Soft skills go beyond your job history and technical knowledge to show employers how well you work with others. These are the skills that help you connect with customers, suppliers, partners, and team members. They can also help you adapt to industry changes, no matter how much the business landscape shifts.
While industry knowledge is important, the qualities that make the best job candidates aren’t always the hard, technical skills. Knowing how to collaborate effectively and work within a team can also make you a highly desirable candidate for organizations looking to accelerate their business.
What are soft skills?
Soft skills are non-technical skills that relate to how you interact with people. They’re a set of behaviors and personal attributes that help you become a better communicator and team player. These skills are applicable and desired across many job types and situations.
Unlike hard skills or technical skills, learning soft skills (also called interpersonal skills) isn’t a straightforward process. Soft skills are also more difficult to quantify, and others may perceive your soft skills as personality traits.
Most soft skills are innate, meaning you may have an affinity for certain capabilities. However, that doesn’t mean everyone is good at using them or that you can’t further develop them with the right experiences.
Hard skills vs. soft skills
There’s a big difference between hard skills versus soft skills. While soft skills often relate to intangible personality traits, hard skills are the job-specific technical proficiencies an individual gains over time. You can develop these skills through formal education, on-the-job training, or self-directed learning.
Examples of hard skills include:
- Video editing
- Foreign language proficiency
- Data analysis
- Scientific research
- Graphic design
Both hard and soft skills are important for getting a hiring manager’s attention. For example, the hard and soft skills a project manager should have might include a combination of resourcefulness, work motivation, and technical knowledge of project management software. They may also need leadership soft skills to delegate tasks effectively.
Key soft skills desired by employers
There are many different kinds of soft skills to develop at work. The most desirable and unique skills for employers may depend on your industry or role.
For example, if you’re applying for a C-suite position, soft management skills might be considered critical skills for the organization’s leaders. If you’re applying for a customer service role, soft skills, like having a positive mental attitude, may be essential.
While importance may vary by role, there are some top soft skills that are commonly sought after across many industries. Examples of 27 soft skills you could use on your resume include the following:
- Strong communication skills
- Teamwork skills
- Time management skills
- Problem-solving skills
- Adaptability
- Critical thinking skills
- Strong work ethic
- Active listening
- Conflict resolution skills
- Decision-making skills
- Dependability
- Social skills
- Self-awareness
- Professional leadership skills
- Persuasion
- Creative thinking
- Emotional intelligence
- Patience
- Strategic foresight
- Multicultural competence
- Cognitive empathy
- Trustworthiness
- Integrity
- Attention to detail
- Mentorship
- Humility
- Resilience
How to further develop your soft skills
If you feel soft skills, like patience and conflict management, aren’t your strong suit, don’t fret. You always have the opportunity to continually build your skills through personal development. Here are seven tactics you can use to enhance your soft skill set.
1. Assess your strengths and weaknesses
Start by listing your strengths and weaknesses to determine which soft skills may need some work. For example, if you feel your communication isn’t as effective as you’d like, maybe list that as a weakness. Conversely, if you excel at big-picture thinking, use that as a strength.
Try going through the list of examples above to self-assess your strengths in each. You can also take a skills assessment to help you identify your most notable soft skills and those less pronounced.
2. Understand where you need to develop
Once you have a list of strengths and weaknesses, it’s important to identify which soft skills are most relevant to your industry or role. For example, if you lack creativity but work in a technical field with straightforward processes, that soft skill may not need prioritization.
Pick the top two or three soft skills in your “weaknesses” column that you think could best help your career growth. Then, make a plan to develop them further.
3. Make daily routine adjustments for practice
After identifying your top areas for self-improvement, start consciously practicing these skills daily. For example, if you lack social skills, make it a point to talk to at least one coworker per day about something unrelated to work. If you struggle with cultural competence, spend 15 minutes each day educating yourself about different cultures and how perceptions may differ.
Doing this may take time and require you to get out of your comfort zone. However, the more you push yourself to develop these skills, the easier they should become.
4. Seek out new challenges
Sometimes, learning soft skills involves putting yourself in new situations. Exploring new challenges that force you to tap into your critical thinking skills, resilience, and teamwork skills can help improve your personal growth.
Try personality development activities that target your skill development goals. For example, if you struggle to hold yourself accountable, create your own 30-day challenge. Make a commitment and stick with it every day. Try something as simple as taking a five-minute walk or spending 15 minutes journaling. Gradually build up to more challenging goals to continue developing your new skills.
