks.

If you’ve got strong digital skills, mention them if they’ll impress your employer. Also, make sure you bring up your familiarity with software that’s common in your field. So, if you want that design job, you’ll need to know your way around photo editing software.

Taking initiative means solving problems or finding new ways of working. Often, it means you’ll need to make snap decisions when there are urgent issues to deal with. You need to be good at trusting your gut here. And we’re not talking about what you eat…

Talk about any times you’ve taken initiative and improved the way of working, dealt with a problem or come up with a new idea. Back yourself up with results too. It’s one thing to have a lightbulb moment. It’s another to prove it made a difference.

Working well with others is vital for most larger projects. It includes communication with team members, analysis of your colleagues’ skills and delegation.

When discussing collaborative projects, talk about the team’s performance as a whole and your specific role. Don’t take all the credit but make it clear that you contributed to the team’s success.

Unexpected problems are a part of life and being able to think critically, analyse problems and solve issues is important – and appealing to employers. Strong problem-solving requires quick thinking and good planning skills.

The easiest way to show you’re capable of solving problems is by talking about a past example where you’ve done just that. Be sure to talk about the steps you went through as employers will want to know your thought process. Sometimes an interviewer will present you with a problem and you’ll have to solve it there and then. That’s where the quick thinking will come in handy.

Commercial awareness means understanding how the industry works. Sometimes, that’s having a general sense of how customers, economics and market trends move. Other times, it’s more specific to the sector you’re in.

If you’ve already got industry experience, talk about how your knowledge of the commercial scene has helped in previous job roles. For example, mention how you knew the industry was changing and suggested something to stay ahead of the game. If you’re not there in your career yet, don’t worry. As a student or recent graduate, your enthusiasm will impress employers. So, chat about any journals or podcasts you follow to stay up to date.

Emotional intelligence is about being aware of your own emotions and those of your co-workers, clients and anyone else you meet. It includes empathy, active listening and conflict resolution. It’s vital for a healthy workplace and makes it easier to build strong relationships.

Talk about how you’ve used your emotional intelligence to deal with issues in the workplace. Did you realise a coursemate was stressed and helped them get the extension they needed? Or have you ever calmed things down in the debating society when it got too heated?

If you’re reliable, you’ll be on time and meet your deadlines. It’s a hugely valuable skill. It includes planning skills, organisation and self-motivation.

Firstly, turn up on time. It’s hard to convince someone you’re always punctual if you’ve turned up late on day one. In the interview itself, slip in a reference to completing things on time when talking about an example project. It’s extra impressive if you’ve worked with changing or tight deadlines.

Decision-making means analysing a situation and weighing up your options. It involves critical thinking and having an awareness of what’ll happen once you carry out your actions.

The best way to highlight your skills is to talk about when you considered different options and chose the right one. Say why it worked out well for yourself, your project or your workplace.

Innovation is about coming up with new ideas. It’s more than creative thinking. Part of being an innovator involves self-evaluating your visions, making any necessary changes and having the confidence to go with your thoughts.

Talk about a time you came up with a new idea or way of doing things. It doesn’t have to be obviously creative. For example, coming up with a naming convention for digital documents is still an innovation.

Project management involves planning and overseeing a project. It helps to be organised, analytical and a critical thinker. While some industries have dedicated project managers, it’s an important skill for everyone. If you’re ever in charge of your own project (no matter how small), you’re using your project management skills.

Talk about any project you’ve been in charge of – whether it’s to do with your work, studies or hobbies. It’s best to give examples of projects you've managed where you've worked with others. Solo projects are still valuable, but employers want to know how you manage people too.

Knowing your software is a hard skill relating to programming, advanced technology use and complex troubleshooting. Excelling at software (and no, not just Excel software) will come in handy in a wide range of fields.

Bring up your experience and highlight any relevant qualifications you’ve got. Talk about how you’ve learned these skills – employers like workers who actively learn new skills. So, anything self-taught is extra impressive.

As a hard skill, language fluency includes foreign languages, dialects and sign language. Being multi-lingual is particularly useful in a role where you’ll work with people from other countries.

