10 Skills That Will Give An Immediate Boost To Your CV

In these days of tough, competitive job markets, you can stand out from the crowd with a strong resumé that showcases your education and skillset. Already, millions of school leavers, graduates, career changers and returners have been equipped and empowered to achieve their goals with free online training in job market skills on Alison. 

Now you too can impress prospective employers, displaying your personal development journey and your ability to attain both ‘soft skills’ like time management and ‘hard skills’ such as data processing. Read testimonials from people like Morgan Ballou who dropped out of high school but is now a successful businesswoman. She says: “Alison is amazing. It’s the only, to my knowledge, free online learning platform that you can actually earn diplomas, not just certificates.”

The Importance of a Strong Resumé in Today’s Job Market

Employers typically want to see both hard and soft skills on your resumé. Florence Riaga has added both. An experienced nurse, she has used Alison’s free online courses for continued professional development – a requirement for nurses’ registration. Apart from 11 health diplomas and certificates, Florence has boosted her soft skills with courses in time management and gender discrimination and is delighted to confirm that Alison has indeed “Boosted my CV!”

What Makes a Good CV?

A good resumé should be clear, concise and constructed to demonstrate your suitability for the role you are applying for. Read our advice for crafting a perfectly written CV and cover letter. Use our free Resumé Builder to craft a professional and effective CV. 

Are you ready to take the next step towards your dream career? Check out our list of 10 topics for career skills development that will set you apart from the competition. Read on, enrol and begin the ascent today!

1. Master Verbal and Written Communication Skills

Strengthen your communication skills and you’ll add possibly the single most important weapon to your armoury for winning at life. To feel you are being heard and are hearing the other person properly is the pinnacle of verbal (and non-verbal) communication. As George Bernard Shaw wisely wrote: “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” 

There’s so much more to this multi-faceted ability than engaging in authentic, honest, effective conversation. Discover how to write well and appropriately for any given situation, how to compose and deliver a presentation and so much more. 

Popular Communication Skills Courses  

• Mastering the Art of Effective Communication: Control your non-verbal cues and present a coherent message on camera and in person.
• Communication Essentials: Identify your areas of weakness and what to do to become more assertive.
• Conquering Your Fear of Public Speaking: Practical techniques to shift from shy to shining in no time!
• The Science of Body Language: Interpret what expressions and gestures mean.
• English for Business Communication: Boost your confidence in the job market if English is not your first language. 

2. Hone Your Teamwork and Collaboration Skills

Team playing ability is one of the key resumé enhancements. Learn how to collaborate with colleagues on everyday tasks, join forces with other teams on special projects or navigate differences of opinion in the workplace. Alison has teamwork and team building courses for every stage of career development and a range of industries.

Free Teamwork and Collaboration Courses

• Preparing for Workplace Success: Getting along with your colleagues if you are new to the world of work. 
• Group Communication, Teamwork and Leadership: Develop your capacity for collaborating with others. 
• Inclusive Leadership for Diverse Teams: Excel within modern organisations that value diversity and inclusion. 
• Develop Your Emotional Intelligence: EI or EQ helps you make quality decisions and build authentic relationships.

3. Boost Your Productivity with Time Management and Organisation Skills

Recruiters and HR professionals read between the lines of a resumé, looking for signs that the applicant is a good timekeeper, reliable, trustworthy and well-organised. Impress them by improving – and proving – your proficiency in these areas with some easy qualifications that could help you become a valued employee. 

Popular Time Management and Organisation Courses

• Introduction to Time Management: Overcome procrastination or the Sisyphus effect of pushing a boulder uphill.
• Mastering Time Management and Organisational Skills at Work: Set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound) goals for your work and personal life.
• Gmail Calendar for Business Masterclass: Organise your time, host meetings and get the most out of Google Calendar.
• Professionalism in the Office: From dressing appropriately to developing networking skills. “The points covered in the presentation are very relevant to today’s working environments as a whole. Great job!” Alison graduate Wendy B.

4. Develop Leadership Capability

Demonstrate your ambition and capacity for responsibility with expert training. Including leadership skills in your CV indicates to a potential employer that you are willing and able to take on responsibilities. No matter what sort of role you are applying for, this in-demand job skill will help you make a positive impression, and show that you like to exceed expectations. 

Popular Courses in Leadership Skills 

• Diploma in Supervision: Organise and motivate teams and solve problems such as bullying. “This is one of the best courses for all supervisors in any industry.” Alison graduate Nhamo Clive P.
• Diploma in Leadership and Management Styles: Advanced training in different team-leading techniques
• Diploma in Management for New Managers: Build up your confidence for a new role.
• Introduction to Emergency Crisis Management: Dealing with natural, financial and reputational disasters.
• Leadership and Management for Managers: Manage a team, carry out performance appraisals and deal with complaints. 

5. Enhance Your Creative Thinking and Innovation

Being innovative and capable of thinking outside the box indicates a talent for finding solutions to challenges. Creative thinking is an important aspect of jobs across many sectors and industries. Enhance your natural ability with some expert training today.

Popular Creativity and Innovation Courses

• Diploma in Creativity and Innovation: Become a more productive and fulfilled person.
• Creative Problem Solving and Decision Making: Identify your thinking style and learn problem-solving techniques. 
• Creativity and Creative Problem-Solving: Define and solve problems or challenges.
• Innovation and Creativity for Entrepreneurs: Impress an employer with your dedication to success and commitment to overcoming challenges.

