writing interpersonal skills in resume

15+ Key Interpersonal Skills to List on Your Resume in 2022 (With Examples)

How well you communicate and interact with people is a top priority to employers. In this guide, we will enlighten you on the importance of interpersonal skills. Plus, we will provide you with our top 15 examples to consider including on your resume!

What are Interpersonal Skills?

Interpersonal skills refer to the type of skills that deal with social interactions.

They include everything from the ability to collaborate to having a high level of emotional intelligence.

On resumes, skills can be divided into two main categories:

• ‍ Soft Skills: Soft skills are social and emotion-based skills. These skills affect your ability to work with customers, coworkers, and authority figures. ‍
• Hard Skills: Hard skills are more technical and quantifiable skills. They include specific abilities, such as copywriting or software development.

Most interpersonal skills are considered soft skills.

They encompass many of the most important and effective soft skills to include on a resume.

For more ideas on both soft and hard skills to include on your resume, check out our guide on 100+ Key Skills for a Resume in 2021 (with Examples for Any Job) .

Why Should I Include Interpersonal Skills on My Resume?      

All of society is impacted by interpersonal skills.

Every interaction you have with another person is affected by how well you can communicate and engage with others.

By including interpersonal skills on your resume, you demonstrate to employers that you understand their importance.

Interpersonal skills can sometimes be overlooked in favor of emphasizing hard skills.

However, your ability to work well with people is often just as important as your technical talents.

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Top 15 Interpersonal Skills to Add to Your Resume

In this section, we will cover some of the best interpersonal skills and why to consider including them.

When choosing the skills to add to your resume, keep relevancy in mind.

It is important to ask yourself how the skill relates to the job you are applying to.

You want to enable the employer to immediately understand why you chose to include a specific skill.

Without further ado, here are our top 15 interpersonal skills to include on a resume:

• ‍ Verbal Communication: How well you speak and hold a conversation with others. This is crucial when working a job that requires you to talk with customers.
• ‍ Non-Verbal Communication: How well you communicate without the use of spoken words. This can include your gestures, writing, facial expressions, and body language.
• ‍ Public Speaking: The ability to speak calmly and clearly in front of groups of people. This skill is essential when working in any sort of position of leadership or power.
• ‍ Conflict Management: Working with people means dealing with interpersonal conflicts. Conflict management refers to how well you can handle and settle tense situations.
• ‍ Problem-Solving: Problem-solving goes hand in hand with conflict management. It refers to your ability to quickly determine solutions that satisfy the needs of all parties.
• ‍ Adaptability: Working with people means working with changing emotions and plans. Adaptability refers to how well you can make changes and evolve in changing situations.
• ‍ Empathy: Empathy deals with how well you can relate to others. It goes a step beyond sympathy by allowing you to put yourself in another person’s shoes and see things from their perspective.
• ‍ Patience: Miscommunication and conflict happen. The key is to have a strong sense of patience during frustrating, difficult, or boring situations.  
• ‍ Active Listening: The skill of active listening involves being able to remove outside distractions and commit 100 percent of your attention to the person speaking. To achieve active listening, you should withhold judgment until you have been able to reflect, clarify, and summarize what has been shared.
• ‍ Dependability: Building professional relationships with interpersonal skills starts with trust. Dependability is how well you keep to your word and follow through on commitments. This, in turn, builds a solid foundation of trust with customers and coworkers.
• ‍ Negotiation: The ability to make deals that are beneficial to both you and others is important. Negotiation is an advantageous skill for sales professionals especially.
• ‍ Persuasion: When working with other people, there will be many ideas and viewpoints to work with. Having the ability to persuade others towards your ideas or services is useful for sales and management professionals.
• ‍ Networking: Networking refers to your ability to connect and build relationships with other professionals. These professional relationships can then be nurtured into business partnerships or other mutually beneficial associations.
• ‍ Collaboration: Working with teams of people requires you to know how to effectively make use of each other’s skills. Your collaborative abilities will greatly affect your success in most industries. ‍
• Leadership: Taking on a leadership role is all about honing your interpersonal skills. When talking about leadership on a resume, be as specific as possible. For example, you should highlight what style of leadership you specialize in.

What Industries Require a High Level of Interpersonal Skills?

Though interpersonal skills are necessary for all industries, certain fields require them more than others.

