Mastering the Art of Connection: The Importance of Interpersonal Skills in Corporate Interviews
Your ability to connect and communicate effectively can make or break your chances of standing out in corporate interviews. That's right—I said it. Forget the laundry list of internships, insight days, vacation schemes, spring weeks, and society memberships you’ve curated on your LinkedIn profile. While those experiences certainly add value, what will truly set you apart in the corporate world is your interpersonal skills and the ability to master the art of connection. But don’t just take my word for it. TikTok—specifically the “CareerTok” community—has become Gen Z’s go-to platform for career advice (though clearly, they haven’t heard of us yet at City Careers Coach). The consensus? Soft skills and communication abilities aren’t just nice-to-haves; they’re the secret weapons for climbing the corporate ladder. Being easy to work with is THE most underrated skills in any career, from corporate law to venture capital. Whether you’re interviewing at a magic circle law firm or for a spring week placement at Deutsche Bank, corporate interviewers will want to picture how you will settle in with colleagues, the company’s culture, and clients. This is especially the case in careers like venture capital, where your ability to network with founders, investors, and team-members will determine your success in that role. This may seem as obvious to you as when your parents told you to “mind your manners” before heading out somewhere, but it goes much further than that. Personality is now the most ‘sustainable asset for business success’, and developing the kind of personality where you can blend into the world you want to succeed in is crucial to ensuring you get the future you deserve. I’m making out that developing these interpersonal skills is a tremendous difficulty and a daunting task, let me assure you that they can also make a corporate interview feel less formal and more like a conversation: remember, interviews are a chance for the hiring team to get to know you, and while they are an assessment of character, it is an opportunity for the real you – not the LinkedIn you – to shine.