February 11, 2022
What Interpersonal Skills Employers are Looking For
According to the GMAC Corporate Recruiters Survey, 81% of recruiters have ranked interpersonal skills as the most desirable trait that a perfect candidate could have.
Interpersonal skills such as emotional intelligence and empathetic leadership will make you stand out in the recruiting process. Here’s why.
Employers have been actively recruiting candidates who have strong interpersonal skills, which can also include soft skills. These skills are so sought after due to the importance of having employees who excel at working collaboratively and can communicate effectively within teams. Some of the top interpersonal skills are as follows:
- Emotional intelligence
- Active listening
- Empathy
- Leadership
- Constructive criticism
- Motivation
- Collaboration
Emotional intelligence is quickly becoming one of the most important traits in an ideal candidate.
Emotional intelligence will land you your dream job.
Having a high emotional intelligence in today’s job market will most likely get you further in the job search than having a high IQ. According to a study from CareerBuilder that asked 2,600 hiring managers and HR professionals various recruiting questions. 71% responded that they value emotional intelligence more than IQ in an employee. This is due to the importance of workplace chemistry and collaboration. Emotional intelligence allows employees to communicate effectively and empathize with others. This is critical to the success of any company and can lead to negative financial impacts if not corrected.
According to a report from Holmes, the cost of poor communication has hit roughly $37 billion in 2011, which is around $26,000 lost per employee. However, companies that invest in highly effective communicating employees had 47% higher returns to their shareholders.
Empathetic leaders are the best kinds of leaders. Here’s why.
Empathy by definition is the ability to understand the needs of others and to be sensitive to the feelings, thoughts, and actions of the people around you. Empathy is not a new skill in the slightest, but it has been underestimated just how important it has become in the last 20 years. When employers are looking to hire for leadership positions, one of the most important traits that they will be looking for is an empathetic leader.
An empathetic leader will understand the needs of the team. According to a BusinessSolver.com study, 76% of employees believe an empathetic organization inspires more motivated employees. This goes to show that the current job-seeking talent is looking to work for companies that have both empathetic leaders and an empathetic organization vision.
Strong interpersonal communication skills are here to stay.
Interpersonal communication skills are the very fabric of the foundation of any business. In the last 2 years, many employees have moved to work remotely, and it is even more important to practice good communication skills digitally to ensure the success of the company. Verbal communication has taken a slight backseat thanks to the pandemic, but even through Zooms and Teams chats, body language, and active listening are still paramount to communicating information between other people.
To stick out in the job search process, it is important to show how you have developed your interpersonal communication jobs in previous positions. Showing you have the traits of an empathetic leader will allow you to be recognized as having room for upward growth within a company, and that you will be both an asset and an investment to the firm.
Visit us at https://www.mrrecruiter.com/contact-us/ if you want to learn more about how our Recruiters can assist your company or guide you along with your next career move.