The best way to show your competency is to highlight qualifications or fluency ratings you’ve got in your languages. If you’re applying for a job with a language requirement, there’s a chance an interviewer will ask you questions in that language. Try practising talking about your strengths and weaknesses in French if you’re after that Paris position.

Copywriting is more than drafting emails and messages. It’s about tailoring your writing to the audience and the purpose of the piece. It’s another hard skill which is useful in a wide range of fields, including journalism, publishing and marketing.

If you’re asked about this skill, cover the different types of writing you’ve done. The easiest way for an interviewer to tell if you’re a good writer is for them to read your work. Having a portfolio will do the talking for you. Remember that your CV and cover letter need to be error-free too.

Being analytical is all about being able to look at situations and data to gather conclusions. Analytical skills include critical thinking, planning, reading data and preparing reports.

The best way to bring up your analytical skills is to discuss a time when you had to analyse a dataset or a situation. It helps if you show how you used your analysis to plan ahead. Alternatively, mention a time you’ve analysed data to write a report or as part of your university work.

Of course, there are plenty more skills that are useful in the workplace. You want to focus on the main skills above, but don’t limit yourself based on a list. It’s always worth bringing up any relevant skills you’ve got that’ll help you get a job – even if (and sometimes because) they’re less common.

Other useful professional skills include:

• Public speaking
• Customer service skills
• Presentation skills
• Design
• Marketing skills
• Negotiation
• Ability to work under pressure
• Confidence
• Conceptualisation and visualisation
• Creative thinking

Building on your professional skills is a great way to boost your CV and improve your employability. Here are our top tips for how to improve your skills:

You won’t know what skills you need to improve if you don’t know what your strengths and weaknesses are. Start by thinking about what you’re good at and where you struggle. Unsure where to start? Online skills assessments will be useful here.

There are plenty of courses, workshops, seminars and conferences that will help you work on your skills. At conferences, you'll usually find sessions on different subjects, so you’ll maximise your learning.

If you ask people around you for feedback, you’ll find out about where you’re doing well and the areas you need to improve. Uneasy about doing this? Read our guide on how to ask for feedback – and how to take it.

Once you’ve landed a job, take note of what works or doesn't work for others. Feel free to ask your co-workers for help on how to better handle certain situations and how to boost your skills. Even if you’re only there for work experience, you’ll gain inside knowledge.

As with anything, practice is key. Find things that help you work on the skills you need. It’s even better if you find something you enjoy. For example, if you want to improve your teamwork, join a sports club or a community organisation. You’ll enjoy yourself and build your skills. Win-win.

If you’re wondering how to write a CV and display your skills, we’re here to help. Here are our top tips:

Focus on the skills listed in the job description first. Those are the ones that the employer most wants to see. If you've still got space, add in more.

One of the simplest ways to include your skills on your CV is to have a section where you list your main ones. It’s a great way to help employers quickly see what you offer. Using bullet points will make it scannable.

So, you say you’ve got a list of skills. But where’s the evidence? We know you’re telling the truth, but employers love it when you back up your claims. Employers like to see how you’ve gained skills and how you’re using them, as it puts your abilities into a real-world framing.

Where relevant, mention your skills in your education and employment history sections. It keeps your CV focused on your transferable strengths rather than task-specific actions. So, if you volunteered for a festival clean-up, it was about teamwork, organisation and self-motivation as much as litter picker know-how. Even if you’ll be doing the same practical work in a future job, you still need to emphasise your broader professional skills.

Professional skills are the competencies that’ll help you in any role, so building these skills is important when you’re job hunting.

Key graduate career skills include hard skills like software knowledge and soft skills like adaptability.

Some of the key skills that employers look for are communication, teamwork and reliability. It’s worth building these skills with courses, seminars and through practice.

It's important to put your skills on your CV, such as in the skills section or your employment history. If you impress there, you’ll get through to the next stage – usually the interview.

The best way to prepare for interview questions about skills is to be ready to share real-life examples of how you’ve used your abilities. If you nail that, a job will soon be yours. Good luck!