Why Good Social Skills Are Important in Your Job Search
Get a Free Expert Review7 min read. Updated on January 09, 2023
Social skills in the workplace can make or break your career.
Every job description out there contains some requirement for applicants to possess interpersonal, communication, or relationship-building skills. These social skills improve collaboration and client satisfaction, and they have a marked impact on profitability.
If you're in the market for a new job, you need to know what social skills are and why they are essential to your job search. You've come to the right place. Properly highlighting and demonstrating your social skills on your resume, LinkedIn profile, and during your interview are critically important to landing your dream job.
What are social skills?
At the bare minimum, social skills are how well or how poorly you interact with others. Social skills in the workplace are essential to support career success, from building relationships and networking to successfully completing projects and job duties.
Here are eight social skills examples that will help you succeed in the workplace:
Communication - verbal and nonverbal
Empathy
Active listening
Positivity
Leadership
Teamwork
Customer service
Conflict resolution
Pro tip: Communication ranks as one of the most important and basic social skills and is the best one to showcase during your job search.
Why are social skills important?
Your ability to work well with others matters to employers, since a positive work environment is more productive than one that isn’t. Thus, fitting within a company's workplace culture has a lot of bearing on whether you are offered a job. That’s why showing that you have good social skills, sometimes called soft skills, can help set you apart from other candidates.
Social skills touch every part of your workday. Many employers have come to realize that job seekers with the right interpersonal skills can sometimes be more valuable than a candidate with the right hard skills. Hard skills can be taught more easily than soft skills. That's not to say you can't develop your social skills and improve them, though.
Advantages of developing better social skills
It goes without saying that if you interact well with other people – clients, coworkers, managers – you'll be happier at work because less drama will ensue. But being happier isn't the only perk to having well-developed social skills. Here are some other advantages:
You'll find new ideas for solving problems by being collaborative
You'll have the confidence to present your own ideas
You'll have an easier time accomplishing goals
You'll build a stronger network through mutually beneficial relationships
You'll earn the respect of others
You'll be able to minimize miscommunication issues
Five things you can do to improve your social skills
Start small
Work on improving one social skill at a time. Anytime you have a task in front of you, breaking it down can make it more manageable. The same is true for improving your social skills.
For example, if you struggle in groups, then working in a team environment might present a problem. Try attending events with lots of people to become accustomed to those situations.
Ask for feedback
You may feel that your social skills are up to par. However, that doesn't mean that others think the same thing. Asking someone you trust can open up a whole new world for you. The answers you receive can guide you on exactly which social skills you should improve upon.
Self-help
Read books on social skills to get tips on what to do in which situations. You can also learn how to start conversations and get advice on best practices.
There are even free classes available to take on specific skills. Simply do an online search for “social skills training” or “social skills classes” for a list of options.
Set SMART goals
Decide which social skill you want to work on and set small goals to help you get to the finish line. SMART goals are perfect for this.
For example, if you want to improve your written communication skills, you could set a goal to write 1,000 words per week in a journal.
Remain positive
It's easy to fall into a pattern of negative thinking. Unfortunately, negativity breeds negativity. This could set you up for failure. Whenever a negative thought crosses your mind, such as “I'll never get 1,000 words written in one week,” replace it with a positive thought, “1,000 words isn't bad at all, especially if I do 200 per day.”
How to show social skills to prospective employers
Think of the things you provide to a new company when you apply for a job. Without a doubt, you'll be sending in a resume. You may also be required to submit a cover letter, biography, and a link to your LinkedIn profile.
After you've gotten through the qualifying stages, you could be invited to an interview. All of these present opportunities for you to showcase your social skills.
Your resume
Since your resume is the first impression you'll make, it's the best place to let new companies know that you have the social skills they want. Your resume should contain a strong mix of hard and soft (i.e., social) skills.
Hard skills are things you know how to do because of experience and education.
Soft skills are personal traits you possess that make you good at what you do.
Read the job description to find which social skills the new employer wants and highlight them on your resume. For example, if the job description says that doing product demonstrations is important, that's a perfect opportunity for you to talk about your verbal communication skills.
The two main places to highlight social skills on your resume include your resume summary and Work Experience section.
Social skills for resume summary example
The following resume summary example highlights several social skills, including effective communication, leadership, and teamwork.
Process-driven IT Manager with more than 8 years of experience leading cross-functional teams. Skilled in cybersecurity, cloud migration, project implementation, and vendor management with a strong focus on operational efficiency and cost savings. Successfully lead company-wide network improvement projects, including one that reduced downtime by 23% and cut IT operating costs by $150K annually.
Social skills for Work Experience section example
Here are some work accomplishments you might find on a resume that emphasize social skills, ranging from communication and leadership to teamwork, motivation, customer service, negotiation, and mentorship:
Built and maintained cross-departmental relationships, leading to improved collaboration with a 20% improvement in project completion times.
Implemented new training and mentoring program focused on professional growth and development, contributing to a 93% team retention rate over an 18-month period.
Partnered with vendors and external partners to negotiate service contracts, saving the company $35K annually while maintaining positive long-term relationships.
Your cover letter and biography
Hiring managers are reading cover letters more today than in the past, making it a great place to show off your social skills. Again, pick a keyword or two from the job description and use space in your cover letter to discuss how well you perform.
Since the cover letter allows you to be more loquacious, tell a short story related to a specific example from your career.
Your LinkedIn profile
In today's job market, your LinkedIn profile is arguably as important as your resume. As a career marketing tool, it's meant to complement your resume to give hiring managers a deeper peek into your career story. Use this opportunity to dive further into the “why” of your career and how you use excellent social skills to facilitate success.
LinkedIn profile “About” section example
This example highlights the individual's application of essential social skills in the workplace, including the ability to communicate effectively, collaborate in teams, foster positivity, and lead others.
I’m an HR Generalist focused on creating workplaces where employees feel supported and engaged. With experience in employee relations, recruitment, benefits administration, strategic planning, and training, I have a proven track record of building strong relationships with leadership and the employees they support, aligning people strategies with business goals.
Using strong problem-solving, creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration skills, I’ve helped reduce turnover by 18% through improved onboarding and employee engagement programs. I’m committed to fostering trust and innovation for the clients and organizations I support.
During your interview
You know you can expect some behavioral interview questions during your interview. Those are the ones that start with, “Tell me about a time when…” Just like you did for your cover letter, think of a story you can tell. Discuss what was going on, what you did about the situation, and the result of your actions. Inject how you used social skills when telling your story.
In addition to telling a good story during your interview, practice those nonverbal social skills. Maintain eye contact, lean forward, and speak clearly. It's also a great time to demonstrate your abilities with active listening.
Strong social skills in the workplace = success
It’s likely that you now realize that you have social skills that you use regularly. Use the tips above to highlight those skills on your resume and during your interview to land the job you desire for your career success.
Does your resume highlight your social skills in the best way possible? Why not submit it for a free resume review to find out?
This article was originally written by Marsha Hebert. It has been updated by Ronda Suder.
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