Including the skills that employers look out for on your CV or resume is a great way to land job interviews.
A lot has been made of what hard skills to include in different CVs and resumes, but there is an aspect of CV and resume writing that people typically ignore to their own detriment- soft skills.
Including the right soft skill on your CV is a great way to show employers that you can fit within their teams. Soft skills are typically important for a team to work well together.
In today’s post, I will be sharing 10 of the top skills that employers like to see on a CV, but before we delve into that, let’s answer the question; what are soft skills?
What Are Soft Skills
Soft skills are typically non-technical skills or attributes that help you function properly in a team or at a workplace. They are character traits that people acquire with experience that helps characterise a person’s interactions with other people around them. Soft skills are different from hard skills in that while soft skills are non-technical, hard skills are quite technical. However, that is not the difference between both kinds of skills. Let’s examine the differences.
Soft Skills Vs Hard Skills
The core difference between both kinds of skills is that while hard skills are typically technical, soft skills are typically non-technical.
Apart from that, while hard skills are job and industry-specific, soft skills are relevant across jobs and industries making it more useful in a large scope of things.
Lastly, soft skills are typically natural attributes, while hard skills are typically learned and taught. Now, that doesn’t exclusively mean that soft skills cannot be learnt, but it does mean that soft skills are more often than not attributes.
The Importance Of Soft Skills
Soft skills are important for a plethora of reasons, but here are a few points on why you need soft skills in the corporate world.
It Helps Teams Function Properly
Soft skills help people and teams function more properly. For example, a team that is bereft of people with interpersonal communication skills will truly struggle to work together well. Communication; especially listening and giving feedback helps teams work better together.
Soft Skills Complement Hard Skills
You can have all the hard skills in the world, but if you do not have technical skills to complement the hard skills, you will struggle. As earlier mentioned, you will need communication skills for example to deal with colleagues in the office, and sometimes customers depending on your role. Soft skills truly complement hard skills.
Soft Skills Set You Apart
It is very important that you continually improve your technical expertise so as to stand out when applying for roles, howbeit, it is also integral that you also develop your soft skills. Think about it like; if you were hiring for a role and you are torn between two candidates who are both qualified, will you rather opt for one of the candidates who communicates clearly or the other one who struggles to communicate his ideas? Chances are that you will opt for the good communicator, and so will a lot of hiring managers. Soft skills set you apart.
Top 10 Soft Skills That Employers Love
Communication Skill
Communication is one of the top soft skills that employers like to see on a CV or a resume. Communication skill is needed for any professional to be function properly in a team, so it is strongly advisable that one continues to develop his or her communication skills. As a professional, you will typically communicate with your team, communicate across teams and sometimes communicate with customers. If you want your CV to resonate with any employer, make sure to include communication as a soft skill but make sure that you have strong communication skills to backup.
Problem-Solving Skill
Employers know for a fact that you will be running into barriers from time to time in the course of doing your job, which is why they are always on the lookout for prospective employees who are skilled problem solvers. The truth is that you may not be able to solve all the problems that come your way in the course of discharging your duties, but being able to handle the situation is a critical skill to have.
Creativity
Another skill that employers love to see in prospective employees is the skill of creativity. Creativity entails finding new ways to do things or finding ways to solve problems that may arise from time to time. Creativity is a great skill to have and put on your CV.
Teamwork
As much employers love employees who can get things done on their own, they however know that getting the team to function well is more beneficial to the company long-term. There is no single employee that can handle the whole company on his own. Therefore, if you have a strong sense of teamwork, employers are often happy to see that on your CV. It signals to them that you are the type that will sacrifice your personal glory for the good of the team.
Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal skill is a variety of skills that one relies on for interacting with others. It includes empathy, communication, active listening, patience etc. Interpersonal skills are very important for someone who works in a team and since most employees work in teams, employers put a premium on interpersonal skills.
Time Management Skill
Employers do not want to hire people who will hold the company back by flouting deadlines. As a result, employers are always on the lookout for employees who can manage time appropriately; delivering tasks that are well-done on time. Time management is a strong skill to have if you want to be taken seriously by prospective employers.
Attention To Details
There are some errors that employees commit that may lead to the company being sued or getting in really murky waters. To help avert this, employers like to hire staff members that are meticulous in paying attention to details. Sometimes, attention to detail is the difference between getting a contract or not, so companies typically take this skill very seriously.
Leadership
Leadership is a strong skill to have in any industry that you want to work in. Employers need to know that there is always someone that steps up to the plate and takes charge of things even when they are not around. Leadership goes beyond wanting to be seen and heard every time to actually helping pull team members up when they are falling behind.
Proactiveness
Another soft skill that employers typically look out for in prospective employees is proactiveness. Being proactive simply entails preparing for situations that might occur, then controlling the situation. Proactiveness is a great skill to have as it helps avert a lot of problems. If you are great at being proactive, then you should put that on your CV.
Negotiation Skill
If you work in sales and marketing, a great skill that will catch the attention of prospective employers is negotiation skill. Negotiation entails helping convince people to accept your terms or terms of negotiation that is beneficial for both parties. Having strong negotiation skills will help you sell better and satisfy more customers.
Conclusion
It is important for a professional to have the technical know-how of the job that they specialise in. However, a key aspect that many people leave to chance is the area of soft skills. With the 10 skills mentioned above, prospective employers will be very interested in you.
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