The top 5 industries that require a high interpersonal skill level are:

• ‍ Sales: Sales professionals work closely with customers. They must be able to build and nurture relationships that eventually lead to the closing of a sale. ‍
• Education: Educators are responsible for not only teaching students but for helping them to grow and evolve as individuals. To be an educator, you especially need interpersonal skills such as empathy and patience. ‍
• Healthcare: Healthcare workers need to communicate clearly with patients. This involves a high level of active listening, among other skills. Healthcare as an industry relies upon its professionals' ability to connect and collaborate with other people. ‍
• Public Relations: PR representatives deal almost exclusively in communicating back and forth with the masses. For PR professionals, having a diverse set of interpersonal skills is a total asset. ‍
• Customer Service: Anyone that works in customer service needs to have strong interpersonal skills. The service industry is vast and requires a lot of collaboration and cooperation between both coworkers and customers.

How Do I Describe My Interpersonal Skill Levels?

When it comes to describing your skill levels, you need to be both concise and precise.

You don’t want to provide lengthy descriptions of each skill.

However, you also do not want to be too vague about your skills either.

For instance, you may have extensive experience with leading teams.

As a result, you want to emphasize “leadership” as one of your skills.

You could just write the word and leave it at that, but this won’t have much weight or impact on employers.

Instead, you could be just slightly more specific by focusing on the specific type of leadership you used. T

his could read something like this:

“Effective Democratic Leadership Abilities” or "Strategic Management Abilities”

Providing these extra details gives the employer more to work with.

You are not only stating your ability for leadership but also adding in needing context.

“Democratic” and “strategic” describe different styles of leadership.

Likewise, “management” describes a very specific type of leadership in a business setting.  

Remember, you still want to keep these descriptions short and sweet.

Don’t add more fluff than is necessary!

How Do I List My Interpersonal Skills on a Resume?

To list interpersonal skills on a resume, there a few different formatting options.

The first thing you must decide is where you want your skills to be.

There are 2 main locations that are ideal for listing skills:

• Your work experience section
• A dedicated skills section

In this section, we will explore each of these to help you decide which is best for your resume.

Format Option 1: Interpersonal Skills in the Work Experience Section

Work Experience ‍ Public Relations Coordinator, Chamber of Commerce August 2019 – June 2021 · Developed interpersonal skills such as communication and collaboration

Why It’s Wrong:

Work Experience Public Relations Coordinator, Peaches Law Firm August 2019 – June 2021 · Networked with local businesses to create a town directory · Collaborated with local government officials on a public health awareness campaign  · Managed business conflicts with poise and speed

Including skills in your work experience section allows you to directly demonstrate how you employ specific skills.

Format Option 2: Creating a Dedicated Skills Section

Interpersonal Skills · Communication · Collaboration · Negotiation

Why It’s Wrong: When describing hard skills, using just one word can often work.

However, interpersonal skills can be vaguer without extra context or description.

You want to make it clear why you are including these specific skills.

Interpersonal Skills · Clear and Effective Communication · Superb Contract Negotiation Abilities · Regularly Engaged in Collaboration

If you are going to make a dedicated interpersonal skills section, you should also create a technical skills section as well.

That way, you will have both your hard and soft skills included!

Need more help figuring out what else to include on your resume? Read our career advice article on What to Put on a Resume in 2021 (with Examples and Tips) !

Final Takeaways

Interpersonal skills are essential in any job.

They help you to interact effectively with both customers and coworkers!

Here are 5 key takeaways for including interpersonal skills on your resume:

• All industries look for professionals with strong interpersonal skills. Including at least a couple of these on a resume can greatly boost your chances.
• Provide additional context around your skills to make them less vague.
• Interpersonal skills are soft skills. It is important to not forget about hard skills as well!
• Include interpersonal skills in both your work experience section and a dedicated skills section.
• Always think of how you can relate your skills to the job you are applying for.

At Easy Resume, we provide you with all the resources you need to craft the perfect resume. Make sure to check out all our free resume guides and career advice articles while you’re here!

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Ed is a co-founder of Easy Resume. His background in scaling teams at tech startups over the last decade has given him extensive experience and knowledge around how to hire top talent and build successful teams. He enjoys mentoring, coaching, and helping others reach their career goals. When he's not writing about career-related advice, he's playing with his dog, Lilo, or going on long hikes in upstate New York.

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What are interpersonal skills?

What traits, skills, and abilities help you demonstrate strong interpersonal skills on your resume, how to demonstrate strong interpersonal skills on your resume, common misconceptions and pitfalls to avoid when demonstrating interpersonal skills on a resume., interpersonal skills: key takeaways for your resume.

