People skills to give you an edge

 Chris Wodke

http://www.summittrainingpublications.com/

Lots of people have a good resume and education.  What just might give you the edge in getting a job are your people skills.  Companies are looking for employees that are good team members and easy to manage.   Demonstrate you have these people skills in your next interview and you just might land the job.

Leadership

Leaders are found at all levels of an organization. You do not have to be a supervisor or manager to show leadership skills. Did you successfully lead a team, develop expertise on one of the company’s products, and lead a quality improvement project?  Talk about the initiative you took and how it benefited your company.  Be sure to discuss the effect it had on the company bottom line in savings, increased sales, profitability etc.

Team Player

Did you work as part of a successful team?  Did you lead a successful team?  Talk about your role and how it affected the team’s success.  Talk about how you got good performance out of people who did not report to you. Discuss how you worked through any team conflicts. Show your good communication skills and talk about the positive effect it had on the team project.

Motivation

Companies want self starters who can hit the ground running. Unless you are just out of school a company does not want to closely manage you. Your manager will want to give you a task and have you follow through to complete it. 

Communication Skills

Being a good verbal and written communicator is important.  Tell how you used these skills to get work done. If making presentations is part of the job, discuss your presentation and public speaking skills.  For some jobs like training, or technical writing it may be a good idea to bring a portfolio of your work.

Time Management

You should be able to complete projects on time and on budget. You should be able to juggle many tasks at once. We are all being asked to do more with less, so this is a critical skill in today’s market place.

Flexibility

You may be hired to do one job, but find you need to learn new tasks and take on new roles.  It is a bonus if you are the kind of employee that is willing to take a risk and take on assignments outside of your comfort zone. This willingness to take on assignments outside of your original role makes you very valuable.

Sense of Humor

The nature of some work is very stressful and many workplaces can be stressful due to long hours or staff shortages. The ability to have a sense of humor during tough times is very welcome. You can demonstrate this by the positive way you discuss challenging times and assignments.

These skills may not show up on your resume. Weave them into your answers to the questions asked by your employer.  You need to understand you will have to demonstrate you have these skills along with any technical skills needed for the job.

If you find you are missing any of these skills get a coach or mentor to provide some advice on how to improve. Seek feedback from your co-workers about how you can improve your people skills. Training in time management and team building may also help boost your skills.

Copyright 2012 Summit Training Publications

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Titles: Product Safety and Liability, Aftermarket Product Safety,Hazard Analysis, Product Safety Meetings, Warnings, Instructions and Manuals, Product Liability European Union, Obtaining the CE Mark, Risk Assessment, European Union, Product Safety Management Product Safety Audit, Workplace Violence, Substance Abuse, Sexual Harassment, Manager as Coach, Hiring, Firing, Performance Appraisals, Diversity, Americans With Disabilities, Business Etiquette, Security Abroad, International Business Manners, Customer Service, Customer Communication, Terrific Teams, The Manager as Trainer, Coping With Difficult People, Managing Your Boss- Problem Bosses, Malcolm Baldridge Award, Presentations/Public Speaking, Discrimination, Listening Skills, Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Total Quality Management, Motivation, High Achievers, Time Management, ISO 9000 Introduction, ISO 9000 Implementation, Quality Audit, Introduction to the Internet, Stress Management, Telecommuting, Flexible Work Schedules, Creativity and Innovation, Benchmarking, Effective Business Writing, Customer Letters, Motivating Self and Others, Project Management, Managing Multiple Projects, Brainstorming, PERT Diagrams, Train the Trainer, Train the Trainer-Delivery, Train the Trainer-Writing Presentations, Train the Trainer-On the Job Training, Train the Trainer-Using Visual Aids, Project Management, Peer to Peer Feedback, Surviving Unemployment, Interview Preparation