What Are People Skills? [Guide and Synonyms]

People skills, sometimes called interpersonal skills, are defined as the skills used to communicate and interact with others effectively. People skills include active listening, the ability to mediate disputes, and being tolerant of differences in a casual or business setting.

And since jobs that don’t require at least some people skills are few and far between, you can bet that employers will be combing your resume and grilling you in interviews to see if you have them. 

Whether you’re just starting to acquire people skills or they’re a little rusty, here is a guide to get you on the right track.

We’ll go over people skills in a second, but… Perhaps you’d like to blaze through your job search—

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Looking for other life and job skill guides? Check out one of these guides:

• Employability Skills
• IT Skills
• Transferable Skills
• Teamwork Skills
• Leadership Skills
• Computer Skills
• Conceptual Skills
• Time Management
• Interpersonal Skills
• Problem Solving
• Organizational Skills
• Critical Thinking Skills
• Decision Making
• The Difference Between Soft Skills and Hard Skills

What Are People Skills?

What is it that you need to get that job you’re applying for, that promotion you’ve been working towards, or that award for employee of the month? Of course, you’ll need the necessary job skills and an education that will allow you to perform all your duties and responsibilities. But in almost every industry, you’ll also need another set of skills that could be completely unrelated to the job at hand. Enter people skills.

The definition of people skills is flexible, but they typically refer to the skills used to communicate effectively in different environments or situations. And because productivity is difficult to maximize without excellent communication, people skills can be a real dealbreaker for companies and organizations.

People Skills Examples

• Effective communication
• Active listening
• Teamwork
• Collaboration
• Conflict resolution
• Persuasion and influencing skills
• Reliability
• Respectfulness
• Tolerance
• Diplomacy
• Leadership
• Relationship building
• Mediation
• Self-motivation

With that said, people skills are often neglected. The focus of most university and job training courses revolve around technical skills. This leads to the idea that if you hit the books hard enough, career success is all but guaranteed. 

But in fact, the opposite is true. Neglecting soft skills—like people skills—can mean career suicide. According to one study, 75% of long-term job success depends on people skills, while only 25% is dependent on technical knowledge. 

That’s not all. Other research found that 85% of job success comes from soft and people skills, and only 15% from hard skills. 

And developing people skills isn’t only useful in the workplace, 

According to Dr. Ralph Nichols. “The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood.”

Luckily, people skills can be worked and improved just like every other skill. 

People Skills—Synonyms

There’s lots of ways people refer to people skills. Here’s a list of people skill synonyms if you need to use another word for people skills:

• Social skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Communication skills
• Charasmaticness
• Active listening skills
• Interpersonal relations
• Social competence
• Soft skills

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People Skills on a Resume Example

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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When you’re done, our free resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.

How to Add People Skills to a Resume

The skills section of your resume is not the only place you can add your people skills. Sprinkle them throughout your job application. See the examples:

People Skills in the Resume Profile

Read more: How to Write an Effective Resume Profile

People Skills in the Work Experience Section

Read more: How to Write a Work History Section on a Resume

People Skills in the Education Section

Read more: Education on a Resume: Things to Add

People Skills in the Skills Section

Read more: Master List of Skills To Put On a Resume

People Skills in Additional Sections

Read more: Resume Categories: What to Write in Each Section

Remember to attach a killer cover letter to your resume. For more detailed tips, see our guide on how to write a cover letter.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

There you have it! Now I’m curious about your experience. Which people skills have you found the most rewarding in your personal life or career? Please leave a question or comment below!

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