Interpersonal vs. Intrapersonal Skills: Why You Need Both to Get Job

LinkedIn's Global Talent Trends research found that 92% of hiring managers consider soft skills to be more important than technical ones. Soft skills are not related to a specific industry or occupation. They help employees to establish themselves in a team and succeed in the business environment. 

Soft skills are divided into interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. Despite similar pronunciations, they are considerably different. But both play a critical role in shaping your professional portrait. In this article, we will find out how interpersonal or intrapersonal skills can help you find a job.

Difference between intrapersonal and interpersonal skills

Some people mistakenly equate intrapersonal skills with the concept of interpersonal ones, as the latter is more common. However, if you want to use both skill types to their advantage to improve your career and daily life, you should determine the difference and the characteristics of each. For this purpose, we will compare interpersonal vs. intrapersonal skills.

 

 

  • Interpersonal skills allow us to build relationships with others, while intrapersonal skills help us communicate with ourselves.
  • In the process of intrapersonal communication, you are the sender and recipient at the same time. During interpersonal communication, you deliver your message to others.
  • Intrapersonal communication is an ongoing process since a person consistently reflects, analyzes, and interprets actions and events. Interpersonal communication occurs only with an interlocutor.
  • Intrapersonal communication involves focusing on your own feelings and inner experiences. Interpersonal one allows you to take into account the opinions and emotions of other people.

 

 

 

 

 

Intrapersonal Skills: definition and examples

Intrapersonal skills are the internal communication of an individual aimed at analyzing and evaluating external events. Such self-talk helps people recognize and understand their feelings and thoughts, initiate reactions, and manage their emotions, whether it is happiness, anger, or disappointment.

Employers value workers with developed intrapersonal skills for two reasons. First, only a person capable of sorting themselves out can understand others. Second, self-awareness allows you to make informed and meaningful decisions, which is especially important in a business environment. 

An example of a list of intrapersonal skills can be quite extensive. But we have identified the most critical ones for your career.

Top Intrapersonal Skills

 

  1. Adaptability. An adaptable or flexible worker is not afraid of change and unforeseen situations. They analyze the current state of affairs, assess risks and new opportunities, and, based on this, develop an action plan. Such employees help the company stay the course in hard times, which explains their value to the employer.

  2. Decision-making. You can listen to others' opinions, advice, and arguments, but you make decisions yourself. Your inner dialogue helps you gather all the evidence into a big picture and determine the path that will lead to the best outcome. Decision-making is a sign of leadership, which is one of the main criteria for evaluating candidates.
  3. Creativity. Creativity is the fruit of your internal communication. You evaluate the situation, the existing approaches to solving it, and generate your unique vision. A person who can create something new in conditions of abundance and think outside the box with an excess of ready-made solutions is worth their weight in gold in any industry.

 

 

Interpersonal skills: meaning and examples

Interpersonal skills are your abilities and competencies that facilitate social interaction and promote fruitful collaboration. These skills distinguish a good worker from a great one. The former knows his stuff. And the latter, in addition to their expertise, can fit into a team, build relationships with partners and customers, and win the management's favor. Consequently, interpersonal skills increase your professional value and your chances of getting the desired position.

Top Interpersonal Skills

  1. Communication. Communication skills are required in almost all professions. Even if you are not involved in sales and customer service, you should still be able to get in touch with other team members and deliver your message competently and accessibly. Therefore, employers are willing to check candidates' written communication skills through cover letters and oral communication skills during interviews.
  2. Empathy. Empathy is your ability to walk in another's shoes and understand their feelings, thoughts, and experiences. Empathy allows you to understand when a person needs support and is ready to provide it. Such employees can build trusting relationships in a team and contribute to a favorable working atmosphere, which makes them a real godsend for employers.
  3. Teamwork. Employers expect you to become an effective link in the overall chain and contribute to common goals. Therefore, your teamwork skills matter no less than your qualifications. Strong team players can count on long-term cooperation and career advancement more than loners.
  4. Conflict management. Disagreements and disputes bear high risks to the business. They negatively affect productivity and undermine the morale of employees. You can’t always avoid them, but your conflict management skills will help you reach a compromise and achieve a favorable outcome.


Conclusion

 

 

The modern labor market is a competitive environment where each candidate wants to emphasize their strengths to get a job. And soft skills can help you gain the upper hand. Your ability to analyze and reflect contributes to high-quality performance, and your advanced social skills help you feel at ease in any corporate environment. Therefore, do not puzzle over the value intrapersonal versus interpersonal skills. Both of them increase your employability.

 

Authored by Olga Butyrina (Career Expert, GetCoverLetter)