What skills should you be flaunting?

During a job search, your hard skills and soft skills are your key assets but what skills should you be flaunting?

At CB Online, “The 7 traits of super staff”, Brian Scudamore, CEO and founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK attributes his success as one of “Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies” to hiring the right people. His key factors in determining the ideal candidate are soft skills which include, a sunny outlook, a love of goals and a fire within. He also gives top consideration to a cultural fit and a shared vision. What impression did you leave in your last job interview? Were you smiling, enthusiastic, interested in the company and interviewer, positive, sociable and professional? Although hard skills are an important criteria to most employers, the positive impression after an interview will more likely be related to your soft skills.

Many of the most successful companies and their leaders attribute their success to their “people” like WestJet and Richard Branson and provide an excellent resource for job seekers to discover the most influential skills that these employers are seeking. Before you get started, it is important to investigate and understand the corporate culture of an organization to ensure a mutually good fit. Once you have targeted specific companies, concentrate on the skills you possess that the employer is seeking. Your leadership skills and ability to work independently are not the skills you will want to flaunt if the employer is specifically focused on hiring a team player. You may feel your hard skills are your most valuable assets but an employer who has established specific soft skills as priorities in their decision making process may not be as impressed.

In this highly competitive job market the success of a job seeker will depend on determination, persistence and creativity! Soft skills are as critical as hard skills so if you have them, flaunt them! An influential soft skill to many recruiters is confidence!

Do you have the most highly sought after soft skills in your resume? Contact Elite Resumes for a free resume critique from a Certified Professional Resume Writer.