Interpersonal Skills For Your Resume (Definition + Examples)

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Table of contents

What are interpersonal skills and why do they matter on a resume?
30+ Interpersonal skills examples to include on your resume
How to list interpersonal skills on your resume
How to improve your interpersonal skills
More skills resources
Key takeaways

Even the most independent workers must interact with colleagues, bosses, vendors or customers from time to time. Strong interpersonal skills help you make the most of the social interactions that working life requires.

Whether it's building relationships, networking, negotiating salaries, navigating conflicts or interacting with customers, employers seek out employees with an impressive toolkit of interpersonal skills that help them succeed at vital tasks.

Wondering how to showcase your interpersonal skills on your resume? Our guide will help you understand what they are and why they're important, provide examples to demonstrate your abilities and offer tips to enhance these key professional skills for future challenges.

Read on for:

A definition of interpersonal skills to help you grasp their significance.
Examples of interpersonal skills to highlight your ability to work well with others.
Guidance on how to effectively list interpersonal skills on your resume.
Tips to enhance your interpersonal skills and handle interpersonal challenges more effectively.
Key takeaways to help you remember the essentials.

Need a resume that showcases your interpersonal skills? Try our AI Resume Builder. It offers professional content suggestions, automatic formatting, stylish templates and expert tips to help you create a standout resume quickly.

What are interpersonal skills and why do they matter on a resume?

If you've been asking yourself "What are interpersonal skills?" then you've come to the right place! Let's start with an interpersonal skills definition.

Interpersonal skills are the abilities that enable you to interact effectively with others in a respectful and positive manner. These skills help you build relationships, communicate clearly and work well in a team.

Employers value interpersonal skills because they are essential for navigating various workplace interactions. Whether you're dealing with colleagues, clients or vendors, the ability to communicate and collaborate effectively is crucial.

Learning to write a resume that showcases your ability to work on a team and communicate appropriately with others is essential to landing the right role. To help you get started, let's look at some examples of interpersonal skills for a resume.

30+ Interpersonal skills examples to include on your resume

Now, let's explore examples of interpersonal skills that you can showcase on your resume, alongside the more targeted resume skills you're already highlighting.

We'll categorize interpersonal skills into three groups.

Communication skills

Communication skills are the cornerstone of interpersonal interactions. Understanding and working well with others begins with learning how to listen well and communicate your thoughts effectively.

Here are some communication skills to consider listing on your resume:

Clear verbal communication
Concise written communication
Active listening
Empathy
Open-mindedness
Attention to detail
Respect
Organization
Proficiency in communication tools like:
- Zoom
- Google Meet
- Microsoft Teams

Emotional intelligence skills

Dealing with interpersonal dynamics can be emotionally taxing. Whether you're involved in a conflict or you're simply struggling to interpret the complexity of social dynamics, it's natural for your emotions to influence how you respond to others. Learning to manage your emotional response and appropriately respond to others is a key skill for any professional.

Examples of emotional intelligence skills to demonstrate your ability to manage emotions:

Accountability
Humility
Positivity
Objectivity
Perspective
Self-awareness
Graciousness
Stress management
Patience
Calm
Level-headedness

Collaboration skills

One of the main reasons you need strong interpersonal skills is that they allow you to work well with others. Collaborative skills make you a valuable team member and an attractive employee.

Here are some collaborative teamwork skills to showcase on your resume:

Collaboration
Teamwork
Problem-solving
Flexibility
Leadership
Patience
Problem-solving
Adaptability

How to list interpersonal skills on your resume

Now that you have a diverse range of interpersonal skills to focus on, how can you effectively showcase them on your resume to demonstrate your ability to navigate dynamic social environments? Let's explore!

Step 1

Start by carefully analyzing the job description

Job postings often outline the responsibilities and desired skills the employer is looking for in the ideal candidate. These details serve as valuable keywords to identify which interpersonal skills to highlight on your resume.

For instance, consider this job listing:

Our ideal candidate for the role of customer service representative possesses:

Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Empathy and understanding in resolving customer concerns.
Ability to collaborate effectively with team members.
Attention to detail and problem-solving skills.

These highlighted terms indicate the interpersonal skills this employer values. To tailor your application, emphasize communication, empathy, collaboration and attention to detail alongside specific customer service experiences.

