6 Soft Skills to Develop That Every Recruiter Looks For

Good communication
Critical thinking
Being a team player
Self-motivated
Being responsible
Negotiation and problem resolving abilities

Good communication

Communication is the most important soft skill to navigate at work every day.
Communication has various forms like forming an email, verbal and non-verbal communication, and each one plays an equally important role.
Let's start with the most important and almost forgotten, the art of listening. Whether in a team meeting or meeting with a client, good listening skills can help you to pick up the key points and provide an insight into how to respond to them correctly.
Next, are verbal and non-verbal communications, in short, the way you conduct yourself at work. A lot can be said about a person through their body language and tone of voice, and hence becomes extremely important in developing relationships in and around work. Follow the dress code that is followed at your organization, and make sure to be prim and proper.
Finally, follow the etiquette of writing a formal email, which is the most important medium of communication at a workplace.
Various business communication takes place via email, making it important to know how to convey the message or give instructions carefully and efficiently.

Critical thinking

Critical thinking is an important soft skill that every job profile requires.
Recruiters want employees who can analyze and come up with a suitable solution to help the organization grow.
Irrespective of your field of work, the ability to understand the problem is an unsaid requirement that every recruiter looks for in their search for an ideal candidate.
Now, critical thinking is aided majorly by active listening, analyzing the situation/requirement, coming up with a creative solution, and having an unbiased opinion amongst others.

Being a team player

Teamwork is an important soft skill required at work, be it as team projects or attending meetings across departments.
A good team player needs to have strong soft skills such as effective communication, being self-motivated and being able to motivate others, responsible towards teammates, quick thinking, etc.

Self-motivated

Another important soft skill that every employer looks for in their ideal candidates is whether or not they are self-motivated.
Employers appreciate candidates who do not need constant supervision as it showcases their dedication, passion, and understanding regarding their work.
The best thing is, such candidates do not limit themselves to just their bit of duties and are always eager to do more. This helps them to gather more knowledge, helping them to grow in their career.

Being responsible

In the soft skills list, responsibility is one of the most important soft skills required at work.
When an employee takes responsibility or ownership of their work, they will be working more towards improvement by accepting failures and working on it.
Taking responsibility for not only your goals but the company’s as well benefits both by bringing the company closer to its goals and making you a better employee.

Negotiation and problem resolving abilities

Negotiation is a really important soft skill for leadership roles.
Once again, to be a pro negotiator, one needs to have great listening skills and the ability to convince others.
Having differences of opinion in a team is normal, but the knowledge of how to handle such a situation without escalating and diffusing the tension peacefully requires good communication skills and diplomacy.
These are the two most important soft skills recruiters look for in a candidate opting for a leadership position. Thus, it is best to brush up on your empathy and emotional intelligence to lead the team effectively.

How to list soft skills in resume

Here are a few things you need to do before listing the important skills in your resume.
Make sure to research the company on their website. This will help to get an understanding of the list of soft skills they prioritize.
List down all the soft skills you possess (take the help of your friends and trusted colleagues if required) and tally it with the organization’s requirements.
Use the important soft skills while talking about previous work experiences, instead of creating a separate section.