Are You Up To Snuff When It Comes To Soft Skills?
Avoid Dead Giveaways On A Cover Letter Or Resume
That Suggest You Aren’t
Finally, soft skills get some respect!
A flurry of studies tell us it's the soft skills—such as self-awareness, adaptability, critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, teamwork, communication, likeability, risk taking, and time management—that determine the bottom line and will make or break your career. And now that these behaviors and traits are a significant consideration for many firms during the recruitment process, they are being linked to positive performance appraisals and salary increases. With the economy in a recession, now is the time to take a hard look at how you demonstrate your soft skill competency (or lack thereof). The bottom line is this: If you have all the technical skills and fancy pedigrees in the world but can’t get along with people, sell your ideas, get your work in on time, and demonstrate competency in countless other soft skills arenas, you’ll go nowhere fast.
First impressions count more than ever in today’s virtual world. Your cover letter and resume are often the first opportunity you’ll have to present yourself. When these documents convey that you are up to snuff in the soft skills arena, you’ll have a much better chance of nabbing an interview or other opportunity for making that second impression.
So how do executive job seekers credibly portray themselves and project their soft skills savvy during the initial stages of contact with a potential employer? The following tips will show you how to avoid making a soft skills snafu the next time you showcase yourself in a cover letter or resume.
One Size Does Not Fit All!
The most important thing to recognize up front is that your entire approach to the job hunt speaks volumes about your soft skills competency.
One hiring manager says she can spot what she calls a “soft skills imposter” in seconds. “In our executive-level job postings, we purposely ask candidates to explain in the cover letter how their experience will translate into helping grow our organization. You would not believe the number of responses we get from very senior executives who fail to address this question, much less even mention the name of our organization in their letter!” Translation: The job candidate is taking a “throw spaghetti against the wall and see if it sticks” approach by using one-size-fits-all-communication. As for those applicants who don’t follow the instructions in her postings, the manager says, “If they ignore me, I ignore them.”
Communicating, listening, critical thinking—even at the most basic level—are all very important soft skills. A loud message is sent when an applicant fails to highlight details most relevant to the position, follow simple directions, or show signs of having bothered to visit the company’s website. If you were a hiring manager, would you want this candidate to lead your organization or interact with clients?
Show Me
Don’t make the mistake of claiming soft skills competency on your cover letter or resume without substantiation. Providing solid examples that demonstrate your soft skills is far more effective than making empty promises, such as: I have excellent leadership, people, and communication skills. Really? Then show me! Examples are especially important, given that most hiring managers don’t like to see a laundry list of soft skills on a resume.
Instead of a ticking off your soft skills in a list, weave them in when you are highlighting past accomplishments. If you have a hard time coming up with specifics, ask yourself the following: What have I done that demonstrates my problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities or my ability to lead and motivate others, especially under challenging circumstances? Try to recall a time when a supervisor or colleague complimented you on how you handled a situation.
And make sure your examples are relevant to the position for which you are applying. For instance, what would be more relevant to a non-profit charitable organization—that you raised a substantial amount of money for a do-good cause, motivating hundreds in your company to participate, or that you sold more widgets in China than any other division head?
As one HR director remarked, “I hate it when the candidate assumes we will connect the dots for them. Instead of writing a cover letter that brings the relevant experience forward, critical points remain buried in the resume. Connecting the dots is their job, not ours.” Which brings us to my next point.
What’s In It For Them?
As I often tell clients during coaching, when approaching any business communication situation, start out by tuning in to your listeners' favorite radio station, which I call WIFT-FM or What’s In It For Them? This helps you to identify the potential needs, objectives, and goals of your audience. In other words, why should they be listening to you in the first place?
Separately, make sure when providing references to include people who have seen you maneuver situations that showcase your soft skills. The reference list is where HR decision makers often turn to substantiate soft skills competency (along with, of course, in-person meetings with the candidate).
It’s All In The Details
When your resume formatting is messy or your follow-up note demonstrates poor writing skills, spelling errors, and incorrect word usage, you will be demonstrating your soft skills, or lack thereof, loud and clear!
