Question

interpersonal skills are the behaviors and feelings that exist within all of us that influence our interactions with others. these skills are also referred to as communication skills, people skills, and/or soft skills. we learn them by watching our parents, the television, and our peers. healthy interpersonal skills stress, reduce conflict, improve communication, increase understanding, and promote joy. improving these skills builds confidence and enhances our relationships with others. how can interpersonal skills improve your chances when applying for a job? can interpersonal skills make or break interview?

Answer 1

Interpersonal skills relate to a person’s “EQ” (Emotional Intelligence Quotient). This is the cluster of personality traits, social graces, communication, language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that characterize our relationships with other people.

Nowdays having technical skills is not enough getting a job dream job. You need to go beyond the call of duty and show that you have what it takes to fit within the organization’s culture.

Recruiters today have pre-screening tests available at their disposal, to weed out applicants before they even get to the interview stage. They use personality tests and assessments and gauge who will be a better fit between two applicants of similar qualifications and experience.

They rely on identifying interpersonal skills. Interpersonal skills will give you a chance to differentiate from other job applicants as well as work mates and move up the ladder. These complement your technical skills, enhance your job performance and social interactions, and work hard to give you an edge over others. Unlike hard skills, these are interpersonal.

1. Self Confidence

Research the company and the position you are applying for. When you have done your homework, you get that inner sense of assuredness. In the interview, you are fully prepared and nothing can throw you off balance. In the job itself, you are totally confident.

When in an interview, the recruiter might ask you a tricky question and you struggle to get the right words. Failing to leave a good first impression tells the prospective employer that you are not qualified and will not be able to carry out the duties. The interview is the place to prove to the person on the other side that you have what it takes to deliver.

2. Positive Attitude

The largest part to your overall health is from your mental health. Having positive mental health gives us the motivation to do our best. It also makes is strive to do better.Be positive during the whole process, from writing the cover letter, to appearing in the interview and to nailing that job.

3. Communication

This skill is particularly important: the ability to read, write and speak clearly is essential.

Subscribers to the Harvard Business Review rated "the ability to communicate" the most important factor in making an executive "promotable," more important than ambition, education, and capacity for hard work. Graduates (as measured by both career advancement and salary) shared personality traits and critical thinking skills that distinguish good communicators: a desire to persuade, an interest in talking and working with other people, and an outgoing, ascendant personality.

Write a personalized letter for all the job openings. Highlight your interests and relevant work experience. Infuse your personality and be professional at the same time. End with a strong close.

4. Team Player

This one is especially useful if you are applying for a highly technical position and/or requires independent work like IT, design, writing, etc. People who can go beyond working in their area of expertise, demonstrate big picture thinking, take leadership roles when necessary and work for the greater good are considered a great asset to any organization.

Ability to work in a culturally diverse environment and get along fairly well with people from different nationalities is also a plus.

5. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Are you generally a resourceful person? Even if you don’t have all the answers, would you be able to look for them? Know what to do? People who take ownership and are ready to own up their mistakes are highly regarded by the organization.

They like to hire big picture thinkers and those who can be accountable for problems, if required.

6. Time Management Skills

“It's important that you develop effective strategies for managing your time to balance the conflicting demands of time for study, leisure, earning money and job" Kent University.

“Time management skills are valuable in job hunting, but also in many other aspects of life, from revising for examinations to working.” You should aim to make time management into an art form. Know when to prioritize and when to let go. Good time managers multitask or understand the importance of tacking one issue at a time.

7. Coping With Pressure

According to the Stress and wellbeing in Australia survey, significantly more Australians reported moderate to severe levels of distress compared with findings of 2012.

Also, similar to previous years’ findings, younger adults continued to report much higher levels of stress and distress compared with older Australians.

Some jobs are easy-going where some demand a high level of pressure tolerance: Jobs where you are working to meet strict deadlines or where things can get turned around at the last minute. The employer might prefer you over others if you are known for crisis control and staying calm when all hell breaks loose.

Have you got a colorful story to demonstrate your past experience of working under pressure? Maybe you constantly had deadline stress or maybe you were working in a busy emergency department for the local hospital. Bringing that experience to light won’t hurt.

8. Flexibility

The demand for flexible working arrangements, as well as flexible methods of study, has grown in recent years. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that nearly 150,000 students are studying online or “off-campus” in higher education alone – and that number is much higher when you include VET students.

9. Ability to Accept Constructive Feedback

Some people take any form of criticism personally.

1. Are you coachable and open to training or advice?
2. If a senior manager made a suggestion, how would you react?
3. If the interviewer pointed out an error and suggested something, would you thank them?

Accepting negative feedback gracefully speaks volumes about your character and makes you extremely interesting in the eyes of the interview panel.

10. Strong Work Ethic

A survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management compared the skills gap between older workers approaching retirement and younger workers starting work found that “professionalism” or “work ethic” is the top skill that younger workers lack. It said that companies are finding it harder to find punctual, reliable workers today.