Many do not know interpersonal skills by name, but we use them daily in different situations. These skills enable us to meet our various needs in interacting with others. Without these skills, our social life is not possible. In recent years, interpersonal skills have become more critical in the workplace, and people who excel in these skills have more chances to get different jobs than others. Therefore, this article discussed interpersonal skills, their role in career success, how to strengthen them, and how to present them in a resume. We hope you will stay with us until the end of the article.
What are interpersonal skills?
Interpersonal skills are soft skills that enable a person to interact well with others. These skills are used daily, although we may not know their names.
In the business world, with the advancement of technology and the endangerment of jobs, these skills have become more critical because most of the work is done with the help of algorithms. Therefore, those parts of creation that robots and algorithms cannot yet become experts in are the same parts for us humans that interpersonal skills are used to do.
What skills do interpersonal skills include?
These skills are very diverse; Some of the most common ones are:
- Ability to communicate effectively and interact with others;
- empathy ;
- emotional intelligence ;
- ability to resolve conflict;
- negotiation;
- listening actively and empathetically to others;
- having a positive attitude;
- spirit of cooperation;
- leadership;
- networking ;
- ability to persuade;
- Having strong motivation.
Of course, many of us have these skills more or less due to education and experience. However, we can continually strengthen these skills in different ways.
What role do interpersonal skills play in our career success?
The importance of these skills in our personal and professional life is not hidden from anyone. We, humans, are social beings, and without interpersonal skills, we could not communicate effectively with our fellows; As a result, it became tough to meet our various needs. In the work environment, we have to interact with different people. So, the more skilled we are in this field, the better we will perform in the work environment.
Some of the benefits of these skills for career success include:
- better companionship with colleagues;
- increase trust between us and others;
- More creativity in cooperation with others;
- Better and more accurate performance of job duties;
- More motivation to perform tasks and projects;
- Prevention of problems caused by improper communication;
- Resolving conflicts and coping with difficulties and disagreements;
- more chances to use the knowledge and creativity of others in doing things;
- the growth of a reliable cooperation network;
- Increase the chances of job promotion.
Can interpersonal skills be learned?
Throughout life, we learn many interpersonal skills naturally and gradually. Family, school, university, social and cultural environment in which we grow up teach us skills through observation, imitation, and socialization. Work experiences also teach us another part of these skills. However, can we consciously and separately strengthen one or more specific skills?
The answer is yes. Many businesses design and implement workshops and training courses to empower their human resources. These courses are focused on one or more specific and required skills of that group. In addition, we can also play a role in strengthening these skills.
How to strengthen interpersonal skills?
1. Identify your strengths and weaknesses
The first step to strengthen these skills is to know your strengths and weaknesses. Go back to the examples we gave of interpersonal skills. Which one do you think you are an expert in, and which needs improvement? By looking at past experiences in the work environment and society, you can understand how you behaved, listened, and spoke in each situation. Examining each skill in your case, you will discover which ones you need to grow and strengthen.
2. Set up a practical plan to strengthen your skills
Now that you have chosen one or more specific skills to enhance yourself, you must have an action plan to support it. The following examples will help you set up this program.
Weakness: I get anxious and nervous when asking others questions.
Action Plan: Next time I want to ask a question, I challenge my negative attitude and build my confidence by imagining optimistic scenarios.
Weakness: I have been a member of this company for three months but have not met anyone yet.
Action plan: I will talk to someone in the next meeting or session. I can talk about a business topic I want and start dating.
Weakness: There are few opportunities to learn negotiation and persuasion skills in my current work environment.
Action plan: I will participate in an online negotiation skills course to familiarize myself with its techniques. Then I use at least one method to interact with a buyer or customer.
3. Practice and get help from a career coach
As you read in the action plans, practicing is the most important way to strengthen these skills. Without continuing to practice interpersonal skills, it is unlikely that you will be able to learn and develop them. For example, a talent like teamwork cannot be acquired through practice. Therefore, you must do special exercises to strengthen each skill. For instance, joining a local team or association allows one to hone this skill in partnership. Also, repeating what the person has told you is a common way to strengthen active listening skills. Likewise, there are exercises you can do for each skill. If you don’t know these exercises, you can get help from a consultant or coach.
How to present interpersonal skills in your resume?
It’s easy to list hard skills on your resume because these skills can be easily measured. But showing interpersonal skills in an overview requires more precision and finesse.
Nowadays, businesses pay more attention to these skills, so it is essential to present them correctly. Since these skills are varied, you need to focus on the ones the employer is looking for the most. To demonstrate these skills on your resume, you can point to positions and accomplishments where these skills have been involved. A brief description of how these skills are used in specific situations is an excellent way to present interpersonal skills on a resume. For example, you can point to your negotiation skills that increased your previous company’s income or your teamwork skills that contributed to your team’s success.
How to show interpersonal skills during a job interview?
Undoubtedly, your description of having these skills in your resume will not ultimately convince the employer to hire you. Still, it will increase your chances of being invited to an interview. Now you must show your ability by providing evidence and detailing the skills.
Your job interview can be an opportunity to showcase your interpersonal skills. For example, the way you speak, body language, appropriate clothing, and clear and detailed explanations of the skills you have mentioned in your resume are all signs of having or lacking these skills.
Sometimes the hiring organization takes a practice test from the participants along with the job interview. For this purpose, a problem or a situation is designed, and the participants are asked to solve it through teamwork. Then the performance of each team member is evaluated, and the best people are selected.
Final advice
Interpersonal skills are more and more critical to organizations and businesses. Today, among the participants in the job interview, someone has a greater chance to excel in these skills than others. Therefore, in addition to developing complex skills, investing in developing soft skills is also better.
