CV Skills Section — What to Include, What to Avoid, How to Format

Why the skills section matters more than most people think

The skills section of your CV is one of the most heavily weighted sections in ATS keyword matching. ATS systems are specifically designed to extract and score your listed skills against the job description's required skills.

If the job description says "Salesforce" and your CV says "CRM software", a human knows you probably mean the same thing. An ATS doesn't. It looks for the exact string "Salesforce" — and if it's not there, you don't get the match.

Your skills section is where you ensure the keywords are explicitly present. Here's how to do it right.

What belongs in a CV skills section

Software and tools — specific names, not categories. "Salesforce", not "CRM systems". "Tableau", not "data visualisation tools". "Jira", not "project management software".

Technical skills — programming languages, frameworks, platforms. "Python, R, SQL, TensorFlow". "AWS, Azure, Docker, Kubernetes".

Professional methodologies — Agile, Scrum, Lean, Six Sigma, PRINCE2. Certifications can go here or in a separate section.

Industry-specific skills — anything with a specific name in your industry. "IFRS accounting", "FMEA", "GDPR compliance", "Google Ads", "CPT coding".

Languages — if applicable to the roles you're applying for. "French (professional working proficiency)", "Spanish (conversational)".

What doesn't belong in a skills section

Soft skills as standalone line items: "Good communicator", "team player", "hardworking", "problem solver". These are qualities you should demonstrate through your experience bullet points, not list as skills. Everyone claims them. They add zero value in a skills section and waste the ATS's keyword scan.

Vague categories instead of specifics: "Microsoft Office" instead of "Excel (advanced), Word, PowerPoint". "Design tools" instead of "Figma, Sketch, Adobe Illustrator". Specific names are what get matched.

Obviousness: "Email", "Internet", "Windows". These aren't skills worth listing unless you're applying for a role specifically requiring them.

Everything you've ever touched: A skills section with 40 items signals poor judgement. Focus on skills that are genuinely strong and relevant to your target roles.

How to format the skills section

Option 1: Comma-separated list (cleanest for ATS)

Skills: Python, SQL, Tableau, Google Analytics, Salesforce, Agile, Jira, Excel (advanced), Power BI

Option 2: Grouped by category

Technical: Python, SQL, R, TensorFlow

Tools: Jira, Confluence, Tableau, Power BI

Methodologies: Agile, Scrum, PRINCE2

Option 3: Bulleted list by category

Same as option 2 but with bullets instead of inline text.

Avoid: Skill bars or rating systems ("Excel ████████░░ 80%"). These look interesting but communicate nothing meaningful and can confuse ATS parsing. Skip them.

Matching your skills section to the job description

For each application, review the job description and check that your most relevant skills are explicitly present in your skills section. This is the simplest tailoring action with the highest ATS impact.

If a job description mentions "HubSpot" and you've used it but didn't list it, add it. If a role emphasises "cross-functional stakeholder management" and that's in your profile but not your skills section, consider adding it.

The goal isn't to lie — it's to ensure that skills you genuinely have are present in the format the ATS is scanning for.

How many skills should you list?

Between 8 and 20 specific items for most roles. Fewer than 8 and you may be underselling your technical range. More than 20 and the list becomes unwieldy and starts including things that aren't genuinely strong.

For senior technical roles (engineering, data science, architecture), the list can be longer — but keep it scannable with grouping.

Position of the skills section

For technical roles: after your work experience (ATS weights experience section content more highly, so let your work speak first).

For roles where skills are the primary qualifier (data science, engineering, design): sometimes justified earlier, just below the profile.

Never before your work experience for non-technical roles. Skills without experience context are meaningless to recruiters.

CVCircuit handles skill extraction

When you build your CV in CVCircuit, it helps you identify relevant skills based on your experience and the roles you're targeting. The skills section is formatted correctly by default — no skill bars, no vague categories, just specific terms in an ATS-readable format.

Build your CV free and ensure your skills are properly listed for every application.