10+ Soft Skills for Your Career & CV

What are soft skills?

Soft skills are non-technical abilities and personality traits that influence how you work with other poeple. Examples of soft skills include communication and problem-solving. They’re also known as interpersonal skills or people skills. Unlike hard skills that can be learned through courses or at university, soft skills are developed through self-reflection and practice. 

In this article, I’m explaining why you need to develop soft skills and which soft skills are the most important for your career. You can also learn how to include soft skills in CVs to satisfy employers.

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Top soft skills examples for career success

Soft skills are important for employers. Your career success depends on working well with other people and approaching challenges effectively. That’s why soft skills examples such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving are an essential requirement for business success.

Before signing up for soft skills training, check which competencies employers seek the most:

1. Communication skills

Communication skills consistently rank among the most important soft skills employers look for. They influence how effectively you share ideas, understand others, and build professional relationships with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders.

Strong communication isn’t just about speaking clearly – it also includes listening, adapting your message, and choosing the right communication style for each situation.

Examples of communication skills:

• Verbal communication
• Written communication
• Active listening
• Non-verbal communication
• Body language awareness
• Questioning skills
• Negotiation skills
• Persuasion

2. Teamwork and collaboration

Most roles require you to work effectively with others, whether in small teams or across departments. Teamwork skills show employers that you can contribute positively, share responsibility, and support collective goals.

Examples of teamwork skills:

• Collaboration
• Conflict resolution
• Giving and receiving feedback
• Coordination
• Reliability
• Contributing ideas
• Supporting colleagues

3. Leadership skills

Leadership isn’t limited to management roles. Employers value people who can take responsibility, motivate others, and influence outcomes at any level. According to the World Economic Forum, 67% of employers consider leadership a core skill for the modern workforce.

Examples of leadership skills:

• Motivation
• Influence
• Delegation
• Accountability
• Change management

4. Adaptability and flexibility

Workplaces evolve constantly. Employers value candidates who can adapt quickly, learn new skills, and remain effective in times of change. Adaptability shows resilience, curiosity, and openness to new ways of working.

Examples of adaptability skills:

• Willingness to learn
• Flexibility
• Open-mindedness
• Creativity
• Critical thinking
• Self-improvement
• Managing expectations

5. Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence refers to how well you understand and manage your own emotions while responding appropriately to others. It plays a key role in teamwork, leadership, conflict resolution, and customer-facing roles.

Examples of emotional intelligence skills:

• Empathy
• Self-control
• Social awareness
• Patience
• Stress management
• Emotional regulation
• De-escalation
• Interpersonal sensitivity

6. Problem-solving skills

Problem-solving skills show how you respond to challenges and find practical solutions. Employers look for candidates who can analyse situations, think logically, and make sound decisions under pressure.

Examples of problem-solving skills:

• Analytical thinking
• Innovation
• Project management
• Prioritisation
• Decision-making
• Complaint resolution
• Intuition

7. Work ethic

A strong work ethic reflects reliability, professionalism, and commitment. Employers want people they can depend on to manage their time well and take responsibility for their work.

Examples of work ethic skills:

• Time management
• Self-discipline
• Professionalism
• Punctuality
• Reliability
• Motivation
• Sense of responsibility

8. Initiative and proactivity

Taking initiative means going beyond what’s expected. It shows that you can work independently, spot opportunities, and take ownership without constant supervision.

Examples of initiative skills:

• Proactivity
• Self-starting
• Resourcefulness
• Decision-making skills
• Taking ownership
• Going the extra mile

9. Resilience

Resilience is the ability to remain productive and positive in the face of setbacks or pressure. In fast-paced environments, resilient employees are better equipped to handle change and uncertainty.

Examples of resilience skills:

• Perseverance
• Stress tolerance
• Optimism
• Emotional control
• Coping strategies
• Learning from failure

10. Cultural awareness

Modern workplaces are diverse and global. Cultural awareness helps you work respectfully with people from different backgrounds and avoid misunderstandings.

Examples of cultural awareness skills:

• Respect for diversity
• Cross-cultural communication
• Inclusion
• Language sensitivity
• Global mindset
• Cultural sensitivity

11. Attention to detail

Attention to detail ensures accuracy, consistency, and quality. It’s essential in roles involving data, documentation, processes, or quality control.

Examples of attention-to-detail skills:

• Accuracy
• Proofreading
• Organisational skills
• Thoroughness
• Quality control
• Data checking

12. Networking and relationship building

Networking skills help you build professional relationships that support collaboration, career growth, and business development. Strong networkers communicate with purpose and maintain long-term connections.

Examples of networking skills:

• Relationship building
• Rapport
• Follow-up skills
• Confidence in social settings
• Strategic communication
• Maintaining professional connections

How to include soft skills on your CV

Knowing how to include soft skills on your CV is just as important as knowing which ones to choose. A CV is typically one or two pages long, so you won’t be able to list every soft skill you possess. Plus, the most effective CVs don’t simply list soft skills; they demonstrate them in context.

1. Tailor your soft skills to the job description

The first step is to carefully review the job advertisement. Take the time to read the description closely and highlight every requirement that refers to behaviour, attitude, or ways of working.

Here’s a short example of a job description:

Once you’ve identified the key soft skills for the role, reflect on your own experience. From there, select around 5–10 soft skills that best match the employer’s needs and that you can confidently support with examples.

2. List soft skills in your CV skills section

Your CV skills section is one of the most straightforward places to include soft skills. For best results, avoid listing skills as single words. Instead, add a short line explaining how you’ve applied each skill in practice.

