Today, strong and emotionally intelligent leaders are in high demand. Skilled leaders can motivate their teams, improve morale, tackle challenges effectively, and keep a cool head in a crisis.
How can you learn to be such a leader? As a soft skill, leadership is something that can’t be taught in the same way as most technical skills, like using a tool or building something. Yes, you can hone your skills through leadership workshops and similar training. However, good leadership relies more on hands-on experience than on classroom education.
You have what it takes to be a good leader, even if you don’t realize it yet. Below, we will discuss ways you can leverage your previous work experience to demonstrate leadership skills—even if you’re new to the workforce or changing industries.
Leverage Your Experience
If you’re seeking a job that requires strong leadership skills, the first step is to demonstrate said skills on your resume. Think about leadership opportunities you’ve had in previous jobs. Were you ever responsible for organizing, instructing, or overseeing others? Did you help onboard a new employee? Did you have success in driving a project to completion or improving some quantifiable aspect of the business, such as saving money or time?
Include each of these experiences as a bulleted point in your Work Experience job descriptions. Don’t just state the name of the skill; write about how you used it. Show it in action, and talk about the results. You can use an online resume builder like ResumeCoach to make this process easier.
What if you are changing industries? You may feel like this invalidates your previous experience, but the truth is that it does not. Leadership is a highly transferable skill. You may have a steep learning curve to prepare for your new industry, but your leadership skills will be just as valid in one industry as in another. In fact, heralding leadership as a primary reason you should be hired can help smooth your transition. Wherever your work takes you, there will be people there for you to lead.
Leadership in Entry-Level Positions
What if you’re a student or a recent graduate? You may worry that you don’t have enough experience to be seen as a competent leader, especially if you’ve not yet been employed or only worked in an entry-level position.
Don’t worry—more likely than not, you can squeeze valuable leadership examples from the experience you do have.
Have you entered the workforce? Even as an entry-level employee, you have likely had some leadership opportunities. For example, babysitting is a common first job for high school students. Any work with children automatically puts you in a leadership position. Think about the times you solved problems or handled an emergency. If you taught your charges anything—from singing the ABCs and helping them with homework to having them pick up their toys or wash dishes after dinner—then you acted as a leader.
Maybe you have worked in retail or food service. Did you ever show a coworker how to perform a task? Were you asked to take the lead in opening or closing the location? Did you ever perform your job while the manager was absent? All of these are examples of leadership.
If you haven’t technically held a job, think about your experiences as a student. Did you take the lead in a class project? What about extracurricular activities such as sports, clubs, volunteerism, or internships? These can also present leadership opportunities.
Reflections to Applications
In addition to padding your resume, you have other reasons to reflect on your past experiences. Identifying what worked and what didn’t can make you a better leader. If something didn’t turn out well, brainstorm alternative ways of dealing with the situation and their possible results.
Think, too, of leaders you have admired and those you have not. What made that one boss a good one? What made you dislike another? Adopt the skills of effective leaders you’ve come into contact with, and avoid the traits of those who were not effective.
The Expert Leader
Leaders are often seen as people with all the answers. Others go to them for guidance in order to get the job done. How can you demonstrate to your team that you can be trusted in this way?
Never stop learning. Take classes and attend industry events, conferences, or seminars relevant to your industry. You will stay well-informed on the latest technology and techniques and encourage your team to do the same.
You can use blog posts and other publications to establish yourself as an expert in your field. You might even consider writing how-to guides or producing informative videos that would be beneficial to your team.
Finally, don’t be afraid to admit when you don’t know something. Offer to do research or consult another knowledgeable person. This humility won’t undermine your expertise. Instead, it will increase your team’s trust in your decisions and make you more approachable.
Again, think about times when you’ve done these things in the past, and leverage these experiences when applying for your new job, promotion, grant, or position.
The Humble Leader
Humility—viewing yourself and your abilities with modesty—may not be the first trait you think of in a leader, but it is an important one. Humility is actually an aspect of emotional intelligence—it involves recognizing your own limitations as well as the insights and abilities of those around you.
How can you leverage this type of experience? When interviewing, you could relate an anecdote about a time when you took a step back as a leader to let your subordinate shine. Or, without “bashing” them, you could explain what you learned from a former boss who was overbearing, disrespectful, or micromanager. Admitting that you could learn from someone’s bad example without speaking too harshly of them is a sign of humility.
The early American leader Benjamin Franklin stated, “Humility makes great men twice honorable.” But remember, humility isn’t a skill you can list on your resume—you have to demonstrate it rather than stating it directly. It was one of Franklin’s 13 virtues which he strived for, but he further remarked, “Even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it [pride], I should probably be proud of my humility.” Demonstrating humility requires careful balance so as not to behave contrary to it!
Conclusion
Your past experiences are a goldmine of leadership potential. Not only can you find plenty of examples to include on your resume when applying to a leadership position, but you can actually make yourself a better leader. Think about lessons you’ve learned from your own successes and failures and those you’ve observed in others. Keep learning.
When you do, it will be evident to others that you are a competent leader they can rely on.
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