What Are Soft Skills? Full List & How to Showcase Them

You’ve probably heard that soft skills are just as important as technical skills when job hunting.

But what exactly are they, and why do they matter?

In this guide, you’ll find a list of soft skills, along with practical tips on how to include them on your resume and prove them during interviews.

Let’s start with the basics: what are soft skills, and why do employers care about them?

What Are Soft Skills?

Ever worked with someone who had all the right qualifications but was impossible to communicate with?

What they lacked were soft skills. 

But what are soft skills by definition? 

Definition and Importance of Soft Skills

Technically speaking, soft skills are a mix of communication, emotional intelligence, adaptability, teamwork, and a wide variety of other nontechnical capabilities.

You’ve likely encountered them without realizing it—like when a manager handles a tough conversation with empathy or when a coworker stays calm under pressure.

But aren’t these things trivial and unimportant for landing jobs? Not at all.

They matter a lot, sometimes as much as hard skills, if not more than them. We’ll go into that in the next section.

The Difference Between Soft Skills and Hard Skills

The dividing line between soft and hard skills is simple: one can be measured, the other can’t.

• Hard skills: Technical and teachable abilities that are often specific to a particular job or industry. They’re measurable, and you acquire them through formal education and training. Plus, They are typically validated through certifications, degrees, or portfolios.

• Soft skills: Non-technical, interpersonal, and behavioral traits that influence how individuals interact with others and navigate their work environment. Soft skills are also more subjective and harder to measure therefore, they’re gauged through behavior and outcomes. You develop soft skills throughout your upbringing from experiences, self-awareness, and changing environments. 

Here’s a quick comparison of some hard and soft skills examples:

Soft Skill	Hard Skill
Communication	Data Analysis
Leadership	Programming
Time Management	Financial Modeling

Why Employers Value Soft Skills in Every Industry?

The crux of what we learned is that hard skills can be taught; soft skills take time to develop. 

That’s why employers place a high value on soft skills. 

In fact, 89% of employers believe soft skills are more important now than they were five years ago. Here’s why:

• Remote work & diverse teams: With teams spread across the globe, clear communication and adaptability are more critical than ever.
• Customer satisfaction: Emotional intelligence helps professionals understand client needs and improve customer retention.
• Leadership & company culture: Soft skills shape positive work environments that are essential for collaboration and innovation.

How to Identify Your Soft Skills

Now that you know how important are soft skills for your resume, how do you figure out which ones you actually possess?

You cannot just throw in a list of soft skills just because they sound good.

It’s unethical, and hiring managers can sniff out inauthenticity faster than you think.

Here are a few ways to brainstorm a list of soft skills for resume: 

• Reflect on Small Wins in Your Daily Life: Think about the moments when you handled a tricky situation with ease. Did you calm down an angry customer at your part-time job? That’s conflict resolution and emotional intelligence. Grab a journal and jot down 3-5 recent scenarios where you:
  • Solved a problem
  • Helped someone
  • Adapted to a sudden change
  • Took initiative without being asked

• Ask Others for Feedback: You’re the worst judge of your own soft skills because they feel second nature to you. Ask people who’ve spent time with you, like coworkers, friends, and professors/mentors about qualities they like in you.

• Reverse-Engineer Job Descriptions: Look at job postings in your field and dissect their soft skills sections. Match your experiences to the skills employers want. 

These techniques should reveal most of your soft skills. 

Top Soft Skills Every Professional Should Have

Every job requires technical know-how, but the way you work with others is what truly sets professionals apart.

Below are some major soft skills that every professional should develop.

1. Communication Skills

Communication is the glue that holds workplaces together. 

Ever had an email so confusing you had to read it five times?

Or sat through a meeting where no one was on the same page? These result from poor communication skills.

Good communicators know how to adjust their message depending on their audience.

They also listen actively instead of just waiting for their turn to speak. 

And let’s not forget written communication, which is an equally important communication skill. 

Some specific communication skills include:

• Conflict Resolution
• Public Speaking
• Verbal and written communication
• Negotiation and persuasion
• Giving and receiving constructive feedback

2. Leadership & Management Skills

A good leader makes tough decisions and steers the ship toward success even when the waters get rough.

Leadership skills show you can take charge and get results.

And no, great leaders don’t bark orders.

They actively guide, support, and ensure that their team has what they need to succeed.

Think of what leadership and management skills you have from the following soft skills examples: 

• Decision-Making
• Mentoring and coaching others
• Delegation and team coordination
• Problem-solving under pressure
• Adaptability in leadership roles

3. Teamwork & Collaboration

Some people enjoy working in team settings.

Others prefer working alone.

But you must have a certain level of collaboration skill, no matter where you fall on that spectrum.

