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IT Skills on a CV: Which Software and Tools to List in 2026

Why this section matters more than it used to

Ten years ago, the IT skills section of a CV was a formality. You listed "Word, Excel, PowerPoint" and moved on.

In 2026, that is no longer sufficient — and it is often insufficient in the wrong direction. Digital tools are now central to almost every role. A recruiter reading "good knowledge of Excel" cannot tell whether you build basic spreadsheets or complex financial models. And a sales professional who does not mention Salesforce or HubSpot when the role depends on it may be filtered out by an ATS before a human reads the CV at all.

When done well, this section tells the recruiter that you are operationally ready today — not after six months of onboarding.

What to remove before you start building

Before adding anything, cut what no longer belongs.

Basic Word, Excel and PowerPoint — in 2026, these are assumed for virtually all office roles. Listing them without qualification is the equivalent of writing "can use a phone." If you include them, specify your actual level: "Excel — advanced (pivot tables, Power Query, VLOOKUP, macros)" changes everything.

"Basic knowledge of" — this phrase signals that a skill is below the threshold for usefulness. If your knowledge is genuinely basic, do not list it. Develop it first, or leave it off.

A list of 25 tools — an overcrowded skills section loses the recruiter and dilutes what is genuinely distinctive. Eight to twelve well-chosen entries are worth more than twenty-five listed in bulk.

Tools irrelevant to the role — do not list Figma if you are applying for an accountancy role, unless there is a specific and relevant reason for the recruiter to know about it.

How to organise your IT skills by category

Structuring your technical skills by category makes scanning much faster and lets the recruiter find what they need in seconds.

Office and productivity

  • Excel (specify level: intermediate / advanced / expert, with examples of what you can do)
  • Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Slides
  • Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Keynote
  • SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive

Communication and collaboration

  • Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, Google Meet
  • Notion, Confluence, Basecamp

Project management

  • Jira, Asana, Monday.com, Trello, ClickUp, MS Project

CRM and sales

  • Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM, Dynamics 365

Data and analytics

  • Power BI, Tableau, Looker, Google Analytics
  • Advanced Excel (Power Query, DAX), SQL (specify databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL)
  • Python or R for data analysis (if applicable)

Design and creative

  • Figma, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere), Canva

Development and engineering

  • Languages, frameworks and libraries with real-world usage (GitHub, version control, CI/CD tools)
  • Cloud platforms: AWS, Azure, GCP (with certifications if held)

Finance and accounting

  • Sage, Xero, QuickBooks, SAP FI/CO, Oracle Finance, Coda

Sector-specific tools

  • HR: Workday, BambooHR, PeopleHR, Breathe
  • Legal: iManage, Lexis, Practical Law
  • Healthcare: EMIS, SystmOne, Rio, Nourish
  • Retail and operations: Oracle Retail, Microsoft Dynamics, Brightpearl

How to describe proficiency levels

Avoid vague labels like "good knowledge" or "familiar with." Choose one of these clearer formats:

Option A — Named level with brief description:

Excel — Advanced: pivot tables, VLOOKUP, Power Query, conditional formatting

Option B — Self-rated scale (if used consistently):

Salesforce — Intermediate | Power BI — Advanced | SQL (MySQL) — Intermediate

Option C — Certification:

Google Analytics 4 — Certified | AWS Cloud Practitioner | Microsoft Excel Expert (MOS)

If you have formal certifications, name them explicitly. They add credibility in a way that self-described levels cannot.

Common mistakes in the IT skills section

Describing tools without showing depth. "Experience with Salesforce" tells the recruiter very little. "Salesforce — 3 years daily use: pipeline management, reporting, custom objects and workflow automation" tells them what they need to know.

Claiming expertise you do not have. Recruiters will often probe your stated technical skills at interview. Do not claim "expert" unless you can demonstrate it under pressure. "Advanced" or "confident daily user" is both honest and strong.

Ignoring tool names in the job description. Many modern ATS systems and recruiters specifically search for tool names. If the job post mentions HubSpot four times and your CV contains only "CRM experience," you may be filtered out despite having the skill. Mirror the specific names used in the job description where you genuinely have the experience.

Listing tools you last used five years ago. Old proficiency degrades. If you used a tool in a previous role but have not touched it since, either omit it or note the context: "SAP (Finance module, previous role 2018-2021)."

IT skills for career changers

If you are changing sector or role type, your IT skills section may need careful attention. Skills from one context often transfer — but they need to be framed for the new reader.

For example, if you managed a team's project tracking in Notion at a startup, and you are now applying to a corporate project management role, you can legitimately list it alongside a brief note about how you used it. The goal is to make the connection explicit, not to hope the recruiter figures it out.

For advice on how to position a full career change, see our career change CV guide.

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