What are interpersonal skills?

by Emma Saldanha

Want to use your interpersonal abilities to build better relationships and boost your career prospects?

Interpersonal skills are some of the most sought-after qualities in any workplace. They shape how you communicate, collaborate, and connect with the people around you - and with so many teams working remotely or in hybrid setups, they matter more than ever.

Whether you're writing your CV, preparing for an interview, or looking to grow in your current role, understanding what interpersonal skills are and how to develop them can make a real difference to your career.

What are interpersonal skills?

Interpersonal skills are the abilities that shape how you interact, communicate, and build relationships with others. They influence everything from how you handle a tricky conversation with a manager to how you contribute to a team project or support a colleague under pressure.

To define interpersonal skills properly, think of them as a combination of emotional and social intelligence — the capacity to understand others, express yourself clearly, manage conflict, and work cooperatively towards a shared goal.

They sit within the broader category of soft skills, but they're distinct. While ‘soft skills’ is an umbrella term that also covers things like time management, problem-solving, and adaptability, interpersonal skills specifically relate to how you engage with other people.

They're also different from pure communication skills. While communication is a core interpersonal ability, interpersonal skills as a whole include emotional awareness, relationship-building, listening, and how you respond to others — not just how well you speak or write.

Hard skills vs soft skills

Why are interpersonal skills important?

Every job involves working with people in some way — whether that's colleagues, clients, customers, or stakeholders. Because of this, employers need to know that you'll represent the business well, contribute positively to team culture, and handle relationships with professionalism.

But the workplace has changed significantly in recent years, and so has the value placed on strong interpersonal abilities.

With hybrid and remote working now a standard arrangement for many UK employees, you can't rely on casual face-to-face contact to build relationships. You need to be more deliberate about how you communicate, stay connected across digital channels, and make sure your tone and intent come across clearly — whether that's in a video call, a Slack message, or an email.

At the same time, increased workplace diversity, growing mental health awareness, and the rise of AI-driven tools mean that the human side of work is increasingly valued. The skills that machines can't replicate — empathy, emotional intelligence, active listening — are precisely the ones that make great interpersonal abilities so important right now.

For anyone looking to change careers, return from a career break, or step into a leadership role, demonstrating strong interpersonal skills can be the deciding factor — even when experience is limited.

What are soft skills?

Interpersonal skills examples: a full list

So, what counts as an interpersonal skill? Here's a comprehensive interpersonal skills list covering the abilities employers value most across different roles and industries.

1. Communication

Communication sits at the heart of every interpersonal interaction. Good communication means being able to express your thoughts clearly and confidently, adjust your language to suit your audience, and share information in a way that's easy to understand. It also includes written communication — which is increasingly important in remote workplaces where messages, emails, and documents do a lot of the relational heavy lifting.

2. Active listening

Listening is a skill in its own right. Active listening means giving someone your full attention, processing what they're saying without interrupting, and responding thoughtfully. It builds trust, reduces misunderstandings, and makes the people around you feel genuinely heard — something that's easy to overlook but hard to fake.

3. Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share another person's feelings. In the workplace, it helps you support colleagues who are struggling, navigate sensitive conversations, and build stronger working relationships. For people in management or leadership positions, empathy is closely linked to team morale, retention, and overall performance.

4. Teamwork and collaboration

Even roles that are mostly independent require some degree of collaboration. Teamwork means listening to others, contributing your own ideas, respecting different viewpoints, and working towards a shared outcome. Teams with strong collaborative dynamics tend to produce better results and solve problems more creatively.

5. Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence (often called EQ) is your ability to recognise, understand, and manage your own emotions — and to respond appropriately to the emotions of others. It underpins almost every other interpersonal skill on this list and is consistently cited by employers as one of the most valuable qualities in any candidate.

6. Conflict resolution

Disagreements are a normal part of working life. The ability to address conflict calmly, find common ground, and reach a resolution that works for everyone is a skill that employers actively look for — particularly in roles that involve managing others or working with external stakeholders.

7. Negotiation

Negotiation isn't limited to sales roles or high-stakes boardroom deals. It comes into play whenever you need to reach an agreement — whether that's pushing back on an unrealistic deadline, discussing a pay rise, or navigating a disagreement over how to approach a project. Effective negotiators are good listeners who know when to compromise and when to hold firm.

8. Respect and professionalism

Treating colleagues with consistent respect — regardless of your personal feelings about them or their ideas — is a foundational interpersonal ability. Respectful workplaces have fewer conflicts, healthier cultures, and higher levels of engagement. Employers look for candidates who demonstrate professionalism in how they interact with everyone, from senior leaders to new starters.

9. Adaptability in relationships

The people you work with change. Teams restructure, new managers arrive, client expectations shift. Being able to adapt how you relate to people (e.g. adjusting your communication style, rebuilding rapport, or starting fresh with a new team) is a valuable and underrated interpersonal skill.

10. Positive attitude and approachability

Let’s face it, your attitude affects the people around you. Bringing a constructive, solution-focused mindset to your work encourages others to do the same. Approachable colleagues are easier to collaborate with, more likely to receive honest feedback, and tend to build stronger professional relationships over time.

Constructive criticism: How to give and take it

How to show interpersonal skills on your CV

Listing 'good communicator' or 'team player' on your CV won't do much on its own — because almost everyone writes that. What sets strong candidates apart is showing their interpersonal abilities through specific, tangible examples.

