Create Your Career Path Knows That in a Hard Job Market, Soft Skills Make the Difference

Atlanta, GA, November 04, 2011 --(PR.com)-- With the unemployment rate continuing to hover over 9 percent, Career Coach Hallie Crawford reminds jobseekers that promoting hard skills such as education and training is only one aspect of landing a job. Equally important, Crawford says, is communicating a strong set of soft skills.

Sometimes termed people skills or life skills, soft skills are the intangibles that cause people to think well of someone and enjoy interacting with them in a work environment. These include the ability to communicate effectively, a true commitment to the concept of teamwork and a determination to get things done—and to find a better way of doing them. Character traits such as a strong sense of ethics, a positive attitude and an internally motivated spirit are equally important.

“In any economy, job seekers and those looking to change jobs should ensure their soft skills are not only well developed, but also well communicated to prospective employers," says Hallie Crawford, career coach and founder of Create Your Own Career Path. "In the current environment, it's especially important. I tell my clients, 'If you're not showcasing your soft skills, be assured your competition is.'"

Crawford says soft skills are deceptive, because most of them cannot be communicated through a well-written resume. Rather, each interaction with a potential employer gives candidates the opportunity to demonstrate these crucial abilities. When working with clients, Crawford offers suggestions of how candidates can reinforce their soft skill set in interviews, by relating previous experiences where they were evident, for example, or working them into discussions of how they would approach the job for which they are being considered.

She also cautions those who have jobs to reevaluate how well they are use soft skills in their present position. "If your employer is looking to trim his payroll, the individuals whose attitude makes people question their commitment to the team, the project or the company are some of the first names considered for cuts," Crawford explains.

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