In the corporate world, interpersonal skills are a set of skills that define one's ability to successfully work with others. These include communication skills, ability to listen, positive attitude, dispute resolution, emotional intelligence, etc.

Interpersonal skills are key to effective interaction on the job. Co-workers with well-developed interpersonal skills are considered to be core team players. Generally speaking people with good interpersonal skills know how to behave in society, understand what the norms are, and know what is expected of them. They can also read very well social signals or interpret verbal interaction and adjust their behavior to smoothen communication and improve workflow.

Interpersonal skills are also known as employability skills or people skills. Simply put you might be the best IT engineer in the world but if you lack interpersonal skills chances are that you will not be employed at all.

Why are Interpersonal skills important on your resume?

Interpersonal skills are important on your resume because without them you will not get along with your co-workers making any process in the organization impossible.

Communication is key to everything. If you can not interact properly with others you become the weakest link in the organization and the overall level of the organization is decreasing. Colleagues would prefer to do more work themselves instead of trying to seek help from you. A bad attitude could affect the morale and the performance of the organization in a very negative way and it spreads quickly.

Interpersonal skills are considered a top priority by HR interviewers. This is because it can be difficult to evaluate one’s long-term performance within the organization. Judging by the interpersonal skills you demonstrate through your resume and during the interview, the hiring manager could project how you fit within the organization.

• Communication skills: Clear and effective communication is crucial for the success of the organization. Communication could be verbal, including written communication and nonverbal (gestures, expression, tone, body language, etc.). In case you lack some of these skills you will be able to learn them If you have the right attitude
• Emotional intelligence: Trying to put yourself in your co-worker’s shoes is key to understanding her or him. If you are aware of their feelings and overall values, beliefs, and current situation you will find the right approach.
• Positive attitude: Negative attitude is a disease. It was not a coincidence that during WW2 defeatism was criminalized. A positive attitude on the other hand makes you a desired partner and an approachable person. People will do things for you. The positive attitude has an enormous power to overcome the hardest problems. Statistics show that in extreme conditions those who keep a positive attitude have a higher rate of survival.
• Social intelligence: People with high social intelligence know that to achieve anything they need to communicate and form relationships with others in a proper manner. Social intelligence works hand in hand with emotional intelligence. It helps understand roles, social settings, and how you should behave. The non-fancy word for social intelligence could be “tact”.
• Conflict Management: Conflict is inevitable. A good set of interpersonal skills always includes constructive criticism, counseling, mediating, problem-solving, mentorship, and other abilities that help resolve conflicts. Avoiding and managing conflicts is critical for the workflow. Some estimates show that American companies lose 359 billion per year because of conflicts at the workplace with nearly 35% of the workforce being involved in some sort of conflict.
• Teamwork: Collaboration is another key element of a successful team.Sure some tasks could be completed by individuals but usually, group efforts are those that make a difference. Look at the pyramids.
• Responsibility: Employers value serious and responsible people that they can depend on. With micromanagement getting harder and costlier process people you can depend on become even more valuable.
• Patience: In some cases, patience can help avoid conflict. Patience is also a key ingredient while building a team or mentoring someone. Sometimes the same message delivered prematurely will be rejected but delivered at the right time will be accepted.
• List examples from your job experience that demonstrate interpersonal skills
• Think of major achievements and breakthroughs made possible by your interpersonal skills
• If you speak foreign languages emphasize this because people who master a few languages usually have excellent interpersonal skills
• If you were in a multicultural environment add this as well
• Use keywords such as “supported”, “resolved”, “improved”, “mentored”, “solved”, “counseled”, “guided”, “encouraged”, “helped”
• List specific courses or certificates related to interpersonal skills
• Make sure to add if you were mentoring or trained someone
• Do not forget to add if you practiced public speaking or debating
• List all technical communication tools that you can work with
• Give examples of problem anticipation and prevention
• List any innovation and improvements that were implemented as a result of your efforts to solve a crisis

Writing “Strong interpersonal skills” on your resume is simply not sufficient. You will need to convince the hiring manager through examples and achievements.

Example 1: Show your interpersonal skills in your experience bullet points

• • Evaluated the current HR practices and made recommendations to reduce contemporary HR issues by 20%
• • Executed labor and employee relations activities that improved productivity and efficiency by 30%
• • Improved product margins by 5% and cycle time efficiency by 1 week through by outsourcing activities.
• • Achieved and maintained a healthy client portfolio by client retention rate of 75% by presenting and organizing events.
• • Developed customized exercise patterns to achieve over 20% weight loss targets.
• • Worked with National team to develop the new structure of sports club funding for future 5-year plan
• • Deploying and upgrading Microsoft 2008 & 2012 servers across small to medium sized organisations.

