demonstrating communication skills on a resume

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11 Best Communication Skills for Your Resume (With Examples)

11 min read · Updated on February 13, 2024

Are you properly conveying communication skills in your resume?

When it comes to employment skills, few are more important than the ability to effectively communicate with others. No matter your profession, chances are that you'll need some level of communication skill to interact with co-workers, managers, subordinates, and customers. As a result, employers who are evaluating potential hires always want to see evidence of communication skills in a resume.

But which communication skills should you include in your resume to make the best possible impression on employers?

In this post, we'll explain why you need to highlight these skills in your resume, examine 11 of the top communication skills, and offer tips to help you demonstrate those abilities. We'll also provide examples that show you how to include this critical information.

Why should you include communication skills in your resume?

While your hard skills - specific, measurable, job-related abilities - typically form the core of any job description's required qualifications, soft skills cannot be overlooked in your resume. In fact, those interpersonal abilities can play a significant role in any hiring decision that involves two otherwise equally competent candidates. If you're competing for a job against someone with equivalent technical capabilities and experience, that difference in soft skills may determine who gets hired.

When you include communication skills in your resume, you're letting an employer know that you have interpersonal abilities that can make you a valuable member of their team. That's an important consideration for any employer, of course. Companies want new hires who can do more than just fulfill their duties; they want team players who fit well within their organization.

Related post : The Essential Steps of Your Communication Process

Types of communication skills

It's important to understand what we mean when we talk about communication skills. For our purposes, we can categorize these skills into three distinct types:

Verbal skills . These communication skills include everything from conveying information or persuading others to public speaking and dealing with customer complaints.

Written skills . Many jobs require the ability to write in a concise and informative manner. These skills can include everything from informal emails to professional briefs, client presentations, and detailed reports for superiors.

Interpersonal skills . The third type of communication skill involves all those abilities that you use to interact with others. They can include things like empathy, active listening, and conflict resolution.

  What are the top 11 communication skills employers want to see?

Below are 11 of the top communication skills for resumes. As you might expect, there are many others that you might want to consider as well. However, these 11 skills are among the most sought-after that employers are looking for in job candidates.

1.     Active listening

Active listening is a prized communication skill. This ability goes well beyond simply hearing what others say, and instead involves the ability to actively understand their message. People with these skills can connect with others, build trust, and participate in collaborative problem-solving efforts.

Active listening includes a host of other skills, including the ability to ask probing questions, provide nonverbal and verbal cues that show that you're paying attention, and paraphrase what you're hearing to confirm your understanding of the message.

Related post : What are the Types of Listening Skills? 8 Types Explained

2.     Empathy

Empathy is a vital interpersonal trait and one of the most important leadership communication skills. People with empathy tend to be more curious and open-minded, have a keener sense of self-awareness, and are less likely to be hostage to their own natural biases and preconceptions. They value other people's perspectives and are willing to entertain ideas that challenge their beliefs.

3.     Conflict management and resolution

Conflict is an inevitable feature of human interaction - including in the workplace. If you have excellent conflict resolution skills, it's important to highlight them in your resume. Employers will be interested in knowing that you're capable of resolving interpersonal conflict in your work setting, since that can have a direct and positive impact on productivity and workplace harmony.

4.     Presentation skills

There are many jobs that require the ability to make presentations to superiors, customers, shareholders, or even coworkers. Good presentation skills enable you to compellingly convey information to others, persuade them to consider your point of view, or simply keep your target audience apprised of relevant developments.

5.     Writing skills

Effective writing skills are important in virtually every industry and a wide variety of roles. Obviously, many jobs will require simple writing tasks like composing emails, but there are a whole host of other writing abilities that employers may be looking for. These can include everything from legal briefs or technical writing to advertising copy, marketing presentations, contract creation, and more. Depending on the job you're seeking, including these important communication skills in your resume could be vital.

6.     Team building

The ability to build and work with teams is another important leadership communication skill for your resume. Whether you're interested in a managerial or executive role, this skill set is something that you'll need to succeed in that leadership position. Effective team builders know how to work with others to solve problems, are skilled in delegating work to competent subordinates, and know how to help team members reach their full potential.

Related post : 20 Key Leadership Competencies for Success (Plus Tips!)

7.     Motivation

Employers also appreciate candidates who possess useful motivational skills. While the ability to set goals, maintain a positive attitude, and rally others to achieve a shared objective is essential for leadership, it can also be an invaluable skill for anyone who works in a collaborative setting. By including these communication skills in your resume, you can ensure that employers recognize your ability to inspire others and drive productivity in the workplace.

Related post : 6 Qualities of Managers Who Practice Inspiring Leadership

8.     Openness to feedback

Hiring managers also want to see that you're capable of receiving feedback, whether it's constructive criticism or praise. These skills reflect a commitment to teamwork and continual improvement, both of which are highly prized by today's employers. It's a bonus if you're also adept at providing feedback to others. That desire to develop as an employee and help others to reach their full potential can make you an attractive candidate for many jobs.