Here are some practical ways to do it:

• Use real examples with outcomes. Rather than writing 'excellent communicator,' try something like: 'Delivered weekly project updates to a cross-functional team of 12, helping reduce missed deadlines by 20%.' Specificity makes your skills credible.
• Weave them into your work experience. Your interpersonal skills should come through in your job descriptions, not just a bullet-pointed skills section. Show them in action.
• Mirror the job description. Scan the role you're applying for and identify the interpersonal qualities they're looking for. Then, use similar language in your CV where you genuinely have that experience.
• Don't overload your skills section. Choose four to six interpersonal skills that are most relevant to the role and that you can comfortably back up with examples or references.
• Be honest. Only include skills you can confidently demonstrate. If you claim you have strong conflict resolution skills, be ready to talk through a real example (the STAR method is helpful here) at an interview.

Free CV template

How to write a CV

How to demonstrate interpersonal skills in an interview

Interviews are your chance to bring your interpersonal skills to life — not just talk about them. Here's how to make a strong impression:

• Use the STAR method. For any question about how you work with people, structure your answer around the Situation, Task, Action, and Result. This keeps your examples clear and compelling.
• Prepare examples in advance. Think of two or three situations where you used great interpersonal skills — resolving a disagreement, supporting a colleague, or leading a conversation with a difficult client — and practise talking through them confidently.
• Show your interpersonal skills in action during the interview itself. How you greet the interviewer, how you listen to questions, and how you respond to follow-ups all demonstrate your interpersonal abilities in real time.
• Ask thoughtful questions. Candidates who ask considered questions about team culture, communication styles, or collaboration show that they value relationships — and that they're thinking beyond just the job description.

How to prepare for an interview

Best questions to ask at the end of an interview

Jobs where good interpersonal skills matter most

Strong interpersonal skills are valuable in every profession, but they're absolutely essential in certain roles. Here are some jobs where your ability to connect with and relate to others will be front and centre:

• Customer Service Agent
• Teacher
• Social Worker
• Human Resources Manager
• Nurse
• Recruitment Consultant
• Sales Executive
• Receptionist
• Project Manager

That said, even highly technical roles — like software development, data analysis, engineering — increasingly require professionals who can communicate clearly with non-technical colleagues, manage client expectations, and contribute constructively to team discussions. Interpersonal skills are a universal career asset.

Browse all job opportunities

How to improve your interpersonal skills

The good news is that interpersonal skills can be developed at any stage of your career. Here are some effective, practical ways to build yours:

• Practise active listening every day. In your next conversation, make a conscious effort to stop what you're doing, focus entirely on the speaker, and respond only after they've finished. It's a small habit that builds a powerful skill.
• Seek honest feedback from people you trust. Ask a colleague, mentor, or manager where they think you communicate well and where you could improve. It's uncomfortable but invaluable.
• Volunteer for situations that challenge you. If you tend to avoid conflict, take on a role that requires you to manage a disagreement. If you're nervous speaking to groups, put your hand up to lead a team meeting. Deliberate practice is the fastest route to improvement.
• Reflect after difficult interactions. When a conversation doesn't go the way you hoped, spend a few minutes thinking about what happened. What would you do differently? What did you learn about yourself or the other person?
• Invest in interpersonal skills training. There are many courses available — from communication and leadership to emotional intelligence and conflict resolution — that can give you structured support and recognised credentials.

View all interpersonal skills courses

View all communication skills courses

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between interpersonal skills and communication skills?

Communication skills are one part of a broader set of interpersonal abilities. While communication covers how you express yourself verbally and in writing, interpersonal skills also include emotional intelligence, empathy, relationship-building, active listening, and conflict resolution. All communication skills are interpersonal skills, but not all interpersonal skills are purely about communication.

What's the difference between interpersonal skills and soft skills?

Soft skills is the wider category — interpersonal skills sit within it. Soft skills include things like time management, problem-solving, and adaptability, as well as interpersonal abilities. Interpersonal skills specifically focus on how you engage and interact with other people.

Can interpersonal skills be learned?

Yes — interpersonal skills can absolutely be developed with practice and intention. Unlike some technical knowledge that requires formal study, many interpersonal abilities improve through everyday experience, self-reflection, feedback from others, and targeted interpersonal skills training. Taking a course in communication, emotional intelligence, or leadership is a great place to start.

How do I list interpersonal skills on my CV?

Use specific examples rather than vague claims. Instead of writing 'strong team player,' describe a situation where your teamwork or collaboration produced a measurable result. Weave your interpersonal skills into your work experience descriptions, mirror the language of the job posting, and only include abilities you can genuinely back up with evidence.

What are the most important interpersonal skills for the workplace?

Communication, empathy, and emotional intelligence are consistently rated as the most valuable interpersonal abilities by employers. Active listening, teamwork, and conflict resolution are also highly sought after across most industries and role types. The best interpersonal skills for you will depend on the specific role — so always check the job description for clues.

Why do interpersonal skills matter for remote and hybrid workers?

Remote and hybrid working makes strong interpersonal skills even more critical. Without the natural social cues of face-to-face interaction, you need to be more deliberate about how you communicate, build trust, and maintain working relationships. Skills like empathy, clear written communication, and emotional intelligence help bridge the gaps that physical distance creates.

Still searching for your perfect position? Search all interpersonal skills jobs now.