You're in the middle of your job search, you found the job and you feel confident that you're the candidate for the job. Why? because you have all the skills the job requires, from the training to the industry knowledge and technical skills. Unfortunately, so does your competitor. Research shows that 92% of hiring managers agree soft skills are as important as technical skills!
1. Creative problem solving and innovation
The past year has presented an excess of new challenges in the work world. The last thing an employer wants is an employee who sees difficult circumstances or new tasks and says, “Wow, I don't know what to do here.” Instead, they want to acknowledge how you can think logically and creatively to develop solutions to the crisis or obstacles that come up in your role. On your resume, be sure to include the situations where you had to use your creativity in the face of adversity, coming up with innovative solutions to the problems that arose. At your interview, convey your enthusiasm for tackling obstacles.
2. Communication skills
This is a wide category: It can mean anything from how well you get your point across in emails to how you converse with a client and colleagues. Now that most communication is done through emails, chats, videos, or phone conference calls, strong communication skills are more crucial than ever. Taking a class on communication skills is well worth your time and money. It's one of the most crucial soft skills in any job, in any industry. If you already think that it is one of your best qualities, find a way to demonstrate that on your resume and in your interview.
3. Time management
Time management became a soft skill that speedily move up to the top of many recruiters' prime concern lists. Time management means you know how to organize your schedule, both daily and beyond, to get your projects done on time and with efficiency. Even though a work-from-home environment can actually save people time by cutting out commutes on both ends of the day, but it can add a lot of distractions as well. When it comes to time management, your work calendar is your best friend. Set daily and weekly goals for what you'd like to accomplish and don't be scared to block off time on your calendar to zero in on that work. If you're put together for a job interview, see if you can acquire knowledge of what project management tools the company uses and get used to it. These tools help manage projects and the time of everyone involved. If you can demonstrate familiarity with the tools they use, you'll have a leg up on the competition.
4. A growth mindset
To secure a long-running in your career, you need to be able to grow and adapt to evolvement within your industry and the job market as a whole. With the mechanization of jobs and industries, having a growth mindset is required. What is mean by a growth mindset? Professionals with a growth mindset are motivated to reach higher levels of achievement by continuously learning new skills in order to move with a changing market. Crucially, it is being versatile and willing to go above and beyond the soft and hard skills you already have. Showcase your growth mindset by highlighting instances when you showed initiative by learning a new skill in order to better do your job or help you keep up with industry-wide changes.
5. Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, evaluate, and respond to your emotions and the emotions of others. This means that you are capable to think empathetically about the people around you and the interpersonal relationships that flesh out in the workplace. This is another soft skill that has taken on new meaning for 2021. Stress, grief, and frustration are abundant as we try to work through the pandemic. From new work-from-home challenges to lost loved ones or other pandemic issues, having the ability to read the emotions of your co-workers and respond with warm-heartedness is crucial.9n fact, one survey by CareerBuilder reported that 71 percent of employers value emotional intelligence in an employee over IQ, while 75 percent are more likely to promote an employee with higher EQ (emotional quotient) over someone with higher IQ. So the best way to show your emotional intelligence is during your interview.
6. Collaboration
As we know collaborating with co-workers is not an easy task. For those who think that they know how to do the job and not believe in others to do their parts, they can create tension in the office and hurt the overall efficiency. The issue now, you have to be able to do it all while not being in the same room as your co-workers. Learning to trust others, working in a team, and give and accept ideas is a difficult skill to expertise but if you can, you'll be well ahead of the competition. Show off your soft skills in collaboration by displaying on your resume your ability to work with team members. You should highlight it during your interview as well.
7. Adaptability
The lightning-fast development of technology makes us doing things differently all the time. Throw in the new challenges of the past year and it's astounding how much jobs have changed, and continue to change, as we roll into 2021. Think about all of the transformations we've seen lately. Many offices went from 100 percent in-house work to partial or completely remote work. Video conferencing is now an everyday matter while working and collaborating online is the new norm. All of these required workers to adapt to new methods, new technology, and new ways of thinking. Think about ways you've had to adapt to in the past and be prepared to showcase how well you can go with the flow during your next interview.
8. Active listening
A good listener is loved by Everyone. Active listening is more than just listening attentively but the active listener illustrates that they're attached to the conversation by saying small things like, “Okay,” or “I understand,” and nodding. It also means asking questions, making eye contact, and withholding judgment. As remote work takes center stage in 2021, it can be all too easy to be unengaged from your sixth video conference of the day or that morning check-in call before you've had your coffee. If you're unsure what it really means to be an active listener, do some research and practice it at home with your family or friends. Then, during your interview, let your active listening skills sparkle as you engage with your interviewer.
9. Leadership
Leadership skills will hike up you even further. Without considering the job, most employers are searching for the one who has the potential to grow beyond that role.
Leadership skills are really a union of all the other soft skills. When you put them together, you have a person who not just works well with the team, but also takes the reins and makes the rest of the team better. If you've been in charge of big projects in the past, write it in your resume and mention it in interviews. In this way, it shows that you're not someone who is just looking to punch in and punch out, but an applicant who is ready to conquer this job and grow into a future leader within the company which makes you an attractive investment for the hiring company.
Display these skills
Think of your soft skills as a complement to your training in your field. They alone cannot be eligible for a job, but when paired with solid credentials, they can make you a much more attractive candidate. While preparing for your job interview check out the Recruit Hero job portal website. We're here to help you to highlight your soft skills and ours intelligent job matching enables everyone to land better jobs without having to waste time searching & applying for jobs. Come and sign up today 100% FREE of charge!