10 Skills Which Really Make Your C.V Stand Out

So you have graduated with a degree in Victorian English, worked part-time at a juice bar, and completed an internship at a community theater company. You are unsure where you are going and what to apply for, but you need a job now. Or you have been working as a programmer for ten years and the idea of writing code for one more minute makes your head spin. You desperately want a career change, but are unsure how to proceed. 

The first step towards securing any position, regardless of your professional experience, is pitching yourself in an effective manner. You are competent, capable of working with others, and skilled. So, how do you convey this?

Here are ten skills that can help make your CV really stand out. If you do not think you have them, work to cultivate them. In today's competitive market, they are a must. 

Speaking the Language

In today's world, communication is a form of capital. The more languages you speak, the more valuable you will be, and the more employable, promotable, and marketable.

1. Ability to speak a foreign language - fluently. If you speak a second language already, pick up a third. Even putting down a conversational proficiency on your CV will help; it means you are interested in the world around you and willing to grow.

2. Ability to understand computer languages. These change everyday, but learning one or two will give your resume a boost - a give you a base to grow your skills.

3. Ability to write in trade-speak. Communicating in your field's language is vital and essential. 

4. Ability to write different kinds of documents and memos. It is wonderful that you wrote an undergraduate thesis, but can you write a press release, a technical document, an email asking for funds?

5. Ability to communicate visually or through media. Turn your twitter addiction into an employment opportunity. Love making memes? Try your hand at infographics. Every employer is looking for people fluent in today's new media platforms and methods of communication. 

Speaking Your Language

6. Web-building. Creating a website that promotes your business and skillset encompasses most skills that employers are looking for. 

7. Include your party-trick. Do you make balloon animals? Enjoy sky-diving? Include that as the last skill on your resume and you have a better chance of being remembered by a tired human resource manager looking through hundreds or thousands of CVs. 

8. Ability to organise and throw events. Know how to throw a party? Both advertising agencies and non-profit organisations are looking for people that can engage their markets or publics with well-executed events. 

9. Experience working with youth, children, or the disabled. In today's diverse workplace, this is a tremendous asset everywhere. 

10. Travel experience. Did you study abroad in Ireland or get a Fulbright in Ghana? Globalised companies need global employees. If you have had significant international experience, include this on your CV; your globetrotting may be a game-changer.

Abi writes for Team24 the healthcare recruitment specialists with vacancies such as health visitor jobs throughout the UK and further afield.