Nailing the Job Interview: 3 Leadership Skills That Are in Demand Hiring managers are looking for these key traits in new hires. Learn how to speak to them in your next interview.
Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you'll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.
Everyone has leadership skills they can bring up in an interview. Even if you're not seeking a management position, companies are still looking for strong leadership experience and specific team-related characteristics in job candidates of all levels.
Leaders can organize others to meet shared goals. They provide people with a sense of purpose. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to develop valuable leadership skills that can help make you stand out.
Before you even start applying for positions on job boards like ZipRecruiter, consider what kind of leader you are and what type of leader you want to be. You'll feel more prepared by anticipating interview questions and having quality examples ready to go.
If your interviewer asks about your leadership experience, consider weaving these three in-demand leadership skills into your answers.
Related: How to Write a Cover Letter That Gets You an Interview
1. Communication skills.
Strong communication means more than articulating your point clearly. Great leaders are effective listeners and apply information to improve processes and relationships. Clear communication can prevent costly mistakes and ensure a smooth operation when it comes to business.
By keeping open lines of communication between employees and management, you'll see improved morale, productivity, and performance. As the team at ZipRecruiter says, "True leadership quality is demonstrated by a leader who is fully engaged in conversation."
Related: 4 Soft Skills to Help You Stand Out During Your Next Job Interview
2. Effective delegation.
Influential leaders know that delegation means more than taking something off their own plate. Delegating responsibilities in the office can provide growth opportunities and enhance business offerings.
As a leader, delegation shows your colleagues you believe in their capabilities and want to see them succeed. It encourages hand-raising and includes others in decision-making.
3. Emotional intelligence.
When it comes to desired leadership skills, this quality is always near the top. Being self-aware and emotionally intelligent means knowing your strengths, weaknesses, emotional triggers, and motivators.
The best leaders can effectively address their areas of improvement and build teams around their skillset. This provides more robust business offerings and enhances what they bring to the table. Emotionally intelligent leaders make more mindful decisions and seek feedback to improve.
If you're still looking to find your next career move, ZipRecruiter can help. Rated the #1 job site in the U.S.,1. ZipRecruiter simplifies the job search every step of the way. You can leverage ZipRecruiter's powerful AI matching technology to discover the perfect job for you. Not only that, its intuitive mobile app and one-tap apply make applying to great companies easier than ever. Best of all, signing up is free.
1 Based on G2 satisfaction ratings as of December 31, 2020