9.     Honesty

You might not think of honesty as a communication skill, but it is. Whether you're an entry-level worker or a manager, it's important for others to know that they can trust your words. Of course, honesty encompasses more than just being truthful. It also includes character traits like trustworthiness, responsibility, accountability, and reliability. Honest people are seen as authentic and confident, traits that all good leaders possess.

10.  Emotional intelligence

As the workplace has grown more complex in recent years, hiring managers have placed greater emphasis on employees' emotional intelligence. That's a fancy term that simply describes your ability to manage your own emotions, understand your own interactions with others, and use that knowledge and insight to control stress, relate to others, communicate in a clear and effective way, and manage conflict.

People with high emotional intelligence often excel at interpersonal relations in the workplace and tend to be competent leaders. Their ability to recognize their own emotions and the feelings of others around them can help them to make more informed decisions. Including examples of your use of emotional intelligence can help to highlight those critical interpersonal communication skills in your resume.

11.  Negotiating

Negotiation skills are also highly prized in most industries, so make sure that you highlight these abilities in your resume too. Successful negotiators are adept at problem-solving, persuasive communication, and conflict resolution - skills that are useful in nearly every industry. Include an achievement in your professional experience section that highlights your negotiation skills, demonstrating how those abilities provided measurable value to a previous employer. 

Tips you can use to highlight these skills in your resume

Of course, being familiar with these different communication skills is just the first step. You also need to know how to highlight them in your resume. The following tips can help you with that process.

Match your skills to keywords in the job posting

Always make sure that you review the job posting to identify specific communication-related skills that are listed as job requirements. Wherever possible, use those exact terms in your resume as you describe various communication skills that you've used in previous jobs. That will help to ensure that your resume is found by an applicant tracking system when an employer conducts a search.

Focus on measurable achievements

Don't just say that you have certain communication skills. Show that you have them by including them as achievements in your resume summary or professional experience section. Make sure that you describe how you used those skills to produce measurable value for your employer. Use real numbers to help the reader understand the type of value you can provide as a potential hire.

Always be brief and to the point

Brevity is important, since hiring managers often sift through dozens or even hundreds of resumes. Make sure that you highlight communication skills and other abilities as concisely as possible to optimize space in your resume. Remember also that your writing skills will be on full display as you create the resume, so you probably won't need to spend much time boasting about them.

Communication skills: resume examples you can use

As we noted, there are several ways that you can highlight communication skills in your resume. You can include mention of them in your resume summary, list several within your core competencies section, and highlight examples of their use in your professional experience section. Below are some examples to show you how this is done.

Communication skills in your resume summary

Detail-oriented Office Manager with 10 years of experience managing office operations and interdepartmental communications. Managed 21-person team responsible for accounts totaling $123 million a year. Researched, drafted, and implemented interoffice communication changes that reduced waste by 22%, expedited internal processing and increased departmental revenue by 19% in the first year.

Communication skills in your skills section

Including these communication skills in your core competencies, or skills, section is a simple matter. Pick the skills that most closely align with the job requirements, and list them in bullet point form alongside other key soft skills and your technical proficiencies. For example:

Copywriting

Email management

Media communications

Presentations

Team building

Training management

Office management

Organization

Time management

Decision-making

Communication skills in your work experience section

When it comes to including your communication skills in a work experience section, you again need to focus on notable achievements. Use real numbers that demonstrate value and create several bullet point accomplishment examples for each job listing in this section. You only need to include a couple of examples of how you used your communication skills, of course, since you'll likely also want to highlight other core job-related skills too. Here are some examples that show how to do this:

Reorganized office information flow to speed up client onboarding and account management, resulting in growth of 12% in client acquisition and an increase of 40% in retention

Created an innovative training program for new office transfers, focused on new skills and employee growth. Program resulted in 60% drop in employee attrition, contributing to a 13% increase in revenues in the first quarter of implementation

Negotiated resolution to client conflict that saved a $2 million project contract and led to a 30% expansion in business with the customer over the next two years

Related post : 47 Accomplishment Examples for Your Resume: Expert Picks

Achieve job search success by including communication skills in your resume

Much of your resume will be devoted to highlighting your job-related skills and experiences, but that's no reason to neglect these important soft skills. Conveying effective communication skills in your resume can be a terrific way to demonstrate that you're the best candidate for any job, and may be just what you need to differentiate yourself from your competition!

Are you still not sure if you've properly included your communication skills in your resume? Get a free resume review from our team of experts today!

Recommended reading:

Soft Skills Explained - and the Top 7 for Your Resume

What Are Skills? (With Examples and Tips on How to Improve Them)

These 14 Leadership Traits Can Fuel Your Career Success

Related Articles:

Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?