Example taken from our Relationship Management on Resume guide

Example 2: Demonstrate interpersonal skills in your resume summary

Example taken from our Change management resume guide

Example 3: Use your achievements to make the point

Example taken from our CEO Resume Guide

Top related skills to strong interpersonal skills:

• Project Management
• Business Development
• Communication
• Time Management
• Negotiation
• Customer Service
• Problem Solving
• Change Management
• Microsoft Office
• Process Improvement
• Emotional Intelligence
• Social Intelligence
• Conflict management
• Gossiping: It could seem that gossiping will make you look like a popular person, but in the long term it will create tension, and you will lose credibility. It is hard to tell if you will be gossiping from your resume, but a skillful interviewer can tell during the interview.
• Sharing information: Conveying information is not communication. It is a one-sided process. You should make sure you deliver what is needed and tailored to the one who receives it. Communication is a dialogue. Make sure to point out you understand this on your resume.
• You said it once: To deliver a message, you need to make sure you use the right medium. Then repeat your message if you feel that the response is low. Sending an email to your plumbing team in the field is not a good idea. Give examples of various communication methods, tools, and systems that you use on your resume. Did you measure the results of your communication? How?
• Patronizing: People with good communication skills know it, and sometimes they can feel superior to a co-worker just because they can express themselves better. Being communicative without empathy and the right attitude is not enough.
• Interpersonal skills are a gateway to employment
• Interpersonal skills are about two-way communication, understanding the other person, the social setting, and the norms
• Interpersonal skills should be demonstrated indirectly on your resume through examples of communication skills, emotional intelligence, social intelligence, conflict solving skills, etc.

About this report:

Data reflects analysis made on over 1M resume profiles and examples over the last 2 years from Enhancv.com.

While those skills are most commonly met on resumes, you should only use them as inspiration and customize your resume for the given job.

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Adding Interpersonal Skills to Your Resume

In the quest for the perfect job candidate, employers sift through resumes with a keen eye, not just for experience and qualifications but for something equally crucial: interpersonal skills . 

These skills, including your ability to communicate and connect with others, are the unsung heroes in the professional world. Whether you’re aiming to impress in finance or charm in customer service, possessing strong interpersonal skills is key to building effective relationships with everyone from colleagues to clients.

Before you even get a chance to dazzle in an interview, your resume needs to speak volumes about your interpersonal abilities. It’s your first handshake with the employer, your first opportunity to showcase how you excel in communication and collaboration. 

As you tailor your resume for each job application, it’s vital to decode the job posting . Identify the specific interpersonal skills each employer is hunting for – they’re often the puzzle pieces to completing your application picture.

Looking for a fast way to improve the interpersonal skills on your resume? Try our AI-powered resume builder and get personalized on-the-go suggestions.

Valuable Interpersonal Skills to List on Your Resume

Many professions require regular communication. Even for positions that don’t, employers generally prefer candidates with strong  people skills  as they are easier to work with. The importance of interpersonal skills should not be underestimated.

Here are some of the most important   interpersonal skills employers look for :

Understanding and sympathizing with others is important for any job with involves working with people. For professions such as teachers, customer service workers, nurses, and doctors, it is essential. Beyond this, everyone wants colleagues who can empathize.

This is one of the most important interpersonal skills in the workplace as many jobs involve working as a team. It’s crucial to demonstrate to prospective employers that you’re a team player who can work effectively with others to reach common goals.

Transparency

Honest communication is highly valued by employers. Work often involves problem-solving and constructive criticism . It is important to be able to talk openly about success and failure without hiding things and feeling uncomfortable.

Negotiation skills

Strong negotiation skills are essential for sales jobs or any positions that involve making deals. Make sure you include this on your resume if it’s a requirement for the job you’re applying for.

All businesses need leaders, and great ones are rare. Leadership skills are particularly important for managers as well as teachers, recruiters, lawyers, and project managers.

Confident speaking

Public speaking is difficult for many people, which is why it is such a valuable skill. If giving presentations or training sessions is a job requirement, showcase your speaking skills on your resume. Also, use the job interview as a chance to shine.

