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Give yourself credit Maybe you don’t meet 100 percent of the listed requirements for a position or you’re considering a new career path. Don’t let that stop you from applying. Be confident and try not to apologize for or otherwise call attention to anything you’re lacking, says Jeannie Kim, former vice president of content at career site The Muse. “What you should do instead is really play up the things that you do have. Play up the skills you have that are in the job description. Play up the background that you have, and make sure that you’re telling the story of how you’re qualified to do the actual responsibilities of the job.” Highlight your adaptability Businesses across the country are settling into new normals. That might involve reconfiguring workspaces or learning to operate remotely. You’ll make a good impression by demonstrating you can roll with changes. How do you do that? Showcase personality traits and attitudes like flexibility, empathy and creativity, known as soft skills. “With people not able to be in the same place as their coworkers, being able to show that you have strong communication and
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collaboration skills is really important right now,” Kim says. Resumes and application forms often revolve around hard skills: the technical, measurable skills like proficiency in a particular software or programming language. But your cover letter and interview can be suitable places to insert soft skills. Transferable skills are also crucial to mention, especially if you’re looking to change roles or industries. Those are skills that apply to a wide variety of roles and can include both soft and hard skills, such as sales, writing or leadership. Previous telecommuting experience can give you a leg up, too. “Experience managing a remote team would be huge right now because very few managers have managed like this,” Kratz says. “But even having successfully contributed to a virtual team, especially if you can lead with the accomplishments you achieved on that team, would go really well.”
With people not able to be in the same place as their coworkers, being able to show that you have strong communication and collaboration skills is really important right now.
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