CAREER COACHING TIP OF THE WEEK: Leveraging Soft Skills (Behaviors & Characteristics) in Job Search
Our clients’ soft skills (behaviors and characteristics, those things that are peculiar, distinctive or typical to a person) can often be useful in resume development and interviewing.
Hard/technical skills can often be taught, but soft skills (natural talents, behaviors and personality traits) are often useful on-the-job and can make or break an interview.
A list of soft skills might include
- Attention to Detail
- Relationships and Rapport Building
- Accountability; a Trusted Resource
- Positive Attitude
- Team Player
- Creative
- Curious
- Energetic
- Adaptable
- Initiative
- Time Management
- Strong Work Ethic; Loyalty and Dependability
- Calm
- Versatile
- Diplomatic
- Trustworthy
- Dependable
- Resourceful
- Tenacious
- Passionate
- Intuitive
Alone, these soft skills appear to be “buzz” or keywords without much value or meaning.
However, when woven into accomplishment stories, these soft skills can be useful and telling:
- Attention to Detail: Double-checked the inventory, identifying a $6,000 discrepancy.
- Trustworthy: Entrusted to collect $750K in daily receipts (credit cards, cash, and checks), and deposit at the bank.
- Time Management: Kept all assigned projects on-time and under budget, saving the company $120,000 in FY16 by controlling man-hours.
One of the questions I almost always ask my career coaching clients is: “If you are in a final interview, and you are asked – ‘What is your greatest skill or why should I hire you?’” most often, they will provide a response that includes a soft skill:
“I am a people person.”
“I am a team player.”
“I am detail oriented.”
“I am a self-starter.”
“I will help you be successful.”
And, they rarely provide a response to back up the claim.
So, I coach my clients to develop accomplishment stories that validate the value they bring to a potential employer to support their soft skill claims.
Many employers will hire for personality and a positive attitude in the end – so soft skills are important – but they need a justification. Hiring authorities hire for value in the end.
