During a job interview, your goal is to keep your accomplishments and experience front and center. And for good reason! But hiring managers know that the best candidates aren’t the ones who only have good technical skills. They’re also looking for candidates with well-rounded “soft skills” – the transferable abilities that support your technical ability and make you truly capable of thriving in your position.
Common soft skills that employers prize include communication, problem solving, collaboration, organization, and time management. Choose the ones that are most relevant to the position and highlight them in your interview answers as well. Here’s how.
- Show, don’t tell. Anyone can say in an interview, “I’m a strong communicator” or “I’m very detail oriented.” But hiring managers have no way to know these statements are true unless you also provide examples of using them. For instance, follow up “I’m a strong communicator” with an example: “For instance, I was asked last month to present the details of our project to the board, because my manager trusted that I could explain the technical specifications in a way they could understand and appreciate.”
- Think of your accomplishments as the “what” and your soft skills as the “how.” Your work accomplishments matter in an interview. They show not only that you can do the job well, but that you already have. Talk about your accomplishments and soft skills together by discussing how your soft skills helped you accomplish your goals. For example, you might say, “I came up with a plan that allowed us to bring in the project four days ahead of schedule and $10,000 under budget. I did this by analyzing the details of our expenses and realizing that we would save both money and time by….” The on-time, under-budget project is your “what,” and your analysis skills are the “how.”
- Demonstrate your skills in how you respond – not just what you say. Practice your interview answers – and review your application materials – so they reflect the soft skills you claim as your strongest. For instance, if you claim to be detail oriented, make sure your application materials are error free. If communication is your strongest skill, practice your interview answers so they are concise, clear, and compelling.
The experienced recruiters at Marquee Staffing can help you communicate your “soft skills” and your relevant experience, so that you stand out among the crowd and increase your chances of landing the job offer. Contact us today to learn more to learn more about our job opportunities in Carlsbad and beyond.