Showing Off Your Soft Skills

Marcianne Kuethen

April 9, 2013

Soft skills: How able are you to interact effectively with co-workers and customers?

A while back, we helped a financial services company search for a new employee. In the job posting, we didn’t just list skills, qualifications, and education. We were also careful to emphasize that this company had a small, family atmosphere, and that while they had a lot of fun, they also worked a lot of overtime to do whatever was needed. Basically, we communicated that the new employee would need a strong work ethic and the ability to interact and connect meaningfully with a team.

Not every company will write a job posting that communicates clearly the culture fit it is looking for (employers, this is something to keep in mind when you write your next job posting!). But I found a good article on the 5 soft skills all employers hope to find in a new hire. Here they are, in short:

1. Work ethic
2. Positive attitude.
3. Communication skills.
4. Time management.
5. Self-confidence.

Candidates, it’s not enough to impress your future employer with your hard skills these days. The article suggests that, in your next interview, you find ways to weave into your answers examples of how you applied the above soft skills in your previous job. For specific examples of how to do this, read the full article here.

The good news is, the job posting we wrote for that financial services company worked to bring in just the right candidate. They’ve told us time and time again how happy they are with the way the new employee fits right in with the rest of the crew. While there were many qualified applicants, they were able to find one who was a good culture fit, which mattered to them just as much as his accounting skills.

Want to improve your success rate at anything? Try jumping into your discomfort zone!

Candidates, do we have the most current version of your resume? If not, click here to post it, and visit our job board while you’re at it! You or a friend might be a good fit for one of our open positions.