By Amanda Raymond

amanda.raymond@salisburypost.com

Kristyn Callaway graduated from UNC Charlotte in December of 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in communications studies. Now she is a media and community relations specialist at Food Lion.

Before her internship at Food Lion, she had no experience other than what she gained at UNC Charlotte. Callaway was able to set herself apart and portray her skills well enough to get an internship that led to a full time job right after she graduated.

Not everyone’s story is like Callaway’s. One of the things Callaway was sure to do was show her interviewer the job-related skills she had learned from school, and also the soft skills she had learned from her other involvements, something employers of entry level positions are looking for.

Soft skills

According to a CareerBuilder Survey from 2014, 77 percent of employers thought that soft skills were just as important as hard skills.

As opposed to hard skills, which are skills learned to perform specific job functions, soft skills are personality traits that employers think good employees should have.

According to the survey, the 10 most popular soft skills companies said they looked for when hiring were a strong work ethic, dependability, a positive attitude, self-motivation, team-oriented, organization, the ability to work well under pressure, being able to communicate effectively, flexibility and confidence.

Debbie Davis, center leader for the Rowan County NCWorks Career Center, said although it depends on the industry, many entry level jobs employers tell her that they are looking for soft skills.

“For entry level, a lot of places say that they can train people, but they’re having trouble finding people with just a good work ethic who will be there when they’re scheduled to work, not be out a lot, not be late,” Davis said.

Cathy Edwards, talent acquisition director at Food Lion, said that Food Lion and Delhaize America, Food Lion’s parent company, offer internal training programs for positions that do not require much experience. But to get hired, Food Lion looks for people who are responsible, dependable, self-motivated and willing to put customer service first.

“We like to hire folks that have values similar to our own,” she said.

Davis said employers value soft skills so much that some will try different tactics to encourage them in current employees.

One employer Davis knows of even tried to offer pay bonuses and prizes like big screen televisions to employees who had perfect attendance.

“Still, only 65 or 70 percent of their employees had the requirements to be included,” she said.

Show, don’t tell

Davis said a good way for applicants to portray soft skills to employers is to give examples. Applicants can tell employers about perfect attendance in school or at previous jobs, she said. They can bring up the clubs and organizations they were a part of to show how they work well in a group.

Calloway said when applying for the Food Lion internship, she talked about her involvement in leadership organizations to display her leadership and event planning skills.

Those looking for jobs do not just have to depend solely on personal examples to show employers they have the skills they want. For hard skills, Davis said Rowan-Cabarrus Community College offers the North Carolina Career Readiness Certification that guarantees that the applicant is competent in things like general math and reading for information. The certification has three levels: bronze, silver and gold.

“Some employers when they list jobs with us now will say, ‘We only want to talk to candidates who had at minimum a silver level,’ or whatever they choose,” Davis said.

The Rowan-Salisbury School System recently started addressing soft skill needs in its curriculum. Mandy Mills, career and technical education coordinator, said the school system just purchased an online program that offers a credential in soft skills through the Conover Company.

The program, called Soft Skills: Essential Skills for Workplace Readiness, has eight modules that have lessons on things like attitude, communication, critical thinking, media rules, interpersonal relationships and teamwork.

Mills said even though the students have just started using the program, she thinks they will enjoy it. The program uses kids their age, is interactive, and shows funny scenarios of employees doing things the wrong way.

“I think it will be interesting to them,” she said.

There are also different credentials offered at the high school level that help students gather the hard skills they need. For example, Mills said students can earn their nursing assistant certification and a ServSafe Food Safety credential through different classes.

Mills said even though employers may not specifically ask for some of the credentials that the students have, they can still give them an advantage.

“I think it gives them a leg up,” she said.

Callaway said students should also not shy away from internships.

“That was really where I sharpened my professional skills,” she said.

She said internships are professional enough for a person to gain practical experience, but informal enough for a person to feel comfortable enough to ask questions.

Along with internship programs, Talent Acquisition Director Cathy Edwards said Food Lion has early talent programs, retail management training programs and international training programs to help college students gain valuable experience.

Davis said NCWorks offers workshops for resumé help, finding success with job fairs and even recognizing the skills applicants might not realize they have.

“When you recognize that, you can do a better job of conveying that to the employer,” she said.

Though the hard skills required for specific jobs may change, Edwards said Food Lion has been looking for the same soft skills in their applicants for years, and it has been working well so far.

“It’s proven to be very successful for us,” she said.

Contact reporter Amanda Raymond at 704-797-4222.