Laura Slingo 
Core competencies prove that you're qualified.
Core competencies, also known as key skills, can help your CV to stand out from a crowd. While often essential for executive-level CVs, they can be used at any stage of your career to help show recruiters and applicant tracking systems (ATS) alike that you're a good fit for the job.
What are core competencies?
Core competencies are effectively skills that directly relate to the role you're applying for. We've cherry-picked the essential competencies and attributes from your CV that prove you're well-qualified for the jobs you're pursuing and have concisely listed them below your personal profile.
Summarising your essential, relative abilities in this way helps to strengthen your CV in two ways:
To catch the recruiter's attention
There is a selection of qualities that are most valued by the prospective employer. By pulling keywords from the job description, pairing them with your skill set and concisely listing them at the top of your CV, it becomes clear from the off that you're a qualified applicant.
This saves the recruiter some time, as instead of scanning through your entire CV to see if you can execute the role, they can see from the start that you can. This means they can spend the rest of their time reviewing and evaluating your experience and achievements in detail.
To help you pass the ATS
Applicant tracking systems review applicants' CVs before they reach the eyes of a recruiter. It's an ATS's job to scan CVs for keywords and other desirable traits to see if a candidate is eligible for the role. They then sort the wheat from the chaff and pass the relevant CVs through to the recruiter for human review.
By adding a core competencies section that lists key skills from the job description, you're adding the keywords that an ATS may be looking for.
Don't underestimate the power of adding a snapshot of your key skills and experience to your CV. A core competencies section tailored to the job you're applying for could be the driving force that secures you your next interview.