How can you highlight your soft skills during an interview?

1 Research the company

Before you go to the interview, do some research on the company and its values, mission, and goals. Try to find out what kind of soft skills they are looking for in their employees and how they measure them. For example, do they emphasize teamwork, creativity, customer service, or leadership? How do they handle feedback, conflict, or change? How do they celebrate success or deal with failure? By knowing what the company expects and values, you can tailor your answers and examples to showcase your relevant soft skills.

2 Use the STAR method

Answering behavioral questions during an interview can be simplified by using the STAR method, which stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. This framework helps you structure your response and provide concrete evidence of your soft skills. To illustrate, if you are asked to describe a time when you solved a problem creatively, you can use the STAR method to explain the context and challenge you faced, the goal or objective you had to achieve or the problem you had to solve, the steps you took, the skills you used, and the decisions you made. Additionally, you can highlight the outcome, the impact, and any feedback you received. By utilizing this method, it is possible to demonstrate your soft skills in action and illustrate how they contributed to your success and learning.

3 Show enthusiasm and confidence

Highlighting your soft skills during an interview is essential to making a good impression. To do this, you should express enthusiasm and confidence in your abilities and potential without coming off as arrogant or boastful. Make eye contact with the interviewer, speak positively about your achievements and goals, ask relevant and insightful questions, and express gratitude for the opportunity and feedback. These actions will demonstrate communication, emotional intelligence, and optimism to the interviewer and create a positive rapport.

4 Ask for feedback and follow up

Finally, during an interview, you can demonstrate your soft skills by asking for feedback and following up after the interview. Asking for feedback shows that you are eager to learn and grow from your experiences, as well as open to constructive criticism. You can thank the interviewer for their time and attention, then ask them questions about your qualifications or fit for the role. Additionally, you can follow up after the interview by sending a thank-you email or note within 24 hours, reiterating your interest and enthusiasm for the role and company, highlighting your main strengths and soft skills, and offering to provide additional information or references if needed. Following up can help you reinforce your soft skills and stay in touch with the interviewer until you hear back from them.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?