Have you ever panicked about a job fair or interview? Ever wondered why they will consider looking at the resume you just dropped in the pile of resumes they were getting? Does it make you think what might actually make them consider looking for your name in that pile when they get back? The answer is very simple. They have to remember you. So, how do you actually make a recruiter remember you of all people they talked to in the job fair? The answer is even more obvious. You have to make a lasting impression when you are talking to them, so that, when they go back, their meeting with you is still in their mind. So, how exactly do you set a lasting impression? By talking about your skills? Or by giving an insight to your prior experiences maybe? The answer is yes and no at the same time. You should definitely talk about your skills and your experiences. These are your hard skills that would also be on your resume but know that you won’t be the only one doing that and almost everyone they meet will do exactly the same thing. So, what makes you stand out? The way you present your hard skills. It’s your soft skills. Below are few of the soft skills you should consider focusing on.
First on the list is emotional intelligence. You might be thinking how it relates here but trust me, it is the most evident one. It is very normal to be nervous about an interview or to converse with a recruiter at a fair. We all have been there, and I can bet everyone can relate to this. But the biggest mistake most of us do, we make our nervousness visible which gives us away. A recruiter knows you will be nervous, they will still converse normally, and you won’t have the slightest idea that they are taking notes. The recruiter is looking for your confidence. They want to see how you perform under pressure. This is one key factor you must work on which will be helpful even in your working life. You need to be well composed. It is very natural to be nervous, but it is essential to be calm and to know how to handle the situation without panicking. Simply put, you have to work on being emotionally intelligent.
You might have guessed by now, next one is definitely how you connect with a person. Well, this one here is a bit controversial. Most people tend to do a lot of research on the company before going for an interview with them or before going to a career fair the company is going to. The typical idea is that, when you have a conversation with them, you are well prepared, and you want to fuel the conversation with all that information you gathered about the company, showing how resourceful you are. Stop. This might be a good idea but certainly not a great idea. The company already knows how well it is doing in the market, what new things they have done over the years, where their new branch opened, and it is no rocket science to learn all of that from Google or LinkedIn. The company already knows about itself and how well they are doing. Neither are they looking for the information you know on them nor are they here to receive appreciation. They want to know you, they are here to know you in person. The best way to connect would be to connect with the interviewer or recruiter on a personal level. Think of something that wouldn’t be too personal or professional. Something that will be exception to their regular day to day routine talk. Simply put, think of fueling your conversation with something that will make them remember you. This one is a bit tricky but if you work on your skills of verbal communication with others, you will surely know what to say and how to approach.
Energy is contagious. How spiritual are you? Companies are looking for energetic motivated people to hire! It is very typical of working places to have a stressful environment and we all just wish we have that angel buddy at work who would light up our day!( In a good way!) The realization here is that, you need to be that working buddy for someone else too. The spirit with which you talk to a recruiter is a way of showcasing the energy you radiate and it’s highly impressive. It’s like saying, you need to work your charm out. Most of us think it’s a quality that’s innate. But trust me on this, it’s something you can build up by just maintaining one obvious practice: talking to people. Recruiters subconsciously get more impressed by people who are very energetic and has the quality of lifting the spirit of people around them. Talk more with people, get more involved. Even for those who categorize themselves as introverts, there is a fine line between not speaking much and being energetic and spiritual when you talk. I am not going to lie, I am an introvert myself and I know exactly how it feels, but I realized over the years, I haven’t even tried much to talk to people just considering the fact that I feel awkward to talk. I feel awkward to talk doesn’t necessarily mean the conversation I didn’t even attempt to start would have been awkward if I had tried to start it or to participate. The bottom line is, you need to get out of your comfort zone and try yourself. The more you try the easier it will get with every attempt, I promise. Remember, it is always the hardest at the beginning.
These are the few things that I think are very obvious, yet we tend to miss or overlook. These are the things that are very common yet things that we can be very oblivious too. So, next time, I hope you will not forget to check your soft skills on an interview or a career fair. Please understand that I am not saying hard skills are not important; they really are. What I am saying is, hard skills are the most obvious ones, soft skills make you exceptional. Recruiting processes can be highly biased. The truth is, sometimes the piles of resumes that gets rejected are not even properly looked at. Someone scanning your resume in 6 seconds sitting in an office not even having you in front of them, won’t know how able you are. So, soft skills are definitely crucial to set a lasting impression and to have a successful and satisfying interview. What other soft skills would you like to add?