The 5 Soft Skills that will get you Hired


Going for a job interview? So, you are good with technical skills, but what about the soft skills. That one hour of the interview will be totally focused on how you respond to their questions. Landing on a great job opportunity isn’t just about having the technical abilities but also the soft skills. If it did, there’d be little reason for employers to interview job candidates face-to-face.

Soft skills are very important in a working environment. Research shows that so-called “soft skills” — your ability to work well with others, communicate clearly and solve problems — matter much more than many may think. The soft skills help in explaining your queries and interacting with your peers.

It is easy to improve your soft skills by just a few important focused steps. But it is important to understand which ones matter the most to employers today. Various job portals have done research and have published their lists. We have collected them all and filtered them to five top skills required to get the job. Here are five soft skills to consider investing more time developing to grab that dream job:

Problem Solving

Everyone has the problems, but employers want professionals who know how and when to solve these problems on their own, and when to ask for help. They are looking for personnel who has solutions to the problems. And, there’s a simple strategy you can practice to improve in this area.

  • Take a step back.
  • Think about the problem.
  • Pull out the most sensible solution.
  • Make it a habit in daily life.

You need to be more focused, positive and innovative to find the solutions of the problems. Even in the small daily routines, try to solve your mini problems to make it a habit.

Attention to Detail

More than 60 percent of hiring managers spend less than 60 seconds looking at a resume. They are more focused on how you are dealing with them. They look for how attentive you are. Instead of speeding up to answer the question, it is better to take a pause and then respond, to show that you analyzed each word before speaking out. There is no hurry to answer back.

Most HR professionals are looking for someone who is patient and mature in handling issues. It is better to show off the patience in that 30 minutes interview by thinking before responding.

While you may have tight deadlines, give yourself time to make sure your work is the best it can be. If you’re having trouble with this, have a conversation with your boss about what is expected of you. Or give yourself more breathing room by arriving to work earlier.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office

This may sound simple, but in today’s tech-savvy world, it is really important to know the basic components of Microsoft office suite, especially, MS Word, MS Excel and MS PowerPoint. You may not require to put it on your resume but still, this can be loophole due to which you may get disqualified.

If you find trouble with it, it is better to do a small course on the same to be in sync with your competition. More you practice, more you will learn. This also gives you a confidence and boost in talking about the tech world.

Marketing

In today’s job market, more employers expect their employees to know how to promote ideas, services, and products. To develop your marketing skills, get into the habit of promoting your work on social media and sharing interesting articles about your industry.

At the time of interview as well, the hiring managers are looking forward to how you can be an asset to their organization and how you can market yourself. This gives them a clear view of how best they can utilize your skills in their organization.

Doing this regularly shows that you know how to use social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, which many companies now use widely. It also shows that you are actively interested in an industry, which will help you stand out to recruiters and employers.

In the interview, it is always good to give a few examples of industry leaders you follow on social media and what you’ve learned or gained as a result.

Oral and Written Communication

Lastly and most important is the Oral and written communication. Success in business, as tech-focused as it’s become, can still come down to people’s interactions with each other. And, being able to communicate well is the most common soft skill employers are looking for.

In your interactions, both in-person and online, you want to be clear, kind and professional. When speaking, be sure to make eye contact, speak up and use body language that conveys confidence. It is important to practice your verbal and written skills.

The best way to improve your verbal skills is to mock an interview before a mirror or record the same and re-listen. This way you will be able to know where you are making mistakes. In written communication, email writing skills are very important. In emails, you want to pay attention to how clearly and concisely you present an idea.

Whatever it may be, but still, the main soft skills which are, and which will remain a requirement for any HR manager to hire you, is the confidence, positive attitude, presence of mind and how you respond back nicely to their trivial queries. The soft skills are equally important to all the organizations along with the technical skills. They need to co-exist. Practice these skills and be confident in what you say.

karthikeya Boyini
karthikeya Boyini

I love programming (: That's all I know

Updated on: 23-Jan-2020

85 Views

Kickstart Your Career

Get certified by completing the course

Get Started
Advertisements