Landing an interview always feels great (you are one step closer to getting the job!), but it’s important to remember that even though the technical skills on your resume and your awesome cover letter got you this far, how you perform in the interview often dictates whether you get that dream job. So, what are hiring managers looking for?
Most employers go into an interview wanting to know more about what you bring beyond just the basic requirements of the job post. They often aim to find out if you’re a good fit for the team and if you have the communication and social skills to succeed in the workplace. Employers want to hire someone who possesses key soft skills because these kind of individuals usually excel in the workplace and help their company thrive. Here are four ways to best demonstrate important soft skills in an interview.
COMMUNICATION
No matter the position, communication influences career success and impacts your chances of getting hired. To an employer, communication skills often determine how well you can work in a team, talk to clients, listen to instructions, and more.
Being fully engaged in the interview, listening carefully to the questions, and articulating your knowledge effectively are all ways to show off your communication skills. An interviewer normally looks at how well you can express, understand, and interpret ideas. When you combine these talking points with confidence and nonverbal cues like eye contact and posture, you set yourself up for success. All it takes is some practice beforehand and you got it!
PROBLEM SOLVING
Have you ever been in a situation where a client was upset at you? Or maybe there was a problem with one of your co-workers or team members? We have all come across situations similar to this in our career, but what really matters is how you handled it. Being able to identify an issue, stay calm, and effectively evaluate options to solve the problem is critical to an employer and is an important soft skill.
To demonstrate your problem-solving skills, think of a scenario where you personally had to face a challenge that made you think out of the box. Provide an example where your patience was tested, but you kept it together. Having these cases already thought out beforehand helps you answer confidently when prompted.
SELF-AWARENESS
Self-awareness is a key component to career success and lifelong learning. A willingness to share your strengths and weaknesses demonstrates that you are not afraid to be honest with yourself and others.
Communicating that you continuously look to improve your own skills shows a growth mindset and proves you aren’t satisfied with the status quo. Before any interview, make sure you really think about what you can work on to better yourself in your career and be aware of what skills you have that would fit right into the position you are interviewing for.
COLLABORATION
All professionals must be able to work independently, but there are always situations when individuals need to work as a team to brainstorm or complete a project. Employers often seek people who can work well with the personalities present in the office and in your particular department.
Whether you have worked on a group project in school or as part of a team in a past job, there are always examples of collaboration you can use. Employers aren’t necessarily looking for that person who took over the project and did it all themselves, but someone who really understands how to be a team player. Think of examples where you got along with others, demonstrated flexibility, or jumped in to help someone else on the project. These kind of examples really show how valuable you are as a team member.
Bongo by YouSeeU helps higher ed institutions, corporate training programs, and test publishers assess and improve learners’ soft skills. To learn more about how our platform makes soft skill development possible at scale, visit www.bongolearn.com.
If you are interested in more information on soft skills, download our whitepaper here.
