The Secret Skill You Need to Succeed in an Interview

Becoming a preferred candidate for any sports organization requires a mix of hard technical skills and soft skills, but which skills are valued most by employers? That’s what Stephon in Dallas wants to know from the WorkInSports Podcast: “Hey Brian – I read an article recently that included a quote from a recruiter at Google saying that self-awareness and emotional intelligence is the number one things she looks for when hiring. BUT, they didn’t explain why or how to convey this soft skill. Any ideas? Thanks, you’re the best, and I trust you more than googling.”

A study by Leadership IQ revealed that 89% of failed hires are due to attitude rather than a lack of technical skills. The biggest culprits of attitude problems were coachability (26%) and emotional intelligence (23%). People who are taught emotional intelligence and self-awareness have a better ability to reflect on their leadership skills and build a stronger sense of teamwork.

Self-awareness is one of the most valuable soft skills at work and is the ability to be conscious of your strengths, weaknesses, actions, and presence. In addition, it requires a degree of vulnerability to help connect you to your co-workers, such as a willingness to admit mistakes (and learn from them).

Hiring managers dig for self-awareness with behavioral interview questions, such as:

• Tell me about a time you tried to do something and failed. • How have you responded to negative feedback from your boss? • What do co-workers find rewarding about working with you? • Have you ever needed to ask for help on a project?

Here are a few ways to incorporate to handle these kinds of questions:

• Be open about your weaknesses • Balance information about your strengths by discussing where you can improve • Explain clear plans for how you intend to improve

Listen to the full WorkInSports Podcast episode for an in-depth look at showing self-awareness in an interview, and subscribe for more sports career advice. You can view additional content on our YouTube Channel!