Originally posted by J. Patrick + Associates
Up until relatively recently companies thought that hard skills are what would get them their bottom line.
Now we’ve come to realize that soft skills are just as important when it comes to growing a company. Soft skills are considered to be behaviors and traits such as adaptability, critical thinking, people skills, likeability, time management and so forth.
Essentially soft skills are those that aren’t as hard driving or as up front. Often times they are skills that have more to do with your personality, making them slightly more difficult to put on paper. That’s why how you present them is crucial in whether or not you’ll get the job. The following are some ways to effectively & strategically incorporate soft skills into your executive resume.
Use soft skills mentioned in the job ad.
Job ads will often times have soft skills written into them. This will give you a clue as to what the employer is looking for. For 
instance, one employer may emphasize that a candidate be “results oriented” while the other may prefer “high energy and enthusiastic.”
Once you’ve identified the soft skills in the job ad make sure to incorporate them into your resume. This way you customize your resume for the position at hand. This technique is far more effective than sending everyone the same generic resume.
Provide solid examples.
Anyone can say “strong communication skills” and “detail oriented” on a resume, but not everyone can prove it.
As with any of the skills you reference in your resume, make sure you have examples and facts to back it up. For extra effect see if you can use examples using the STAR Method. That is to say, think of an instance when your soft skills fixed a problem for the company and yielded great results.
For example, let’s say your company was about to lose a big client over some a misunderstanding. The client was irate and ready to terminate the contract but you swept in and saved the day with your communication skills. This is where you can say you “Communicated effectively with clients whenever there was a misunderstanding.”
To view this post in its entirety, visit the J Patrick + Associates blog at http://www.jpatrick.com/our-blog/bid/206745/5-Powerful-Ways-to-Incorporate-Soft-Skills-Into-Your-Executive-Resume.