What are soft skills? Every career has a job description. Employers like to make clear the experience, education and skills they are looking for in an employee, so they can ensure a good fit. But in addition to “hard skills” that come from your education and work experience, employers want to know if you have the personality and character it takes to do well in the workplace and in your specific role. These less-technical skills are called “soft skills”.
Unlike other parts of your job duties, soft skills are traits that aren’t trained. They are interpersonal skills like communication, empathy, collaboration, problem solving and conflict resolution. These skills are all essential for employees in any organization. We all work with people in a variety of ways, and teams are the norm in almost every company. Hiring professionals and supervisors need to know you will get along with, support and effectively connect and collaborate with co-workers to complete tasks.
Simply put, hard skills may get you an interview, but soft skills can help you get the job and keep it. The soft skills that set you apart from others may also lead to future incentives or promotions.
Soft skills are an excellent way for you to differentiate yourself in a job search. If your technical skill is on a par with other candidates, your ability to communicate and build a connection with hiring managers can be the decisive factor.
You’re probably wondering which soft skills will set you apart from other applicants. Most hiring managers agree that communication skills are at the top of their list. While you don’t have to be an amazing speech-deliverer, employers want to know that you can handle disagreements, portray ideas in presentations or conversations and write coherently.
Conflict resolution and collaboration are other key areas hiring managers value. But don’t be fooled – working well with others isn’t just about keeping a calm office. The ability to develop relationships that benefit both parties is a big part of becoming an influential and effective employee. While it is true that many of these traits are ingrained, don’t worry too much if these don’t come naturally to you. There are plenty of ways to learn and grow as you prepare for a job.
Showing your soft skills isn’t impossible, it just takes a little work. Not only do you have to emphasize your soft skills in interviews but share specific examples to illustrate how you apply them in your life and on the job. You can recall times when you worked on a team project where members had conflicting views and share how you handled it.
Were you the leader who made sure all voices were heard, and then helped mediate and resolve the conflict? Maybe you were one of the team and you took the role of helping evaluate each view and coming to consensus. Maybe you were the one to support the person whose idea was not used but was successful afterwards. These are all examples that can be highly relevant to employers making hiring decisions.
When it comes to your résumé, leveraging your soft skills may sound tricky, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, how you communicate on your resume and cover letter are great examples of your soft skills. Start by making sure your résumé and cover letter are typo-free and grammatically sound. Remember to show, and not just tell. Saying you’re an excellent communicator has much less impact than giving concrete examples of times where your communication ability was excellent. Anyone can say they are amazing. It’s up to you to prove it. |