3/24/2019 Interpersonal Skills List and Examples

JOB SEARCHING RESUMES

Top Interpersonal Skills That Employers Value

Tips for What to Highlight on Resumes, Cover Letters, and Interviews

BY ALISON DOYLE Updated March 03, 2019

What are interpersonal skills and why are they important in the workplace? Interpersonal
skills, also known as people skills or soft skills or emotional intelligence skills, are related to
the way you communicate and interact with others.

When employers are hiring, interpersonal skills are one of the top criteria used to evaluate
candidates. Regardless of the type of job you have, it’s important to be able to get along
well with co-workers, managers, customers, and vendors. Strong interpersonal skills are
essential for succeeding in today’s workplace.

Why Employers Value Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are sometimes called employability skills. The word “employability” is

the tip-o about the importance of interpersonal skills: they’re so crucial that hiring
managers really don’t want to hire candidates without them.

Many careers require consistent, if not constant, interaction with other people. This is true
even for jobs that would seem to favor introverted personalities and independent work
styles. For example, even if you’re a software engineer or a writer or statistician, you still
need to be able to communicate and collaborate with your team.

Even if you excel at the technical aspects of your job, if you’re a disaster to work with, your
presence in the o ce will not be well received.

Note: As a result, it’s important to emphasize your interpersonal skills in your

cover letter and resume, and then back up those claims with your behavior during
job interviews.

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How to Showcase Your Interpersonal Skills

It’s important to reference your interpersonal skills throughout the job search process.
Firstly, you might include them in your resume, particularly if your resume features a
summary at the top, or if your work history section is formatted with paragraphs, rather
than bullet points. This is because each interpersonal skill you reference should be
connected to an anecdote, or an example, of when or how you used this skill. It's easier to
do that in a paragraph rather than a bullet point.

For example, you might say, “My ability to motivate the individuals I manage is
demonstrated in how consistently I meet, and beat, deadlines without burning out my
team.” Or: “My leadership skills helped my team raise sales by 10 percent last quarter,
despite the fact that many of us were new to the department.” This way, you’re showing
what you accomplished rather than simply what you did.

Secondly, include similar examples of how you used your interpersonal skills at work in your
cover letter. Remember to focus on what you accomplished by using these skills.

Finally, be prepared to answer interview questions about your interpersonal skills. Like in
your cover letter and resume, provide an anecdote about a time you demonstrated a
particular skill in the workplace, and how you used that skill to add value to the company.

Remember, actions speak louder than words, so you’ll want to be sure that you
successfully embody any traits you claim to have when you’re interacting with your
interviewer. For example, if you emphasize how your friendly demeanor has brought you
success in the workplace, make sure you appear warm and approachable during the
interview.

Match Your Skills to the Job

You should highlight those skills that are most important for the specific job to which you
are applying. A job in sales, for example, might require excellent communication skills,
the ability to develop a rapport, and persuasiveness. A human resources position, however,
might be better suited for an individual with an ability to inspire trust and strong problem-
solving, motivational, and mediation skills.

Review the job description and make a list of the characteristics the employer is after. Then
match your qualifications to the job by making connections between their requirements
and your skills and abilities.

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Top Interpersonal Skills

Illustration by Alison Czinkota. © The Balance, 2018

Communication
One of the most important interpersonal skills in any job is communication. Whether you
work in IT, customer service, construction, or any other industry, you will need to be able to
communicate clearly and e ectively with others. You will have to interact with others
through oral and written communication. Some jobs also require skills in e ective public
speaking.

Related skills:

• Nonverbal communication
• Public speaking
• Verbal communication

Conflict Management
Whether you are a manager or an employee, you will likely need to resolve conflicts at some
point in your job. This might involve solving an issue between two sta members, between
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yourself and a colleague, or between a client and your company. You will need to be able to
listen fairly to both sides and use creative problem solving to arrive at a solution.

Related skills:

• Conflict resolution
• Constructive criticism
• Counseling
• Mediating
• Problem-solving

Empathy
Part of being a good manager, employee, and colleague is the ability to understand and
show empathy for others. If a customer or colleague calls with a complaint, for example,
you will need to listen thoughtfully to the person’s concerns, and express compassion for
their issue. Empathy is an important skill that will help you get along with everyone in the
workplace.

Related skills:

• Caring
• Compassion
• Diplomacy
• Diversity
• Helping others
• Kindness
• Patience
• Respect
• Sensitivity
• Sympathy

Leadership
Even if you are not a manager, it is important to have some leadership experience and

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ability. Leadership requires being able to motivate and encourage others and help a team
achieve success.

Related skills:

• Encouraging
• Inspiring trust
• Instructing
• Management
• Mentoring
• Motivation
• Positive reinforcement

Listening
Listening is a skill that goes hand in hand with good communication. While you need to be
able to express your own ideas, you also need to thoughtfully listen to the ideas of others.
This will help your clients, employers, colleagues, and employees feel like they are
respected and valued.

Related skills:

• Active listening
• Inquiry

Negotiation
Negotiation is an important skill in many jobs. Depending on the specific job, it might
involve creating formal agreements (or contracts) between clients, or helping other
colleagues solve a problem and determine a solution. To be a good negotiator, you have to
be able to listen to others, use creative problem solving, and arrive at an outcome that
satisfies everyone.

Related skills:

• Negotiating
• Persuasive

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Positive Attitude
Employers want to hire employees who make the o ce a brighter place. They want people
with a friendly, positive demeanor. This doesn’t mean you have to be the most social person
in the o ce, but you have to be willing to develop some sort of a positive rapport with your
colleagues.

Related skills:

• Behavioral
• Developing rapport
• Friendly
• Humor
• Networking
• Social

Teamwork
Even if your job involves a lot of independent work, you still need to be able to collaborate
with others. Teamwork involves a number of the skills already mentioned: you need to be
able to listen to others, communicate your own goals, motivate your team, and resolve any
conflicts that may come up.

Related skills:

• Collaboration
• Group facilitating
• Team building
• Teamwork

More Essential Workplace Skills

Review a list of the best skills to include on your resume and LinkedIn, incorporate them
into your job search and career materials, and mention them during job interviews to
ensure your showing prospective employers you have the skills they are seeking.

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