Employers value soft skills in the modern workplace, and they are in great demand. They’re personal and behavioural in nature, and they may help us succeed in business and in life. So, what steps can we take to develop our soft skills?
Have you ever pondered why some people succeed in their jobs even though their qualifications and experience aren’t particularly impressive? Or how recruiting methods are shifting, with employers looking for people who can influence, alter, and innovate rather than just technical skills and qualifications?
Soft skills are those that can be taught. The capacity to regulate and manage your emotions, communicate, be creative, and develop rapport with others.
How do you define soft skills?
Soft skills are character traits and interpersonal abilities that describe a person’s interactions with others. In the workplace, soft skills are seen as a complement to hard skills, which refer to a person’s knowledge and occupational talents. Sociologists use the term “soft skills” to describe a person’s emotional intelligence quotient (EQ), as opposed to intelligence quotient (IQ) (IQ).
Soft skills are more concerned with who individuals are than with what they know. As a result, they cover the personality traits that affect how well one interacts with others and are usually a unique aspect of a person’s personality. In a competitive labour market, employees with a solid mix of hard and soft skills frequently feel a larger demand for their services.
The difference between softs skills & hard skills?
Hard skills are acquired through formal education, training programmes, and concerted effort on the part of workers. Hard skills are the quantitative abilities that workers must possess to do a certain profession successfully. Before hiring, employers frequently test or evaluate a candidate’s hard skills. Computer programming, writing, web development, and graphic design are examples of hard skills. Some hard skills are in higher demand than others, therefore firms may need to use recruiting agencies or headhunters to fill high-level positions.
Soft talents are more difficult to acquire and alter than hard skills, which may be learnt and developed over time. Empathy, understanding, active listening, and a decent bedside manner, for example, are soft skills necessary for a doctor. Hard skills required of a doctor, on the other hand, would include a complete awareness of ailments, the ability to evaluate test results and symptoms, and a deep understanding of anatomy and physiology.
Why are soft skills important?
From an employer’s perspective:
Soft skills are beneficial to businesses when they are exercised across the board. A collaborative atmosphere among employees, for example, is critical. Team members who can collaborate effectively with people from various generations and backgrounds are more productive and better able to focus on common goals. When workers collaborate to complete tasks by sharing information and tools, efficiency and production improve. Learning new methods and technology is also a valued soft talent for all employees.
Learning as a soft skill is valued by companies that acknowledge different learning styles and encourage employees to choose the ways that work best for them. Troubleshooting is a soft skill that is also valued by businesses. For example, instead of relying on the information technology (IT) department for every fix, firms can function more efficiently and boost productivity if all employees know how to debug software problems.
From an applicant perspective:
It’s typical to see qualifications like “communication skills” or “a problem-solving mentality” in job adverts. This is because soft skills enable you to:
- Identify individuals that are not just capable of doing the job, but also of doing it well.
- An individual with good time management abilities, for example, understands how to prioritize activities to meet deadlines.
- Choose among eligible people who meet the job’s normal requirements.
- When two candidates have similar academic and professional backgrounds, you’re more likely to hire the collaborative and flexible one.
- Hire for potential rather than experience.
- For instance, it makes sense to look for applicants with experience in a junior role Rather than hiring an expert, hire someone with a “willingness to learn” and an “adaptive personality.”
- Make well-informed hiring choices.
- When recruiting a salesperson, for example, you want someone who is familiar with the sector and has sales experience, but also someone resilient knows how to negotiate, and has strong verbal communication skills.
- Examine how well candidates fit into your company’s culture.
- For example, if you value accountability and want employees who can take initiative, you should search for people that aren’t scared to take charge of their jobs, are decisive, and can solve problems.
Examples of soft skills
Communication:
How effective are you at communicating? In practically every employment, communication skills are essential. You’ll almost certainly have to speak with others on the job, whether they’re clients, customers, coworkers, bosses, or vendors. You must also be able to communicate properly and politely with others in person, over the phone, and in writing.
When it comes to communication, being a good listener is equally essential. Employers are looking for individuals that cannot just articulate their ideas, but also listen to others with empathy. In customer service occupations, listening is an especially crucial skill.
