Looking for a new job may be challenging for several reasons: lack of experience, tough interviewing process, many candidates, doubts, few job offers in your domain or around your location, etc.

You might have strong hard skills from previous or current experience, but employers are also searching for employees with great soft skills. What they want in a candidate is a combination of hard and soft skills. This page discusses some soft skills that are important when searching for a new job.

Discover how you can impress your future employer with these seven soft skills and increase your chance of success when applying for a job.

1. Communication

Communication is one of the most important skills employers are looking for in a candidate. Indeed, to be successful in a job you must be able to communicate clearly with your team, colleagues, customers… Being a good listener and being able to explain complex ideas is important too. And if you don’t show this part of you during interviews, you’ll miss great opportunities.

Communication is not only verbal; your writing skills are as important if not more.

For an interview, you might be asked to present a case study or analyse some data. This is your moment to impress the interviewers in front of you!

Use your communication skills to explain your thoughts, give some examples, and present your results in a simple but clear manner. Make sure to articulate when you talk and avoid long sentences in your document if you present one to a panel.

If possible, say or write terms and expressions used by the company you are doing an interview for. Interviewers will love that because these terms will resonate with them.

2. Self-Motivation

All successful candidates are able to show great motivation during each stage of a job application. We encourage you to do the same.

Share your enthusiasm and motivation with future employers by explaining clearly why you are the person they are looking for and why you want to work for them. If you are not motivated, they will certainly feel it…

Self-motivation is important in a working environment because you might not always have a team to cheer you up during busy times or holidays. Self-motivated people also tend to overcome obstacles more easily and are great to take initiative.

3. Organisation

Arriving slightly early at your interview demonstrates great organisation and scheduling skills. So don’t be late when you want to impress your future employer!

You can highlight this soft skill when answering some of the interviewers’ questions. For example, the frequent question “Tell us about the time when you…”

When sharing examples with the interviewers, make sure to explain how you prioritise tasks: to-do list, tracking tasks, replying to mail during a certain time of the day, etc. Time management is really important to finish tasks on time so don’t forget to share examples of busy situations with good outcomes too.

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4. Study Skills

Study skills are part of the most impressive skills employers are looking for in a candidate. Indeed, being able to study and to learn efficiently in adult life is not easy for everyone. Being able to find which learning style works for you and applying it is remarkable.

Showing some study skills lets your future employer think you will be able to learn specific processes or tasks for the role you are applying for. It also indicates that you can put great energy into something when you are passionate and that you are eager to learn.

You can prove you have amazing study skills by showcasing certificates on your CV or by mentioning them during interviews. Nowadays, plenty of great online courses are available to improve hard skills and showcase learning and study skills.

Getting certified in some domains (like Analytics for example) also shows some great discipline from you.

5. Discipline

Discipline is part of work ethic skills that demonstrates professionalism and seriousness. Being disciplined does not apply only to financial or management roles; even creative or artistic roles need disciplined candidates. For example, to finish a project on time.

This soft skill is much appreciated by employers because people who are disciplined are also reliable and serious.

You can demonstrate this side of you by mentioning it in a role description on your CV. For example “goal-driven [role] who achieved noticeable results in collaborative and independent environments”. Or you can mention it during interviews, over the phone or face to face.

6. Creativity

To impress employers and set yourself apart from competition, let your creativity shine through. Without doing too much, this will make interviewers remember you more easily.

Creativity is a skill that involves curiosity, experimentation and brainstorming. That’s your way to tell your future employer “I’m able to think outside the box and to come up with solutions from a different angle”.

Showcase your creativity by presenting yourself in an unusual but professional way or by presenting results with a unique angle. For instance, tell interviewers the time you built a process to improve a current one at work or explain how you solved a problem in a unique manner.

7. Adaptability

Adaptability is a synonym of flexibility: all employers are looking for candidates with this important soft skill. But not everyone has it, so make sure to mention you are flexible during interviews!

Adaptability does not mean necessarily that you accept to work long hours or during bank holidays. Instead, focus on the fact you can adapt easily to new environments or technologies, that you enjoy taking on new tasks or learning new skills. If you have a growth mindset and are resilient, say it.

In business, challenges will come to you one day or another. If you prove you can adapt to changing circumstances, your future employer will be more than happy to hire you.

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Conclusion

Now you know how to impress your future employer with seven soft skills: communication, self-motivation, organisation, study skills, discipline, creativity and adaptability. If you’re not confident you have it all, don’t worry. Soft skills can be learned through coaching and mentoring if you are willing to try.

To complete this list, feel free to check our guide which helps candidates to get a job through highlighting their soft skills.

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