Increasingly, companies expect to see more than just technical competencies, the so-called hard skills, on resumes. For 93% of organizations, social abilities, or soft skills, are just as important as technical training. These skills appear in the report “The job market outlook for grads” by ZipRecruiter. Based on data from companies that use the recruitment service, the consultancy listed the soft skills most sought after by employers. 

“Those soft skills include things like showing up on time, willingness to learn, enthusiasm, and a can-do attitude. When you don’t have work experience to sell, remember that you can still sell yourself”, said Ian Siegel, ZipRecruiter Co-Founder and CEO.

Here are the top 10 soft skills employers have looked for most frequently in the past 12 months:

• Communication skills

Interpersonal communication appeared in the search for 6 million employers.

• Customer service

More than 5.5 million employers were looking for candidates with customer service skills.

• Scheduling

About 3.6 million companies searched for people with good planning skills.

• Time management skills

Professionals who can manage their time were mapped across 3.6 million brands.

• Project management

The ability to conduct projects added up to 2.8 million citations.

• Analytical thinking

Candidates with an analytical attitude were preferred by 2 million companies.

• Compliance

Compliance is important to 2 million firms.

• Ability to work independently

Another 2 million selection processes looked for someone who could work independently.

• Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills appeared in the search for 1.3 million employers.

• Flexibility

Being flexible is important to 1.3 million companies.

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Source: ZipRecruiter