Do Social Skills Shape Career Success in the Psychology Profession?

Abstract. Building on social capital theory, we assumed that social skills (communication skills, cooperation skills) are essential for successful career development, particularly in social professions. Applying a mixed-method approach, we integrate data from a questionnaire study with 164 psychologists (Study 1) and an interview study with 20 psychologists (Study 2). In Study 1, we found communication skills to be related to objective career success (salary, position), whereas cooperation skills were associated with subjective career success (job satisfaction, goal attainment). Further, the interaction of communication and cooperation skills revealed marginal effects on career success. To gain a broader understanding of the self-estimated role of social skills, in Study 2 qualitative data were considered. In line with professional competence models, we found four broad categories of skills that psychologists report to be useful in their professional work. Social skills accounted for 35.5 % of the responses, highlighting their unique role in social professions.