Interpersonal Skills List

Here is a list of other  good communication skills for your resume :

• Active listening
• Adaptability
• Assertiveness
• Conflict management 
• Constructive criticism 
• Cultural awareness
• Customer service 
• Decision-making
• Diplomacy 
• Emotional intelligence
• Empathy 
• Encouraging 
• Flexibility
• Giving instructions
• Interviewing
• Mediating 
• Negotiation 
• Nonverbal communication
• Problem-solving
• Rapport building
• Reliability
• Sensitivity 
• Social perceptiveness 
• Team collaboration 
• Time management.
• Trust building

Key Industries Where Interpersonal Skills Shine

Personal skills are the currency of success. They open doors, build bridges, and create connections. 

Let’s take a quick tour through the sectors where interpersonal skills are not just an asset but the backbone of every interaction:

• Healthcare : It’s not just about medical know-how; it’s about heart-to-heart connections. Empathy and clear communication are the lifeblood of this sector.
• Education : Here, interpersonal skills don’t just teach; they transform. Educators need these skills to connect, inspire, and shape futures.
• Sales and marketing : This is where persuasive prowess meets relationship wizardry. Understanding and connecting with customers is the name of the game.
• Customer service : The front line of business, where patience and problem-solving turn challenges into cheers.
• Human resources : The art of balancing business brains with emotional intelligence. HR pros are the matchmakers of the corporate world.
• Hospitality and tourism : Creating memorable experiences is all about service with a smile and a skillful conversation.
• Law and public relations : Where words wield power, and negotiation is king. It’s all about making a case and maintaining a reputation.

In these industries, interpersonal skills are not merely a component of the job, they are fundamental to professional success and effectiveness. Sharpening these skills can turn opportunities into achievements and careers into legacies.

How to Include Personal Skills on Your Resume

It’s important to make references to your  communication skills on your resume . However, simply saying that you have strong people  skills on your resume  isn’t enough. Each interpersonal skill should be demonstrated by using evidence.

Using  anecdotes, figures, and results  is much more convincing than simply stating “strong leadership skills” or “good at public speaking”.

Instead, you can say “led a team of 12 people and increased sales by 15%” or “gave numerous presentations to audiences of over 50 people”. Try to focus on  what your skills helped you achieve .

There is no need to mention all of your interpersonal skills as many are linked. For example, if you can demonstrate you have  strong negotiation skills  it also shows that you’re a good listener, a confident speaker, and can read other people.

Where to Include Interpersonal Skills on Your Resume

The two most  natural sections to reference your interpersonal skills  are your  professional experience section  and your skills section. You can include references in either one or both sections.

Be ready to answer questions about your  interpersonal skills in the job interview . Prepare further examples of when you’ve demonstrated your communication skills, other than the  interpersonal skills examples  you’ve already added to your resume.

5 Strategies to Enhance Your Interpersonal Skills

Wondering how you could improve your interpersonal skills? Let’s dive into some cool, practical ways to boost these skills , making sure you’re ready to ace any conversation, meeting, or team huddle that comes your way.

Cultivate connections deliberately 

In today’s remote work era, proactively seek groups that align with your professional or personal passions. Whether it’s a virtual networking event or a local hobby group, these environments are fertile ground for practicing and enhancing interpersonal skills.

Reflect and refine

Post-interaction reflections can be enlightening. Consider the nuances of your exchanges – the words chosen, the reactions given, and the non-verbal cues expressed. Each interaction is an opportunity for refinement.

Embrace constructive perspectives 

Invite honest feedback from those you trust. Friends and colleagues can offer invaluable insights into your interpersonal style, providing a fresh lens through which to view and improve your skills.

Seek guidance from mentors

Mentorship can be a guiding light in your journey to interpersonal excellence. A mentor who embodies the skills you aspire to can offer tailored advice and real-world wisdom.

Set targeted goals

Chart your progress with clear, achievable goals. Setting specific objectives in your interpersonal development journey can provide direction and a sense of accomplishment as you witness your growth.

So, there you have it – a toolkit for interpersonal success that’s as dynamic as the conversations you’ll find yourself in. Remember, it’s all about practice, feedback, and a bit of fine-tuning. Keep these strategies in your back pocket, and watch as your interpersonal skills sharpen, making every interaction not just a chat, but a chance to shine.

Interpersonal Skills FAQs

Dive into our Interpersonal Skills FAQs, where we unravel common queries to help you navigate and enhance this crucial aspect of your professional toolkit.

What Are Good Interpersonal Skills Examples?

Good interpersonal skills encompasses a range of abilities that make effective and positive interactions with others possible.

