Want To Get Hired? 4 Skills To Emphasize In Your Next Interview

“What skills will you bring to the job?”

How you answer this question greatly determines if you’ll get the job or not.

If you’re looking to land your dream job, you need to understand what recruiters and hiring managers are looking for — then wow them with answers that meet their expectations.

Although you’re expected to speak about your technical abilities, what will get you hired goes beyond hard skills. You need to focus on competencies that separate you from the herd.

We've compiled a list of four of the most prized skills that recruiters are looking for; they're skills you should highlight in your resume, cover letter and interview answers.

Let’s get right into it.

1. Communication Skills

Employers want people who can communicate ideas effectively, clearly and confidently. These are people who can get the point across in both written and verbal communications.

They're looking for people who can tailor communications for different audiences and interact with executives, co-workers and customers comfortably.

Strong communication skills increase productivity and efficiency. If you have strong communication skills, you save time spent on clarifying, correcting wrong impressions and answering questions.

How To Show Your Strong Communication Skills

One way to show your strong communication skills is through written communications. Any email, resume or cover letter should be free of errors, with all names spelled correctly.

Before the interview, also practice talking about your experience and strengths to make sure your answers are clear and concise.

Communication skills also involve listening. During the interview, listen attentively and pay close attention to all the interviewer says.

If you:

• Shine during presentations
• Handle unhappy customers easily
• Can facilitate discussions, or
• Have served as a spokesperson in your previous job or college

Make sure you highlight these when speaking about your strengths.

2. Eager To Learn And Grow

Do you consider yourself a lifelong learner?

Employers are actively looking for people like you: people who consistently seek to improve their skills. They're willing to adjust and switch gears based on trends in the industry.

Whether it's for an entry-level or senior position, your eagerness to learn should be a crucial skill to highlight.

Your willingness to grow shows the interviewer that you’ll continuously add value to your position.

How To Demonstrate Your Willingness To Learn

One way to show you’re eager to grow is to highlight the various courses you've taken outside your college education. These can include leadership and communication skill seminars or any online course you may have taken.

Reading about industry trends and incorporating them in your resume and interview answers also highlights your willingness to learn.

If you:

• Love listening to industry-specific education shows,
• Love attending seminars and conferences, and
• Love reading more than binge-watching Netflix NFLX

Then you’re a lifelong learner. Make sure to mention these when talking about your strengths. 

3. Initiative

Doing the right thing without being told is another highly sort out skill among hiring managers.

Initiative is one of the most essential skills for a job candidate, ranking 4.4 on a five-point importance scale, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. 

If you want to get hired, you need to be a self-starter — someone who's always looking for ways to propel the company forward.

Employers value initiative in a candidate since it shows them you’re willing to go above and beyond your job description. 

How To Show Initiative

One way to show initiative is to try to be exceptional. In his book "The Compound Effect," Darren Hardy talks about going the extra mile to show initiative. This can include dropping off your resume personally, even if you've sent one via email. 

You can also highlight courses that you’ve taken to improve your skills.

If you:

• Always seek out assignments outside your comfort zone
• Rarely say, "this is not my job."
• Volunteer for community projects, or
• Continuously look for training opportunities.

Then initiative is one of your strengths.

4. Teamwork

“I’m a team player” is perhaps the biggest cliché when it comes to answering questions about your strengths.But it’s what most recruiters want to hear. Most employers are looking for people who can get along and work well with others.

The ability to work in a team is one of the most attractive competencies that candidates can have, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

How To Illustrate Your Ability To Work In A Team

Even in your resume and cover letter, you need to show that you can get along with others within the organization.

In your resume, highlight instances you've previously worked in a team. If you're a new graduate, you can talk about past academic projects that you worked with a group or instances where you've participated in a team sport.

If you:

• Genuinely appreciate other people’s opinion
• Can take constructive feedback positively
• Can communicate with different people, and
• Can find a way to connect with anybody

Then you’re a team player. Highlight this in your cover letter and interview answers to show your ability to work collaboratively.

Over To You

There you go.

Four of the most sort after skills during interviews.

Which of the four is your greatest strength?

Which do you need to improve on?