Teamwork requires patience, compromise, and the ability to see things from others’ perspectives.

And yes, it also means handling disagreements in a way that keeps things moving forward instead of creating drama.

Major teamwork skills include: 

• Cross-functional teamwork and coordination
• Conflict resolution within teams
• Adaptability and flexibility in group settings
• Giving and receiving constructive feedback

4. Problem-Solving & Critical Thinking

Every job comes with challenges, and employers love candidates who can tackle them head-on.

Some people freeze up when a problem arises.

But critical thinkers jump into problem-solving mode. 

They ask the right questions, weigh the pros and cons, and make decisions based on logic and evidence.

That’s what helps them come up with creative solutions instead of quick fixes. 

Here’s a list of soft skills that define good problem-solving:

• Analytical and logical reasoning
• Risk assessment
• Troubleshooting issues
• Root cause analysis
• Crisis management 
• Rapid response

5. Time Management & Organization

It’s easy to say you have time management skills, but what does that actually mean? 

Deadlines pile up, priorities shift, and meetings seem to multiply overnight.

Do you have the time management and organization skills it takes to handle these situations?

Organization also includes keeping your workspace tidy enough that you’re not wasting half your morning searching for that one file. 

Here are some soft skills examples that show you can handle your workload like a pro:

• Task prioritization 
• Multitasking
• Productivity tracking
• Calendar management

6. Emotional Intelligence & Interpersonal Skills

You might be great at your job, but if your coworkers avoid you or you avoid them, it’s time to check in on your interpersonal skills.

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the secret sauce that makes people want to work with you.

It’s what keeps you from sending that passive-aggressive email or rolling your eyes in a meeting.

Some list of soft skills that show you have strong emotional intelligence:

• Active listening and empathy
• Conflict resolution and de-escalation strategies
• Rapport building with colleagues
• Emotional control
• Maintaining a positive and professional attitude
• Understanding social cues

7. Adaptability & Flexibility

Change is inevitable, and the workplace is no exception. 

It could come in the form of a new boss or a global pandemic.

How you adapt to these changes says a lot about your ability to grow in your role.

Employers value people who can think on their feet without panicking when the unexpected happens.

Here are some soft skills examples that prove you can roll with the punches:

• Ability to quickly learn and apply new skills
• Resilience in the face of challenges
• Adjusting to new technologies
• Openness to feedback

8. Work Ethic & Professionalism

Showing up on time and doing your job well might sound like the bare minimum, but you’d be surprised how many people struggle with it.

A strong work ethic is the difference between someone who just gets the job done and someone who goes the extra mile to make sure it’s done right.

Professionalism, on the other hand, encompasses how you carry yourself, how you interact with others, and how seriously you take your responsibilities.

If you want to prove you’ve got a strong work ethic, highlight these soft skills examples:

• Accountability in tasks
• Consistency in producing high-quality work
• Respectful communication
• Ability to work independently without constant supervision

9. Customer Service & Client Relations

Great customer service professionals create experiences that leave people feeling valued and heard.

They know how to listen actively, respond empathetically, and turn negative situations into positive outcomes.

A good customer service professional should have the following skills:

• Active listening
• Empathy
• De-escalation strategies
• Client retention and loyalty-building
• Patience in customer interactions
• Relevant writing skills 

10. Creativity & Innovation

Anyone who can look at a problem and see a solution no one else has thought of is creative.

It isn’t just for artists and designers.

Good employers want people who challenge the norm and improve existing processes.

Here’s a list of soft skills for resume that highlights innovation and creativity:

• Resourcefulness
• Experimenting and learning from failures
• Curiosity
• Adapting creative ideas to real-world constraints
• Risk-Taking

How to Showcase Soft Skills on Your Resume

Soft skills can make or break a job application.

So simply listing soft skills isn’t enough.

You need to showcase them in a way that influences hiring managers.

Where to Include Soft Skills in a Resume?

You should integrate soft skills into sections where they carry the most weight.

Here’s where to put them:

• Resume Summary: Give a quick overview of your top soft skills and how they contribute to your success.
• Skills Section: Pair soft skills with relevant hard skills to show a well-rounded profile.
• Work Experience: Use real examples of how you applied soft skills to achieve results.
• Education & Certifications: Showcase soft skills developed through coursework, leadership roles, or training.

Best Resume Summary & Skills Section Examples

Here’s what soft skills examples look like in a resume summary:

✔️Correct Example:

Detail-oriented project manager with 5+ years of experience leading cross-functional teams and delivering complex projects on time. Skilled in stakeholder communication, strategic planning, and problem-solving to drive project success.

