What are interpersonal skills?
According to Wikipedia, interpersonal skills relate to a person’s “EQ” (Emotional Intelligence Quotient). This is the cluster of personality traits, social graces, communication, language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that characterise our relationships with other people.

In other words, it’s the personality and character traits of a person. From a work perspective, we often concentrate on presenting our diploma, degree, or previous experience. What you should actually be doing to set yourself apart from your competition is to present your ‘soft skills’ or as they are formally known; ‘interpersonal skills’

In 2019, having technical skills and/or experience is not enough. You need to go beyond this to show that you have what it takes to fit within the organisation’s culture.

Recruiters today rely on identifying interpersonal skills via pre-screening tests such as personality tests and online assessments to gauge who will be a better fit between two applicants of similar qualifications and experience. This is why you should always strive to improve your interpersonal skills.

Follow these simple steps, to stop dreaming and start living your best life and career!

Demonstrate a Positive Attitude

How can you show your interviewer that you have a positive attitude?

Easy – you can be positive during the whole process, from submitting the cover letter, to nailing the interview process. Some other tips to getting that positive attitude:

Start the day with positive affirmation.

Focus on the good things, however small.

Find humour in bad situations.

Turn failures into lessons.

Transform negative self-talk into positive self-talk.

Focus on the present.

Find positive friends, mentors and co-workers.

 

Show that you are a great team player

Can you show an ability to work in a culturally diverse environment and get along well with people from different nationalities and backgrounds?

People that can demonstrate big picture thinking, take leadership roles when necessary and work for the greater good are considered a great asset to any organisation. Other tips for being a team player include:

Let Others Help You. 

Focus On Shared Interests. ... 

Listen Well. ... 

Lead With Best Intentions. ... 

Share Your Gifts.

Demonstrate great communication skills

What we mean here is the ability to read, write and speak clearly.

Communication is one of the main ingredients for corporate success, but the problem is that the phrase ‘good communication skills’ is a term so overused that it is difficult to pinpoint what it actually means.

Demonstrating strong communication skills is about being able to convey information to others in a simple and unambiguous way.

Your cover letter: Write a personalised letter for all jobs you apply for. Highlight your interests and relevant work experience. Infuse your personality and be professional at the same time. End with a strong close to demonstrate your strong interpersonal skills.

Demonstrate time management skills

Effective time management is arguably the most important of interpersonal skills, from an employer perspective.  Employers have to be commercial and financial at all times, and this means “time is money”. So, you need to demonstrate the ability to manage your time effectively.  There are lots of different ways you can do this such as using mobile apps, adjust your sleep time, create lists, Good time managers multitask or understand the importance of tacking one issue at a time. 

Show an ability to cope with pressure

Some jobs are easy-going where some demand a high level of pressure tolerance: Jobs where you are working to meet strict deadlines or where things can get turned around at the last minute. The employer might prefer you over others if you are known for crisis control and staying calm when all hell breaks loose.

Have you got a colourful story to demonstrate your past experience of working under pressure? Maybe you constantly had deadline stress or maybe you were working in a busy emergency department for the local hospital. Bringing that experience to light won’t hurt.

Use your critical thinking & problem-solving skills

Resourcefulness is a mindset. With a resourcefulness mindset you are driven to find a way. 

Employers like to hire big picture thinkers and those who can be accountable for problems and find ways to solve them.

Common traits of resourceful people are: open minded; self-assured; imaginative; proactive; persistent and hopeful.

Be Flexible 

In your working life, things will not always go to plan.  You need to be able to reassess, reflect and reset. The ability to be flexible is a key interpersonal skill that will help maintain momentum and reduce frustration throughout your career. Knowing you’re flexible will also make your colleagues feel confident and comfortable working around you.

Show an ability to accept constructive feedback

Often it’s hard to accept criticism, as it’s so easy to take it personally. However, in the workplace constructive feedback is required on a daily basis in order for people, processes and businesses to improve. 

Have a think about how you would handle constructive feedback and be sure to mention this approach in your interview process as it will impress your potential employers. Accepting negative feedback gracefully speaks volumes about your interpersonal skills and makes you extremely interesting in the eyes of the interview panel.

Demonstrate a strong work ethic

An employee’s work ethic is judged based on his output. A person who displays a strong work ethic takes these actions:

Show up on time, every day

Do what needs to be done

Work through bad situations

Gets the job done

All these skills are crucial to develop to get the job of your dreams. But what if you are lacking in some of these areas, what should you do? You cannot change your personality overnight or develop traits that take a lifetime. You can’t change your temperament.

Show that you have Self Confidence

How confident are you that you are the best person for this job? Do you fit the job description?

Smile and look people in the eye. ... Show off your people skills!

Give genuine compliments to others. ... 

Play to your strengths. ... 

Accept your imperfections. ... 

Be prepared. ... 

The big one here is to research the company and the position you are applying for. When you have done your homework, you can get that inner sense of assuredness. Present in the interview that you are fully prepared and confident you can do the job at hand.

This article was supplied by Online Courses AUS. We offer 100's of online courses, developed in Australia.