Pro tip

Incorporating interpersonal skills from the job listing into your resume can improve its performance in applicant tracking systems (ATS) that screen candidates based on relevant keywords.

Step 2

Feature interpersonal skills in your skills section

The skills section is an ideal space to showcase your interpersonal abilities. List them alongside other specific hard skills relevant to your field.

Step 3

Integrate interpersonal skills throughout your resume

Go beyond the skills section and incorporate interpersonal skills throughout your work history. Demonstrate how you've applied these skills to achieve positive outcomes in past roles. Showing that you know how to use your skills can be even more valuable than only listing them.

Consider this example:

Customer Service Representative

ABC Corporation, Anytown, USA

July 2019 – March 2024

Utilized active listening and empathy to address customer concerns, ensuring a positive experience.
Collaborated with team members to resolve complex issues and enhance customer satisfaction.
Demonstrated strong problem-solving skills in resolving customer complaints efficiently.
Communicated effectively with customers and colleagues, fostering a supportive and cohesive work environment.

You can also highlight key interpersonal skills in your resume profile to grab the recruiter's attention from the start.

Pro tip

If you lack extensive work experience, consider using a functional resume format to highlight your interpersonal skills effectively.

Step 4

Don't forget to include interpersonal skills in your cover letter

Your cover letter offers another opportunity to showcase your interpersonal skills. Use it to provide examples of how your skills align with the role you're applying for and how they contribute to your potential success in the position.

For further assistance, explore cover letter examples that effectively highlight interpersonal skills. Our Cover Letter Generator can help you craft a compelling letter using our professional text suggestions and formatting guidance.

How to improve your interpersonal skills

Your interpersonal skills are extremely valuable even outside your career. These are the abilities that help you make friends, get along with others and resolve conflicts in your day-to-day life. This means that honing and practicing them isn't just a matter of improving your work skills; it means approaching your social life thoughtfully and learning about yourself as a person.

Improve your interpersonal skills by:

Thoughtfully socializing

Socializing is a part of everyone's life, whether you're an introvert or an extrovert. The next time you meet a friend for lunch or discuss your bill with your server at a restaurant, try to put some thought into how you communicate and how you understand others' communication styles. One Education suggests observing the way others communicate to help improve your own skills.

Being direct

Sometimes, in the interest of politeness, we hide our meaning behind words that we think will be better received. This can be necessary in some situations, but often it just sends a confusing message. Try to practice stating your meaning directly. The Continuing Professional Development Certification Service recommends direct communication to improve your problem-solving efficacy. Be brief but polite as you directly state your thoughts or intentions.

Asking for help

It can be difficult to assess our own social skills. The American Management Association suggests seeking an outside perspective to help you develop your interpersonal skills. Have a trusted friend observe your social style and critique your interpersonal skills. Their observations and constructive criticism should help you identify areas for improvement.

Learning from the experts

Our tips can help you make some improvements to your interpersonal skills, but if you want to take a more structured approach to improving, we recommend taking some courses and seeking resources for help. Coursera has an interpersonal skills course administered by experts from IBM.

More skills resources

Looking for help understanding, improving or listing a different career skill? Check out our other guides for assistance.

Now, let's explore some key takeaways to help you remember what's important!

Key takeaways

List interpersonal skills on your resume
Interpersonal skills can be a great addition to your resume and can indicate to potential employers how great of a team player you are. List them in your skills section and demonstrate them in your work history and resume profile.
Emphasize communication
Communication is the most important interpersonal skill around. Focus on improving how you communicate with others and showcase the skills related to this ability for a resume that truly demonstrates your ability to communicate.
Demonstrate emotional intelligence
There's no hiding from the impact of emotions on our interpersonal relationships. Developing your emotional intelligence will help you identify and respond to your emotions and your colleague's emotions, so you can embrace the emotional side of interpersonal relations, without letting it take over.
Work on teamwork
Teamwork is vital to developing interpersonal skills and working relationships. To be effective at teamwork, maintain a strong balance between listening and leading.
Improve your interpersonal skills
Highly developed interpersonal skills will benefit your social and professional lives. Approach social situations thoughtfully and accept constructive advice from friends as you work on improving your interpersonal skills.