How To Land Your Next Job With These Soft Skills

How To Land Your Next Job With These Soft Skills

By Ruoro Kairu
I was recently having a chat with a recruiting agent. She shared how often she meets qualified personnel for a particular job. Many of these candidates, however, lack necessary soft skills.
Soft skills are personality traits, personal attributes, communication abilities, and social cues that help you succeed at a task or job. These skills include communication skills, empathy, creative thinking, time management, teamwork, self-confidence, positivity, and so forth.
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Hard skills can be acquired through education, training programs, on-the-job training, and certifications. Soft skills, on the other hand, you have to constantly work on them through practice.
Soft skills are increasingly coming into consideration when employers are looking for the right fit to fill a position. While hard skills are essential, every employer would like an employee who doesn’t struggle to communicate their ideas or have to be pushed to get work done.
Some of the common soft skills that apply across most job groups include;
Communication skills
Most businesses deal with communication either within or without the organization. Most positions such as office administration, sales, reception, client service, all require communication skills to an extent. This is, therefore, one of the skills that every job seeker needs to hone.
Positivity
Positivity is another key skill that every job seeker should acquire. When an employer is considering who to hire, they will favor candidates who are positive about the growth of the company through their efforts.
When you show positivity at an interview, it also helps to build your confidence.
Teamwork
Synergy is an attribute that can be credited to the rise and success of most companies. As a result, most companies are looking to hire employees who can effectively work as a group and produce results.
While you cannot show your team working ability through an interview, you could strategically list it on both your CV and your cover letter.
Problem-solving skills
In every business, there are hurdles that an employee is supposed to overcome. In a relaxed setting, there are still targets that each employee should attain. The business owner may not have all the answers, or you may have a simpler way of overcoming these hurdles. In either scenario, you will need to showcase your obstacle navigation skills.
Also Read >> How To Stand Out In A Competitive Job Market.
Every job will require some form of interpersonal engagement. Thus, it is important to continually develop these skills.
To grow them, you have to continually practice.
If you do not have a professional platform where you can grow these skills, you can look for internship and volunteer positions. Such positions will expose the skills you are proficient at as well as those that need more effort.
Moreover, when you volunteer or intern at an organization, it helps to build your CV portfolio. To increase your chances of getting your dream job, your CV needs to be a cut above the rest. If you would like to polish up on your CV, or would like a pair of expert eyes to have a look and share feedback, you can contact us through cvwriting@corporatestaffing.co.ke.
As formerly mentioned, you will need to naturally place these skills on both your cover letter and CV. When rightly placed, they can help you edge ahead amongst other applicants.
It is important to understand all these skills work in harmony. For instance, when you possess problem-solving skills but lack proper communication skills, you will struggle to voice the ideas you have. Consequently, you will need to actively work on your interpersonal skills.

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