Key interpersonal skills examples include effective communication , which involves both clear expression and active listening. 

Empathy , the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, is crucial, as is teamwork, demonstrating the ability to collaborate and contribute constructively in group settings.

Conflict resolution skills, essential for handling disagreements positively, and adaptability , showing flexibility in various situations, are also vital. 

Additionally, strong interpersonal skills include leadership and the ability to motivate and inspire others, alongside patience and a respectful attitude toward diverse perspectives.

How Would You Describe Interpersonal Skills in the Workplace?

In the workplace, interpersonal skills are the abilities that enable an individual to interact effectively and harmoniously with colleagues, clients, and management . 

These skills encompass clear and empathetic communication, teamwork, and the capacity to build and maintain professional relationships. 

They also include conflict resolution, adaptability to different personalities and situations, and the ability to give and receive constructive feedback. 

Essentially, interpersonal skills in the workplace are about understanding and navigating the social dynamics of a professional environment , ensuring collaborative success and a positive and productive work culture.

Why Are Interpersonal Skills Important in the Workplace?

Interpersonal skills are vital in the workplace as they foster effective communication and collaboration, essential for achieving organizational goals . 

These skills enable employees to build strong relationships, resolve conflicts amicably, and create a positive work environment. They enhance teamwork, ensuring diverse groups work cohesively towards common objectives. 

Good interpersonal skills in the workplace also aid in understanding and meeting client needs , leading to better customer satisfaction and business success. Furthermore, they are crucial for leadership , as they help in motivating and guiding teams and managing change effectively, thereby driving the overall growth and productivity of the organization.

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How to List Interpersonal Skills on a Resume | Best Skills and Examples

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Why employers want to see interpersonal skills on your resume

How to list interpersonal skills on your resume, examples of interpersonal skills.

Interpersonal skills are the social skills necessary to build and maintain relationships. These skills are important in the workplace because employers want to build teams that will work together to achieve company goals and represent the company culture. While it is important to demonstrate the necessary technical or functional skills to perform a job, it is just as important to demonstrate strong interpersonal skills. 

The ability to understand others, interpret their communication, both verbal and nonverbal, empathize with their feelings and respond appropriately are all interpersonal skills. Interpersonal skills are sometimes referred to as employability skills because they can be a measure of your ability to work on a team and as part of an organization. In this article, you can learn about the importance of interpersonal skills in the workplace and how you can showcase your own skills by including them on your resume.

Listing interpersonal skills on your resume can show that you work well with others. 

Here are two ways to include interpersonal skills on your resume:

1. First, you can list interpersonal skills on your resume directly within a ‘Skills’ section

If you have a separate section on your resume for listing relevant skills, you can include important interpersonal skills in this section. For clarity, consider grouping technical or functional skills separately from interpersonal skills.

2. Second, you can include interpersonal skills on your resume within descriptions of your experience

You can also include interpersonal skills in your ‘Work/Professional Experience’ section. For example, you may include customer service as an interpersonal skill in a bullet point about how you increased customer satisfaction and retention with your organization. As another example, you may address communication in a bullet point about improving project performance by facilitating communication between different project teams.

Interpersonal skills include a variety of tools that can improve social interactions and relationships. Learning and developing these skills can improve your work relationships and increase job satisfaction. 

Here are some examples of interpersonal skills:

Communication

Communication is the ability to express ideas in ways others can understand. It involves listening to and understanding the ideas of people, and working with them to make sure each individual understands. Communication can include verbal or nonverbal behaviors and either oral or written forms.

Active listening

Active listening is the ability to listen to others with your full attention without being distracted by your own thoughts or ideas. Active listening involves focusing your attention on the other person, withholding judgment, asking questions for clarification and paraphrasing to communicate that you are listening and understanding.

Empathy is the ability to understand the emotions of others. It means considering another person’s situation and emotions by thinking about how you may feel in a similar situation.

Positive attitude

A positive attitude is the ability to believe the best of others and in situations. It creates the mindset necessary to interact with difficult people and the ability to overcome tough situations. A positive attitude helps you have patience. It also allows you to identify lessons so you can learn from mistakes and avoid making the same ones in the future.

Solution focus

When you are solution-focused, you focus on how to solve a problem instead of on the problem itself. People often focus on the original problem or what caused it, which can delay finding a solution. When you are solution-oriented, you focus your attention on solving problems instead of dwelling on them.

Flexibility

Flexibility is the ability to quickly accept and adapt to change without creating stress. For example, if a potential employer needs to reschedule an interview due to an unforeseen event, a flexible person accepts the change and adjusts their schedule.