How to Create a Resume With No Education

Why You Lose When You Lie on Your Resume: Learning From Mina Chang

See how your resume stacks up.

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Communication Skills on Resume: What Do Recruiters Look For?

Need to demonstrate communication skills to land a job? Copy these examples and follow these practical tips for showing those skills on your resume.

2 years ago   •   8 min read

"This role requires excellent written and verbal communication skills."

If this line looks familiar, that’s because it’s on nearly every job description. It’s kind of a no-brainer — nearly every job requires some form of communication, so employers want to see evidence of those skills on your resume.

The question is, how do you convince a hiring manager you have what it takes based on your resume alone? How do you show you have great communication skills without simply stating that you’re “great at communication.”

In this article, we’ll discuss how to show your strong communication skills through detailed examples, the best competitive communication skills to highlight on your resume, and what recruiters are really looking for when they ask for good communication.

Why is communication so important

Communication is a hidden skill — you use it all the time, but rarely notice it. In some jobs, the need for clear communication is obvious, like if the position involves a lot of writing or public speaking . In others, it’s more subtle, but things like taking direction, working with clients, and conflict resolution are all clear forms of workplace communication. Every position, no matter the field, can benefit from good communication, hence why it’s a must-have for your resume.

How to demonstrate communication skills on your resume

Here are the top tips for listing communication skills on your resume:

• Remove vague words like “communication skills”, and instead, list detailed, specific examples of times you’ve communicated well.
• Review the job description to identify the kinds of communication skills the job is looking for, such as presenting, influencing, managing, and written communication, and detail your experience with these particular skills.
• Use strong action verbs and quantified results to create memorable statements. For example, instead of writing “Responsible for communication,” state that you “orchestrated a communication strategy that increased team efficiency by 30%.”
• Use bullet points to make your points easy to scan.
• Highlight relevant hard skills like languages that show your ability to communicate well.

Now, let’s dive into what skills recruiters are really looking for when they ask for “good communication” and the best examples of communication skills to include on your resume.

What recruiters mean by “good communication skills”

When recruiters ask for candidates with good communication skills, they’re not just looking for people who know how to chat around the office. They’re looking for candidates who can effectively communicate with colleagues and clients, discuss performance, resolve conflicts, and have experience communicating in their particular professional setting - be it a team environment, a remote workplace, social media, or delivering presentations.

The best way to determine what type of communication each particular role requires is to look at the job description. Here is a list of commonly sought-after communication skills you’ll likely see listed in a variety of job postings:

• Speaking and listening
• Negotiating
• Teamwork and relationship building
• Sales and pitching
• Business writing
• Social media
• Visual communication
• Marketing copy
• Giving and accepting feedback

If you’re looking to get more specific, check out our list of skills and keywords , broken down by your industry and job title.

Where to list communication skills on your resume

Communication is a soft skill, which means the do’s and don’ts of listing it on your resume are simple:

• Don’t list communication in your skills section or write that you have “excellent communication skills.” When it comes to communication, you need to show, not tell!
• Do describe accomplishments that involve good communication throughout your resume, in your work experience, resume summary, and education section.
• Do mention hard skills related to communication in your skills section, such as language proficiency and digital tools like Slack or Teams.
• Do use your resume itself as an example of good communication. This means proper grammar, no spelling mistakes, and good punctuation.

How to describe communication on your resume

The first step in highlighting good communication skills is to avoid repeating the same word or phrase over and over. When building your bullet points, try these action verbs instead:

• Interpreted
• Corresponded

Top communication skills to put on your resume - with examples

Here are the top communication skills to list on your resume that are relevant to almost all industries, with examples of how to showcase these skills through quantified bullet points.

Conflict resolution

Whether you're negotiating million-dollar contracts or resolving customer complaints, conflict resolution is a critical skill in any workplace. It involves handling disputes effectively, mediating between parties, and arriving at mutually beneficial solutions. On your resume, illustrate these skills by explaining an issue, how you resolved it, and what benefits your company gained. For example:

• Supported management with handling and resolving human resources issues, decreasing employee complaints by 70%.
• Resolve customer disputes and enhanced customer satisfaction ratings by 25%.

Digital tools and social media expertise

In today's digital environment, proficiency in modern communication tools like Slack, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams is essential, while social media expertise is increasingly in demand for marketing and customer-facing roles. Demonstrating your ability to effectively use these tools can set you apart in a competitive job market.

