Employers today are looking for candidates who possess a combination of both hard and soft skills. Soft skills are developmental, social and communication skills that can be beneficial not just in your career, but similarly in your personal life. While it’s accurate that hard skills are still very important as they are associated with your expertise and knowledge, soft skills can be even more crucial for your employment success.
Why are Soft Skills essential?
As published by Tech-Owl, soft skills are highly valued because these are the fundamentals of your career growth. These skills enable you to work well with others as well as make you an indispensable contributor in your company. A lack of soft skills can lower your chance of getting hired even if you have the required expertise. Mark Murphy author of “Hire for Attitude” in an interview said that “46 percent of new hires fail in the first 18 months and 89 percent of them failed for attitudinal reasons. Only 11 percent failed due to a lack of hard skills.”
Here are some key soft skills.
“Active Listening and Effective Communication”
Tech Owl’s article stated that active listening is one of the vital components of employment soft skills. Being an active listener will enable you to comprehend another person’s point of view as well as make you a more successful employee. Your communication skills can only be as good as your listening skills. Being curious, open minded and patient can enhance your listening skills.
Good communication skills enable you to both understand and be understood, it is more than just speaking and being heard. Effective communication enables you to have a better comprehension of your employer’s anticipations as well as facilitate the exchange of information between co-workers.
“Adaptability”
Things can often unexpectedly change in a workplace and this can be stressful for the employees who have to deal with learning new techniques and skills. Being able to adjust to any situation with a good attitude is a highly appreciated skill to have and it will show your employers and colleagues that you are reliable. In life you either bend or break and therefore you must actively make the choice to adapt to your changing surroundings. Instead of being fearful of change learn to embrace it and anticipate it.
“Problem-Solving”
This soft skill is not only great for a leadership position, but for any position in any company. Employees who are able to solve issues, make quick decisions and think on their feet are highly regarded and they will more likely be considered for a management position.
“Self-Management”
Accept full responsibility and be the owner of your own destiny Learn to take matters into your own hands when it comes to your career and life. Taking initiative and going above and beyond the basic job description shows both leadership and enthusiasm which employers will both value and recognize. Continuous growth and improvement lies in being accountable for your own actions. Be brave and share your ideas with your employer, this way you can take responsibility in helping to achieve the goals of the organization.
“Team Player”
To be a good team player you have to be able to efficiently work with your co-workers. Teamwork is a fundamental soft skill as it is found in almost every role in every organization. Being a team player means knowing how to be both a good supporter and a good leader depending on the situation.
We hope you found this resourceful.
Follow the links below to read the books and articles that we found useful in writing this article.
