Soft skills are your own personal attributes and qualities that allow you to work well with others such as communication and interpersonal skills, positivity, confidence and time management.
Hard skills are those that are developed through education and training, such as computer programming, technical engineering and IT skills, maths, law and accountancy.
Employers increasingly recognise the importance of soft skills in the workplace so its important to showcase these when applying for jobs. Soft skills show employers that you have the capability to work with others, maintain relationships, grow networks, stay organised, take the initiative and remain solution focused.
So what 'soft' skills are employers looking for?
Employers need people to communicate well with different people across their organisation. Being able to put your thoughts and ideas across clearly and persuasively is a great skill as it means others will listen and most likely to respond positively.
Teamwork is a crucial ingredient to business success which often relies on people working together to achieve a common goal. Being able to work well with others, listening, contributing, supporting and taking direction from within the team is key. Employers want to hire people who are good team players.
You will be faced with challenges throughout your working career and employers are looking for people who can analyse a situation or concept, think critically and offer solutions to problems. Employers do not want people who dwell on ‘what went wrong’ but rather ‘what can be improved’.
If you are dealing with a challenging situation, then you will need to use your initiative and find a way to get the work done in a timely and efficient manner. If you work in a team, you may need to take charge, make decisions and ensure everything runs smoothly.
Employers seek people who bring new ideas to the workplace and have an innovative approach. Do not worry if you don’t have creative skills just yet. Creativity is something you can learn, not something you are born with.
You may be faced with difficulties during your career and you will need to be able to deal with a bad situation, move on and still work to a high standard. Do not let setbacks affect your confidence and find ways to learn from the experiences.
This is about being able to convince and persuade others to take your ideas on board and show them the overall benefits. It is also being able to understand what the other person needs. You may need to compromise as part of your negotiation to move things forward.
Employers want people to be positive. The workplace will have many challenges and you need to show employers that you are the kind of person who will work hard and stay on task even when challenged.
You should always be open and eager to learn new skills. Taking on additional responsibilities can demonstrate your enthusiasm. This is a good way to highlight yourself as a candidate for other positions.
This is a skill where you need to be mindful of someone’s mood and beliefs, including your own. You will most likely build positive relationships with colleagues and more positive outcome at work if you do this.