Describe your skills by detailing what particular tools you’re proficient with, and include results-based data, such as social media campaigns you’ve run or the number of teams you've collaborated with on Slack. For example:

• Efficiently managed team projects and communications across global time zones using Slack and Zoom, leading to a 40% increase in project delivery efficiency.
• Directed 10+ social media campaigns for RSP clients on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Leading meetings and team collaboration

Discussing leading meetings and team projects highlights your ability to convey ideas, engage with audiences, and facilitate group interaction. These skills reflect not only good communication but also leadership and management skills. To show this, describe an accomplishment demonstrating your ability to manage personnel, host meetings, or coordinate reports and other correspondence. For example:

• Managed international stakeholders in India, United Kingdom, and Hong Kong by hosting daily standups and coordinating weekly status reports.

Verbal and written communication skills

Highlight both your verbal and written communication skills by mentioning presentations, reports, emails, or projects. Include hard numbers — like the number of marketing emails you wrote, new leads generated, or major accounts you landed — to show the positive outcome of your involvement. For example:

• Wrote and produced 100+ client prospecting video emails, leading to 50+ leads and landing major accounts.

Delivering education and training

Training others is an invaluable skill that showcases leadership, communication, and conflict resolution. If you've led training, mentored new staff, or guided clients through a complicated process, highlight these accomplishments. For example:

• Directed and advised 10+ business partners through annual talent assessments, discussions, and proactively pipelining for future openings.

Communicating with clients

Building relationships with clients is another soft skill closely related to communication. Creating a positive atmosphere, maintaining client relationships, and reaching out to community partners are all valuable skills. Including metrics elevates your bullet points from subjective to objective. For example:

• Established and maintained positive internal and community relations through on-site recruitment and telecommunications, ensuring 93% community acceptance.

How to show communication skills in different sections of your resume

As mentioned above, you can showcase great communication skills throughout your resume, as well as in your cover letter, online profiles, and during any professional correspondence. Here is how to showcase different communication skills in various sections of your resume:

Under professional work experience

The work experience section of your resume is the best place to list communication skills. You don’t need to have worked in a communication-heavy role to do this — every job uses communication skills. Using the job description as a starting point, identify what kind of communication skills the position requires and address each one with a bullet point accomplishment.

Once you’ve done that, use the tool below to search for skills for the job you’re applying to. You also have the option of adding in your resume — the tool will quickly scan it and tell you which skills are missing and which you need to add.

Through education, projects, and activities

If you don’t have a lot of paid work experience, or you’re struggling to find examples of good communication, that’s okay. Personal or academic projects and extracurricular activities can be used to show excellent communication skills, especially if you’re a current student or recent graduate.Use action-focused bullet points for these, too, and include metrics wherever possible.

In your hard skills section

You shouldn’t list communication in the skills section of your resume, but you can list hard skills that demonstrate strong communication. Language proficiency , is a great skill to inclide here, as well as particualr digital communication tools, such as Slack, Zoom, Trello, or Microsoft Teams.

In your cover letter

Showing most soft skills on a resume is difficult because there’s no way for hiring managers to evaluate those skills for themselves. Communication is an exception to this rule — Your resume itself, and in particular your cover letter , is a direct example of your written communication skills. Make sure your application, and any other communications, are well-written, succinct, and error-free by always proofreading to catch any errors.

Common mistakes to avoid when showcasing communication skills

Here are some key pitfalls to watch out for when trying to showcase good communication skills on your resume:

• Overusing generic phrases : Avoid vague language and overused terms like "excellent communication skills" or "strong communicator." These phrases are too general and don't provide a clear picture of your actual abilities.
• Lacking specific examples : Failing to provide concrete examples where your communication skills made a positive impact is a common mistake. Employers want real-world examples that demonstrate your skills in action.
• Not tailoring your examples to the job : Not tailoring your communication skills to the specific job you're applying for can be a missed opportunity. Highlight aspects of your communication that align with the job description.
• Neglecting digital communication skills : In today's digital world, not showcasing your proficiency with modern communication tools like Slack, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams can be a significant oversight.
• Overstating your abilities : Be honest about your level of proficiency. Overstating your skills can lead to challenges if you're unable to meet the expectations set by your resume.

Top-Tip: Create personal branding through good communication

One crucial aspect often overlooked when showcasing communication skills is the role these skills play in personal branding. Personal branding is about how you present yourself to potential employers and the unique mix of skills and experiences that make you an ideal candidate. Think of it as your USP, or unique selling point.

When you describe your communication skills, think about how these skills have helped you achieve results and how they reflect your professional brand. For instance, if your selling point is that you’re an effective team leader, highlight instances where your communication skills facilitated team success or resolved conflicts. Or if your brand is about being innovative, highlight how your communication skills have been pivotal in driving change or adopting new technologies in your previous roles.

Ensuring that this theme, or “personal branding”, is reflected throughout your resume can transform a list of job duties into a compelling narrative, painting a picture of a dynamic and capable professional.

Find out how well you score on communication skills

The most important thing to remember when listing communication skills on your resume is show don’t tell . An easy way to check if you’ve actually shown hiring managers your strong communication skills is to upload your resume to the tool below. It’ll tell you if your resume has shown enough communication skills, as well as other soft skills like leadership or problem-solving skills.