Most jobs require working with other people. Interpersonal skills are necessary for building and maintaining relationships with managers, coworkers and customers in the workplace. Applicants with strong interpersonal skills are effective communicators, team-oriented, highly motivated and accepting of feedback and, therefore, are highly valued even if they are less experienced with technical or functional skills of a job. The ability to work with others is just as important as the ability to perform the work.

How to Highlight Interpersonal Skills in Interviews and Resumes

Hiring managers look for job applicants who can demonstrate excellent soft skills.

How to Highlight Interpersonal Skills

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Potential employers rarely take the time to read resumes thoroughly, at least not on the first go-around. Studies have shown that they spend a maximum of 10 to 15 seconds scanning a resume to determine the candidate's fit before they decide to keep or toss the application. If you are a job seeker, you need to stand out from the crowd. But it can be difficult to know for sure what to highlight about yourself, especially when you have the same skills as everyone else who applied for the position.

Many hiring managers say they are always on the lookout for important soft skills , such as interpersonal skills. This one element can make the difference between choosing one job applicant over another. Here's how you can highlight your interpersonal skills to a hiring manager.

What Are Interpersonal Skills?

Interpersonal skills are what give you the ability to communicate and interact well with others. Interpersonal skills are crucial to success professionally because your ability to communicate clearly impacts your efficiency, effectiveness, trust between co-workers and with your boss, your brand, and how you come across as a professional. For example, consider the following interpersonal skills list:

Communication

Communication is knowing how to express yourself in a clear, concise way when speaking or writing. Communication is critical internally between team members as well as externally with clients, vendors, partners and customers. Communication is one of the most in-demand skills in 2023, according to a LinkedIn analysis of employers, hirers and job-posters on its platform .

Teamwork involves knowing how to work well with others and leverage their strengths. Just about every job posting across different industries lists teamwork as a required skill, and for good reason. Without teamwork, companies are disorganized, tasks aren't completed efficiently and results ultimately suffer.

Being able to put yourself in someone else's shoes and understand their perspective on a task or project involves empathy. This skill fosters collaboration between individuals and teams and helps a company operate at its optimal level.

Leadership includes knowing how to be decisive, encourage others, manage change and provide a good example. Good leaders know how to instruct struggling workers, when to let employees work problems out on their own and how to carry themselves in a way that demonstrates how others should act.

Response to Conflict

This skill is the ability to diffuse a difficult situation. Conflict is often the best time to see how people react in tough situations. Being able to keep your cool, find the root of the problem and work quickly to a solution is a critical skill.

A positive attitude about your work, your team and your organization is key. This can seem disingenuous if not done with the right tone and is an important interpersonal skill to keep morale high.

Negotiation

Negotiation involves the ability to reach an agreement between two conflicting parties. This will often be useful in salary discussions but also when working with outside clients or customers.

This skill is taking the time and effort to understand the needs of others. The example of hearing versus listening is often used to describe this skill. It's important to pay attention to the other side's needs rather than simply waiting for your turn to speak.

To understand the importance of interpersonal skills, keep in mind that this skill set is hard to teach, so employers seek out professionals who already possess these strengths. Not everyone is naturally good at communicating. While you can always work on cultivating your interpersonal skills, if you are naturally gifted with interpersonal skills, this gives you an upper hand during your job search.

Why Are Interpersonal Skills Important?

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of interpersonal skills. Many professionals working remotely have seen how crucial it is to communicate and interact with others well in different situations on the job. Companies are interested in hiring professionals who have interpersonal skills whether they are working in the office, remotely or in a hybrid position. Some of these skills, such as communication, listening and empathy, are more necessary than ever as changes continue to unfold in the workforce.

Jobs That Require Interpersonal Skills

Many of the top jobs in U.S. News' rankings of 100 Best Jobs in America require interpersonal skills. Here are a few examples:

Since IT managers help guide and navigate an organization through the world of technology, it's important that they are able to communicate clearly and concisely when in meetings with executives. They also need to show good leadership skills to identify when decisive change is necessary and then manage those changes.

Operations Research Analyst

While it may seem that this position deals with data, interpersonal skills also come into play for an operations research analyst . Professionals in this job also have to be able to take the data, interpret it and provide their organization with insight to make decisions. This requires good communication and presentation skills to make the data easy to understand. This also requires flexibility when dealing with different ways of presenting the information.