5. Take advantage of classes and workshops
Education isn’t just for technical skills. Many online courses can help you hone soft skills such as effective communication, emotional intelligence, and flexibility. Some courses even offer certifications you can include on your resume.
If you’re currently employed, you can also ask your supervisor whether your company offers soft skills training. You may already have access to some opportunities you aren’t aware of.
6. Find a mentor
If you aren’t sure where to start or want more personalized guidance, try finding a mentor who excels in the skills you’re looking to develop. It can be someone you know, like a manager or coworker, or someone you haven’t met who works in the same industry.
Many city chambers of commerce offer mentorship programs for local residents so you can meet with a mentor in person. You can also find mentorship programs online tailored to your specific needs.
7. Work with a career coach
There are many differences between working with a coach vs. a mentor. While a mentor can offer guidance and support for your professional growth, a career coach focuses on helping you develop specific skills or meet certain goals. Engaging a career coach is a great way to help you identify soft skills necessary to your industry. Career coaches can also help you create a measurable roadmap to develop them.
Platforms like BetterUp can match you with an online coach so you can arrange virtual meetings to suit your schedule. It also gives you access to a wide variety of coaches to find the perfect fit.
Showcasing your soft skills in resumes and interviews
Because soft skills can be hard for employers to identify during the hiring process, you need to be proactive about showcasing them. Here are a few ways you can demonstrate your soft skills on your resume, in your cover letter, and during interviews:
- Tailor your skills to each job post: Not all employers value the same soft skills. Use the job description as your guide to determine which soft skills best match their ideal candidate.
- Add soft skills to your resume: You can create a clearly labeled skills section on your resume dedicated to listing your soft and hard skills. You can also include them in your resume summary at the top or within your bullet points. For example, you could start a sentence with “Collaborated with the finance department to run reports.” This way, you demonstrate your collaboration skills within your job responsibilities.
- Talk about your soft skills during a job interview: If an interviewer asks about your strengths, you might mention a few soft skills. You could also take a “show, don’t tell” approach to answering certain interview questions. This approach allows you to demonstrate how your soft skills have helped you succeed in the past.
- Stay responsive and on time: Since time management and dependability are critical soft skills for many roles, showcase them by being dependable during the hiring process. Show up to interviews on time, respond promptly to emails, and carefully follow all instructions given.
- Show your enthusiasm: You can present soft skills such as a positive attitude by showing your excitement for the role and the company. Make your interest known.
For interviewers: how to asses job candidate soft skills
According to the 2023 LinkedIn Global Talent Trends report, the current job market values experience over skills. However, 84% of employees and managers believe new employees need to demonstrate soft skills during the interview process. While some employers realize the importance of these skills, many hiring managers have trouble recognizing soft skills during the hiring process.
Soft skills are more difficult to evaluate than hard skills. Here are a few interview tactics hiring managers can use to assess soft skill capabilities.
Behavioral questions
Roughly 73% of global recruiters use behavioral interview questions either frequently or always, and 89% find them effective. Behavioral interviews focus on a candidate’s past behaviors to predict future performance.
Here are some examples of behavioral interview questions:
- Tell me about a time when you experienced a lot of pressure at work. What was causing this pressure, and how did you overcome it?
- Give me an example of a time when you failed. How did you deal with the failure?
- Tell me about a time when you had to collaborate with someone whose personality was very different from yours.
Situational questions
Situational interviews use hypothetical situations to evaluate a candidate’s critical thinking and how they approach specific scenarios. They can also provide the interviewer with information about the candidate’s problem-solving process and their personal values.
Examples of situational interview questions include the following:
- What would you do if you needed to convince someone to do things a specific way?
- How would you explain a challenge you’re experiencing to a client?
- How would you manage your time to ensure you met a difficult deadline?
Problem-solving questions
Problem-solving questions showcase how well you can manage unexpected challenges or barriers to success. These questions help hiring managers learn more about the candidate’s soft skills and technical skills. Examples of problem-solving interview questions include the following:
- Tell me about a time you had to develop a solution using limited resources or information. What did you do?
- What was the biggest problem you faced in your prior role, and how did you solve it?
- How would you handle an angry client or customer?
Soft skills: reach your maximum potential at work
Soft skills are the “people skills” that help you work as part of a team and achieve your best performance. Mastering them can help you feel more engaged in your work and more connected to your coworkers. Learning these skills can also help accelerate your career and personal development.
Round out your soft skills with a BetterUp Coach. Propel your career and personal growth and reach your highest potential, both in and out of work.
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