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How To Showcase Communication Skills In Your Resume

Make your resume stand out.

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Contributing Editor | HR, careers & job search

I founded three separate companies over the past decade to help leaders and organisations do their best work. Arielle Executive helps leaders get noticed while Arielle Partners & Talent Avenue connect organisations to Australia's best leadership talent.

Last updated: March 17th, 2024

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Communication skills are crucial to include on your resume because they are always in high demand by employers. A National Skills Commission (NCS) report found that ‘communication skills’ were one of four key skills needed for jobs of the future in Australia — primarily because jobs that require high proficiency in verbal communication and writing are less likely to be automated.

They know that all high performers are, first and foremost, great communicators.

 For instance, research conducted by McKinsey  found that well-connected teams can increase their productivity by 20 to 25% with effective communication.

Whether you hold a customer-facing, client-facing, or completely internal role, your next hiring manager will want you to showcase your communication skills on your resume. Let’s explore the best methods of doing it in 2024.

Expert Tip.

By the way, are you short on time and want the best possible outcome? Consider using my services below.

• Recommended free resume builder , if you’re on a budget.
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What Are Communication Skills?

Researchers in sociology and psychology have long studied communication. Experts have defined it as:  

• Your written,  spoken and listening skills.
• Your body language. 
• The cultural norms  you learn to connect with others.

Beyond your ability to wield words without spelling mistakes or project your voice without stumbling, good communication skills include your ability to:

• Understand and interpret goals, instructions and data.
• Build and manage relationships with others, including how you handle conflict.
• Accept and provide constructive feedback.
• Collaborate and coordinate activities within a team environment.
• Choose your message and the medium required to convey it effectively.

As the famous quote from playwright George Bernard Shaw goes:

A person can have an excellent grasp of grammar but be terrible at providing regular updates that keep their team in alignment with a project goal.

Similarly, a person might speak confidently but lack a substantial argument and fail to be convincing.

When writing your resume, it’s important to demonstrate your level of skill by focusing on the positive impact you’ve made by applying your communication skills.

Why Are Communication Skills Important?

 Let us ask this: what do Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, and Barack Obama all have in common? They were all  highly effective communicators.

These skills fall into the ‘soft skills’ category, also known as ‘common skills’ and ‘employability skills’, which are transferrable across any profession. 

(Related: Best Australian Resume Templates For 2024 ).

Australia’s National Skills Commission says 75% of employers think employability skills (e.g., communication, teamwork, problem-solving, initiative) are as important — if not more important — than technical skills.

Showcasing your communication skills on your resume can increase your odds of being the #1 candidate by demonstrating that you:

• Can positively influence stakeholders.
• Fit into the company’s culture.
• Sell and market the company’s products.

Personality affects your preferred communication style — but you can still showcase your strengths. For example, while being naturally introverted might mean you have less experience with large presentations, you’ve probably successfully presented in a team meeting or to smaller groups of stakeholders. 

Roles That Require Strong Communication Skills.

 While soft skills are broadly in demand, some industries specifically require good communication skills, such as: 

• Digital  sales.
• Real  estate.
• Customer service .
• Human Resources.
• Financial Advice.
• Marketing and advertising. 

However, communication skills can improve your success in achieving many career goals and should be an area for professional growth for anyone. 

In a digital age, how employers expect you to apply your communication skills is evolving rapidly. For example:

Five Important Communication Skills To Include On Your Resume.

I could easily list dozens of verbal and non-verbal communication skills that you could list on your resume.

But for the sake of ease, I’ve narrowed them down to the most important ones. Be sure to include them on your resume regardless of industry or seniority.

1. Written Communication Skills.

Clear writing allows you to connect with others, form new ideas, frame brand messaging and engage with new audiences.

If you have experience in any of the following job functions, be sure to include them on your resume:

• Creating  advertising copy.
• Designing  marketing emails. 
• Writing  website or social media copy.
• Constructing  company-wide emails. 
• Editing  and proofreading documents.  
• Forming  brand tone of voice documents.

Even in more technical or operational roles, you’re probably using the written word to communicate regularly, such as: 

• Providing instructions, briefs or guidance through emails to team members or external contractors.
• Developing business cases or proposals for strategic plans or commercial opportunities.
• Documenting technical specifications or client requirements for a project or product.

Remember to be specific when showcasing your writing skills on your resume. Describe the impact of your work by including quantified achievements.

2. Presentation Skills.

Presenting, storytelling, pitching and defending ideas are part of many roles, particularly those in managerial and sales positions.  

I’m not talking about speaking at large conference-style events.

Rather, I’m talking about the skills you’ll lean on to ensure that daily meetings with your team and clients are effective.

(Related: How To Show That You Work Well Under Pressure On Your Resume ).