This approach helps your CV stand out by showing recruiters how your soft skills translate into real workplace value.

3. Include soft skills in your personal profile

Soft skills can, and should, appear throughout your CV. Your personal profile (also known as a CV summary) is the first section a recruiter reads, making it an ideal place to highlight your strongest interpersonal qualities.

Use this section to combine your experience with one or two key soft skills that are critical for the role.

A well-written profile immediately signals to recruiters that you possess both the experience and the soft skills they’re looking for.

4. Show proof of soft skills in your work experience

The work experience section is where soft skills carry the most weight. Rather than stating skills directly, demonstrate them through your responsibilities and professional achievements.

Instead of naming the skill directly, show it through actions and outcomes:

• Focus on what you did
• Explain how you did it
• Highlight the result

This type of bullet point clearly shows leadership, communication, and emotional intelligence – without needing to label them explicitly.

5. Add soft skills to your education section (if relevant)

If you’re an experienced professional, your education section should usually remain concise. However, if you’re writing a school-leaver CV or graduate CV, this section can be a valuable place to demonstrate soft skills gained through extracurricular activities or group projects.

6. Demonstrate soft skills using additional CV sections

Additional sections such as volunteering, hobbies and interests, or achievements are excellent opportunities to reinforce your soft skills – especially if you’re writing a CV with little to no experience.

7. Reinforce soft skills in your cover letter

Even a short cover letter provides additional space to elaborate on how your soft skills contribute to success in the role. Use it to explain why your interpersonal strengths make you a strong fit for the position and the organisation.

A strong CV summary will convince the recruiter you’re the perfect candidate. Save time and choose a ready-made personal statement written by career experts and adjust it to your needs in the LiveCareer CV builder.

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Soft skills CV example

Below, you can see a sample CV highlighting soft skills throughout each section. Use it as inspiration when writing your own application.

How employers test soft skills

Many candidates assume soft skills are judged purely on gut feeling. In reality, employers actively test soft skills at multiple stages of the hiring process. Understanding how soft skills are assessed allows you to write a stronger CV, prepare more effectively for interviews, and avoid vague claims that recruiters quickly dismiss.

Assessment on each stage

Soft skills are evaluated throughout the hiring journey, not just in interviews. Here’s where hiring managers look for them:

• CV screening: Evidence of behaviour, responsibility, collaboration, and results
• Interviews: Behavioural and situational questions
• Assessment centres: Group exercises, role plays, and presentations
• Task-based evaluations: Trial projects or case studies
• Probation periods: Consistency, reliability, and adaptability over time
• Professional references: Confirmation of interpersonal behaviour and work ethic

This is why simply listing soft skills without context rarely works. Employers want to see how you behave, not just what you claim.

Common soft skill assessment methods

Below are some of the most commonly tested soft skills, how employers assess them, and how you can reflect them convincingly on your CV.

Soft skill	How employers test it	How to show it on your CV
Communication	Behavioural interview questions, presentations	Clear, outcome-driven bullet points
Teamwork	Group exercises, peer feedback	Collaborative project examples
Leadership	Role-play scenarios, management questions	Mentoring, ownership, decision-making
Adaptability	“What would you do if…?” questions	Change-related achievements
Emotional intelligence	Conflict scenarios	De-escalation and empathy examples
Problem-solving	Case studies, scenario tasks	Analytical decisions with results
Work ethic	References, probation	Reliability and accountability evidence

This approach helps recruiters quickly connect your experience to the behaviours they’re looking for.

Preparing your soft skills for interviews

Because employers test soft skills beyond the CV, preparation matters.

For each key soft skill:

1. Prepare one real example
2. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result)
3. Focus on behaviour and decision-making
4. Be honest; exaggeration is easy to detect

When your CV and interview answers reinforce each other, recruiters gain confidence in your suitability for the role.

How to develop soft skills

Soft skills might be hard to teach, but with high-quality training, it’s certainly possible to improve them and give your career a boost in the process. 

1. Ask your employer about soft skills training courses

The first thing you should do is ask your employer if they offer any courses. Most larger employers recognise the importance of upskilling their staff and offer training on a variety of subjects.

2. Check out the government soft skills training in the UK

Alternatively, take a look at what’s on offer from the government. They’ve recognised that skills shortages have continued to increase and could potentially harm the UK economy. So, provision has been put in place to offer training.

3. Look at online soft skills training options

There are remote training options as well. For example, the Open University has provided quality training for decades, and popular websites such as Udemy and Coursera also offer a wealth of training opportunities.

4. Practice and get feedback

Once you’ve completed your soft skills training, focus on practice and gotting honest feedback from colleagues.

You don’t have to be a CV writing expert. In the LiveCareer CV builder you’ll find ready-made content for every industry and position, which you can then add with a single click.

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Want to learn more about skills for a CV? Check these guides:

• Which Soft Skills Matter the Most in Tech? [Real Data]
• Computer Skills for Beginners & Professionals
• How to Present Your Language Skills on a CV
• Transferable Skills & Why They're Important
• Top Skills for Work-From-Home Employees

Thanks for reading, and good luck with developing soft skills as well as your career!

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

• S. A. Dean, J. I. East, Soft Skills Needed for the 21st-Century Workforce
• A. J. Royo, Soft Skills that Employers are Seeking
• Government Office for Science, The UK’s Skill System: Training, Employability and Gaps in Provision
• World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report 2025