WANTED: Payroll Manager with BA in accounting, five years of management experience, extensive knowledge of payrollprinciples, and a sense of humor。

　　要求： 有会计学位的薪资管理经理，有五年的管理经验，对薪资原则有充分的了解，有幽默感。

　　Wait. Humor? Now you have to reconcile W2s, process checks, and crack up coworkers? Has the job market become that competitive?

　　等等，幽默感？现在你必须要服从W2s，检查程序，还要能够让员工开心？如今的求职市场的竞争真的变得如此严峻了么？

　　Not exactly. Employers seem to demand the moon these days, but they're really looking for candidates who may be easier to work with (assuming they already have the coreskills to do the job). That means "soft," or intangible qualities, such as leadership, sense of humor, or "playing well with others," can be a strong competitive advantage for the job seeker. When a search comes down to two systems analysts with similar backgrounds and core competencies, the one who also may be a better "team player," or can "wear many hats," is more likely to get the nod。

　　不尽然。如今的雇主的要求看起来都非常刁难，但是在那些早已具备工作核心技能的员工中，他们更倾向于寻找那些易于相处的人。这就是 “软技能”，或有一些无形的素质，比如领导能力，幽默感或与其他人相处融洽等都会成为求职者的超强优势。两个背景相同、关键能力相同的系统分析员在竞争同一份工作职位时，那名善于团队合作的人、或者能够一人承担多份任务的人最终将会得到这份工作。

　　Qualities You'll Need

　　你需要具备的素质

　　"Today, employers want to see a candidate's ability to show value in the workplace beyond the job description," Stefanie Cross-Wilson, co-president of recruitmentand talent management at Hudson, tells "It's the tangible skills or core competencies that get you in the door. It's the soft skills that often get you the job."

　　Hudson的公司总裁，也是人才管理经理的Stefanie Cross-Wilson说：“如今，雇主都想看到候选人的工作能力创造的价值能够超出招聘要求。你的有形技能和核心竞争力让你获得了面试的机会，但是软技能却能帮你得到这份工作。”

　　Any of these six qualities could give you a competitive edge:

　　以下六个技巧中的任何一个都可以让你具备竞争优势：

　　Leadership/Team Building. Leadership skills are not only critical for supervisorypositions, but also for candidates who may want rise to positions where they'll give directions to others, experts say。

　　领导能力/团队建设。专家说，领导能力不仅只对管理层重要，对那些想要晋升到对别人发号施令岗位的候选人来说也是很重要的。

　　Team Player. Employers like people who play well with others. Even if the job you seek isn't officially part of a team, an employer may want examples of how you collaborated with people who don't report to you。

　　合群者。雇主希望聘用能和别人相处融洽的员工。即使你要应聘的工作并非团队的一个正式部分，雇主也希望你能够列举一些实例来说明你是如何与那些不是你属下的人合作的。

　　Goal-Oriented Self-Starter. This doesn't necessarily require motivating others. While employers don't necessarily want loose canons or mavericks, they do appreciatepeople who don't need to be told what to do and can set their own tasks and follow through。

　　有目标、有主见的人。这点并非要求你去激励他人。虽然雇主并不想要放纵或特立独行的人，但他们确实欣赏那些不需要别人来点明应该做什么、能够自己分配任务，并从头到尾做好的员工。

　　Excellent Communicator. No matter what the core job duties are, the ability to write a coherent memo or email, give clear verbal instructions, and help meetings run smoothly -- or, at least, not sabotagemeetings -- will probably be needed。

　　良好的沟通者。不管你工作的主要职责是什么，你都需要具有写畅通的备忘录、邮件，给出清晰的口头指示，协助会议顺利进行(至少不会破坏会议)等能力。

　　Flexibility/Multi-Tasking Ability. Sometimes employers will call this the "ability to wear many hats." Most professionals have multiple job duties even in the best of times. In an environment rife with layoffs, managers are especially comforted knowing a candidate can take on even unanticipated tasks。

　　灵活/身兼数职的能力。有时候雇主会称这点为“戴多顶帽子的能力”即使是在经济最佳的时期，很多专业人士都会身兼数职。在解雇遍及的环境下，当经理知道一名候选人可以承担多项任务时会特别开心。

　　Sense of Humor. Unless you're applying to Comedy Central, you don't have to make them double up laughing, according to John McKee, president and founder of BusinessSuccessCoach.net and author of "Career Wisdom."

