Degrees Are Good, But So Are Social Skills | Visit our blog page for articles on Simulation and Staffing

Degrees Are Good, But So Are Social Skills

We all know the importance of a degree. Degrees may suggest that you have the necessary skills or knowledge to perform a job, but they do not guarantee you would be a good employee or fit for the company. Strong communication in the workplace ensures synergy and improved business results. Employers want to know if a potential employee is going to work well with the team or if that person is going to disrupt company flow. For example, software engineers and other similar professions need interpersonal skills almost as much as they need the right coding skills.


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Image by NESA by Makers on Unsplash.com.


Not having interpersonal skills limit your ability to communicate your values with employers and can hinder your chances to land a job. Employers want to know if hiring you would be a good investment. Here are the top red flags potential employers are looking for:

Not showing urgency
  • Not showing urgency throughout the hiring process can be a problem. This can show you aren’t taking the job opportunity seriously.
Inappropriate language
  • This can be a huge red flag as it demonstrates a lack of professionalism.
Over-explaining or rambling
  • Be careful with over-explaining answers to interview questions or rambling. Doing so can show a lack of communication skills and can disinterest hiring managers.
Speaking negatively
  • Be careful about mentioning previous employers in a negative manner. If you didn’t work well with that last employer, this new employer may assume you won’t work well with them.

By avoiding these red flags, you can improve your ability to get hired.

To compete in today’s job market, you want to accompany your technical skills with strong social skills. The hiring process involves many different aspects, however, intuition and logic are used the most. The interview is how employers will find the finer details that may not be reflected in your resume. You need to view any opportunity as important, even if it’s just an initial interview. If that first interview doesn’t go well due to how you communicated, you won’t be receiving a second call from the potential employer. View the interview as your chance to communicate your fit for the role while also finding their wants and needs. Alex Streit, director of PLEXSYS, mentions in a conversation with Engenium Staffing that he uses interviews as a way to explore a candidate’s social skills along with their technical skills.

In the 2019 Job Outlook survey done by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 100% of employers deem critical thinking or problem solving as essential in new hires. Alex Streit, who has a Ph.D from Queensland University of Technology, mentions in a conversation with Engenium Staffing that he ask questions such as “show me how to make tea” as a part of interviews to see how a candidate will problem solve. Streit commented that he uses interviews as a means to test social skills of potential employee.

Employers desire critical thinking, professionalism, strong work ethic, and strong oral and written communication skills. Here are some of Engenium Staffing’s tips for improving your interpersonal skills:

Quality over quantity
  • When engaging with employers or answering interview questions, be succinct and keep your responses between 20-30 seconds. It is better to provide shorter answers filled with substance than long answers full of irrelevant information that may be asked later on in the interview.
Be confident
  • When engaging employers, be sure to speak with confidence, energy, and motivation. Show that you know what you are doing. That first interview, whether on phone or in person, is incredibly important as it’s the first time employers will get to know you.
Have flexibility
  • In today’s job market, it is important to be flexible and be able to adapt. Learn on the job and be proactive in doing tasks and helping your company. Don’t be so stubborn about how you want things to be. Think about things from the employer’s perspective.
Ask questions
  • Interviews are meant to be communication opportunities between you and a potential employer. Ask open-ended questions and actively listen to employers to discover their needs and wants.
Be professional
  • Being on time and dressing professionally improves how you are viewed and demonstrates that you are serious about your job.

These tips should help you get that job offer. For more help, read these two articles from Engenium Staffing on how to prepare for an interview and how to improve your interview skills.

As said previously, clients hire based on logic and intuition. Accompany your technical skills with excellent social skills to really put your best foot forward in this job market!

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