Possessing an innate talent for communication makes you an incredible asset to any team or employer. While it may seem easy to communicate that you’re a good communicator, that’s not always the case.
Understanding and leveraging our unique talent DNA can make finding work worth doing so much easier! In this series, we examine each of the Clifton StrengthsFinder talent themes and identify ways each can be used to build a great career. From resumes to interviewing, negotiation, and search strategy using your innate talents will transform your process.
Want to discover your innate talents and find work worth doing? Contact us today!
Communication
People exceptionally talented in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.
Demonstrate Communication in your resume
The Communication talent can best be described in a resume by highlighting accomplishments that demonstrate this strength. Don’t be afraid to boast a little bit about what you’ve accomplished and what you’re proud of. It’s your resume! This is the place to showcase all you’ve achieved so far! Include quantifiable data (percentages, points, dollar value, etc.) where appropriate. Remember to triple check for typos. There’s nothing worse than reading the resume of someone claiming to be a good communicator and finding typos!
Here are a few ways to highlight your Communication talent.
- Organizational Spokesperson: Highlight specific experiences you have in working with the media or serving as a spokesperson for your organization.
- Project Management: Describe how your communication skills helped you manage a project and keep it on track.
- Team Leader/Team Player: Demonstrate how you led the team to accomplish a goal using your communication skills.
- Mentoring: Include information about how you mentor others using key communication skills such as listening and building confidence in others.
- Delivering Feedback: Delivering feedback is an art as a leader. Share how you deliver feedback that helps others improve and grow under your leadership.
- Negotiation: Good communicators are often good negotiators. Share what you’ve accomplished in this area and be sure to include data/metrics if appropriate to share.
- Training/Developing Others: Whether you’re talking about group training or 1:1 coaching sessions, training requires great communication. This is definitely an accomplishment to brag on. Include how many people you trained and the type of training.
- Sales: Go beyond sharing your sales data and goal attainment by demonstrating how you used your communication skills to initiate or enhance the relationship with the client.
- Presentations: List any presentations you’ve led or been a part of. Include the topics, audience, and the outcome.
Infusing Communication into your interviews
Sharing how your communication impacts your success and the success of your team is key to your interview strategy. This can be demonstrated in three ways. First, highlight what we mentioned above. Share stories or experiences to demonstrate how you helped the team moving forward. Remember, keep your answers under two minutes and avoid sounding rehearsed.
Second, be a great listener and don’t interrupt the interviewer. The interviewer should be doing 60% – 80% of the talking depending on how far in the interview process you are. Listen to the question asked and be sure to answer that question – not the version you rehearsed the night before.
Finally, read the room. Good communicators know how to read the room and can take cues from the interviewers’ body language. This can be a little challenging during virtual interviews but can still be done. Be reflective in your communication style.
Win negotiations with Communication
Clear, direct, and respectful communication is key to the negotiation process. Once you know your absolute ‘yes’ and absolute ‘no’ numbers, you’ll be able to clearly communicate your needs during the offer phase of the interview. By confidently communicating what you need, you’ll avoid any confusion or hurt feelings. This will allow you to easily negotiate and will often shorten the process. Remember, throughout the interview process it is important to communicate respectfully and with confidence while avoiding demands and ultimatums if possible.
Making Communication the cornerstone of your career strategy
Knowing what you want and how to communicate that effectively to your personal and professional circles, is a critical component in building a career strategy. This is especially true during times of job searching or pursuing promotions. By communicating your needs, desires, and dreams you empower your network to help you find opportunities that fit where you want to go. Just be sure to avoid oversharing with people who aren’t genuinely trustworthy.
This is part of the Merrfeld Strengthsplanation series outline each of the Clifton StrengthsFinder talents and how you can use them to build the career of your dreams. Want to discover your innate talents and find work worth doing? Contact us today!
