Soft Skills for Your Job Search -

Soft Skills for Your Job Search - What are Soft Skills? Soft skills, otherwise known as emotional intelligence, may make a difference between an employee who can do the job and one who does it well. Soft skills include: leadership, written and verbal communication, problem solving, motivation, interpersonal skills and creativity. Soft skills are transferable to any position; they do not rely on technical abilities. They are not skills typically taught in classrooms. (Although some business school programs are incorporating training in emotional intelligence to give their students a competitive edge.) Take a look at this soft skills (emotional IQ) test that you can take on line to get a sense of how your skills rate. Some recruiters believe that soft skills make the difference between the candidate who is hired and the second choice applicant. Employers today seek flexibility, teamwork and integrity. They realize that someone who communicates well and has a strong work ethic makes a good employee. As a result, incorporating these skills on your resume may make the difference between getting an interview and getting passed over. The key is to incorporate soft skills with specifics that SHOW your abilities. For example: Before: Excellent oral and written communication skills. After: Wrote and presented successful training sessions to 200 telephone operators, resulting in measurable gains in companys ordering efficiency. The first bullet begs the question: Prove it! The after bullet leaves no room for doubt: This applicant can communicate verbally (in front of a group) and in writing. Selected Soft Skills List approachable business acumen charisma communication composure conflict management creativity crisis management critical thinking decision making dedication empathy energetic ethical flexibility hard working honesty humor ideas initiative inspire others instincts integrity interpersonal skills leadership listening management morale building motivational multicultural sensitivity multi-task organizational passionate personality planning poise problem solving professional public speaking reasoning research respect for others self confident self-motivated sensitivity supervisory take constructive criticism team building team leadership team player time management verbal visionary work well under pressure writing