　　幽默感。John McKee，BusinessSuccessCoach.net创建者，总裁，也是“Career Wisdom.”一书的作者，他认为除非你是去喜剧中心应聘，否则你就不需要让他们一再发笑。

　　"While I don't hear recruiters asking for candidates who can tell a joke well, I do believe that evidence of light-heartedness and/or the ability to lighten up a tough situation is valued, and self deprecationseems to be well-received," McKee says。

　　McKee说：“虽然我从没听说哪个招聘人员会让求职者讲个好笑话，但我确实相信那些能够证明候选人是平易近人的证据、或能够化解沉闷环境的能力是很重要的，另外，谦虚也是很重要的。”

　　Putting the Skills in Play

　　展示你的这些软技能

　　Other common soft skills demanded on job listings include "time management" (you can get everything done on time)， "strong work ethic" (you're not inclined to take three-hour lunches)， and "problem solver."

　　另外一些工作中要求的软技能有“时间管理”(你可以及时做完所有的事情)、“强大的工作热情”(你没有吃顿午饭要花三个小时的习惯)以及“问题解决能手”。

　　Though you might be able to hint at any of these qualities on your resume, it's really in an interview where you let the skills shine. "At interview time, most hiring managers are digging deeper into core skills, but also evaluating soft skills, which depend on what is necessary for the position," says Lindsay Olson, partner and recruiterat Paradigm Staffing。

　　虽然你可以在简历中将所有这些技巧都写上去，但是只有在面试中你才能够让别人真正信服(你真的拥有这些才能)Paradigm Staffing的股东、招聘人员Lindsay Olson说：“在面试期间，大部分招聘经理都会更深刻地挖掘你的主要技能，但是同时也会评估你的这些软技能，主要是由你面试的职位需要所决定的。”

　　You don't have all of these soft skills? Don't worry. Even in today's job market, it's not necessary to be super-human. Cross-Wilson says: "Employers don't expect you to be brilliant at everything. In the interview you can be honest if there is a weakness you have. If you are able to be relaxed and be yourself, they'll see you as authentic."

　　以上软技能你一样都没有？不用担心，即使是在如今这样的求职市场上，也没必要变为超人。Cross-Wilson说：“雇主并没有期待你在所有事情上都表现优秀。在面试上你可以坦诚地说出自己的缺点。如果你很轻松，表现自如，他们会认为你很可信。”

　　Build Mini-Stories

　　说一些小故事

　　Olson suggested that job seekers build "mini-stories" around the soft skills they think would be valuable for the job and share them at the interview. "You should prepare specific examples of how you dealt with a specific task or issue that will help others understand you have skills to solve their problems too."

　　Olson建议求职者可以就他们认为有用的软技能编一些小故事，然后在面试中说出来。“你应该准备一些详细的实例来说明你是如何利用这些软技能完成一项特别的任务或解决了一个问题，这样可以让别人更好地明白你拥有的才也可以解决他们的问题。”

　　What if you don't think you have the necessary soft skills to land the job? It's not like you can take a class to boost your sense of humor, but you can ask a mentor or a friend for help in improving, for example, your email etiquette. Many soft skills can be built or improved on the job, experts say. Consider volunteering for more responsibility, or jump at the chance to be on a team, so that you'll have anecdotes to tell on your next interview。

　　如果你认为自己并不具备得到这份工作的软技能，那该怎么办？虽然说你不可能去参加一门培训课程来培养你的幽默感，但是你可以寻求一位导师或朋友的帮助来提高你的软技巧，比如说，写邮件的礼节。专家认为很多的软技能都可以在工作中获得或提高。考虑免费承担更多的任务，或抓住机会进入一个团队，这样在下次面试中你就有奇闻异事可以谈了。