The Most Important Soft Skills Employers Look for When Hiring

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The Most Important Soft Skills Employers Look for When Hiring

Soft Skills

 

Many job searchers believe that when hiring candidates, employers focus on hard skills (also known as technical and functional skills), thinking them to be the key factor in how quickly a new employee can integrate with the rest of the organization. But this isn’t quite the case, as soft skills are just as important for employees to be able to ensure the organization’s continual function and growth. When considering candidates for a role, employers typically look for the following. 

  1. Communication Skills

Being a good communicator doesn’t necessarily mean having to be a great public speaker or prolific writer. However, you do need to be able to express yourself well, whether it’s by writing a clear and coherent business letter, making a compelling presentation, or just being able to relay instructions in a team effectively.

Listening is an especially important yet underappreciated aspect of effective communication. It’s not enough to know how to speak or write; you also need to know how to listen to people to understand where they’re coming from.

  1. Teamwork and Coordination

Team players are growing to become some of the most important assets in any organization, and for a good reason. Team players are people who can work well with others, whether as a good follower, an effective leader or someone tasked to monitor a team’s progress or meet deadlines.

Bottom line? Team players have a team-first mentality, making them an invaluable component of any workforce.

  1. Flexibility

To succeed in most organizations, you need to show a willingness to learn, grow and put yourself out of your comfort zone. And with more employers wanting a diverse set of skills from the people they hire, you need to show in your resume and cover letter, as well as during interview that you’ve gone out your way to learn and grow all throughout your career.

  1. Problem Solving Skills

During interviews, be prepared to answer questions about your problem-solving experience, providing concrete examples of when you solved a business problem or participated in developing solutions.

Be ready to explain, in clear and measurable terms:

  • What you did exactly
  • Your thought process in approaching the problem
  • How you sought the help of others
  • How you assisted others
  1. Conflict Management

Leadership, communication skills and teamwork all come into play when resolving and negotiating conflicts for your employer. You need to be able to build mutually beneficial relationships with different people in your organization, using your influence to persuade them to develop win-win solutions that benefit both the company and all people involved.

For more job search tips and insights, be sure to follow this blog. If you need assistance in looking for a job, contact the construction, manufacturing, and aircraft staffing specialists of Top Notch Personnel to learn how our staffing services can help you.

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