Marvin OnumonuOnly one in five curriculum vitaes (CVs) for sales roles mentioned negotiation, despite it being a key skill employers wanted, a study by LiveCareer found.
Communication skills appeared in 80% of roles, including project managers, sales assistants, HR professionals and customer service jobs.
Teamwork was listed in 70% of postings, while problem-solving was seen in 60%.
In administrative and support roles, Microsoft Office was named in 65% of adverts.
For tech positions, 72% of software developer roles required knowledge of programming languages such as Python or Java, along with experience of cloud platforms and version control tools like Git.
In marketing, digital skills were important, with SEO listed in 68% of ads and social media management tools in 61%.
Employers also wanted a mix of skills on applicants CVs, with project managers expected to have leadership and budget management as well as communication skills.
Jasmine Escalera, career strategist at LiveCareer, said: “While soft skills remain essential across industries, we’re seeing more precision in technical expectations — even in roles that weren’t traditionally tech-heavy.
“Tailoring your CV with these insights can significantly improve your chances of standing out to recruiters.”
