When the time to apply for jobs comes around again, we all go through an intensive round of picking apart our resumes and polishing them up for future employers. While your work experience and education qualifications are definitely the most important aspects of your resume, you can pitch yourself better if you mention your interpersonal skills too. Here are some that are highly valued by employers and are worth being mentioned:
1. Time Management
You can be great at your work but if you can't do it on time, no one gets what they want in the workspace. Which is why being good at managing your time at work is something that impresses employers tremendously. But you can't just say it simply - anyone can do that. You have to explain how or why you do it. If it's because you are an organised person, mention that your organisation skills help you manage your time better and be more efficient. And be ready to get questioned about it during the interview too.
2. Problem Solving
The best way to mention this skill on your resume is to qualify it with an example. Take an instance in which you or another colleague of yours was facing a work-related problem and the creative solution you came up with for it. It makes you seem like a good bet for them if they know you can keep your cool and look for a solution instead of running away in panic.
3. Team Player
If you're applying for a managerial position, it's important to focus on your leadership qualities. But no matter what position you're applying to, being a team player is always considered a plus. Mentioning that you work just as well in groups as you do independently. Talk about how brainstorming activities with colleagues have helped inspire some great ideas.
4. Detail Oriented
We all know why this is an important skill at work. And while many of us do believe we are detail oriented to a fault, we forget to mention it on our resumes. Well, no more. When asked during the interview, expand on this further with how to much attention to pay to the smaller details without compromising on time.
5. Compassionate
The one thing no one can ever fault you for is being empathetic and compassionate. It's okay if you don't always feel like they're your best qualities - talk about how you like to create strong professional relationships at work, how it creates a positive and an honest environment and how they help you, as well as your team, do a better job.
What to do if you feel like you don't have these skills?
No matter what you've been led to believe, you should never lie on your resume. All of the above skills can work in your favor but not if you don't feel like you have them. The truth always comes out! So the first thing to do in that case is to identify which areas you need to work on and then ask your mentors or work friends whom you admire about how you can go about working on them. Take their advice and criticism, invest some time working on your interpersonal skill and you'll soon feel comfortable mentioning them on your resume.