ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Interpersonal Skills to Boost Your Career

Updated on September 1, 2017
theclevercat profile image

I've learned a lot of lessons during my time in offices, so here are some valuable words of advice.

Interpersonal skills should be part of your office supply arsenal.
Interpersonal skills should be part of your office supply arsenal. | Source

Listening to others. Problem-solving. Being a team player. Appreciating others. Projecting positive body language.

Yawn. Exhibiting skills like these is a no-brainer when you’re trying to get ahead in your chosen career. So the following list focuses on transferable traits and behaviors that you may not have thought of, and with a little work could become your most valuable skills.

And hey, if some of these sound like tough love, that’s because they are. No one ever said improving yourself would be easy!

Defer judgment.

Defer your judgment about the way someone is dressed, how they speak, where they received their education, and the ideas they present.

In plain language, don’t be snooty. Even someone you might deem the trashiest, most vulgar, most politically incorrect person you have ever met could have a great idea. In fact, that idea may be better than yours, or more easily put into practice.

And remember, the more different they are from you, the greater the likelihood that they will present a point of view you won’t have considered.

Know how to deal with rejection.

So your manager shot down one of your ideas? You asked a colleague to lunch and they declined? Gee, that’s too bad. But there are lots of reasons someone might reject you, and they are not all because of something you did. Maybe your colleague is short on cash this week, and doesn’t feel like sharing that knowledge with you. Can you blame them?

Don’t bother pouting, sniffing, badmouthing the person, or holding a grudge against them. Just get over it, and move on. In other words, be an adult.


"Never assume… it makes an ass out of you and me.”

- Anonymous

Never assume.

There’s a reason this old quote has stuck around so long – it’s true!

If you must know the answer to a question, or the truth to a rumor, just ask. There’s no guarantee that you will receive the answer you want, but at least you’ve made an effort to learn what’s really going on.

Take the time to reflect and think about how others may feel.
Take the time to reflect and think about how others may feel. | Source

Reflect.

Play good cop and bad cop on your own and really open your mind to opposing sides of an argument you may be having with a coworker.

Even if you don’t end up “winning” the argument with the coworker in the short run, you will likely still learn something about what makes that person tick... which will come in very handy in the long run!

Be a non-conformer!

Hands down, this is my favorite “skill” and it is one that has served me well.

Go against the grain. Take on responsibilities others won’t touch and realize you have made excellent contacts in the process. Dream up a new way of doing things and see what happens. The odds are good that you will get noticed, and in a positive way.


“Smile! It makes them wonder what you’ve been up to.”

-Anonymous

Smile.

There’s no need to simper and smirk… but do experiment and give out confident smiles on those days when you would prefer to give out backhands. A well-timed, peaceable smile can defuse most tough situations. Practice in the mirror until it feels natural.

Pick your battles.

The office bully won’t know what happened when you stand up to them with a solid, unemotional argument. When it's time to go head to head, be sure to back up your debate with facts and documented sources.

On the other hand, also know when to shut up. Coworkers will notice when you do both of these, and so will the head honchos.

Keep gossip to a minimum.

Being the office gossip may seem like fun as people will seek you out for those choice bits of news. But it’s never a good idea. You will end up with a bad reputation, and no amount of kind chitchat can make up for a tiny piece of false or mean gossip. No one wants to work with a Nosy Parker, because they know that whatever they say is likely to be repeated… and twisted around.

So tell me...

Which of these interpersonal skills and behaviors are broken the most where you work?

See results

Don’t monopolize friendly conversations.

In the big scheme of things, no one really cares about your dog’s special diet, the latest doings at your condo development, or your new shoes (however cute you think they are). As coworkers, the people around you want to be friendly, but the conversation about your latest date can easily turn into a monologue and wind up as boring at best, or too much information at worst.

So stop being so self-centered, and let someone else talk once in a while. And keep in mind that they less you talk now, the more people will be willing to listen later... when it might really matter.

Keep your voice down.

This is especially useful if you work in an open office. Don’t be the office loudmouth. Do you really want everyone to hear financial details about your latest project or that swear word you let slip? If your coworkers can hear you down the hall, please reevaluate the volume of your voice.

And never forget… silence is golden, especially in an office.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)