Social Skills: What They Are and How to Improve Them In the Workplace

Social skills, sometimes referred to as soft skills or interpersonal skills, are skills that help you better interact and communicate with other people. You’ll need good social skills to be successful in nearly any position, as interacting with colleagues, managers, clients, and the public is often a regular component of many positions. Social skills can be both verbal and nonverbal, and all interpersonal skills are aimed at improving communication between two or more people.

The following are a few examples of the most common social skills needed to succeed in the workplace:

Written and verbal communication

Both written and verbal communication are important components of the effective conveying of information at work. Written skills can include composing letters, emails, presentations, and reports, and require the writer to have a good understanding of appropriate spelling, format, and grammar. Verbal communication skills refer to how you speak. Using appropriate and clear language that’s easily understood by others is a sign of strong verbal communication skills.

Empathy

Empathy refers to your ability to understand and relate to how someone else is feeling. This skill can be especially important when interacting with clients, as it can allow you to express genuine interest in and concern for their problems and questions.

Listening

Listening is another important social skill needed to be successful in the workplace. Being able to listen carefully and devote your full attention to the speaker ensures you fully understand what’s being said and that the speaker feels they are being heard. Good listening skills can contribute to better workplace relationships and shows you truly respect and care about what the speaker is saying.

There are a few things you can do to work on your social skills, including:

1. Ask for feedback. Asking someone you trust, such as a friend or family member, to give you feedback on specific social skills can give you a good idea of any areas of improvement you should focus on. For example, if a friend says that you aren’t always a good listener, you could put forth a concerted effort for the next few weeks on your listening skills.
2. Choose one skill at a time to focus on. There are several soft skills that fall under the interpersonal-skill umbrella, but focusing on improving all of these skills at once can be overwhelming. Choose one or two social skills you would like to improve upon and focus on those for a few weeks before moving onto another skill.
3. Use free resources. There are several free resources out there that can expand your knowledge of interpersonal skills and how to improve them. Consider reading a book or listening to an audiobook on social skills or take a free class on topics like negotiations.
4. Define realistic goals. If you’re really serious about improving your social skills, consider setting some goals and work to achieve them. For example, if you want to improve your written communication skills, you could set a goal to write one practice email a day for two weeks.

When searching for new jobs, your resume, cover letter, and how you present yourself in an interview all contribute to how the hiring manager perceives you and the potential you have to be a good fit for the position. Here are a few ways to make your social skills stand out on your resume, cover letter, and in a job interview:

On your resume

You can highlight several social skills on your resume both in a designated skills section and throughout your work history. When deciding which interpersonal skills to highlight on your resume, first review the job description for the position you are submitting an application for. Then, choose a few key skills you have that correlate with the job. For example, if the job description lists ‘good verbal and written communication skills required,’ you should highlight these skills in your resume.

On your cover letter

Your cover letter is another great place to highlight your social skills in a way that sets you apart from other job applicants. Choose one or two interpersonal skills relevant to the position you’re applying for and mention them in the body of your cover letter. Be sure to use specific examples of times when you used these skills in your current or previous jobs.

In an interview

Before going into a job interview, spend some time preparing a few key social skills you want to bring up during the interview. Think of specific examples when you used these skills. Choose the interpersonal skills that most relate to the job you’re interviewing for.

Additionally, you can convey your verbal and nonverbal communication skills during the interview through how you speak, listen, and use body language. Maintain eye contact and ensure you have good posture throughout the duration of the interview. Practice active listening when the hiring manager is speaking, and use clear and concise language when responding.