​There are two types of skills to include on your resume: “technical skills” (such as software, tools, and procedures) and “people skills” (the behaviors and strengths that support teamwork, communication, and workplace success). 

Employers consistently say they want candidates who can communicate well, work well with others, handle challenges, and contribute positively to the workplace. These qualities are sometimes called “soft skills,” but they’re not soft at all. They’re often the deciding factor in a hiring decision.

Across industries and career levels, employers consistently say that people who are successful share similar core strengths: 

• Reliability
• Integrity
• Communication
• Teamwork
• Problem-Solving
• Adaptability
• Customer Service
• Leadership Potential
• Conflict Resolution
• Emotional Intelligence

These skills help you get hired, stay employed, and grow in your career. They can be even more important than technical skills. 

People skills (sometimes called “character skills”, “leadership skills”, “behavioral traits”, or “power skills”) describe how you work, how you interact with others, and how you contribute to a team. They shape how employers perceive you before you’re hired and once you’re on the job. Unlike technical skills, people skills reflect your behaviors, mindset, and approach to work. People skills help you get hired, and they can also keep you employed. Even in highly technical roles, employers want employees who communicate well, stay calm during challenges, and work well with others.

Categories of people skills can include:

• Character and work ethic (integrity, reliability, accountability, time management, adaptability, organization, professionalism, follow-through)
• Interpersonal and teamwork (collaboration, flexibility, empathy, relationship building, conflict resolution)
• Leadership and initiative (leading others, delegation, decision-making, motivating, and encouraging)
• Emotional intelligence (patience, empathy, self-awareness, staying calm under pressure, compassion, respectfulness)
• Communication (active listening, clear writing, professionalism, conflict de-escalation, tact, presentation skills)
• Problem-solving (resourcefulness, critical thinking, creativity, troubleshooting)

You don’t need all these skills, but you do need to know your strongest ones and be able to show them in action. 

​People skills are important because they predict job performance, reduce turnover risk, signal cultural fit, support strong customer relationships, improve workplace communication, help teams perform better together, and demonstrate long-term leadership potential. These skills help you stand out, no matter your industry or experience level.

However, simply listing words like team player, strong communicator, or adaptable isn’t enough to convince a hiring manager or recruiter that you have these qualities. You must prove them with evidence, examples, and insights about your strengths.

​Anyone can list people skills. Not everyone can prove them. How can you show a prospective employer you have these skills?

To stand out, you need to move beyond vague claims and demonstrate how your people skills show up in real workplace situations. This means using credible language, concrete examples, and intentional storytelling that connects your behavior to results. The following strategies will help you present your people skills in a way that feels authentic, professional, and persuasive to employers.

If you’ve taken any of the  top career assessments  (such as DISC, CliftonStrengths, Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment, or Myers-Briggs), you can excerpt specific strengths or traits directly from the results.

When included in a resume summary, always label the skills as coming from the assessment. For example, in a resume summary:

Communication and Behavioral Strengths (Highlights from DISCstyles Profile):

• “A rare ability to get along with a wide variety of people. Able to build positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.”
• “People-oriented: Able to talk with new people very easily in small groups or large audiences.”
• “Able to negotiate conflicts into win-win situations.”
• “Strong optimism that helps motivate the team towards corporate objectives.”

This language signals to hiring managers that your traits come from a credible, validated tool, and are not simple clichés. You can cite assessments in:

• The resume summary
• Skills/Strengths section
• About section on LinkedIn
• Interview self-introductions (“Tell me about yourself”)

One of the strongest ways to demonstrate people skills during an interview is through short accomplishment stories using the STAR (Situation-Task-Action-Result) method. These stories show how your character skills (such as patience, empathy, adaptability, teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving) have been demonstrated in real-life situations.

For example:

• When our department switched software applications (situation),
• I volunteered to lead a training session for five co-workers (task).
• I created simple step-by-step instructions and held small-group teaching sessions (action),
• and helped the team to successfully adopt the new software and reduce errors by 40% within two weeks (result).

This description showcases communication skills, initiative, and leadership, without saying the words outright. 

You can also incorporate the same STAR story and skills in your resume, using a slightly diffeent tone:

• Demonstrated leadership skills when the department switched software applications (situation).
• Took the initiative to create and lead a training session for five co-workers (task).
• Used written and verbal communication skills to create simple step-by-step instructions and teach small-group sessions (action),
• Helped the team to successfully adopt the new software and reduce errors by 40% within two weeks (result).

Note: When sharing a STAR story, whether in your resume, cover letter, or job interview, you should follow the STAR framework but leave out the labels. Simply tell the story naturally without saying “situation”, “task”, “action”, or “result.”

You can use STAR stories in:

• Accomplishment bullet points on the resume
• Answers to behavioral interview questions
• Cover letters

Whether in writing or in interviews, employers look for evidence of your strengths and skills. Instead of listing a trait alone (for example: organized), pair it with a quick example. 

• Organized: Managed schedules for three teams and kept projects on track.
• Adaptable: Took on additional responsibilities during a staffing shortage.
• Calm under pressure: Handled customer escalations and resolved issues quickly.

This creates instant credibility. Hiring managers respond to stories.

A simple self-check is to ask yourself: “When has this trait helped me succeed?” If you can think of a moment, you can describe it with an example. If you can’t, don’t list the trait.

Even when job postings focus heavily on technical abilities, many of the responsibilities imply people-centered strengths, including: teamwork, communication, leadership, reliability, professionalism, customer service, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence.

When reading a job posting, look for the behavior behind each task. For example:

• Work with multiple teams (collaboration)
• Manage competing priorities (time management)
• Represent the department in meetings (communication and professionalism)
• Handle escalated issues (emotional intelligence, conflict resolutions, prolem-solving)

You can tailor your resume by matching your proven people skills to the job description.

• ​On your resume, skills can be integrated into accomplishment-focused bullet points, in a “Skills” or “Strengths” section (with examples), and in the resume summary (top 1/3 of the first page of the resume).
• In cover letters, include a short example that demonstrates a key skill or highlight a story relevant to the job (using the STAR story format). 
• On LinkedIn, demonstrate people skills in your “About” section and in Recommendations from co-workers and managers.
• In interviews, you can provide examples of how you’ve handled challenges (using the STAR story framework) to answer questions such as, “Tell me about a time when you…” or “Give me an example of a time when you…”

People skills are often the difference between a good application and a standout one. When you support these strengths with real examples, your resume, LinkedIn profile, and interviews instantly become more compelling.

The key is not just naming your people skills, but proving them through examples, results, and intentional language. By integrating behavioral strengths into your resume, LinkedIn profile, and interview responses, you show employers how you work, not just what you can do.

At Market-Connections.net, I help job seekers translate their real-world experiences into compelling, results-driven resumes that highlight both technical expertise and people skills. Whether you are changing careers, re-entering the workforce, or targeting executive roles, a well-crafted resume can dramatically improve your visibility and confidence. When your people skills are clearly communicated, hiring managers can see your value immediately, and that’s what opens doors.