Showcasing Soft Skills
This playbook describes strategies for effectively displaying your interpersonal and organizational skills during a job interview. It outlines steps to prepare for and execute this task.
Step 1: Self-Assessment
Identify your key soft skills. Reflect on past experiences, both professional and personal, to determine which interpersonal and organizational skills you possess that are relevant to the role you are interviewing for.
Step 2: Concrete Examples
Prepare specific examples. Develop clear, concise stories that illustrate how you've effectively used your soft skills in past situations. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to construct your responses.
Step 3: Relevance Emphasis
Connect skills to the job. Ensure the soft skills you plan to highlight are directly related to the requirements of the job you're applying for and the company culture.
Step 4: Mock Interview
Practice with a peer or mentor. Conduct practice interviews to refine how you showcase your soft skills. Solicit feedback to improve your delivery and ensure that your key soft skills are coming across clearly.
Step 5: Body Language
Master non-verbal communication. Use positive body language such as maintaining eye contact, nodding to show understanding, and smiling to demonstrate your interpersonal skills.
Step 6: Adaptability
Be prepared to adapt. During the interview, be attentive and ready to alter your planned responses to fit the flow of the conversation and the interviewer’s reactions.
Step 7: Active Listening
Practice active listening. Show your strong interpersonal skills by being fully engaged in the conversation, asking relevant follow-up questions, and providing thoughtful responses.
Step 8: Follow-Up
Demonstrate professionalism in follow-up. After the interview, send a thank-you note that reiterates your interest in the position and briefly reminds the interviewer of a particular soft skill you discussed that would benefit the team.
General Notes
Authenticity
While preparing examples, focus on authenticity. The stories and skills you present should be genuine and accurately reflect your abilities and character.
Flexibility
Be flexible during the interview and willing to diverge from your prepared examples if the conversation takes an unexpected turn.
Resilience
If faced with questions about challenges or failures, use them as an opportunity to highlight your resilience and ability to learn from experiences.