Why soft skills are important

You may have come across the term soft skills when looking for a new job or at an interview. Many employers consider them important and often crucial. The advantage is that these skills don’t need to be specifically taught and are not related to qualifications or expertise. You just need to develop them.

What are soft skills?

Soft skills are abilities or qualities that are naturally given to you. They are not related to what school you graduated from or what knowledge you have. They are associated with a person’s personality, empathy and emotional intelligence. In practice, this means only one thing. If you want your soft skills improve, you don’t need to learn anything. Just develop them and work on them.

At first glance, it may seem that this type of skill is not important for the job. But the opposite is true. Nowadays they are much more in demand than ever before. Unlike hard skills, i.e. those you have learned, they cannot be replaced by automation. Employers look for people with a good level of soft skills because they are the ones that make a company grow.

Which soft skills do companies find most in demand?

What soft skills are employers looking for people suitable for career development, i.e. an employee designed for the job for several years or for life.  Therefore, they want a person with not only a lot of technical skills, but also a portfolio of soft skills. The employee must be able to work with teammates, clients and customers. He/she must be interested in the selected position and should be motivated to achieve certain goals.

The most in-demand soft skills on the labour market:

• Communication – the ability to communicate is one of the most desirable qualities. It allows you to react quickly, solve different problems and adapt to the situation. In addition, you will be able to get along better with people, which you can use, for example, when approaching a potential customer with the intention of persuading them to buy your company’s products or services. Communication is also linked to listening skills, which are also highly valued in the labour market.
• People management – the ability to lead people and motivate them in a certain way is especially important for leadership positions and during teamwork. In addition to inspiring colleagues, you can plan time and tasks effectively. Decisiveness is also often associated with this trait.
• Self-motivation – in order to achieve all your goals, you need to be able to motivate yourself independently. If you can do that, you’re that much closer to your dream job. Every company needs an employee with vision and soft skills goals setting.
• Responsibility – when you get a job, you are given a lot of responsibility, not only for yourself but also for the company you work for. Discipline and precision, which are also in high demand, are derived from responsibility.
• Teamwork and flexibility in work – working in a team is more challenging than working as an individual. Getting along with other people, motivating them and advising them costs energy and strength. If you know how to do that, you are a very valuable employee.
• Problem-solving – sometimes it takes hours or days to reach a goal and an agreement in a conflict. If you can solve a problem in minutes and keep your cool, employers will fight over you.
• Ability to work under pressure – some jobs are known for their amount of work and relentless deadlines. You rarely encounter pressure and stress within others. No matter what your job is, if you can handle a heavier workload, you are a great asset.
• Good time management tips – you need to plan your individual work tasks so that you can complete them by the deadline. Companies don’t need someone who forgets and keeps pushing work.
• Analytical thinking – this is a specific way of thinking. It allows you to gather information and make the right decision. Choosing the right solution in a particular situation or choosing correctly from several options is difficult. Employers know this, which is why candidates with an analytical mindset are rare and extremely beneficial to them.
• Creative thinking – this type of soft skills vs hard skills examples  comes in handy especially when you work in a creative industry. Original ideas and interesting thoughts can move you closer to your goals.

Ways to develop soft skills

Soft skills are your secret weapon, so you should keep improving them. This will be appreciated not only by your current or future employers, colleagues and clients, but especially by you. Actively developing these qualities will also be reflected in your private life, which you will be able to see in your communication with others or in your approach to everyday problems.

The way of improving soft skills mainly depends on what trait you want to strengthen. Each skill will require a different approach, but there are some general guidelines that can be applied to all soft skills work.

Find out what you’re good at

Every person has strengths and weaknesses. You are better at some things and worse at others. Instead of focusing on something you’re not good at, do the exact opposite. Find out what you enjoy and feel good about. If you don’t know what it could be, ask around. Your friends and acquaintances can certainly help you with this.

Write down your soft skills and start working on them gradually. If you are good at time management, learn some tricks to save time, what planning methods exist and what tools can be used. The same applies to other skills, such as analytical and creative thinking or the ability to work under pressure. Everything can be improved.

Get feedback

Even though it would help in many areas, one cannot critically evaluate oneself. Of course, one knows one’s shortcomings and minuses, but one overlooks some things. That’s why it’s a good idea to ask for feedback, preferably from a person who works in the same field as you. It should be someone who has more experience or has been in the industry for a longer period of time.

Another option may be a friend or family member. However, the problem here is that the person close to you is usually not as critical and objective as they should be. Many shortcomings are overlooked. So try to go to someone who can give you a truly realistic and sober view.

Try online courses and books

Soft skills books or articles with tips and advice can help you develop your skills. Soft skills courses and trainings are very similar, and you can find a lot of them on the Internet. Some are free, others for a fee. It’s up to you which option you choose. Improving your skills theoretically is good, but also focus on developing them practically, which is key to expanding your scope of practice.

Step out of your comfort zone

Usually, you show your soft skills especially among your family and friends. It’s about people you feel comfortable with. In the comfort zone, you are neither tense nor stressed. But you won’t have that environment at work, and that’s especially true if you’re planning to change jobs or are starting out somewhere.

This is exactly why you should step out of your comfort zone and start working on skills outside of it. Get into an environment you don’t naturally gravitate towards. If you’re an introvert, try a team activity. If you’re more of a team player, choose a job for an individual.

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s almost impossible to find time for yourself. So take a 5-10 minute break after finishing a project or meeting. Evaluate what you think you did right and wrong. Go over your reactions and how you resolve conflicts. Find out if you did what you wanted to do or if something held you back.

Self-reflection is not about being hard on yourself and beating yourself up for making the wrong choices. Its job is to teach you something new and move you forward. Knowing where you went wrong makes it easier to avoid it in the future. With a few minutes to evaluate your work performance, you will gain a lot of information about yourself. Sometimes you get some interesting insights at times like this.

Observe others and actively listen

One of the best ways to boost your soft skills is to watch others. It could be your superiors, your subordinates or your colleagues. Find out how they perform their tasks, if they have any individual processes and what they are good at. Take inspiration from people in your neighbourhood.

In addition to observing, also actively listen. Focus on what others are saying, not only to respond, but also to learn something new. Active listening does not necessarily mean that you agree with the person. It can also be the exact opposite. By listening, you show that you understand their point of view, but your beliefs are different.

Communicate constantly

Interpersonal communication is the key to resolving many problems and disputes. If you know what to say at the right time or in the right situation, you’ve won. However, even the best speakers had to build their skills. In addition to reading, regular communication will help you expand your vocabulary. Talk to different people and on different topics. Even the ones you don’t enjoy. This gives you a general overview, which is another important feature.

Definitely don’t underestimate soft skills

Soft skills have a multitude of benefits. The main one is that employers value them much more than the professional and learned. But don’t be fooled. Even naturally acquired qualities need to be constantly developed and improved. You can do this in a number of ways, from reading books to self-reflection. Choose one or more options and kickstart your career for example at msg life Slovakia.