You are reading a job advertisement and one of the requirements is “excellent communication skills.”

You know you have used them. You explain recommendations to clients, discuss problems with colleagues and write reports that help people make decisions. But when you open your CV, you are unsure how to describe any of that.

So you write “strong communication skills” in the skills section and move on. It sounds relevant, but it has become a buzzword: a familiar phrase that makes a claim without showing any evidence.

The difficulty is understandable. Communication is part of so many everyday tasks that it can be hard to recognise where you made a difference.

You do not need a more impressive phrase. You need an example that helps the employer understand what you can do.

A useful example answers three questions: What did you communicate? Who needed it? What happened afterwards?

What is the employer asking for?

An employer in a navy suit looks toward the viewer and points to a checklist beside her.
Look at the responsibilities in the job advertisement to understand what the employer needs.

“Communication skills” can mean different things in different jobs.

A consulting role may involve explaining recommendations to a client. An engineering role may require explaining a technical issue to people without the same background. A project manager may need to bring several teams together and agree on priorities.

Before choosing an example for your CV, look at the responsibilities around that requirement.

Will you be advising clients, writing reports, presenting recommendations or coordinating work between teams?

This helps you choose an example that belongs in this application. Oxford’s careers guidance similarly recommends using evidence that shows your own contribution and relates to what the employer needs. Oxford Guide to Careers

Why do communication buzzwords weaken a CV?

The phrase may be true. The problem is that anyone can write it.

Phrases such as “excellent communicator,” “strong interpersonal skills” and “confident presenter” ask the employer to accept your opinion of yourself. They do not show the situation, your contribution or what changed because of it.

Replacing one broad phrase with another does not solve the problem. The useful part is the evidence behind the claim.

You may already have an example worth using

It is easy to overlook work that feels ordinary.

Perhaps colleagues repeatedly asked how to interpret a report, so you revised the guidance. Perhaps a client was unsure about a recommendation and you explained the trade-offs. Perhaps two teams understood a deadline differently and you helped them agree on a plan.

Start with one situation you remember clearly.

Ask yourself what the other person needed, what you did and what happened afterwards. Write the answer in ordinary language first. You can shorten it into a CV bullet once the details are clear.

For example:

“Teams kept asking us to explain the monthly financial report. I reviewed their questions and rewrote the reporting guide. Afterwards, we received fewer requests for clarification.”

That gives you something to work with. “Excellent written communication” does not contain those details.

How do you turn that into a CV bullet?

Keep the action, audience and result connected in one sentence.

If you have reliable figures, the example could become:

“Rewrote financial reporting guidance for department managers, reducing requests for clarification from 20 to eight per reporting cycle.”

The sentence explains what you changed, how you approached it and what improved.

This is an illustrative example, so the figures should not be copied into your CV. Use your own details and only claim a reduction when you have a sound basis for connecting it to your work.

Harvard’s resume guidance recommends specific, factual language and identifies failing to demonstrate results as a common mistake. Harvard’s guide to creating a strong resume

What if your work involved conversations rather than writing?

An account manager explains highlighted billing entries to a client across a desk.
A professional conversation can show how you helped a client understand a problem and the next steps.

The same approach applies. Think about what the conversation helped resolve or achieve.

“Communicated with clients” tells the employer very little. A more useful example might be:

“Clarified conflicting feedback during a client review and secured approval of the revised brief before design work began.”

Here, the result is an approved brief. The communication mattered because the team needed an agreed direction before starting work.

For a finance or account management role, an example could be:

“Resolved a client billing dispute by explaining the invoice breakdown and agreeing on the corrections with the finance team.”

You do not need to make the conversation sound more impressive than it was. Explain the issue, your contribution and the outcome accurately.

What if you do not have a measurable result?

A woman in green holds presentation notes and reflects beside a screen in an empty boardroom.
When you do not have figures, consider what someone understood, decided or completed because of your help.

You may not have access to performance reports or know how much time your work saved. That does not mean you have nothing useful to say.

Consider what someone could do after your explanation.

Did a colleague use your guidance to complete an analysis independently? Did a client understand the options and agree on an approach? Did a director approve your recommendation?

For example:

“Guided four account managers through the revised reporting process, enabling them to prepare their monthly client reports independently.”

Four is the scope of the work. Preparing reports independently is the outcome.

If you are early in your career, look at an internship, a university consulting project or a professional association activity. The context can be different, but you still need to explain what you personally contributed.

A result does not always need a percentage. It needs to make clear what your work helped achieve.

Can you still list communication skills on your CV?

A hand crosses out the words “communication skills” on a CV with a red pen.
Removing the phrase alone is not enough. Support the skill with a relevant example.

You do not have to treat the phrase as forbidden.

If the job advertisement asks for communication skills, you can include the term in your skills section. Then prove it with a relevant bullet under your work experience or projects.

Replacing it with “articulate professional,” “people person” or “excellent communicator” leaves the same problem. The employer still has to take your word for it.

A clear example gives them more to assess. Your CV’s wording matters too. Use straightforward sentences and remove details that make the contribution difficult to find.

So, how do you show communication skills on your CV without buzzwords?

A smiling woman opens her arms toward the viewer, surrounded by scenes of presenting, advising a client, leading a meeting and discussing work with teammates.
Your everyday work can provide the examples that show how you communicate.

Choose a real situation where your communication helped someone understand information, make a decision or move work forward. Describe what you did, who needed it and what happened afterwards.

That is how you show communication skills without buzzwords: let the evidence prove the skill for you.