Presenting includes oral communication, non-verbal cues (e.g., good posture and friendly expression) and your ability to present information in a way that makes it easy to understand (e.g., using personal anecdotes or data visualisations).

In industries that require additional spoken or written language skills, you should include your proficiency in other languages (from beginner to intermediate to native speaker). 

Presentation skills worthy of inclusion on your resume might consist of the following:  

• Data  review.
• Salary negotiation.
• HR complaint handling.
• Interpreting  online research.
• Team-building  activities. 
• Sales  pitches. 
• Marketing  overviews. 
• Leading  campaign brainstorms.

3. Team Building Skills.

“No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team,” – Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn cofounder, confirms the value of high-performing, communicative teams.

Managers must lead team-building by setting a great example, but all employees contribute to the quality of relationships that hold teams together.

When writing your resume, think about the interpersonal communication skills you’ve leaned on to create a higher-performing team.

Employers want to hire people capable of working towards a shared vision and getting along with colleagues, as it improves their employee retention rate and increases employee resilience and creativity.

Team building skills include: 

• Motivational  guidance. 
• Problem-solving .
• Task delegation .
• Collaboration . 
• Active listening . 
• Conflict resolution . 
• Ongoing training .

I have compiled our guide for improving your team’s performance  here.

4. Public Speaking Skills.

In addition to day-to-day verbal communication skills to foster relationships between teams or directly with customers and clients — many hiring managers want employees capable of taking centre stage without hesitation.

In particular, public speaking prowess will help you be a top candidate for leadership roles and jobs in fields like journalism, public relations, entertainment and tourism, consulting, sales, training, campaign management and advocacy.

Evidence of public speaking indicates to employers that you remain persuasive and composed under pressure.

Studies have shown that audiences make their mind up  within the first 7 seconds  of a speech about whether the speaker is charismatic, intelligent and credible. 

Speaking skills include: 

• Active listening .
• Eye contact . 
• Breath  and pace control.
• Persuasiveness .
• Vocabulary  proficiency.
• Natural , relaxed delivery.
• Physical gravitas  (body language). 

Albert Mehrabian, a body language researcher , found that communication is 55% nonverbal, 38% vocal, and 7% words only! Public speaking relies on physical communication to convey confidence and command attention.

5. Negotiation Skills.

Many industries rely on negotiation to close deals or advance partnerships. For naturally introverted or shy people, negotiation can feel somewhat confrontational.

Other individuals love the game and the push-pull dynamic of negotiating. 

If you find negotiation intimidating, you might overlook instances where you’ve applied this skill. Consider times when you’ve:

• Worked with colleagues to reach agreement on changes to a project’s timing, scope or budget.
• Liaised with a client or supplier to adjust the terms of your service to retain business, without a significant downside for the company.
• Resolved a conflict with a colleague or a different team within your organisation by actively listening to their concerns, and finding a shared middle ground.

Including negotiation on your resume shows an employer that you can: 

• Read  a high-pressure situation.
• Make  pragmatic decisions.
• Gauge  another person’s emotional needs.
• Exercise  your judgement in line with business goals. 

(Related: How To Write A Powerful Resume Headline ).

Examples Of How To Showcase Effective Communication Skills In A Resume.

You have limited space on a resume to highlight the most relevant communication skills and sell yourself to a potential employer.

Section 1: Objective/Skills Summary. 

Role: Sales Representative .

Key Skills: 

• Native  Spanish speaker.
• Spanish to English  translation.
• Xero  training specialist.
• Sales  negotiation.
• Customer-facing  support. 

Section 2: Experience.

Role: Clinical Social Worker .

Experience:

• Implemented  psychological counselling and group interventions for those aged 15-35 per Tamworth Hospital mental health treatment plans. 
• Made community referrals  for the acquisition of services for disenfranchised groups in the greater Tamworth area.
• Consulted  with staff members to assist with better adjustment tactics for various clients suffering from mental health disorders in a hospital setting. 
• Admin consisting of documenting patient behaviour , filling out discharge forms and creating a trail of progress notes. 
• The daily measurement of patient progress  on-ward and formation of personalised treatment plans with recommendations from other health professionals. 

ROLE: Guidance Counselor .

• Participated  in 10+ staff training meetings and national conferences, as well as attended training directly related to the well-being of students regarding youth relationships .
• Provided  counselling services to students on the subjects of family dynamics, romantic relationships and sexual health. 
• Developed  contractual partnerships with Children’s Services, Directions for Youth and Families and Buckeye Ranch .
• Managed volunteer  recruitment for fundraisers/organising and planning events for the school to continue ongoing education after the camp’s completion.
• Oversaw  individual case management and organising a counselling plan for those recommended by school staff and their parents.

ROLE: HR Director Chief of Staff .

