What Are Soft Skills?
Soft skills, also called people skills, are the mix of social and interpersonal skills, character traits, and professional attitudes that all jobs require. They include:
- Communication and presentation abilities
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Leadership and mentorship
- Problem-solving and critical thinking
- Time management and organization
- Adaptability and flexibility
- Networking and relationship building
- Enthusiasm and professionalism
Why Soft Skills Matter
As many as 92% of talent professionals say soft skills matter as much or more than hard, technical skills. As most roles require working with others as part of a team, ensuring that a candidate will fit well into the culture of the role is important. Soft skills are leading indicators of this good fit and can be used to help predict long-term success in the role.
As organizations make key hires and grow, soft skills present on a resume can also help demonstrate that person’s collaboration and leadership potential.
The 7 Second Rule and Soft Skills
Here’s the challenge: Hiring managers only spend an average of 7 seconds scanning a resume. In those critical seconds, they’re looking for proof of your abilities, not empty claims. This is why how you present your soft skills can make or break your chances.
Simply listing “excellent communication” or “team player” wastes precious resume real estate and tells the hiring manager nothing about your actual capabilities. Instead, the content of your resume needs to showcase these skills instead of simply listing them.
The Problem with Soft Skills on Resumes
- Everyone claims the same soft skills
- Generic statements like “strong communication skills”
- No way to verify the claims
- Takes up space without adding value
- Hiring managers ignore unproven assertions
The Top Soft Skills Employers Want
Research shows that companies have identified the following competencies as key to success in the 21st century workplace:
1. Communication
- Written and verbal communication
- Presentation skills
- Active listening
- Clarity and conciseness
- Audience adaptation
2. Teamwork and Collaboration
- Cross-functional partnership
- Conflict resolution
- Consensus building
- Emotional intelligence
- Flexibility
3. Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking
- Analytical thinking
- Creative solutions
- Root cause analysis
- Decision-making
- Adaptability
4. Networking
- Relationship building
- Professional connections
- Stakeholder engagement
- Industry involvement
- Mutual benefit mindset
5. Enthusiasm and Professionalism
- Positive attitude
- Work ethic
- Initiative and drive
- Reliability
- Professional demeanor
6. Leadership
- Team motivation
- Delegation
- Mentorship
- Strategic thinking
- Decision-making
The “Show, Don’t Tell” Principle
Simply listing soft skills in a skills section does not tell the story of how you utilize these skills to create impact at an organization.
The Wrong Way
Skills: Excellent communication,Strong leadership, Team player, Problem solver, Detail-oriented
The Right Way
Demonstrating soft skill examples through achievements:
Instead of “excellent communication”: “Presented quarterly results to 50+ stakeholders including C-suite, translating technical data into actionable business insights.”
Instead of “strong leadership”: “Led cross-functional team of 12 through major system migration with zero downtime and 100% adoption rate.”
The Proven Formula: Soft Skill + Hard Skill + Quantified Impact
Here’s the secret that career advisors recommend: Don’t list soft skills in a dedicated section at all. Instead, weave them into your bullet points using this formula:
[Soft Skill] + [Hard Skill] + [Quantified Impact] = Powerful Resume Bullet
Real-World Examples
Data Analysis Example:
“Collaborated cross-functionally with marketing and development teams to create a Analytics Dashboard using SQL and Typescript, reducing report generation time by 65% and improving stakeholder decision-making speed.”
- Soft skill: Collaborated cross-functionally
- Hard skills: SQL, Typescript
- Impact: 65% reduction in report time
Process Improvement Example: “Partnered across departments to design and implement an automated Deployment pipeline using Ruby and AWS EKS, reducing manual deployment time by 80% and reducing deployment issues by 60%.”
- Soft skill: Partnered across departments
- Hard skills: Ruby, AWS EKS
- Impact: 80% deployment time reduction, 60% deployment issue reduction
Team Leadership Example: “Led a team of 4 in diagnosing customer churn data using logistic regression and SQL, uncovering key behavioral trends that informed retention strategies and contributed to a 10% increase in customer retention.”
- Soft skill: Led a team
- Hard skill: Logistic regression, SQL
- Impact: 10% retention increase
Business Communication Example: “Translated business requirements into a predictive sales model using scikit-learn and Excel, enabling leadership to forecast revenue with 90% accuracy and reducing quarterly planning time by 30%.”
- Soft skill: Translated business requirements
- Hard skill: scikit-learn, Excel
- Impact: 90% accuracy, 30% time reduction
Why This Formula Works
- Passes the 7-second test: Hiring managers see both technical skills and soft skills instantly
- ATS-friendly: Contains keywords from both categories
- Proves your claims: Results validate your soft skills
- Shows complete picture: Demonstrates you can combine people skills with technical execution
- Stands out: Most candidates only list skills separately
Soft Skills Checklist
Before Submitting Resume
- Removed all soft skills from dedicated skills section (biggest mistake to avoid!)
- Every resume bullet follows the formula: soft skill + hard skill + quantified impact
- Each soft skill is demonstrated through specific achievement, not claimed
- Included relevant soft skills from job description (woven into bullets)
- Varied action verbs (not repeating “collaborated” or “led” excessively)
- Every bullet has measurable results (percentages, numbers, outcomes)
- Both technical AND interpersonal abilities shown in each bullet
- Resume passes the 7-second test (key skills visible immediately)
- Cover letter expands on 1-2 strong soft skills with stories
- Professional summary demonstrates soft skills with context
- Prepared STAR method examples for interview soft skill questions
Action Verbs for Different Soft Skills
Use these action verbs to demonstrate soft skills in your resume bullets:
Communication
- Presented, Articulated, Conveyed, Translated, Documented, Facilitated, Communicated, Briefed, Persuaded
Teamwork & Collaboration
- Collaborated, Partnered, Coordinated, Unified, Aligned, Cooperated, Contributed, Supported
Leadership
- Directed, Guided, Mentored, Influenced, Motivated, Coached, Led, Developed, Championed, Spearheaded
Problem-Solving & Critical Thinking
- Resolved, Diagnosed, Analyzed, Identified, Innovated, Streamlined, Optimized, Investigated, Evaluated
Networking & Relationship Building
- Built, Cultivated, Established, Fostered, Connected, Engaged, Developed, Strengthened
Adaptability & Flexibility
- Adapted, Pivoted, Transformed, Navigated, Adjusted, Evolved, Responded, Embraced
Professionalism & Initiative
- Initiated, Drove, Delivered, Executed, Achieved, Implemented, Launched, Spearheaded
Key Takeaways
Remember these critical points when showcasing soft skills on your resume:
- Never create a dedicated “Soft Skills” section - this is wasted space that hiring managers ignore
- Use the proven formula in every bullet: Soft Skill + Hard Skill + Quantified Impact
- You have 7 seconds - make your soft skills instantly visible through achievement bullets
- Soft skills are action verbs, not adjectives - “Collaborated” not “collaborative team player”
- Every claim needs proof - quantify your impact with specific numbers and outcomes
- Combine technical and interpersonal - show you can execute AND work well with others
- Tailor to each job - weave in soft skills from the job description naturally
- Use cover letters and interviews - expand on your top 1-2 soft skills with compelling stories
Perfect your Resume Soft Skills with Resume Refiner
Resume Refiner uses AI to analyze your resume and identify where you’re claiming soft skills instead of demonstrating them. Get specific, actionable suggestions for:
- Transforming generic soft skill claims into the proven formula
- Pairing your soft skills with hard skills and quantified results
- Making your interpersonal abilities instantly visible to hiring managers
- Passing both the 7-second test and ATS systems
Stop listing soft skills. Start proving them.