- Listening
- Negotiations
- Nonverbal & verbal communications
- Social skills
- Storytelling
- Writing skills
- Public speaking
- persuasion
Critical thinking:
Employers seek employees who can analyze events and make well-informed decisions, regardless of the position. You must be able to analyze problems, think critically, and design solutions whether you are dealing with data, educating students or repairing a home heating system. Critical thinking talents include creativity, flexibility, and curiosity.
- Adaptability
- Problem-solving
- Logical thinking
- Creativity
- Critical observations
- Flexibility
- Troubleshooting
- Creative & design Aptitude
- Desire & willingness to learn
- Innovation
- Imaginative thinking
- Resourcefulness
Leadership:
While not every job posting is for a management position, most employers will want to know that you can make decisions when necessary and handle circumstances and people. Employers look for prospective employees who can stand up to the plate in a challenging circumstance and help them resolve it.
- Conflict management
- Decision making
- Facilitation
- Conflict resolution
- Project management
- Delegation
- Feedback
- Talent management
- Mentorship
- Critiques
Positive Attitude:
Employers are constantly on the lookout for individuals who will bring a pleasant attitude to the workplace. Employees who are nice to others, enthusiastic to work, and generally enjoyable to be around are desired. It’s especially crucial to be able to keep things upbeat if you work in a fast-paced, high-stress setting.
- Confidence
- Cooperation
- Courtesy
- Enthusiasm
- Friendliness
- Honesty
- Humorous
- Patience
- Respectability
- Respectfulness
Teamwork:
Hiring managers seek applicants who can collaborate effectively with others. Whether you’ll be working on a lot of group projects or just attending a few departmental meetings, you’ll need to be able to work well with others. You must be able to collaborate with people, even if you do not always agree.
The ability to negotiate with people and identify and respect variety in a team are two abilities related to teamwork. Yet another remark
- Collaboration
- Diversity awareness
- Empathy
- Actional feedback
- Self-awareness
- Influence
- Relationship management
- Intercultural understandings
Work Ethic:
Employers need employees who have a strong work ethic. Such individuals arrive on time, accomplish assignments on time, and remain focused and organized.
They know how to manage their time and do their tasks thoroughly. People with a strong work ethic may work independently as well as follow instructions.
- Attentiveness
- Reliability
- Independence
- Persistent
- Patient
- Resilient
- Eagerness to learn
- Strategic planning
- Time management
- Work well under pressure
How to indicate soft skills on your resume?
1. Copy and paste language from the job ad:
To sift through vast quantities of resumes, businesses are turning to applicant tracking system (ATS) software. This software combs through apps looking for specific terms and phrases, such as skill keywords. The problem is that the software’s algorithms can only grasp as much as you tell them. You can’t rely on them to figure out your skillset based on your previous positions.
Because ATSs can’t detect nuance in language, it’s vital that you include examples of soft skills straight from the job posting. If the job description calls for “strong verbal communication skills,” make sure to include that information. It won’t grasp that “strong oral communication abilities” and “strong oral communication skills” are the same thing.
2. Emphasize your strengths by using action verbs.
Make your message more effective by using fascinating action words. What was the outcome of your work when you described it? Words like ‘created,’ ‘achieved,’ and ‘executed,’ for example, sound better than ‘responsible for a task.
3. Demonstrate rather than tell
Anyone can claim to be well-organized or hardworking, but the key is to be able to back up their claims. To make a bigger effect, talk about the results you’ve gotten. To secure the job you desire, you’ll need to be able to demonstrate some of these examples of soft talents in your resume.
4. Ensure that your claims are followed through on.
Remember to highlight soft abilities on your resume, but make sure to back them up with supporting resources in your application. Many applicants can list “great attention to detail,” but the resume contains spelling errors or no contact information at all. Another common mistake in resumes from applicants who claim to be ‘high energy,’ but their writing is dull and uninterested.
Of course, even the best soft skills won’t help you stand out if you lack the hard abilities required for the job but learning to demonstrate them on your resume will help you stand out from other candidates with similar experience.
Next Steps:
It may seem challenging but, is it vital to develop soft skills in life.
Having a diverse set of soft skills is comparable to a brand-new vehicle engine operating at peak performance. Remember that, like any automobile engine, if left neglected, soft skills will deteriorate with time. Soft skills may be used for continuous success but also continuous learning.
Resources:
https://ca.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/soft-skills
https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/guide/develop-soft-skills/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/top-soft-skills-2021-jenifer-lambert/
https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/soft-skills-you-need
