The modern, fast-paced job markets and work environments demand more than just a relevant education or employment background from employees. It requires well-rounded individuals; candidates who are the perfect “job fit.” Initially, the phrase ‘job-fit ‘meant possessing the proper education, skills, and requirements posted on the job description. However, the competitive business environment demands much more than the appropriate training and skills; it demands candidates to have interpersonal skills.
Interpersonal skills also referred to as soft skills, refer to the behaviors we portray when we interact with others. These skills include social attributes, personality traits, communication skills, and emotional intelligence. Companies are searching for employees who possess the right interpersonal skills that are needed to meet the goals of a company. If it is a marketing position, for example, the hiring manager would be focussed on whether you are a people person. Their assessment of whether you’ll be a great fit for the marketing role would be concentrated on the following questions:
Therefore, it is crucial for you to include your interpersonal skills in your curriculum vitae or resume. This will allow the hiring manager to answer such questions depending on the industry or field you are interested in by skimming through your CV.
1. How to include interpersonal skills on your CV
2. Five essential interpersonal skills for the workplace
3. What are the benefits of interpersonal skills?
4. How do I know my interpersonal skills?
There are two ways to include your interpersonal skills on your CV. The first technique is to create a list just below the career objective or personal statement section. Some of the critical skills that companies look for include:
Alternatively, you can relate your soft skills to your job experiences or extra-curricular activities that you participated in while in school. If you were the leader of a charity drive, for example, and you managed to gather $50,000 to buy books for low-income students in primary schools. This shows that you possess empathy, leadership capabilities, and a can-do attitude. Also, you can indicate the strategies you used to convince companies to fund your cause. This demonstrates that you have strong negotiation skills. Below is an example of a soft skill sentence for your resume:
Resilience
In my position as the President of the ‘Buy a Book Build the Future’ charity drive, I coordinated a team of volunteers to create awareness for the campaign.
The skills that the company is looking for can be identified by using the job description. If you see an advertisement stating:
“Looking for a resilient, self-motivated individual to join our dedicated team of event planning.”
From this statement, you can see that the vital soft skills that the company is looking for are:
Dedicated is included in the soft skills because the company infers it. By stating that their team is dedicated, you can conclude that the company or organization is looking for an employee who can commit to achieving their objectives. Also, the mention of “team” illustrates that the ability to work with others is essential.
Some companies may not give any hints at all. You may get a job advert stating ‘XYZ is hiring.’ Such job adverts require you to conduct extensive company research, while drafting your job application, to get a general feel of the company’s culture. As you research, ask yourself the following questions:
Strong interpersonal skills increase your likelihood of landing your dream job, especially if your skills align with the specific company’s culture. However, consider these skills not only as the key to your dream job but also as essential stepping stones for professional development. Whether you plan to join a specific industry or you wish to climb up the career ladder, you can never go wrong when you possess the right interpersonal skills.
While individuals can possess as many soft skills as possible, the ones mentioned below play a significant role in most workplace environments:
Emotional Intelligence
A person who exhibits high emotional intelligence is self-aware. This is someone who checks their anger, speech, and conduct when interacting with others. Emotional intelligence means being aware of one’s emotions. Such individuals exhibit empathy and a non-judgemental nature.
High emotional intelligence is necessary for today’s job market, as it assures the hiring manager that a candidate can interact well with others while meeting the objectives of the company. For example, an individual who lacks energy or prefers to be alone would not be the right job fit for a customer service position.
Resilience
This soft skill refers to the ability to respond proactively and positively to any adversity. A resilient individual is one who understands that challenges do not mean quitting but rather an opportunity to improve on your previous strategies or implement new ones to ensure they obtain their objectives.
Specific job niches will require you to be a highly resilient person. The marketing field, for example, is one niche that would need a highly resilient person. This is because of the high competition in the market. Therefore, you have to have the ability to face challenges head-on by coming up with an effective strategy to overcome them.
Strong Communication Skills
Communication is something we do daily, verbally or nonverbally. However, in business environments, the industry or field dictates how individuals ought to communicate. Whether you are an effective communicator can be determined by:
In today’s multicultural environment, you need to be intelligent when it comes to communication to avoid offending customers or other relevant stakeholders.
A Positive Mindset
The job environment/ market can be harsh. You will face internal challenges (for instance, pressure to meet deadlines) and external problems (consumer demand, intense competition). All these factors require a person with a positive mindset to be in a better position to work effectively in fast-paced environments and keep your stress levels down. Also, such a mindset helps you tackle challenges calmly and tactfully. This mindset keeps you optimistic when performing a task or job hunting. Most companies look for an employee with a positive mindset because the employer is guaranteed that they will get things done, regardless of the challenges they come across.
A Team Player
A team player is someone who interacts well with others. This soft skill is highly essential in fields such as nursing, tech-industry, and service industries. A team player is one who can encourage others to work towards a particular goal. Also, a team player puts in their best effort in the team to ensure that they all work together to achieve a specific objective.
Being a team player is a highly sought after skill in today’s competitive work environment. This is because it allows sharing knowledge and working together meaning that companies can achieve more.
Strong interpersonal skills mean that you are likely to succeed in the work environment. This is because having soft skills means that you possess the skills to carry out the job responsibilities without being discouraged, anxious or ending up in a verbal fight with a fellow employee. Strong interpersonal skills communicate that you are not trouble. Instead, you are the right fit for the task.
An employee with excellent communication skills is an employee who can interact well with stakeholders, vendors, customers, and other colleagues. Such an employee communicates the intended message to the appropriate recipients and responds to feedback appropriately. When recruiters see the right interpersonal skills on a resume, they get the message that:
There are ways for you to determine whether you exhibit strong interpersonal skills. The first is by using online psychometric tests or personality tests. Some great tools online can help you in your self-evaluation. Furthermore, these tools are easily accessible online.
If you find out that there are some skills that you need to improve on, then be motivated to make the necessary changes. If you are a pessimist, for example, then find a way to maintain a positive mindset. Ask your friends or those closest to you to highlight what your key strengths are, and what areas you need to improve on. If you have trouble communicating with others, then seek to strengthen this through some excellent online resources.
Your CV should showcase your strengths and what you can do for the company. Therefore, include some of the soft skills you possess which make you a great candidate for the job. Make sure to customize every CV to the position you are applying for to increase your chances of landing your dream job.
Remember, strong interpersonal skills are fundamental to a successful life. Therefore, make it your purpose to develop soft skills as you seek professional success.
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