The job market is feeling about as safe to navigate as a summer swim in “Jaws.” But thankfully, help is on the way: LinkedIn released its “Skills on the Rise” report, providing a roadmap of marketable people skills. CNBC even called these competencies “the driving force behind hiring decisions.”
All the greatest hits you practice every day are there: Conflict mitigation, adaptability, public speaking, solution-based selling, and innovative thinking. Ahh—it may be safe to go back in the water!
However, knowing what’s on the list is only the beginning. So, in the June series, Spice Up Your Skillset, we’ll talk about how you can bring people skills to life on your LinkedIn profile as well as interview conversations. Whether you just graduated or are looking for a new role, you’ll leave the month empowered to share quantifiable examples of how you’ve implemented people skills.
At a recent Broadway show, two people behind me casually discussed their remote co-worker. Corporate headquarters is in New York, but The Designer is West Coast-based.
In just a few minutes, it was clear how they liked his personality as much as his work. It turns out that The Designer was the kind of person who could listen to a pitch and then contribute a bunch of creative thoughts on the spot, improving the original idea. Then he took the agreed-upon concepts and produced stellar designs in record time.
One person wondered aloud whether The Designer knew how good he was. That’s because he is a get-to-the-point/stand-on-business guy, leaving little time in meetings to chat with his colleagues.
Then, the conversation took a dark turn. The co-worker thought about voicing his appreciation and encouraging The Designer to get to know others better. But in the end, the co-worker decided to stay silent. That split-second choice meant some of The Designer’s best qualities would remain in the shadows.
Let’s be clear: Salaries are based on results and achievements, not yakking with your friends. However, the case study demonstrates that hard skills, such as designing and coding, are only the first step. What puts your name front and center is people understanding How you get the job done, and that’s where people skills come in.
Now let’s replay the case study for a moment against the Skills on the Rise shortlist and tease out all the marketable people skills hiding in plain sight. For instance, The Designer:
When you look at The Designer through the lens of his people know-how, he’s a pretty cool guy to know!
So, here are three action items you can take to personalize this story.
* First, take a look at the LinkedIn report, then refresh your profile by adding two must-have skills. (And you’re “Ooh, that’s me!” reaction is where to start.)
* Next, consider asking colleagues or clients to highlight people skills in a Recommendation for you.
* Last, strengthen your relationships and emotional intelligence acumen by calling out good work when you see it. Sincere admiration, a kind word, or a shout-out of “Well done” takes less than 30 seconds.
In the past, getting the job done was all that mattered. But with the pace and pressure of an ever-changing workplace, visibility isn’t just part of your reputation—it’s part of your job scope, too. Skip past generic, high-level ideas about skilling and spice up your LinkedIn profile by making your How the touchstone of your story.