• Advised  the HR Director, Division Managers, and other top-level administrators on workforce activities affecting customer service initiatives.
• Managed the department’s overall performance weekly with data and action plans presented to the broader team. 
• Partnered  with the City Manager’s office to create and design performance evaluation tools for City Leadership, which was carried out over three months. 
• Effectively  enhanced communication with the HR Department and our 6000+ employee staff by creating an online portal and weekly newsletters.
• Developed  a social networking presence with timely and pertinent content building an engaged audience of over 20,000. 
• Drafted  white papers for communication pieces for city-wide distribution.

Section 3: Certifications. 

ROLE: Public Relations Coordinator .

• Post-Bachelor’s  Certificate in Digital Curation .
• Graduate Certificate  in Public Relations (majoring in Corporate Communications) .
• Online Certificate  in Organisational Leadership & Communication .
• Short Course  in Digital Communication – Sydney Community College. 
• Internship:  MVMNT PR Agency specialising in Crisis Communications .

Demonstrating Strong Communication Skills.

Adding communication skills to your resume could be the difference between an interview offer at one of your dream companies or having to complete many more applications.

Include specific, detailed examples based on our top five communication skills to ensure your resume stands out.

Verbal, written and nonverbal communication skills impact all aspects of our working life and must be prioritised.

Author and CEO Pat McMillan confirms, “Excellent communication doesn’t just happen naturally. It is a product of process, skill, climate, relationship and hard work.” Time to get to work!

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How to Highlight Interpersonal Skills in Interviews and Resumes

P otential employers rarely take the time to read resumes thoroughly, at least not on the first go-around. Studies have shown that they spend a maximum of 10 to 15 seconds scanning a resume to determine the candidate's fit before they decide to keep or toss the application. If you are a job seeker, you need to stand out from the crowd. But it can be difficult to know for sure what to highlight about yourself, especially when you have the same skills as everyone else who applied for the position.

Many hiring managers say they are always on the lookout for important soft skills , such as interpersonal skills. This one element can make the difference between choosing one job applicant over another. Here's how you can highlight your interpersonal skills to a hiring manager.

What Are Interpersonal Skills?

Interpersonal skills are what give you the ability to communicate and interact well with others. Interpersonal skills are crucial to success professionally because your ability to communicate clearly impacts your efficiency, effectiveness, trust between co-workers and with your boss, your brand, and how you come across as a professional. For example, consider the following interpersonal skills list:

Communication

Communication is knowing how to express yourself in a clear, concise way when speaking or writing. Communication is critical internally between team members as well as externally with clients, vendors, partners and customers. Communication is one of the most in-demand skills in 2023, according to a LinkedIn analysis of employers, hirers and job-posters on its platform .

Teamwork involves knowing how to work well with others and leverage their strengths. Just about every job posting across different industries lists teamwork as a required skill, and for good reason. Without teamwork, companies are disorganized, tasks aren't completed efficiently and results ultimately suffer.

Being able to put yourself in someone else's shoes and understand their perspective on a task or project involves empathy. This skill fosters collaboration between individuals and teams and helps a company operate at its optimal level.

Leadership includes knowing how to be decisive, encourage others, manage change and provide a good example. Good leaders know how to instruct struggling workers, when to let employees work problems out on their own and how to carry themselves in a way that demonstrates how others should act.

Response to Conflict

This skill is the ability to diffuse a difficult situation. Conflict is often the best time to see how people react in tough situations. Being able to keep your cool, find the root of the problem and work quickly to a solution is a critical skill.

A positive attitude about your work, your team and your organization is key. This can seem disingenuous if not done with the right tone and is an important interpersonal skill to keep morale high.

Negotiation

Negotiation involves the ability to reach an agreement between two conflicting parties. This will often be useful in salary discussions but also when working with outside clients or customers.

This skill is taking the time and effort to understand the needs of others. The example of hearing versus listening is often used to describe this skill. It's important to pay attention to the other side's needs rather than simply waiting for your turn to speak.

To understand the importance of interpersonal skills, keep in mind that this skill set is hard to teach, so employers seek out professionals who already possess these strengths. Not everyone is naturally good at communicating. While you can always work on cultivating your interpersonal skills, if you are naturally gifted with interpersonal skills, this gives you an upper hand during your job search.

Why Are Interpersonal Skills Important?

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of interpersonal skills. Many professionals working remotely have seen how crucial it is to communicate and interact with others well in different situations on the job. Companies are interested in hiring professionals who have interpersonal skills whether they are working in the office, remotely or in a hybrid position. Some of these skills, such as communication, listening and empathy, are more necessary than ever as changes continue to unfold in the workforce.

Jobs That Require Interpersonal Skills

Many of the top jobs in U.S. News' rankings of 100 Best Jobs in America require interpersonal skills. Here are a few examples:

Since IT managers help guide and navigate an organization through the world of technology, it's important that they are able to communicate clearly and concisely when in meetings with executives. They also need to show good leadership skills to identify when decisive change is necessary and then manage those changes.

