Soft Skills That Get You Hired in HIM (But Nobody Puts on Their Resume)

Here’s the truth: Most HIM professionals think they’re not getting hired because they need another cert.

Nope. You’re not getting hired because you don’t sound like someone who can actually lead, explain, or solve problems. Your resume talks about what you did — but not how you think.

And in today’s job market, soft skills are the tie-breaker between two people with the same credentials.

Let’s break down the real ones hiring managers are scanning for — and how to put them on paper without sounding like a walking buzzword.

1. Communication: Can You Explain Complex Stuff Simply?

If you’ve ever had to:

• Break down denial reasons for a provider

• Write an appeal letter that didn’t sound like gibberish

• Explain why a chart needs to be recoded…you’ve already got communication skills.

📌 How to say it on your resume:

“Translated payer policies and documentation requirements into actionable guidance for clinical staff, reducing denials by 22%.”

Not:

“Strong verbal and written communication skills.” (That’s noise.)

2. Problem Solving: Can You Fix What’s Broken Without a Manual?

Hiring managers want HIM pros who don’t just flag issues — they fix them.

📌 How to say it:

“Identified trends in claim rejections and built a provider feedback loop that reduced repeat errors within 60 days.”

“Created a documentation checklist based on top denial reasons, decreasing rework requests by 30%.”

3. Data Literacy: Can You Make Sense of What the Numbers Are Telling You?

This doesn’t mean you’re a data scientist. It means you know:

• What to look at

• What questions to ask

• And how to present it clearly

📌 How to say it:

“Monitored denial dashboards and payer trends weekly, using Excel and clearinghouse tools to flag anomalies before month-end close.”

“Converted abstracted chart data into insights used for compliance reporting and documentation training.”

4. Systems Thinking: Do You Understand the Bigger Picture?

You’re not just coding a chart. You’re:

• Supporting downstream billing

• Protecting reimbursement

• Improving data quality that affects everything from payer relations to compliance risk

📌 How to say it:

“Worked cross-functionally with billing and QA teams to align clinical documentation with risk scoring and audit readiness.”

“Supported front-end workflow improvements that improved registration accuracy and reduced downstream rework.”

5. Assertiveness + Ownership: Can You Lead Without a Title?

You don’t need to be a supervisor to show leadership. You just need to show:

• Initiative

• Influence

• Ownership

📌 How to say it:

“Led weekly documentation audits for the coding team, creating a tracker system to flag missed HCC opportunities.”

“Took ownership of payer appeal submissions and successfully overturned 40+ denials within 90 days.”

Soft Skill Resume Mistakes

• ❌ Using clutter like “detail-oriented” or “team player” with no proof

• ❌ Burying your actual value in long job duty lists

• ❌ Forgetting that your personality + mindset matters just as much as your technical accuracy

📌 HIM hiring managers aren’t just reading for what you know. They’re looking for how you think.

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Final Word

HIM isn’t just about codes, systems, or data — it’s about people who can communicate clearly, solve problems, and lead workflows that actually work.

You don’t need to add another cert to your name. You need to start showing hiring managers who you are — not just what you’ve done.

Want Me to Help You Write a Resume That Shows Off Both Your Skills AND Strategy?

✅ I’ll pull the real story out of your work history

✅ I’ll write resume bullets that highlight your soft skills in a way that actually sells

✅ I’ll format and structure it so it stands out in a sea of generic HIM applicants

[Tap here to book your Resume Revamp today]

Let’s make sure your next resume sounds like someone they’d hire — not someone they’d skip.