How to List People Management Skills on a Resume: Best Skills and Examples
People Management Skills | Best Skills & Examples | Resume.com
People management skills are essential in any position where you interact with others, whether they are coworkers, clients or other industry professionals. Being able to manage and set expectations within professional relationships can be a key part of being successful. In this article, you can explore the people management skills that can help you be more influential and productive at work.
What are people management skills?
People management skills refer to someone’s ability to interact productively with others in order to meet a goal. Having good people management skills involves being able to navigate the personal and professional needs of others while accomplishing a goal. These skills require more than just a friendly personality and instead focus on communication, working well with others and persuasiveness.
Why employers want to see people management skills on your resume
Employers seek out candidates with strong people management skills in order to develop a culture of teamwork and communication within their company. Oftentimes, an employee’s skills and experience may not be useful if they do not know how to work with others and navigate relationships in the workplace. Having people management skills also indicates your ability to prioritize your time and encourage efficiency in the workplace.
Popular people management skills to list on a resume
Here are some of the best people management skills to list on your resume:
Empathy
Showing empathy is a great way to connect with coworkers and clients in the workplace. Sharing a genuine interest in another person’s wellbeing can help encourage honesty and openness while building a professional rapport.
Professionalism
Having good manners and appropriate professional behavior is an important part of people management. Being able to fit into the professional expectations of your industry can help others be more comfortable around you and more receptive to your ideas. Showing professionalism demonstrates to others that you are competent and serious about your work, which can help generate respect among your coworkers and clients.
Leadership
Having leadership skills can help set the tone for your interactions at work. Even if you do not work in a leadership position, showing confidence and sharing motivation can make others more interested in working with you. Helping others succeed and sharing motivation with others can build a workplace environment that will provide you with support when you need it.
Empowerment
Motivation encourages others while empowerment gives them the tools they need to succeed. Empowering others effectively requires you to understand another person’s priorities and learning what they need to best accomplish their work. This also shows that you are invested in the success of the client or customer and can help you gain influence in your job.
Trustworthiness
Building trust is a process and requires someone to show consistently high standards for their own behavior. Being trustworthy can help you stand out as an employee who can handle additional responsibilities or key priorities in the company. It can also encourage others to communicate honestly with you during projects.
Sharing feedback
Many employers look for applicants who are skilled in giving evaluations and implementing feedback in a way that encourages employees to improve instead of focusing on their shortcomings. Sharing feedback is also a useful skill when interacting with clients or business partners, allowing business practices to evolve according to company needs.
Negotiation
Being able to negotiate and persuade others is a great way to manage your work relationships and influence others’ behavior in a positive way. In order to negotiate, you need to be able to figure out another person’s priorities and consider how to leverage them to reach an ideal agreement. Employers seek out candidates who are able to advocate for themselves and negotiate on behalf of the company regardless of their position.
Delegation
Delegating tasks to others based on their strengths and availability is a people management skill that you can use in almost any workplace. Understanding how to assign different responsibilities and being flexible with your team can encourage productivity and help you use your time efficiently. Using delegation skills at your job can help you understand what particular aspects of the job that you are most skilled in and can even show management potential.
Communication
Communicating well allows you to manage others’ expectations by clearly starting your needs and creating opportunities for others to share their feedback with you. Communication involves being able to accurately share your perspective and being able to listen to others and interpret what they mean.
Flexibility
Being flexible and willing to adapt to new situations can show your manager that you have a good attitude and are open to change. Having a willingness to learn and adapt can make you easier to work with and encourage others to show you flexibility and understanding in return. Flexibility is a strong asset in companies that have different moving parts, and employers will often see flexibility as a sign of potential and ambition.
How to include people management skills on a resume
Follow these steps when listing people management skills on your resume:
1. First, review the job listing
Deciding which people management skills to include on your resume can be challenging, but employers often indicate which soft skills they value the most within their job listings. Carefully read through the qualifications and responsibilities and consider which of your people management skills would best support success in that position. Be mindful that the employer may not state a specific skill, requiring you to interpret which skills are most relevant based on the posting.
2. Next, list a variety of key skills
Include a few different people management skills that show the full range of your abilities. Your resume should show your ability to specialize as well as your ability to learn a broad variety of skills. Listing different types of interpersonal skills that you excel at can make you a more interesting applicant to employers.
3. Finally, emphasize your experience
In addition to the skills section on your resume, you can also include people management skills in the experience section. When describing your duties at past jobs, describe how you used people management skills to succeed. This shows employers that you have practical experience using soft skills that produced identifiable results.
How to improve people management skills
Use these steps to improve your people management skills:
1. First, evaluate your current skill level
In order to effectively improve your people management skills, honestly evaluate your own skill level at people management. Consider what areas you struggle with the most and what your strengths are when managing interpersonal relationships. Recording your initial level of experience allows you to track your progress and adjust your strategy based on improvements.
2. Second, shadow respected colleagues
Think about which of your colleagues have impressive people management skills and ask to shadow them during the workday. Notice how they manage their attitude and lead interactions with others. Discuss your observations with them afterward and create a plan for modeling their people management behavior in your role.
3. Third, ask for feedback
Ask your coworkers and managers for advice on what specific skills you could improve. Because people management relies on relationships and communication, gaining outside perspectives provides further opportunities for developing your skills.
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