Soft skills are the personality traits, personal skills, and interpersonal skills that influence how you behave and interact in the workplace. Also known as transferable skills, these skills are traits that are innate or developed through social experiences, such as communication, time management, attention to detail, leadership, and work ethic.
Employers value them because they are not easily taught, making them a differentiator among similarly qualified candidates. Especially if you are looking for executive positions like virtual assistant for lawyers or executive assistant.
Hard skills and soft skills
Soft skills are often considered complements to hard skills. While soft skills, or transferable skills, involve the ability to interact effectively with others and handle job responsibilities, hard skills, or technical skills, are specific technical skills that require training and practical experience.
In technical fields, having soft skills is not enough: you need specific technical skills. However, when multiple candidates have the same hard skills, a resume that highlights the right soft skills can quickly end up at the top of the list.
Which soft skills should you include in your resume?
When choosing which soft skills to include on your CV, you need to consider two key criteria: accuracy and relevance. The soft skills you choose to list should reflect your actual experience and be relevant to the job you are applying for.
1. Make a list of your soft skills
Reflect on what makes you unique as a professional, thinking about which soft skills have helped you achieve important goals in your career. Only list skills that you actually possess, that reflect the way you work and that you are ready to demonstrate in your next position.
2. Compare them with the job description
Carefully analyze the job description you are applying for and identify the soft skills that the employer is looking for in a candidate. Compare these skills with your own list and select the most relevant ones. In doing so, try to understand the company culture and the industry context so you can adapt your CV accordingly.
Where to include soft skills in your CV?
Instead of focusing solely on the “Skills” section of your resume, distribute your soft skills across the different sections that make up your resume to increase their effectiveness and ensure that they do not go unnoticed. The key sections where you can highlight your soft skills are: Profile, Work Experience and Skills.
Profile
The section known as the professional profile is the ideal place to highlight the soft skills that describe the type of professional you are and how you would contribute to the success of the company. Don’t just list generic skills: select the most relevant to the position you are applying for and the work environment you are targeting.
Example
Highly organized and outgoing Personal Assistant with over 7 years of experience assisting high profile personalities in the television industry. With excellent time management and multitasking skills, I have coordinated complex calendars of appointments, events and travel, always ensuring maximum efficiency. My ability to communicate clearly and assertively has allowed me to handle sensitive situations and resolve unexpected issues quickly.
Work experience
The work experience section allows you to translate your soft skills into concrete examples and tangible results. Anyone can say they have “excellent communication skills” or “great leadership skills,” but how do you make those claims credible and verifiable? Provide examples of how your soft skills translate into real benefits.
Example
- Daily management of communication with patients of a private clinic, honing my skills of active listening and empathic communication.
- Transmission of sensitive medical information, demonstrating strong attention to detail and strict adherence to patient privacy.
- My time management skills ensured that test results were communicated in a timely manner, improving the operational efficiency of the clinic.
Skills
The bulleted list that characterizes this section is particularly effective for presenting a clear and immediate overview of all the skills that you consider your strengths, both soft skills and hard skills. List all the soft skills that you have not managed to integrate in the rest of the CV and that lend themselves to the concise style of the list, without needing further explanations or examples.
Example
- Public speaking
- Negotiation
- Conflict management
- Emotional intelligence
- Decision making ability
Examples of soft skills to include in your CV
The importance of soft skills continues to grow, and companies are increasingly looking for professionals who can adapt quickly to change, manage emotions, and communicate effectively in an increasingly virtual and interconnected work environment.
In this context, soft skills allow you to demonstrate that you are a complete professional, capable of adapting and growing in an ever-changing world of work. Let’s look at some examples of relevant and current soft skills to include in your CV, to demonstrate that you are in tune with the job market trends.
1. Adaptability
Change is the new normal. Being able to quickly adapt to new situations, technologies, and ways of working, while remaining flexible as new challenges and needs arise, is essential in today’s workplace. Here are some examples of soft skills related to adaptability:
- Flexibility and flexible hours
- Resilience
- Stress management
- Openness to change
- Ability to adapt (independently and within a team)
- Ability to give and receive feedback
- Ability to quickly learn new skills
- Ability to work in dynamic environments
2. Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence allows you to understand and manage your own emotions and those of others, improving communication and interpersonal relationships, and helping to maintain a healthy and productive work environment. Here are some examples of soft skills related to emotional intelligence:
- Empathy
- Active listening skills
- Conflict management
- Self-awareness
- Ability to motivate others
- Social intelligence
- Emotional adaptability
- Effective nonverbal communication
3. Critical thinking and problem solving
In an increasingly complex and competitive work environment, being able to analyze a situation and find creative solutions and innovative approaches is a valuable skill. Here are some examples of soft skills related to critical thinking:
- Efficiency
- Analytical thinking and critical analysis
- Strategic planning
- Ability to make informed decisions
- Workflow Management
- Ability to assess risks and opportunities
- Ability to identify and solve complex problems
- Advanced problem solving
4. Effective communication
Effective communication means not only expressing your ideas clearly, but also, for example, ensuring team cohesion, managing projects efficiently, building strong relationships with customers, facilitating problem solving and promoting innovation within the company. Here are some examples of soft skills related to communication:
- Communicative empathy
- Active listening skills
- Public speaking
- Assertive communication
- Persuasive skills, persuasive writing
- Non-verbal communication
- Ability to moderate discussions or meetings
- Digital communication, visual communication
5. Leadership
Knowing how to lead and motivate a team is a key skill, regardless of the role you hold. The ability to inspire, influence and direct others is highly valued in any work context. Here are some examples of soft skills related to leadership:
- Team management
- Mentoring
- Ability to delegate
- Strategic vision
- Ability to inspire and influence others
- Conflict resolution
- Ability to manage team performance
- Ability to promote diversity and inclusion
6. Collaboration and teamwork
Teamwork is essential to the success of any project, which is why the ability to collaborate effectively with others is one of the most sought-after skills. Here are some examples of collaboration-related soft skills:
- Cooperation
- Role management
- Interpersonal skills
- Ability to build trusting relationships
- Collaborative problem solving
- Mediation and conflict management
- Sharing information and know-how
- Ability to reach effective compromises
7. Creativity and innovation
Companies are always looking for new ideas to stay competitive. Being able to propose innovative solutions makes you a valuable asset. Here are some examples of soft skills related to creativity:
- Brainstorming
- Development of new strategies
- Design thinking
- Lateral thinking
- Creative problem solving
- Intellectual curiosity
- Ability to combine different ideas in unique ways
8. Time management
Being able to effectively manage your time and that of your team is crucial to meeting deadlines and maintaining a good work-life balance. Here are some examples of soft skills related to time management:
- Efficient planning
- Organizational and management skills
- Ability to set priorities, flexibility in reorganizing priorities
- Deadline management
- Multitasking management ability
- Proactivity in managing unexpected events
9. Initiative and proactivity
Companies appreciate employees who take initiative and constantly look for ways to improve processes or solve problems. Here are some examples of soft skills related to initiative:
- Identifying opportunities
- Proactive approach to problem solving
- Personal initiative
- Ability to make independent decisions
- Persistence in achieving goals
- Determination to overcome challenges
10. Work ethic and positive attitude
A strong commitment to maintaining high standards, combined with a positive attitude, creates a productive and harmonious work environment. These qualities not only demonstrate your reliability and dedication, but also help improve team morale and motivation. Here are some examples of soft skills related to work ethic and positive attitude:
- Reliability and responsibility
- Dedication to work
- Commitment to maintaining high standards
- Resilience and perseverance
- Integrity and honesty
- Enthusiasm and proactivity