The Top 8 Soft Skills You Need Now And Why
Employers are now looking out for soft skills along with job-specific skills. Do you have these social skills within you? These skills could be the deciding factor for your future hiring in a company. Read on to find out what are the soft skills.
Here is why you need to have soft skills: You threw your graduation caps, grabbed your mark lists and degree certificates and you step out into the job market. You are called for your first interview. Despite acing your classes and exams you find it difficult to communicate how valuable you could be for the company. Or imagine getting selected for the job, but you are unable to adapt to the changing work circumstances and the teamwork there.
Developing your soft skills will be your hero without a cape!
Soft skills are non-technical and social skills that relate to how you work and interact with others. They are also called interpersonal skills, non-cognitive skills, people skills, and essential skills.
A productive and healthy work environment depends on soft skills. Employers now prioritize soft skills when hiring new employees. In a Global Talent Trends report by LinkedIn, 92% of talent acquisition professionals reported that soft skills are equally or more important to hire for than hard skills.
Here are the top 8 soft skills you would need in your professional life
1. Communication
It is no surprise that this skill tops the list. Communication is one of the most vital soft skills you need in the workplace. In any workplace, you would be required to communicate and engage with others. It could be senior leaders, managers, colleagues, clients, and even customers.
Communication includes both your verbal and non-verbal skills. Your written communication is also a key matter. You should be aware of good email etiquette and how to write in a concise and specific way. You should be skilled in writing reports, project outlines, and other types of documents.
Good communication also demands good listening skills. You should be attentive and be able to listen and understand what your customers, clients, or colleagues are saying.
Miscommunications happen frequently in the workplace and this leads to losing valuable time in completing tasks and projects on time. Good communication skills also help in creating good relations with your co-workers.
2. Leadership
Many companies want employees who can manage, direct, and delegate tasks to other workers effectively. Leaders assess, encourage, and discipline workers. They help in building teams and resolving conflicts.
People with leadership skills will have communication skills, a positive attitude, quick conflict resolution and negotiation skills, mentoring skills, and project management skills.
Displaying excellent leadership skills helps you gain a reputation within the company, and this can lead to more opportunities for promotions and salary raises.
3.Teamwork
Almost every workplace has a team-oriented structure where colleagues work together. There are a lot of benefits while working in a team hence the reason why many companies opt for this structure. Most employees are a part of a team/ department/ division.
Teamwork is all about productive cooperation. Success comes from having many minds put together. Employers look for team players that help in building a friendly and operative work culture. Teamwork skills include being able to recognize and appreciate diversity in a team. They also include good listening skills and quick conflict resolution skills.
4. Problem Solving
Problem-solving is the ability to use your knowledge to find answers to problems. You will have to use your analytical, critical, and creative skills to figure out practical solutions to problems. Problem-solving is also about having a cool, clear, and level head when dealing with a difficult problem. The problems that come in your path while working are learning opportunities in disguise.
Employers look for problem solvers. Why? The workplace can provide unexpected and sudden challenges. Employers need people who are ready to jump on their feet, put their brains in, and figure out solutions rather than complaining about the problem.
5. Time management
Time management is the ability to work under pressure and to finish tasks within tight deadlines. It is about being productive in the time you are given. You should know how to prioritize certain tasks, how to organize your schedule well and judge which tasks deserve your attention first.
It is unprofessional and difficult for the entire team when someone frequently misses the deadlines. Make sure you do not judge the amount of time it will take to complete a task or project. Time management skills also include planning skills, decision making skills, and organisational skills.
6. Work Ethic
Employers look out for people with a strong work ethic. Work ethic is all about professionalism, dedication, and discipline. Employers and managers expect you to be responsible and accountable for the work you do.
This includes being punctual always, being able to meet deadlines, and making sure that your work is error-free. A strong work ethic shows your commitment and dedication to the job. A good work ethic also includes business ethics, multitasking skills, and self-supervising skills.
7. Adaptability
To stay atop the job market, companies are always making efforts to follow the latest news and adapt to the latest technology that is critical for business development. Companies make changes to remain competitive. Sometimes those changes could be very drastic or rapid. Company leaders hence prefer workers that can adapt to sudden changes and stay on track at the same time.
This soft skill helps you manage reality. This flexibility ensures that you do not lose your pace when there are sudden changes and you are still able to complete your tasks. Sometimes circumstances may arise such that workers have to revise their current approach and come up with other plans to move forward.
8. Critical Thinking
Critical thinking skills were ranked second on the World Economic Forum’s top skills employees need to thrive in the fourth industrial revolution.
Having critical thinkers in the workplace is necessary for fresh ideas, products, and services. Employers need candidates who can analyze the data given and make decisions regarding it. Critical thinking is necessary for generating ideas in many different contexts.
Skills related to critical thinking include flexibility skills, creativity skills, adaptability skills, the desire to learn, innovative thinking, logical thinking, and research skills.
Conclusion
If you are unable to work well within a team or find it difficult to communicate then you may not be able to work well and productively. If you have a negative attitude and are unable to think critically and creatively, how well educated you are wouldn’t matter.
Your soft skills can help you in your career progression. The modern workplace is interpersonal and customers now demand soft skills. In this age where people are worried if their jobs could be automatable in the future, soft skills are hard to automate. A lack of your soft skills could become a barrier in showing your full potential. Your soft skills could be the determining factor in a company’s decision in hiring you.
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