This is the first in a series that introduces eight of the most common soft skills for engineers. We’ll talk about what they are, why they’re so important in the workplace, and how you can both build these skills through RPIE and talk about them in your job documents and interviews.

Effective communication is key to workplace success.

No matter your engineering field, communication—the ability to articulate yourself, respond to others, and demonstrate active listening—is an essential skill in the workplace. Whether you are interacting with a client, writing an engineering report, chatting with a coworker, or taking part in a weekly meeting, every aspect of a successful project hinges on effective communication among team members.

Communication includes not only writing and speaking, but reading comprehension, active listening, and body language.

Communication takes place in many forms, often at the same time. While having a conversation with a colleague, you are communicating verbally as well as through your body language, eye contact, and facial expression.

Because communication is a skill that every employer wants, it’s important to include it in job documents.

To talk about communication in your resume, you might:

- State in your resume summary statement that you are a strong communicator or have excellent verbal and written communication skills. Note: Only say this if you believe it’s true! Lying on your resume is never a good idea and can actually get you fired.

- In your resume bullet points, consider using the verbs “communicated,” “presented,” “wrote,” “reported”, “drafted”, “liaised with,” or “corresponded with” to begin the statements that describe your past work experience.

Employers look at resumes and cover letters as examples of written communication skills.

Regardless of what information you choose to highlight in your resume and cover letter, they will always be looked at as samples of your written communication skills—so write them to the best of your ability! Tailoring your resume and cover letter to fit the specific needs of a job ad is an early way to demonstrate advanced communication skills, as will careful attention to details and proofreading. The same goes for any other professional communication you may have with an employer, such as the emails in which you set up a time for an interview or the thank you note you should send after.

Practicing communication skills is essential to acing an interview.

Because you must listen and speak in an interview, an interview will always be looked at as a sample of your verbal communication skills. In order to put your best foot forward, make sure you do a practice or a mock interview beforehand. The more you practice answering interview questions, the more confident you’ll feel and the better you’ll get at communicating your experience.

Consider the audience.

Are you communicating with a colleague, with whom you work closely? A client or an HR manager who may not have the language for technical details? Someone very high up at your company? Every occasion requires different choices in terms of formality, vocabulary, and level of detail, and you should tailor your communication so you can best be understood.

There are many ways to improve communication skills:

- Build language through immersion. The best way to improve your communication skills is through practice. This is true for both formal and informal communication. If you’re concerned about your English abilities, try watching TV, reading newspapers and books, and texting friends in English (even if you both share another language!).

- Practice reaching different groups. In RPIE Communications and Culture Seminars, one exercise instructors suggest is practicing making the same presentation to three different audiences of varying technical expertise. How would you explain one of your past projects to an HR manager? An expert? Someone who knows nothing about engineering?

- Look to others to construct models. In the Professional Written Communication workshop, instructor Julia Bosson recommends looking at emails you have received from others to help you create your own template. How did your correspondent address you or sign off? Paying attention to these details will also help you determine the level of formality to use in your communication.

- Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. If there’s ever a word you don’t understand during a conversation, or if people start talking too fast, don’t be afraid to ask questions or ask someone to slow down. This request shows that you are engaged with and listening to what they are saying.

RPIE’s technical courses and Communication & Culture courses, workshops, and seminars are all designed to help you improve your communication skills.

RPIE programming also provides opportunities to informal communication with both the instructors and other participants. Consider which aspects of communication you would most like to work on—the stronger your communication skills, the better you will be able to demonstrate your technical expertise.