Operations Research Analyst

While it may seem that this position deals with data, interpersonal skills also come into play for an operations research analyst . Professionals in this job also have to be able to take the data, interpret it and provide their organization with insight to make decisions. This requires good communication and presentation skills to make the data easy to understand. This also requires flexibility when dealing with different ways of presenting the information.

Software Developer

This job requires strong technical skills, but soft skills also come into play when dealing with clients and assessing the needs of the software user. For example, empathy will allow software developers to determine the user experience of the software. Software developers also need to be able to work well with the client or organization to successfully create or edit the program according to their needs.

Physicians need good interpersonal skills since they regularly work with patients from many different backgrounds and with diverse needs. Communication, empathy and good listening are all needed to be a successful physician.

Financial Manager

Financial managers compile complex reports for the organization they work for. To help others understand those reports, good communication skills are needed. It's also important that they have good listening skills when executives express company financial goals or concerns.

How to Highlight Interpersonal Skills on Your Resume

Use your professional profile at the top of your resume to list your qualifications and include your interpersonal skills. Your profile outlines who you are and what you bring to the table, so listing your critical interpersonal skills along with your hard skills is a great way to grab the attention of a hiring manager. Some resumes do not include this section and instead jump right to "Education," but this forces hiring managers to read your entire resume to determine what type of position you would be qualified for, and they usually won't take the time to do that.

When thinking about what to include in your profile summary , consider what skills you bring, your value and why the hiring manager should continue reading your resume. Your summary encapsulates your expertise, or value proposition, and sets the theme for your resume. Then the rest of the resume should be a validation of your summary. For example, consider the following phrases:

• Intellectually curious with strong leadership, communication and problem-solving skills.
• Motivated to work as part of a team or as an individual contributor.
• Building partnerships and fostering collaborative relationships across a global organization.
• Mentored, managed and drove the team to realize strategies and objectives to grow national sales for key accounts.

These kinds of phrases in a summary statement highlight your interpersonal skills and how you perform as a professional beyond the standard qualifications. Then you can include measurable results for the interpersonal skills you choose to highlight, under your "Experience" section.

How to Include Interpersonal Skills on a Cover Letter

Your cover letter is a great opportunity to let your personality shine through on paper, especially highlighting your interpersonal skills.

And really, your cover letter in itself can demonstrate your communication skills in written form, so pay attention to any specific instructions that the organization asks to be included. Identify the top interpersonal skills needed for the job you are applying for and think about examples that show how you have demonstrated those effectively. Choose the most compelling example to highlight in your cover letter, making sure that the interpersonal skill you want to include is stated clearly.

How to Highlight Your Interpersonal Skills in an Interview

If you have secured an interview, you have obviously piqued the attention of the hiring manager and will want to continue to build on what you highlighted in your resume. During the interview, go into further detail regarding your interpersonal skills and results. For each interpersonal skill, write down a "Star" story – this stands for "situation, task, action, result" – that is relevant to the position for which you are interviewing.

Professionals should create and update a "brag book." This is a bound, professional-looking book that highlights your qualifications for the position. Included in this document can be testimonials, LinkedIn recommendations, references or other supporting materials such as product launches you have worked on or marketing materials you created for previous positions. Make sure that the items you include highlight your interpersonal skills as well as accomplishments. Providing the "brag book" in itself is proof of your desire and ability to communicate in a clear and helpful way to the hiring manager.

Of course, you will want to demonstrate your interpersonal skills from the moment you walk in the door for your interview. While feeling nervous is normal, remember to reflect confident body language, make eye contact, take a deep breath and smile.

How to Demonstrate Interpersonal Skills on the Job

No matter what your job position is, there are opportunities to demonstrate interpersonal skills. For example, you can demonstrate your communication skills by speaking with your co-workers in a conversational tone, and listening to and acknowledging their different perspectives. If you are a manager, you have opportunities to show your interpersonal skills during meetings with your employees and also by providing them with constructive criticism and a listening ear when they are struggling with a project.

How to Improve Interpersonal Skills

Even when interpersonal skills come naturally, workers can take steps to build on them and improve. If you would like to improve your interpersonal skills, here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Practice listening to your co-workers for one week. Limit yourself to only reflecting and paraphrasing what they say.
• To communicate more assertively, prepare for certain conversations in advance. This could be anything from an interruption from a co-worker to giving constructive criticism. Write down what you want to say and practice out loud.
• To work on your leadership skills, review how you led your last meeting with your team. What could you do differently to be more decisive in your next meeting?
• Work with a mentor. A mentor can provide you with helpful advice and feedback about what specific interpersonal skills you can work on.

Copyright 2023 U.S. News & World Report