Soft Skills You Need for Career Success: Why They Matter Now
Our world today is driven by technology, and many might equate success to having technical skills or computer literacy, data analysis, database management, or the abilities that can help a person perform job-specific tasks. But the reality is business leaders and employers consider soft skills as “even more important to work readiness,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Job applicants usually focus on attending seminars and training and getting certifications for hard skills they might consider as their ticket to getting employed. But since companies are also considering a candidate’s soft skills, it’s time to define and develop them to make us more marketable.
Soft Skills vs. Hard Skills
Soft skills are interpersonal abilities that help us interact with others not only in a professional setting but with our relationships as well. Unlike hard skills, soft skills are more about how you interact with people (clients, colleagues, superiors, contractors, suppliers, etc.) These skills aren’t job-specific, making them transferable skills across work opportunities.
Hard skills, on the other hand, are specific abilities that can be learned through formal education, short-term training, or accumulated job experiences. These skills are often technical and are directly related to a job. For example, as a social media manager, you need the technical know-how to interpret data from Google Analytics or use tools like Adobe Creative Suite.
As mentioned in this post from U.S. News & World Report, here are the most in-demand hard skills.
- Software development
- Data analysis
- JavaScript
- Cloud computing
- SQL
- CRM tools
- Operations
- Finance
- Java
- Python
If you’re updating your resume, watch this video from Indeed on which soft skills and hard skills you must include.
Soft Skills Employers Look For
These are the essential soft skills employers value.
1. Communication: In every relationship, be it with our spouses, children, friends and people we work with, we often hear the phrase “communication is key” to make these relationships work and avoid escalating conflicts. However, communication isn’t just about talking, it’s also about how, when, and what you talk about.
2. Leadership: Leadership is a soft skill not just for managers or those in leadership roles. Leadership is about inspiring, taking initiative, and guiding others toward shared goals. Great leaders bring out the best in people and know how to make decisions even under pressure.
3. Teamwork: Remember when you used to work with your classmates on group projects? That doesn’t end in high school. In fact, being a team player is even more important in the workplace. Working well with others and knowing when to lead and when to bow out are the traits of someone who is not just a team player but also someone who can be a team leader.
4. Creativity: Being creative is a soft skill that isn’t just for artists and designers. It’s a valuable soft skill in any profession. If you’re creative in brainstorming solutions to a problem or coming up with fresh ideas for projects, you can be different from your peers. Thinking outside the box can set you apart. Plus, a little creativity can also help you make even boring and repetitive tasks more fun!
5. Time management: We’re all doing a million things, meeting deadlines, attending meetings, and answering emails that seem to multiply after your lunch break. If time management isn’t a soft skill you’ve developed, you’ll soon be consumed with serious work-related stress. You need to know how to prioritize and delegate if necessary.
And yes, setting boundaries and knowing when to say “no” nicely is a time management skill, too!
6. Problem-solving: Problem-solving is not just fixing the printer when it’s acting up or figuring out how to work the projector when the IT guy is busy. It’s about thinking creatively to come up with solutions to problems effectively. A solid problem solver sees roadblocks as opportunities for innovation.
7. Self-management: This soft skill is particularly important to companies working remotely. Employers are looking for employees who can manage their own workload and work on their own initiative instead of being spoon-fed.
8. Conflict resolution: Conflicts are unavoidable but knowing how to manage conflicts is a valuable soft skill. Learning to diffuse tension, understanding different perspectives and finding a common ground to avoid conflict escalation can strengthen professional relationships.
9. Positivity: Employers are also looking for employees and potential hires who have a positive outlook in life. Employees who possess positive attitudes can do wonders in the workplace and help lift everyone’s morale, especially when doing overtime work or struggling to meet quotas. Companies see value in individuals who can inspire and motivate colleagues and help in reducing work-related stress.
Key Takeaway
You can have all the certificates and the expertise in how to do your job, but if you don’t know how to communicate, adapt, manage your time, or collaborate, it’s going to be difficult for you to successfully climb the corporate ladder unless you define and develop your soft skills.
