HR Round - Communication or Technical Skills

From an employer perspective what is more important, communication skills or technical skills?

Reply by Peter Fisher

Communication Skill is the most important for any candidate. To be able to communicate clearly means you think before you speak, take care in how you use language and show organized, analytical thinking.

It may sound odd, but how you say something has been shown to be as important as what you actually say. Vary the tone of your voice, use appropriate inflection and diction. But don't speak too softly. Use correct construction and complete your sentences. You must be able to use language effectively if they are to see you representing the company

• Communication Skills – Verbal: This can include something like the capacity to make a point, communicate a specific message or present an argument with an awareness of audience reaction, and to respond appropriately to feedback. Listening skills are also valued as being another dimension of communication.

• Communication Skills – Written: This includes the ability to present arguments, make reports, summarize a document or situation in writing in a clear and focused manner, depending on the purpose of the text and its intended readers, so the intellectual level of the audience is also a factor.

• Interpersonal and Social Skills: The capacity to establish good working relationships with customers, clients, colleagues and others such as suppliers is seen as of utmost importance in all work roles, for effective performance within the organization and competent representation of the organization with its clients. Analyze your transferable skills carefully as the ability to negotiate is also seen as especially useful.

These are all aspects of communication skills.

What else do employers want to see in their candidates?

These are the top requirements:

• Interest - Show that you have great interest in the company’s activities as well as the position. Demonstrate your interest by mentioning what you know about the business. If you also ask a few pointed questions, the interviewer will be gaining vital insights into your personal attributes as a candidate. Listen carefully to the answers you get to your questions as they give you critical information about the employer.

• Enthusiasm - Your chances of being offered a job will be severely limited if you show any hint that you could be only lukewarm about it. Remain positive and enthusiastic about it during the whole interview.

• Positive Attitude - Keep the tone of the interview upbeat throughout. Companies want employees who can achieve great results. A negative person hardly ever gets positive results. Smile at the interviewer; keep negatives out of the interview. Word your questions and answers positively.


• Professionalism– All companies want their employees to display this quality. It's something that shows up in a candidate's overall approach. You can show it best in an interview by demonstrating specialized knowledge and abilities in key areas of the job you are seeking.

• Self-confidence - Interviewers will watch your body language to see how self-confident you are. Stand straight; hold your head high, your shoulders back. Use a firm handshake. Look the interviewer in the eyes, even when confronted with unexpected questions. However don’t hold eye contact for more than say 60% of the time, after that it can become a stare and feel hostile to the interviewer. Avoid qualifiers such as "I think..." or “I believe that…”

• Leadership - Candidates with the ability to lead are universally sought after. Good leaders rely extensively on their ability to read situations. They sense an environment, picking up and interpreting soft data without having it spelled out for them. Explain leadership you have demonstrated in business, military service, or community activities.

• Sensitivity - To be a good team member and work well within a company, you have to be sensitive to other people’s key qualities, as well as their needs and differences.

• Flexibility - - Companies are seeking bright candidates who are able to analyze and adjust to changing circumstances, solve challenging problems, and quickly understand new concepts. Unwillingness to travel and staying within a limited geographical area will limit your opportunities. It's best for you to express open-mindedness about relocation.

Describing your key qualities as skills also makes a great interview self introduction & is the basis of job winning personal description. This can apply to your interview itself, the words you use in a cover letter, or the way you write your CV or resume.

Technical Skills appear after all of the above because technical skills are learned skills which can be taught and improved whereas the above are usually inherent in a person.

The key issue in my mind is this: when selecting someone to hire, it is more likely to be successful if the individual has the personal or personality traits that are desirable because most organizations rely upon the interactions between people for the success.

Pleas go on and read more about Transferable Skill.