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Ask me your job search question!

job q and a, job questions and answers, career q and a, career questions and answers
I’m kicking off a Job Search Q and A feature on WiserUips.com. 

Please feel free to submit your questions via the comments box that if answered, could help you in your job search.

To get you started on possible questions to ask, consider David’s question from New York City:


 

Q. An internship I am applying for lists soft skills as job requirements. How does one demonstrate competency in these skills?  Here are examples of such required soft skills:


  • Ability to learn and apply new information.
  • Demonstrate outstanding time management.
  • Ability to multi-task and accurately check processes and tasks.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills.
  • Demonstrate initiative.
  • Ability to support others and share accountability.
  • Proven ability to adapt to change.
  • Outstanding customer service skills.


A: David, I would take steps to impress the hiring company with your relevant soft skills in your LinkedIn profile, resume, cover letter, and interviews. Here’s how:

LinkedIn profile
Add key words such as "Time Management", "Multi-Tasker" and "Written Communications" in the Skills section of LinkedIn profile. Find "Skills beta" under the More tab on LinkedIn to add up to 50 skills.


Resume
Add the same skills into the Skills Summary section of your resume. The Skills Summary should go just under your bold headline related to the job description, such as “Proven Human Resources professional with Corporate and Nonprofit Experience” at the top of your resume under your name and contact information. Also weave the requested soft skills into your work experience whenever you can truthfully do so.


Cover Letter
Mention the soft skills in your cover letter in the order that the company lists them. For example, write something like …


"You seek someone who has the ability to learn and apply new information, demonstrate outstanding time management and accurately multi-task. I can do all these things at the leadership level and relish the opportunity to perform such skills to help XYZ Corp. succeed. To give you an example of how I multi-tasked in a timely manner, I was in charge of a major concert AND the VIP party before the concert. The concert was a sell-out and we had more than 130 clients and celebrities attend the VIP party.”


Interviews
In interviews, bring up some of the soft skills and talk about how you used such skills in the performance of certain accomplishments. For example, say something like, "An example of how I had the ability to learn and apply new information in a timely manner was when I learned Microsoft Access to put together a customer database in less than two days."


Write out brief answers for every required soft skill so that you will be ready to talk about them when asked during the interview.

_____________________________________


So what questions do you have or what other tips would you give David about promoting his soft skills? Share them here! – Kathy

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5 comments :

  1. Karen (from Michigan)June 8, 2012 at 4:53 PM

    Hi Kathy:
    I have a LinkedIn profile question. Via your LinkedIn profile headline, what is the best way to get recruiters to review your profile without saying that you're looking for work? I am an administrative professional who has been without work for almost two years. (I am signed up with 11 staffing firms but haven't had that many assignments yet.)

    One school of thought that I've heard is that you don't want to be called a professional job seeker. But if you are doing temp work like I am, I don't want recruiters to bypass my profile thinking that I am currently working just because they see three of my staffing firms listed in my profile. Should I say something in my "Summary" such as "...am in transition. Seeking opportunities..."?

    What is your suggestion?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have a question. I like my current job. The cons are it's monotonous and tedious. I am vastly overqualified for it. I am only getting 30 hours a week which means I don't get any benefits from it. I read how I should improve myself on my companies dime. How do I go about doing that; I'm only a part time clerical employee. I will say this the people I'm working with now are head and shoulders above people I've had the misfortune of working with in the past.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My question is that I am changing careers and industries. Is it best to seek an entry level position to gain experience or do I reposition my skills to try enter at a mid level type positions?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the comments so far. I definitely plan to answer them in futurue posts. Keep the questions comin'!

    ReplyDelete
  5. These question were really good.

    ReplyDelete

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