People management skills are the reason why some people progress smoothly and seemingly without effort in their careers, while others struggle despite having extensive knowledge.
They are categorized as soft skills, but indeed require a pretty hardcore mindset as managing people means managing their everchanging emotions too.
Having these skills is an asset in any line of work and can be the key to having the career of your dreams. Therefore, don’t miss the chance to highlight them in your resume, as they could provide you with the edge you need to stand out from other candidates.
And this article will show you exactly how to do that!
Key Takeaways
People management skills encompass a wide range of abilities that enable us to effectively lead, communicate, interact, and cooperate with others in a professional environment.
You can briefly mention your key people management skills in the resume summary and elaborate on them in the skills section of your resume.
Some of the essential people management skills include the ability to inspire, lead, communicate, take responsibility, show patience and empathy, develop other people’s talents, and build relationships.
You can improve your people management skills by taking executive training, developing empathy and self-awareness, and fostering your communication skills.
What Are People Management Skills?
Numerous research has confirmed that emotional intelligence and career success correlate closely. Broadly put, people management skills are all those skills that are based on emotional intelligence and not on professional knowledge of the respective industry.
More precisely, people management skills encompass various intrapersonal and interpersonal skills and abilities that enable you to effectively manage, coordinate, lead, and organize other people and collaborate with others in a professional setting. Their purpose is to enhance productivity, employee satisfaction, and motivation and thus support the core business.
It is typically expected of managers, directors, supervisors, and leaders to have them, but they are actually useful in any position and line of work. People with highly developed people management skills usually assume responsible positions within a company, connect with others effortlessly, and have an easier time coping with work-related stress.
How to Showcase People Management Skills on Your Resume
People management skills should be highlighted in your CV, regardless of whether they are directly related to your desired job requirements or not. If you are applying for a managerial position or a position in HR, communications, education, healthcare, or similar industries, you should place these skills in the first three sections of your resume.
You can mention them in your resume summary by integrating them into a description of your work experience like this:
Good Example
Experienced professional with a proven track record in team leadership and building relationships. Proficient in conflict resolution, with a passion for driving team development and talent recognition. I have successfully built teams, maintained their motivation, and nurtured team spirit and collaboration that resulted in the successful realization of multiple projects.
Ensure you include them in the skills section too, and follow up with a brief explanation or example of how you used that skill. Just listing skills for your resume doesn’t show much about you and may seem generic, like you didn’t invest much in preparing your resume.
Here’s what you should avoid doing:
People management skills: conflict resolution, patience, team building, mediation, communication skills, and leadership skills.
If you want to highlight your effective people management skills because they are required for your desired job, or you have them highly developed, consider making a unique skills section dedicated just to these skills. It could look like this:
People Management Skills
Ability to inspire: I was able to identify the type of inspiration required for each team member to give their best effort and keep it at a high level throughout each project.
Cross-cultural communication skills: I successfully established relationships with colleagues from various cultural backgrounds by always respecting their business practices and cultural differences.
9 People Management Skills for Your Resume
As with all other skills that are primarily based on emotional and social intelligence, people management skills are intertwined with communication skills. We have compiled a list of the most significant ones that should appear on your resume at some point, particularly if you are seeking a managerial position.
#1. Ability to Inspire
The ability to inspire other people to give their best and work hard for the company’s interests implies you have an intuitive understanding of their needs and aspirations. It also means you have an understanding of the company’s business strategy.
The most important part, though, is that you need to know how to connect the two and generate enthusiasm in your team.
Senior management highly appreciates this skill, as passionate work provides the best results. Therefore, if you have this ability, make sure you emphasize it like this:
Good Example
Ability to inspire: I managed to motivate a team of xx members to embrace challenges and find innovative solutions by fostering open communication and an atmosphere of acceptance and trust.
#2. Ability to Lead
Leadership and people management skills require high emotional intelligence and encompass the ability to inspire, communicate, and delegate work effectively. Great leaders are usually visionaries with highly developed emotional regulation skills coupled with genuine empathy. A responsible attitude toward work and other people is also required.
Contrary to popular belief, leadership skills are not required only for leadership positions. The ability to lead is valuable in many different lines of work that do not imply hierarchy or are based on a typical corporate ladder.
Here’s how to include them in your resume:
Good Example
Ability to lead: Throughout my career, I assembled and led teams of x to xx members through the successful implementation of numerous projects, some of which provided critical infrastructure for the company. I have always delivered projects on time and within budget while maintaining high work ethics and motivation among team members.
#3. Accountability
Accountability is much more than metrics and performance reviews. It refers to the level of engagement and devotion a person invests in their work. It represents the ability to own your work and take responsibility for both results and mistakes. Accountability also extends to the ability to inspire a sense of responsibility in others.
