The crisis has changed the way many employers view their applicants’ profiles. For the numerous complex upheavals that our working world has experienced since then, social and communication skills are particularly needed so that employees can survive and be creative.
Sensitive instead of selfish
In the study “Kill chaos with kindness”, the University of London determined how the five major personality traits from psychology, also known as the Big Five, affect teamwork at work.
The Big Five are “Openness to New Experiences,” “Conscientiousness,” “Extraversion,” “Agreeableness,” and “Neuroticism (emotion control).” For the study, around 3,700 people were entrusted with over 5,000 group tasks over a period of ten years, which were scientifically evaluated. The participants also had to answer 242 questions that were intended to provide information about the characteristics of their personality traits.
A surprising finding emerged: employees who have high values for the “tolerability” trait have been significantly more in demand since the Corona pandemic than before. “People value cooperation and agreeableness much more than before the pandemic,” said Randall Peterson, co-author of the study and professor of organizational behavior at the London School of Business.
In previous studies, “compatibility” was mostly viewed as irrelevant and the need for harmony was seen as a career obstacle. “But the personality trait of ‘agreeableness’ has probably always been useful,” says Peterson. “People just didn’t notice it because in the past there was often a strong emphasis on individual performance rather than team success.” According to the professor, it is probably no coincidence that tolerance has such a steep career, especially after the pandemic. The new challenges in the world of work – such as establishing a home office strategy or finding and retaining new employees – are major and require new approaches. Empathic team players are more in demand here than stubborn lone fighters.
Keep the group together
Other studies also confirm that team-oriented employees are becoming increasingly “in vogue”. According to the LinkedIn platform, soft skills are generally becoming more important in the DACH region – in addition to management skills, strengths such as communication and teamwork. The ability to work in a team is now of central importance in the modern working world. Agreeable employees are suitable for keeping groups and teams together, which is particularly important in times of remote work.
Show compatibility on your CV?
Soft skills such as compatibility and the ability to work in a team are playing an increasingly important role in the application process. But simply listing social strengths as keywords on your CV is not enough.
Instead, one can give specific examples of teamwork experiences. You can mention projects you’ve worked on and the role you’ve played within the team. You can also highlight special achievements that contributed to the team’s success.
more from career print
