What are soft skills and how are they relevant to you?  Soft skills are personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people.  No matter what job you are applying for you will need certain soft skills.  Of course, as with any specialized field, your future employer will be looking for a set of hard skills as well.  These are skills that you may have learned in college or at a trade school – skills specific to the type of career path you have selected.  Soft skills are not usually taught, though you can find courses on personal development to aid in the advancement of your skillset and success.

Soft skills may seem easy to acquire when compared to something that takes years of study and practice to master.  However, if one is not attuned to reading people and is unwilling to take the time to listen as well as to talk, they may find themselves sorely lacking in the necessary components needed for landing a new job.  The difference is that even though hard skills do take time to perfect, soft skills deal more with a person’s ability to communicate and mesh with a group., which is much more challenging to change.  Learning new soft skills takes a conscious decision and daily application to actually become a skill set.  In our competitive workplace, having those soft skills could be the only thing that sets you apart from others with a similar skill set.

Hard & Soft Skills in The Employment Setting

Employers are looking to hire those who embody both hard and soft skills.  When creating a resume, be sure to thoroughly look at the job description so as to include keywords that pertain to the job.  Research which soft skills you may already possess that are relevant to your new job and present these to your interviewer by maintaining an upbeat and proactive attitude for the duration of your interview.

List of Valued Soft Skills for a Job

• Adaptability
• Ability to collaborate
• Communication (oral and written)
• Being able to work under pressure
• Accepting and growing from criticism
• Positivity
• Problem-solving capabilities

Soft Skills may be more important than ever in the working world.  With remote jobs taking up the market and automation and A.I. technology becoming ever more prevalent, the need for hard skills is declining dramatically.  The saving grace when presenting your skills for a new job is going to be your soft skills.  Consumers the world over have complete choice of price and service in the palm of their hands with smartphones and the internet.  Using good communication effectively with clients can sway their decision as to what service to choose.  When given the choice, most people would prefer to talk to someone who is both knowledgeable and personable to help them with their purchases and needs.

The Best of Both Worlds Regarding Your Skills for A Job

In offices that require interpersonal relations, soft skills are invaluable.  The ability to collaborate successfully on projects, communicate with your coworkers and clearly presenting your ideas to team members are respected attributes in the modern-day workplace.  Being able to successfully administer your soft skills will create a workplace that can succeed.

Hard skills are less valuable with the absence of soft skills.  You could be the most knowledgeable person in your field, but without soft skills, the work environment with be more difficult. Making a concerted effort to sharpen up on your soft skills can be the difference in landing the job you have always wanted.  Soft skills help separate A players from the rest of the pack.