Here’s how to include accountability in your skill section:
Good Example
Accountability: As a Client relationships manager, I was assigned a key client account that has been going through multiple challenges. I took ownership of the project and devised a custom-made strategy for the client, gradually leading them to the successful completion of the project, which resulted in extended cooperation with the client and an increase in overall revenue.
#4. Effective Communication
The term "effective communication" refers to the capacity to share, exchange, and present information, ideas, and attitudes with others in a respectful and clear manner while also being able to comprehend and pay attention to what they have to say.
This skill also includes the ability to adapt the message to the specific needs of the receiver, as well as the capability to select the most suitable communication method and channel.
Here is how to showcase communication skills in your resume:
Good Example
Effective communication: In my role as a marketing specialist, I designed and prepared communication campaigns that resonated with the target audience and ensured the brand’s value was communicated effectively, which resulted in xx brand awareness increase.
#5. Patience
Patience is much more than the ability to wait for the result calmly. It refers to the capacity to foster positive outcomes in the face of challenges, persevere in high-pressure situations, stay level-headed in triggering circumstances, and keep faith through trials and tribulations.
A great deal of patience depends on our ability to empathize with others. Empathy stops us from feeling frustrated when a colleague doesn’t pick up a new skill as fast as we would want to or when the results aren’t coming despite our best efforts.
Here’s how you can include patience on your resume:
Good Example
Patience: As a construction manager, I have constantly been faced with unexpected challenges, delays, and factors beyond my control. However, I never broke under pressure but calmly looked for alternative ways to overcome all obstacles and conclude the project successfully and on time.
#6. Ability to Recognize Talent
The ability to recognize other people’s talents and aspirations, foster their strengths, and motivate them to learn and become more effective is precious in the business environment. It often includes coaching abilities, empathy, and intuition, but it is essentially a skill that can be learned and developed through practice.
Here’s how to include it in your CV:
Good Example
People development: As an HR specialist, I was assigned to create a team for specific projects. I selected and trained all team members, encouraged their passion, and coordinated their efforts toward successfully realizing the project.
#7. Ability to Build Relationships
A team of people who feel connected and close to each other will work more efficiently than a team of top experts who can’t cooperate successfully. Therefore, the ability to foster positive relationships with and between other people significantly affects work efficiency. This ability strongly correlates with empathy and communication skills and is essential for managers.
Here’s how to include it in your resume:
Good Example
Relationship-building skills: In my role as marketing manager, I have consistently excelled at establishing and building positive relationships within the organization and with customers, and as a result, I have cultivated long-term partnerships based on these connections successfully.
#8. Mentorship Aptitude
Mentorship ability is based on the capacity to guide, direct, support, and encourage others in their professional pursuits. This ability depends a lot on communication skills and the ability to pass on knowledge. It also has a lot of overlap with leadership ability.
An excellent mentor can provide constructive feedback, inspire other people, and help them grow and develop.
You can include this skill in your resume this way:
Good Example
Mentorship: As an experienced software developer, I embraced every opportunity to mentor junior team members, encourage and support their passion for learning, and help them navigate various professional challenges.
#9. Talent Acquisition Aptitude
Talent acquisition aptitude refers to identifying, attracting, and retaining top-quality candidates to apply for job openings. It also refers to the ability to recognize employees' talents and encourage them to grow and develop in line with their interests and the company’s needs.
Managers who have this ability are able to create excellent teams and recruit candidates who are the best fit for the organization’s culture.
Here’s how to include this ability on your resume:
Good Example
Talent Acquisition Aptitude: In my role as an HR manager, I have demonstrated the ability to hire exceptional talent and build solid and well-connected teams, significantly improving the company's employee retention rate.
How to Improve Your People Management Skills
Strong people management skills will help you create a positive work environment and naturally support your career progress. You will consequently become more stress resilient and efficient at work. Here are a few tips on how to improve your people management skills:
Tips to Improve People Management Skills
Foster empathy and self-awareness. The better you understand yourself, the better you will understand other people too. People who practice self-compassion are also more compassionate toward others. As a result, self-aware and compassionate people connect with others easily.
Develop your communication skills. Fine-tuning your ability to express yourself and communicate with others more effectively will have a far-reaching impact on every area of your life, especially relationships.
Take executive training. Leadership is a skill that can be learned. Some people may have it naturally, but everyone can grow into a leader if they are motivated to. Executive training usually involves working on your emotional intelligence, people skills, organizational ability, and all other key elements of people management skills.
Closing Thoughts
The importance of people management skills lies in their power to transform both your career and the lives of the people you work with and cooperate with. As you improve your ability to communicate effectively, lead with vision, inspire growth, and empathize genuinely, you will learn how far-reaching an effect your positive example has on your colleague and the company.
To leave a favorable impression on your potential employees, look at your resume as a tool for building connections, not just as a way to showcase your skills. A proper communication style and an understanding of your employer’s viewpoint are real-life examples of your people management skills.
