Each year, thousands of students graduate from university, yet there are few qualified candidates out there. Remember the days when a university degree guaranteed instant success? Well, those were the days my friend! In these changing times, candidates are not hired solely on the basis of their academic accomplishments; a degree might be a basic requirement nowadays, but employers are looking for a wide range of other skills when it comes to hiring and retaining a certain candidate; and since this will continue to be the case in the near future, you will need to work on a number of other necessary non-academic attributes. One of the main skills employers look for in a potential candidate is “interpersonal skills”, which is basically the ability to communicate well with others and to maintain good working relationships.
Your relationship with your coworkers is really important for your job improvement and can definitely make for an exceptional career, it can also help you do your job better and turn your everyday job into an enjoyable experience. However, this is not always easy to achieve. As a matter of fact it can be very difficult at times especially if you have to deal with many colleagues of different backgrounds and personalities.
So, how about you try these helpful tips in order to improve your interpersonal skills?
Wearing the same shirts doesn’t make you a team
“Team Player” is now the buzz term for companies in all fields. Just take a look at any job posting on www.akhtaboot.com, most probably you’ll find the term “Team Player” as one of the main requirements for the position. Being a team player is an essential interpersonal trait of outstanding employees. It involves the ability to communicate clearly and to share your knowledge and expertise with your coworkers. Although some employees might be hesitant to share their knowledge for fear that once their knowledge is spread, they might no longer be considered indispensable. It’s really important that you understand that knowledge hoarding is for the weak. The more you share your knowledge, the more valuable you become.
A good listener is not only popular, but after a while he actually knows something
Being a good listener is the most important, yet the most forgotten, communication tool that we have. You can find many courses on how to speak but not even one on how to be a good listener. Effective listeners don’t simply hear what is being said but what is not being said as well. Always listen with an open mind and be receptive to new ideas even if they go against your own. This will create an atmosphere of cooperation in the company and will help you as a group in achieving the company’s goals.
They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel
Just like you, coworkers like to be treated with respect, and respect is not given, it is actually earned. Always give credit to those who come up with new ideas, others will do the same for you and your good ideas. Make sure that you maintain a positive and cheerful attitude at work. Being negative not only brings you down; it also brings down the team as a whole. Do whatever it takes to reduce your stress level. If you still find yourself in a bad work situation and you can’t help but spread the negative energy, consider a job change.
The bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you refuse to take the turn
Gain a reputation for being a flexible employee, be open to new ideas, and put your need to “be right” on the side, even if for a while. Don’t jump to conclusions before you’ve heard the whole thing. While team conflict is unavoidable, it could be both healthy and productive, if properly managed. In order for your coworkers to view you as a competent mediator, you should be flexible and inventive when in comes to solving problems and handling conflict.
Now that you’ve read all of these tips, you must have noticed that they all have one thing in common, “Selflessness”. In order for you to thrive in your career, you’ve got to learn to put others first. It might seem like a backward way to achieving your own goals, but it works for sure. Show your supervisors and your colleagues that you are all about the common interest, and you will be rewarded with career advancement no matter where you find yourself working in the future. Working well with others involves understanding and appreciating individual differences. It is all about using these differences to your best advantage.
If you find yourself constantly being accused of being an uncooperative team player this is an early warning for you to seek out a company where individual performance is rewarded. Better yet, why don’t you start your own business and hire only people who are not team players!
