5 Soft skills you should always bring up in an interview

With a few short weeks until the Christmas holiday season starts, a lot of candidates start brushing up their CV’s in preparation for the expected New Year uplift in the jobs market. Whilst that’s an obvious strategy, along with preparing yourself for the interview, we thought that we’d look at a few of the other oft overlooked issues that the majority of candidates overlook.

Even if you are extremely qualified, have terrific application materials, a targeted CV and you're interviewing for jobs, but always coming up with a silver medal, it's possible that you're bumping up against an elusive almost impossible trait to pin down: likability.

Also known in the industry as "cultural fit," likability is a reason many candidates don't make the final cut—the interviewers either didn't like them or didn't believe they would mesh well with current employees.

Emotional intelligence, otherwise known as soft skills, is the category of skills most likely involved when evaluating likability or fit. Wikipedia defines them as "Personal attributes that enhance an individual's interactions, job performance and career prospects. Unlike hard skills, which are about a person's skill set and ability to perform a certain type of task or activity, soft skills relate to a person's ability to interact effectively with co-workers and customers and are broadly applicable both in and outside the workplace.

Soft skills include: attitude, communication skills, time management, critical thinking and a slew of other categories that do not relate to intelligence.

It’s undeniable that soft skills play a role in most, if not all, recruitment decisions. So how can you demonstrate these skills during an interview? Unfortunately there is no hard and fast answer to that, however we believe that the following tips help highlight five soft skills that are key during an interview.

1. Work ethic. Make sure to weave your thoughts about how important the company's mission and vision are to you and explain why you're willing to go the extra mile to help the organisation succeed. One tenet of evaluating candidates is that past performance is a predictor of future results. Make sure you prove that you have a strong work ethic by giving examples from the past about how you went above and beyond the call of duty to get a job done. Describe how you always complete projects efficiently and on-time, why you're punctual and persistent and how you balance your drive to succeed with the company's goals.

2. Positive attitude. Give examples of how you improved employee morale in a past position, or how your positive attitude helped motivate your colleagues or those you managed. I know from all the interviews that I’ve conducted over the years that some people are naturally bubbly and always upbeat whilst others have a more restrained and low-energy demeanour. If you tend to be more low-key, smile when you shake the interviewer's hand and make an extra effort to add some intonation and expression to your responses.

Make sure you aren't boring or dry, or you could lose your chance to be recruited.

3. Communication skills. Your interview is a great opportunity to demonstrate how well you communicate, so be sure you prepare and practice responses to showcase your best skills. Be concrete with these examples, and bring proof to the interview. Provide examples of materials you’ve created or written campaigns you developed in past roles.

4. Time management. This is a crucial skill many employers seek in their hires. It's especially important for candidates who want to work in a start-up to know how to manage their time, tasks and responsibilities effectively. Be prepared to explain how you prioritise the most important items first, delegate the items that others can do and figure out a way to get things done in the confines of your resources on the job.

5. Self-confidence. Very few employers want a wall flower. You can demonstrate self-confidence at the interview by the way you present yourself, including how you dress for the interview, the way you approach to shake hands and how you speak about your experiences during the interview.

If you're not particularly confident, practice acting as though you were. Make direct eye contact when speaking with strangers. Listen to your own voice, is it forceful or timid? Rehearse speaking in a more confident-sounding voice. Don't forget about your body language, which is one of the first ways employers will gauge your confidence levels. If you tend to hunch over, make sure you think about sitting up during your interview.

Don't forget to think about these soft skills when you prepare for an interview, be sure you demonstrate everything you have to offer the employer.


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