Ask the expert: People skills matter

By MARIE WILSON


Q: I completed my engineering training in India and recently had an interview for a graduate position here. I was told my application had been unsuccessful because of my "people skills".

They said while I was technically very good, I should pay more attention to the "less technical aspects of the job".

What does this mean?

A: It's unfortunate that you weren't successful in your application for this job, but it is great that you have been provided with feedback from the interview to help you with your ongoing job search.

Now, what kind of feedback have you received? You could call up whoever wrote the letter to ask for clarification, but I'll hazard an interpretation in the interim.

You applied for a technical job, and the feedback seems to suggest that when you were asked questions in the interview, you gave responses that referred to your technical qualifications and abilities.

Certainly that would be expected in this type of job, but then anyone applying for a technical job is expected to have technical qualifications.

What most employers are seeking beyond that is the ability to work with other people in the company and to assess your own strengths and weaknesses as an employee and co-worker.

Think back to your interview. The feedback suggests that you were asked questions about what you saw as your strengths and weaknesses, and how you worked with others, as well as how to tackle problems on the job. Try to remember how you answered these questions in the interview.

The feedback suggests that you stuck to your technical abilities in these situations and didn't give them enough information about how you worked with others.

These are common concerns that are often reflected in interview questions. In preparation for your next interview, you need to think through examples of your past work that reflect how you work in teams, what your strengths are in working with others and tackling problems, and what aspects of your personality and character make you effective.

Are you very good at making sure you understand a problem from someone else's perspective before you tackle it? Are you good at getting people to work together under pressure, or very good at making processes more efficient, or coming up with an innovative solution?

For each of these areas, you should have an example from your work history that you can discuss in an interview so that a potential employer has more of a picture of you than just your technical skills.


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Dr Marie Wilson is associate professor of management at the University of Auckland Business School, research director of the ICEHOUSE business accelerator and a veteran of 20 years in corporate management and small business.