used to know this guy in college. He was beyond smart. His major was math, and he was the type of guy who just seemed to innately know things you or I would probably never grasp, no matter how we studied. Naturally, he was in the honors program, and was on track to graduate early. Despite all that, the guy was incredibly difficult to talk to. He was a friend of a friend, so I would run into him a lot, but small talk just was never on the table. Whenever he tried for a joke, it would either sail over my head, or come out all wrong. Our mutual friend once coined that phenomenon “Math humor”. That was a nice way of acknowledging that while this guy was smart, talented and capable, he just did not “get” people.
Like my college acquaintance, you might be the most brilliant computer programmer, pastry chef, administrative assistant, or payroll specialist a company has ever interviewed, but unless you have the right interpersonal skills, they may not hire you. What gives? Like any other skill, interpersonal skills are something you need to work at a bit. While it is true that some people just seem born to be social, others have significantly more trouble with it. Likewise, while you may find something like technology, or history, or architecture comes naturally to you, someone like me might have a much harder time grasping it all. Practice makes perfect though, so don’t fret. You can learn these skills, just like you can learn anything else. Let’s get started…