Looking for a job can often turn into a job itself, with endless applications and tweaks to your CV. In such a competitive space, it can become difficult what to put on your application that might set you apart from other applicants.
According to job portal Indeed, first you have to list your hard and soft skills. Hard skills can usually be taught or are abilities specific to the job, such as speaking or writing in certain languages.
These skills are very important as they pertain to the role you’re applying for. However, you must pay as much attention to the soft skills as these do get looked at as well.
Soft skills are personality traits innate to the individual, such as integrity. They are important because they showcase your ethical values and personality.
Here are five soft skills to include in your CV:
Active listening skills
According to Indeed, this is the ability to focus completely on a speaker, understand their message, comprehend the information and respond thoughtfully.
These skills play a key role in workplace communication and can be the difference between a lively, productive team and one that is unfocused and confused.
Decision-making
Decision fatigue (the idea that after making many decisions, a person’s ability to make new decisions deteriorates) has long been debated. Whether or not it is real, people tend to struggle when it comes to making rapid decisions.
Those who are able to make effective decisions consistently are often good when it comes to problem-solving and are sought after in various industries as a result.
Critical thinking
Critical thinking is the process of questioning, analysing, interpreting, evaluating, and forming an opinion about what you read, hear, say or write.
This goes with decision-making skills. To make an informed choice, you first need to analyse and examine what is presented to you.
Integrity
This is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. A person of integrity is often seen as trustworthy and loyal. This can be crucial to jobs where people handle sensitive information or large amounts of money.
An employer wants to rest easy knowing that their employees would not steal from them.
Interpersonal communication
Interpersonal communication is the interaction and exchange of information between two or more people. The way one communicates can make or break a workplace relationship.
If you communicate ineffectively, you may send the wrong signals and leave your colleagues puzzled as to what you’re trying to say.
Therefore, knowing how to communicate can make you a valuable asset to a company.
IOL Business