Interpersonal Skills: Examples to Add for Your Resume

It's a well-known fact that a good technical skill set can help you get hired significantly faster compared to others applying for the same role. However, did you know that being personable enough can also help you land a job? In fact, recent studies have shown that interpersonal skills are credited for 85% of an individual's overall career success.

Continue reading this handy guide to learn more about which one you should put on your resume, the main difference between interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, as well as how each specific skill can help you get hired.

Examples of interpersonal skills

Listed below are some examples of interpersonal skills that you can put on your resume or cover letter to help make your resume look that much more enticing.

1. Oral and written communication
   Strong communication skills and writing skills are needed to help avoid miscommunication and misunderstandings within the workplace. Individuals that excel in both verbal and nonverbal communication style with good communication skills - both verbal and through body language - is one of the most important aspects that hiring managers look for. Learning how to actively listen is also a part of this and is also a key factor in getting hired.
2. Positivity
   Being a positive person is an important interpersonal skill that most employers look for in an employee. This is because kindness and positivity mean that you're more likely to help other coworkers and is generally a good time to be around with.
3. Team management
   Knowledge of how to properly manage teams is also a relevant interpersonal skill that most hiring managers look out for in an employee. Employees with the ability to work with and possess teamwork skills are valuable assets that are sought after interpersonal skills that most companies look for. This can even help you move forward with your career, as it provides individuals with leadership qualities in the long run as well.
4. Emotional intelligence
   Being emotionally intelligent allows employees to fully relate to others and know what other employees are going through at any given time, which can guarantee a more positive working environment for everyone. Plenty of companies seek out employees who can properly demonstrate emotional intelligence on top of having the self-awareness as their top candidate.
   
   Having emotional intelligence also allows you to provide constructive feedback without ruining your personal relationships, whilst still taking constructive criticism with grace.
5. Patience
   Patience which comes hand in hand with active listening allows an individual to properly regulate their own emotions when it comes to interacting with other employees within the workplace with a positive attitude, making it one of the key interpersonal skills that most hiring managers look for in an employee.
6. Conflict Resolution
   Conflict management and conflict resolution are also a good example of people skills that companies look for in an employee. Knowing when to resolve conflicts before it even happens makes for a more peaceful working environment where everyone within the company can thrive.
7. Problem-Solving
   Lastly, possessing problem solving abilities also sends a good sign to employers. Knowing how to solve problems before it even happens - or even on the fly - ensures that everyone can come up with the desired outcomes. Having problem solving abilities also ensures better negotiation skills, making it a two-in-one for creating a more respectful workplace.

Difference between interpersonal skills and intrapersonal skills

Interpersonal and intrapersonal skills differ in such a way that they can be differentiated into three categories: personal growth, the context that it's used, and professional growth.

The latter are innate personality traits that revolve on how an individual interacts and cooperates with others, which is demonstrated by the examples mentioned above. Intrapersonal skills, on the other hand, refer to skills that deal with personal interaction. This can include things like an individual properly controlling their emotions and properly managing their emotions to effective communication.

Both also differ in the context of where they're used. The aforementioned examples focus on what an individual does in social situations and when it comes to interacting with others, with the use of both verbal and non-verbal communication. Meanwhile, the latter focuses more on an individual's personal growth and development as a whole.

Lastly, one of the main differences between both is the fact that other interpersonal skills help an individual with their professional and foster a positive career growth and professional success while providing them with the skills that they need to succeed when it comes to communicating effectively with others. Intrapersonal skills are more targeted to an individual's personal growth like properly engaging eye contact, either by themselves or with the help of others.

Why is it important to put interpersonal skills on your resume?

Putting interpersonal skills examples on your resume skills section can help hiring managers know about how you interact with your clients and your overall working environment. It's important to remember that these skills aren't like soft or hard skills that you'll eventually learn; they're characteristics that dictate who you are as a person.

Remember that at the end of the day, companies look for personable candidates with great knowledge of technical tasks. Being personable with your coworkers and your clients can make for a pleasant workplace, which can then help drive everyone's job performance.

It's not an unfounded myth either; studies have shown that employees with positive thinking can help boost a company's productivity by at least 20%. This means that most roles - regardless of if you're a software engineer, an administrative assistant, or a part of a sales team - require it as their key skill.

How can your listed interpersonal skills help you get hired?

The interpersonal skills examples you've listed on your resume can get you hired since most - if not all - hiring managers look for good interpersonal skills in their future employees to help them gauge how much they can jive with the current workforce. This makes interpersonal skills important during the job interview process to further solidify your position within the company.

The same study in the introduction also notes that companies are looking for individuals with strong interpersonal skills - with interpersonal communication skills taking up at least 70% of job postings. This essentially requires interpersonal skills for everyone, especially if you're aiming to learn more leadership skills.

As a final thought, we impart you this: yes, to be successful in the workplace, developing interpersonal skills and soft skills is key. Knowing how to properly communicate with others can open you up to more roles than you might think, and it can even help you alleviate the burden that usually comes with job search - while teaching you leadership skills along the way, too.