We all know that jobs require that their employees have a certain set of skills that match with the requirements of the job, but what about soft skills? Soft skills are characteristics and attribute that enable an individual to interact and work well with other people in any specific setting. These skills illustrate your emotional intelligence and show whether or not an individual is capable of working in a professional workplace with other professional individuals.
why are soft skills important?
While hard skills are specific and unique skills that help to match individuals with specific jobs and jobs requirements, they are usually meaningless unless the individual also possesses soft skills. These key skills are more personal and are what make a person well-rounded and highly sought after by potential employers. The following are the key soft skills that employers look for when searching for new talent.
the top 6 most important soft skills
confidence
Confidence is a timeless key soft skill that employers value in their employees and in their potential employees. Being confident shows that you are intelligent, capable of doing your job, and that you are capable of doing the job better than the next candidate. This key skill can give you an advantage in your job search and put you ahead of even the most skilled individual when applying for a new position.
passion
Passion is arguably the most important thing that employers and companies look for. Passion shows that you care and shows that you are doing something that you love and are willing to do anything to get the job done. While everyone wishes to earn a living doing something that they love to do, this is not always going to be the case. However, passion can be shown even in the smallest forms such as showing up with a good attitude or putting all your effort into even the smallest projects. Show that you are passionate, and employers will be drawn to you.
curiosity
A key skill that one should continue to have throughout their life is curiosity and the drive to always want to learn more. Employers seek people with this soft skill for the workplace as it shows that this individual will look to learn as much as possible in order to the best possible job. You might think that you know all there is to know about a field of work, but this is the 21st century and things change fast - it is always a good idea to strive to learn and stay relevant.
adaptability
While it is important to be able to do one thing well, it is also extremely important to employers that you are able to do several things and adjust to numerous situations. Adaptability is a key soft skill because it shows that you can work well under pressure and in a wide variety of different conditions. Your ability to adapt could be what sets you apart from the next candidate.
communication
Communication is an essential soft skill in the workplace and in almost every part of everyday life. We start communicating the day we are born and continue to do so throughout our entire lives. Having good communication skills enables an individual to create and maintain relationships which are always important when working with other individuals over any length of time.
teamwork
Last but not least in this soft skills list is teamwork. Team working skills go hand and hand with the key skill of communication. In most workspaces, you are not working alone. Being able to work in a team is an extremely important soft skill that employers value when looking for new talent and when evaluating current employees. Being able to communicate and participate as a team leads to a better work atmosphere, and as a result, better overall work.
working on your soft skills
While for some people, soft skills such as the one mentioned above might seem to come naturally, but there are always ways that you can work on and improve these skills. The following are some tips that may be helpful for working on your soft skills for the workplace. To improve your confidence and communication and teamwork skills, try stepping outside of your comfort zone and joining a club such as toastmasters to practice your public speaking and communication skills. For curiosity, it is always good to stay up to date on the most recent trends, especially the ones that are most relevant to your intended career path. Never stay stagnant and never stop seeking to learn more.
Everyone has soft skills, the strengths of which vary depending on the individual. Knowing your strongest key skills and which soft skill fit best with certain jobs and company cultures is very important and can give you a leg up in any job interview and make your resume stand out to employers. Make sure that you do a little digging into any company you wish to join to find out what key skills they value the most so that you can showcase these. If you are unsure of what your strongest soft skills are, it is a great idea to consult friends, family, colleagues or even your LinkedIn network and ask them what they think your strongest attributes are, you might be surprised by their response!