Soft Skill To Emphasize In Your Next Job Interview

By Nick Ellis, Editor at The Water Coolest

Over 40M people have lost their jobs since the coronavirus pandemic came to US soil in Mid-March. This equates to a 13.3% unemployment rate, which would have been a nearly unthinkable thought at the start of the year when the unemployment rate was around 3.6%. This is not what I had in mind when I posted ‘2020 is gonna be my year’.

The hope is that most of these job losses are temporary and that the easing of lockdown restrictions and social distancing measures will lift jobs and employees back up off the ground. And it looks like that may have already started, as the latest jobs report showed an addition of 2.5M jobs in May instead of a projected loss. Still, the point remains the same that many of us are out of work.

So, here are five soft skills that, regardless of profession, you can improve upon and emphasize in that upcoming job interview.

Time Management

“O sh*t, I’m late for my interview.” This is essentially the worst first impression you can make on the hiring manager, and a very poor indication that you can’t balance a full workload. Turning in assignments late? Not great, Bob.

Communication

Regardless the job you’re applying for, I’d be willing to be that you’ll have coworkers and customers to interact with. Communication skills can be expressed in numerous forms. So time to work on that Morse code…

If you don’t spell check that resume or proofread it for grammatical errors, then it’s unlikely you’ll be given the opportunity to talk yourself up for an hour to a stranger (read: the interviewer). Then comes the hard part, talking… Being able to articulate your career and skill set in a clear and concise manner will go a long way in the interview.

Leadership

Being able to step up, take charge, and make decisions are great leadership skills. Now, it’s also important to read the room though, because cutting a VP off with a Kanye “Imma let you finish” line and giving direction when you’re a junior analyst might not be the move. In fact, it’s most certainly not the move.

Have examples at the ready of situations where you made an executive decision when the rest of the group was busy sitting on their thumbs.

Teamwork

Have ya heard it makes the dream work? We all work on teams and showing you’re a team player is crucial. Nobody wants to work with an a$$hole or the person that doesn’t participate in the group project.

To talk yourself up, it might be tempting to bad mouth your other teammates. I’d advise against that, since talking behind people’s back isn’t a good look, and instead emphasize what you brought to the table.

Willingness To Learn

Are you an eager mc beaver, or are you complacent with where you are once you get there? I’m certainly not bad-mouthing the ladder, as there are those out there comfortable with routine and just punching the clock. However, I can guarantee that it’ll look a lot better if you show situations where you exceeded expectations and have the appetite of Joey Chestnut for learning and job growth. Minus the post-contest toilet break.

But hey, if all else fails, be sure to bring enough crispy bois for the room.
As they say, when deciding between two candidates: “Who would you rather have a beer with?”

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The Water Coolest is a daily business newsletter consisting of business news, financial advice, and unfiltered commentary. Delivered fresh in your inbox every morning so you're ready to snap necks and cash checks. Written by Tyler Morrin, AJ Glagolev, Nick Ellis, and Ian Barto.