❌ Generic Example:

Hardworking and organized team player with good communication skills.

For the skills section, list soft and hard skills together for balance:

✔️ Correct Example:

Project Management | Leadership | Conflict Resolution

Agile Methodologies | Communication | Cross-Team Collaboration

Time Management | Decision-Making | Problem-Solving

❌ Weak Example:

Leadership

Communication

Teamwork

How to Demonstrate Soft Skills Through Work Experience

Showing hiring managers exactly how you’ve used soft skills in past roles creates an impact.

Here’s how to write work experience that showcases soft skills:

• Leadership: Led a team of 10 designers and developers to successfully launch a new product that increased customer engagement by 35%.
• Communication: Presented quarterly reports to senior leadership that helped translate data into actionable business strategies.
• Problem-Solving: Identified inefficiencies in project workflows and reduced turnaround time by 20%.

How to Highlight Soft Skills in a Job Interview

Once your resume gets you the interview, the real test begins.

What are soft skills if you can’t demonstrate them in person?

You’ve got to show hiring managers you’ve got them in your body language, your attitude, and the way you talk during the interview.

Using the STAR Method to Explain Soft Skills in Action

The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is a structured way to explain your soft skills with real examples.

Here’s how to apply it:

• Situation: Set the stage (what challenge or task were you facing?)
• Task: Explain your role and responsibility in the situation.
• Action: Describe how you applied your soft skills to handle the task.
• Result: Share the positive outcome of your actions.

✔️ Example (Problem-Solving & Leadership):

“During a product launch, we faced a last-minute supplier issue (Situation). As the team lead, I had to find a quick solution (Task). I coordinated with alternate vendors and streamlined logistics to prevent delays (Action). As a result, we launched on time, exceeding sales projections by 20% (Result).

Best Answers for Common Behavioral Interview Questions

When interviewers ask behavioral questions, they’re assessing your soft skills.

So instead of generic responses, give clear, structured answers. 

Here’s how to nail them:

Question: Tell me about a time you resolved a conflict at work.

Answer: In my last role, two team members had a disagreement over project priorities. I facilitated a meeting where both could share their perspectives, helped them find common ground, and created a compromise that kept the project on track. As a result, the team’s morale improved, and we delivered the project ahead of schedule.

Question: Describe a situation where you had to adapt to change.

Answer: When my company switched to remote work during the pandemic, I took the initiative to learn new collaboration tools and organized virtual team-building activities. This helped our team stay connected and productive, and we actually saw a 10% increase in output during that period.

Note: These are hypothetical questions and answers. In reality, questions can be more specific, so don’t memorize these answers.

How to Show Soft Skills Without Saying “I’m a Team Player”

Actions speak louder than words.

✔️ Instead of: I’m great at collaboration.

✅ Say: In my last role, I worked closely with designers, developers, and marketing teams to launch a campaign that increased conversions by so and so percent.

✔️ Instead of: I have strong leadership skills.

✅ Say: I mentored three junior employees, helping them improve their performance, which led to two of them earning promotions.

How AI Can Help You Optimize Your Resume with Soft Skills

Sure, a resume is just one page, but creating one can take hours, and even then, it might still lack the punch that hiring managers are looking for.

But with Undetectable AI’s resume builder and auto job applier, creating a resume and applying for jobs becomes a matter of minutes.

• Undetectable AI’s Resume Builder: This tool lets you select a professionally designed resume template, follow AI suggestions in regards to soft, and hard skills and relevant industry-relevant resume buzzwords, and download it in multiple formats. 

• Undetectable AI’s Auto Applier: Upload your existing resume or connect your LinkedIn profile and set filters based on your preferred roles, locations, and industries. Then with a single click, the Auto Job Applier takes care of submitting your applications.

You can also see the power of our AI Detector and Humanizer using the widget below!

How to Improve Your Soft Skills Over Time

The good thing about soft skills is that you already have many of them.

So improving them is simply a matter of practice.

The first step is to acknowledge your weak, strong, and lacking soft skills.

You can do this by talking to the people around you. 

Sometimes, others notice things about you that you might overlook.

Ask them what soft skills they think you excel at and which ones could use a little work.

Next, observe the professionals you admire and what is it about them that makes them admirable.

Sometimes, the best way to improve is to learn from those who inspire you.

Finally, take it one step at a time.

Pick one skill to work on and give it your full attention.

Over time, you’ll observe improvement in the targeted areas.

And It’s a Wrap!

Knowing the right list of soft skills and how to present them can set your resume apart from the loads of resumes in the employer’s inbox.

But building the perfect resume isn’t always easy.

That’s what Undetectable AI’s tools were made to simplify.

Try Undetectable AI today and make your job applications stand out!