How to Sell Your Soft Skills
By — — Posted in Resume Writing Tips, Transferable Skills
~You Got ‘Skilz~
“It is extraordinary how extraordinary the ordinary person is.” – George F. Will
Sell your top 3 “soft skills” (personal traits).
They are what differentiate you from your competitors with
similar training & experience
Of the Top 10 qualities & traits employers want, what do you think is on the list?
>>Check out this info graphic to find out!<<
What are YOUR strongest “soft skills”?
How can you capture and demonstrate them on your resume?
Cover Letters?
During an interview?
Here are a few examples: motivation/initiative; flexibility/adaptability; team work/people skill
Here are a few examples of how to incorporate them into a:
| Resume | Cover Letter | In an interview |
| Initiated new monthly reports process that improved productivity by 25% over 6 months. | I am known as the “motivator” on my team; in fact, my manager noted on my last evaluation, “Jane regularly takes initiative to find what needs to be done and does it without being told.” | Q: “Tell me about a time when you took initiative on the job.”
A: One time while I was a customer service rep for a call center, I noticed that there was something missing on the new information forms that was causing confusion and generating an increase in calls and wrong orders. I brought this to my supervisor’s attention, made suggestions for how to clarify the language, and even volunteered to update the document myself and distribute it. I got this done in 24 hours. My manager noted in the next staff meeting that my initiative to solve the problem was exemplary. |
Can you pick out the common factor with HOW to communicate your soft skills?
> Use an example! <
Demonstrate the skill, don’t just say you have it (in this case, initiative and motivation).
It’s much more impressive to SHOW how you use the skill, see?
PS: Most soft skills are also valuable ‘transferable skills’ – skills that are useful in various types of work and industries. Check out my post “7 Transferable Skills – and How to Talk About Them” for more ideas!