Learn Essential Hard Skills for the Modern Workplace

6. Empower your Career with AI

Discover how artificial intelligence (AI) can help you be more productive – and impress future employers with your competency around AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini AI. The 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report from Microsoft and LinkedIn shows that 75% of knowledge workers are already using AI at work. “Users say AI helps them save time (90%), focus on their most important work (85%), be more creative (84%), and enjoy their work more (83%).”

Where better to begin learning AI skills than with Alison – we’ve been at the forefront of many online education developments, from the moment our CEO Mike Feerick pioneered free online learning in 2007. Naturally, we have a slew of new courses on every aspect of AI, with more being added every week. 

Popular AI Courses

• Artificial Intelligence: Preparing for the Future of Work: Explore the impact of AI on the workplace to future-proof your career.
• AI for Product Managers: From AI fundamentals to cutting-edge practices, harness the latest technology to integrate processes, gain insights, enhance strategies and improve efficiency.
• AI for Educators: Teach students to use AI effectively and ethically and use it to support teaching and learning.
• Prompt Engineering for AI Applications: Advanced prompt engineering strategies to design useful and ethically sound applications.

7. Microsoft Desktop Publishing

Most people have heard of Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook, but do you know how to use them? Our Microsoft Hub includes popular programmes like Excel, the industry standard for spreadsheets, Outlook for professional email skills, Powerpoint for visual presentations, and Word for documents or desktop publishing. With MS Office Suite being used by 80% of companies worldwide it’s among the top skills for jobs.

Popular Microsoft Courses

• Data Entry Tools and Techniques: Master typing, filling online forms, processing emails and using Excel spreadsheets. 
• Mastering the Basics of Microsoft Excel: Learn the basic and advanced features to become a data visualisation expert.
• Microsoft Word for Administrative Professionals: Gain essential skills in MS Word’s text, content, pages and ‘mail merge’.
• Master Microsoft 365: Essential Skills and Beyond: Covers everything from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to Microsoft Teams.

8. Language Learning

Open the door to new possibilities and give your resumé some “je ne sais quoi” when you learn a language online. Amazingly, studies show that up to 30% of vacancies in administrative and clerical roles are unfilled every year due to shortages in foreign language skills. Adding a language to your repertoire may not only help you stand out but also improve your employability. With Alison, you can learn a language at your own pace and land your dream job. 

Popular Language Courses

Choose from any of the leading lingos:

• French
• Spanish
• Portuguese
• Italian
• Mandarin
• Japanese
• Arabic
• German
• Korean
• Russian

Alison also offers introductory courses in Swedish, Turkish, Polish, Tamil, Tagalog Filipino, Danish and Georgian.

Learning for the Greater Good

Expand your toolkit even further and make a positive impact on society with one of our language-related courses.

Master sign language and open up opportunities for working with people with hearing loss – we have courses in both American and British sign language.

You can also qualify to work as a teacher of English to non-native speakers with our free online Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) courses – perfect for opening up opportunities for working overseas. 

Empower yourself even further with our extensive library of free online English courses. There’s something for learners of every level – Beginner, Elementary, Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate, Advanced and Business English.

Register and enrol today and give your CV and your career a boost!

9. Industry-Specific Skill-Building

The ninth skill in our list depends on the field of work you are applying for. Peruse Alison’s vast library of courses and you’ll find whatever you need to supplement your knowledge base. Once you have successfully completed your chosen courses, showcase them prominently on your CV. You can do this by including them in your skills section and mentioning them in your cover letter.

Free Online Training

Popular options include: 

• Graphic Design: Free courses art, web design,logo design, Photoshop and more.
• Presentation Skills: From crafting a stunning Powerpoint display to giving the perfect sales pitch.
• Data analysis and interpretation: For business planning, number crunching or spreadsheet geekery.
• Project management: General training in managing projects as well as for fully-fledged project management professionals.
• Digital marketing skills: Includes basic and advanced social media marketing, SEO prowess and copywriting.
• Cybersecurity: Training courses for pen testers, network security specialists and laypeople.
• Cloud computing: For IT specialists or learners who need to know the basics.

10. Adaptability and Willingness to Learn

Including some of these personal, professional and career development courses on your resumé ticks the box for the final soft skill employers look for in a candidate – adaptability and willingness to learn! The flexibility of online learning means you can study wherever and whenever it suits you and with certifications available in under a day, you can begin strengthening your credentials right now. Remember to tailor your CV to suit the requirements of the specific job you are applying for. Register for your free account, enrol in the course that most suits your needs and take a step toward your career dreams today!

Explore your Workplace Personality Type

Discover your strengths and areas of weakness with Alison’s free Workplace Personality Assessment. It will help you see if there are areas you need to develop and will recommend courses to help you bridge any gaps.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. I don’t have much experience yet – can this advice still help me?

Absolutely!  This blog is designed to help a wide range of job seekers, including those who are new to the workforce.  Many of the skills highlighted, like communication, teamwork, and time management, are valuable in any role and can be developed through online courses or volunteering experiences.  Building a strong foundation in these areas will make you a more attractive candidate to potential employers.

2. The blog mentions a lot of courses – are there any free options?

Yes! Alison, the platform mentioned in the blog, offers a vast library of free online courses across a wide range of skills. These courses can be a great way to gain new knowledge and demonstrate your initiative and willingness to learn to employers.

3. How can I be sure the skills I learn online will be recognised by employers?

All of Alison’s courses are accredited by CPD UK. Take the course for free and if you wish, you can opt to purchase a digital or pdf certificate to verify that you have successfully completed the final assessment. You can showcase your diploma or certificate on your CV or LinkedIn profile.  Additionally, the act of taking online courses itself demonstrates your commitment to professional development, which is a valuable quality for employers.  When possible, try to tailor the courses you choose to the specific requirements of the jobs you are applying for.