Software Developer

This job requires strong technical skills, but soft skills also come into play when dealing with clients and assessing the needs of the software user. For example, empathy will allow software developers to determine the user experience of the software. Software developers also need to be able to work well with the client or organization to successfully create or edit the program according to their needs.

Physicians need good interpersonal skills since they regularly work with patients from many different backgrounds and with diverse needs. Communication, empathy and good listening are all needed to be a successful physician.

Financial Manager

Financial managers compile complex reports for the organization they work for. To help others understand those reports, good communication skills are needed. It's also important that they have good listening skills when executives express company financial goals or concerns.

SEARCHING FOR A NEW CAREER?

How to Highlight Interpersonal Skills on Your Resume

Use your professional profile at the top of your resume to list your qualifications and include your interpersonal skills. Your profile outlines who you are and what you bring to the table, so listing your critical interpersonal skills along with your hard skills is a great way to grab the attention of a hiring manager. Some resumes do not include this section and instead jump right to "Education," but this forces hiring managers to read your entire resume to determine what type of position you would be qualified for, and they usually won't take the time to do that.

When thinking about what to include in your profile summary , consider what skills you bring, your value and why the hiring manager should continue reading your resume. Your summary encapsulates your expertise, or value proposition, and sets the theme for your resume. Then the rest of the resume should be a validation of your summary. For example, consider the following phrases:

• Intellectually curious with strong leadership, communication and problem-solving skills.
• Motivated to work as part of a team or as an individual contributor.
• Building partnerships and fostering collaborative relationships across a global organization.
• Mentored, managed and drove the team to realize strategies and objectives to grow national sales for key accounts.

These kinds of phrases in a summary statement highlight your interpersonal skills and how you perform as a professional beyond the standard qualifications. Then you can include measurable results for the interpersonal skills you choose to highlight, under your "Experience" section.

How to Include Interpersonal Skills on a Cover Letter

Your cover letter is a great opportunity to let your personality shine through on paper, especially highlighting your interpersonal skills.

And really, your cover letter in itself can demonstrate your communication skills in written form, so pay attention to any specific instructions that the organization asks to be included. Identify the top interpersonal skills needed for the job you are applying for and think about examples that show how you have demonstrated those effectively. Choose the most compelling example to highlight in your cover letter, making sure that the interpersonal skill you want to include is stated clearly.

How to Highlight Your Interpersonal Skills in an Interview

If you have secured an interview, you have obviously piqued the attention of the hiring manager and will want to continue to build on what you highlighted in your resume. During the interview, go into further detail regarding your interpersonal skills and results. For each interpersonal skill, write down a "Star" story – this stands for "situation, task, action, result" – that is relevant to the position for which you are interviewing.

Professionals should create and update a "brag book." This is a bound, professional-looking book that highlights your qualifications for the position. Included in this document can be testimonials, LinkedIn recommendations, references or other supporting materials such as product launches you have worked on or marketing materials you created for previous positions. Make sure that the items you include highlight your interpersonal skills as well as accomplishments. Providing the "brag book" in itself is proof of your desire and ability to communicate in a clear and helpful way to the hiring manager.

Of course, you will want to demonstrate your interpersonal skills from the moment you walk in the door for your interview. While feeling nervous is normal, remember to reflect confident body language, make eye contact, take a deep breath and smile.

How to Demonstrate Interpersonal Skills on the Job

No matter what your job position is, there are opportunities to demonstrate interpersonal skills. For example, you can demonstrate your communication skills by speaking with your co-workers in a conversational tone, and listening to and acknowledging their different perspectives. If you are a manager, you have opportunities to show your interpersonal skills during meetings with your employees and also by providing them with constructive criticism and a listening ear when they are struggling with a project.

How to Improve Interpersonal Skills

Even when interpersonal skills come naturally, workers can take steps to build on them and improve. If you would like to improve your interpersonal skills, here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Practice listening to your co-workers for one week. Limit yourself to only reflecting and paraphrasing what they say.
• To communicate more assertively, prepare for certain conversations in advance. This could be anything from an interruption from a co-worker to giving constructive criticism. Write down what you want to say and practice out loud.
• To work on your leadership skills, review how you led your last meeting with your team. What could you do differently to be more decisive in your next meeting?
• Work with a mentor. A mentor can provide you with helpful advice and feedback about what specific interpersonal skills you can work on.

How to Answer 'Why Should We Hire You?'

Geoff Williams May 22, 2023

Tags: careers , money , Applying , cover letters , resumes , Company Culture

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