What are Interpersonal Skills?

Interpersonal skills are the skills required to effectively communicate, interact, and work
with individuals and groups. Those with good interpersonal skills are strong verbal and
non-verbal communicators and are often considered to be “good with people”. Whether
they’re used in your career or personal life, these skills are important for success.

Why Interpersonal Skills Matter

Most of what we do in life requires interaction with other people.  In order to be

successful in your career or have meaningful friendships, it’s critical to be good at getting
along with others.  While interpersonal skills are often considered to be something that
comes naturally, that you’re either blessed with them or not, the truth is that they can be
learned.

At CFI, our focus is on helping you advance your career.  With that objective in mind,
we’ve designed this guide to help you:

1. Be aware of the importance of interpersonal skills

2. Highlight your skills in a way that helps you get a job and advance your career
3. Assess your interpersonal abilities and develop a plan to improve them

Technical Skills vs Soft Skills

When preparing a job application, the natural tendency is to focus on technical skills.  It’s
only natural, as most job descriptions focus on specific requirements such as accounting,
finance, Excel, financial modeling, and related skills.

However, most hiring managers actually make their decision based on soft skills, even
though they talk about all the technical skills required.  According to a recent LinkedIn
survey of 291 hiring managers, interpersonal skills are both more important and also
harder to find. 59% of managers reported they have trouble finding people with the right
soft skills.

The table below summarizes some key differences between technical and soft skills.

Technical Skills Interpersonal Skills

IQ (Intelligence Quotient) EQ (Emotional Quotient)

Following Rules Changing Rules

Learned in School Learned in Life

Easily Testable Harder to Test

Can be Learned Can be Learned

Heavy Focus in Careers Equally Important, Less Focus

List of Interpersonal Skills for Your Resume

If you’re looking for ideas and examples, here is a list of the most common interpersonal
skills:

 Awareness (of yourself and others)

 Caring about other people
 Collaborating and working well together with others
 Comforting people when they need it
 Clear communication skills
 Conflict management and resolution skills
 Constructive feedback (ways people can improve)
 Diplomacy (handling affairs without hostility)
 Empathy for others
 Encouraging and inspiring people to do their best
 Flexibility in thinking and operating style
 Humor and lightheartedness
 Inspiring and motivating others to active greatness
 Listening well
 Mentoring and coaching team members
 Networking and building relationships
 Nonverbal cues and body language
 Patience when dealing with others
 Public speaking and presentation skills
 Respect for everyone, no matter who they are
 Sensitivity toward the preferences and wishes of others
 Socializing skills
 Being good at team building and at building trust
 Tolerance and respect for team members

How to Improve Your Interpersonal Skills

Once you know where you stand, it’s time to start planning out how to improve your
interpersonal skills.  Some of the best ways to improve are:

 Monitor your body language and ensure you’re not doing things that make
people think you’re disengaged or aggressive (crossing your arms, looking
around, avoiding eye contact, etc.)
 Practice active listening with family, friends, and coworkers  – repeat what they’ve
said back to them to ensure you’re accurately listening
 Try being friendly and chatty with colleagues
 Practice leading a meeting or presentation
 Be enthusiastic and engaged when interacting with people
 Project an image of being confident and approach