For decades, an individual’s experience and hard skills were the only focus of a potential employer. The most important question in the recruiter or hiring manager’s mind was if the candidate had the right tools necessary to get the job done. That attitude hasn’t changed much, but the relevant tools have expanded quite drastically to include soft skills not often considered in the past. These are skills that are often difficult to quantify, but are becoming critically important considerations. According to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 78 percent of employers are looking for candidates who can work well in a team, making it the most desired skill in the report. Companies are looking for candidates who are open, available, empathetic, and relatable. Michelle Tillis Ledermen, founder of Executive Essentials and author of The 11 Laws of Likability, says that authenticity is one of the pillars of trust in a workplace and that people cannot connect with an individual who cannot be real. Vulnerability is also related to this. "This is not about being weak, it is about being open and sharing imperfections for others to learn from," she says.