HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SOFT SKILLS

What do you mean by Soft Skills?

Employers use the term ‘Soft Skills’ to talk about the intangible and non-technical talents that are sought from candidates they wish to employ. 

Soft skills are also referred to as professional skills or transferable skills. These are skills that are less specialised, do not pertain to any specific vocation and are more aligned with the personality and general disposition of any candidate.

Soft skills relate to one’s attitudes and intuitions. Since soft skills are not listed on a candidate’s qualifications sheet there is no evidence of them to the employer during recruitment for entry level jobs. Sometimes soft skills and potential could take precedence over professional capability and experience. The ability to demonstrate one’s soft skills means to exhibit great potential to succeed and progress in the career of one’s choice.

Requirement of Soft Skills?

In most competitive job markets, employers are not only looking at technical ability and specialist knowledge but for an indication about the inner self of the candidate. Employers are always searching for people who can become good components of any team, who can mingle with the other employees, who have a pleasing personality, who can improve productivity in their company, who display a willingness to learn, who have a positive attitude and finally who can be leaders in the long run. To achieve such results several key soft skills are required to be inculcated.

An edifying example of the difference made by soft skills is of salespersons who may have an exhaustive and superlative knowledge of their market but may find it difficult to close a deal or retain their clients if they lack soft skills and negotiation skills. Similarly medical doctors possessing an extensive range of hard skills, especially of the ability to diagnose and prescribe treatments for any disease are not likely to be very highly regarded by their patients if they do not possess sufficient soft skills of trustworthiness, approachability and pleasing bedside manners.

Hard skills relate to an individual in isolation, whereas, soft skills relate to how one works with others and are important for facing external customers and clients as well as interacting with superiors, peers and subordinates. Employers place importance on soft skills because they enable people to function and succeed in teams and in organisations. The workplace is an interpersonal space which requires to remain productive with a healthy work environment and where relationships require to be built and nurtured, perceptions need to be managed, viewpoints exchanged and occasionally conflicts resolved.

 How to Improve Soft Skills

Communication is an important aspect of leadership because leaders should be able to express their views clearly and delegate tasks to a team unmistakably and intelligibly. Therefore, one has to inculcate the art of communication with others by adjusting their tone and style according to their audience. Leaders should be able to communicate with others at their own levels such that their audience can comprehend and act efficiently on instructions. They should be able to explain complex issues to colleagues and clients alike.

Being self-motivated means having a positive attitude and the initiative to work well. Every employee should endeavour to work without round-the-clock oversight as it demonstrates reliability and commitment. It also shows that one can fit in efficiently into any organisational structure without the need for constant supervision.

A good employee should demonstrate willingness to learn and progress, possess a healthy level of humility and know when to accept responsibility for any mistakes they may have made. Self-awareness or knowing one’s own capabilities and limitations is therefore a skill that needs to be mastered.

Teamwork requires the intuition and interpersonal acumen towards achievement of a common goal by the leader. Teamwork like leadership is a combination of other soft skills. Good team players are sensitive, as well as amenable to the needs and accountabilities of others.

Those employees who can approach a problem with a cool and level head will often reach a solution more efficiently because they require to possess a particular positive mind-set than those who cannot. Apart from the requirement of analytical, creative and critical thinking skills, it is the ability to resolve any issue in the quickest possible time, without causing much hurt to anyone and with the help of other team members which needs to be nurtured.

The ability to put things into the correct perspective, to weigh up all options available, to assess all relevant information and critically examine the consequences makes a person decisive. A good employee should know the difference between decisiveness and recklessness. Recruiters look for candidates who show a decisive attitude, an unfaltering ability to think clearly, and a capacity to compartmentalise setting stress aside.

Many jobs come with demanding deadlines and high risks. Employees who can manage their time well by efficiently prioritising tasks and organising their schedules while adopting a positive attitude would shine in the work environment. Therefore, the ability to work under pressure is closely linked to time management by an individual.

The ability to show willingness to acquire new hard skills coupled with an open-mindedness to undertaking new tasks and challenges by moving out of one’s comfort zone can be termed as flexibility. Employers often seek candidates who show a willing and eager attitude to solve problems or overcome challenges by displaying flexibility because in the work environment tasks always tend to be complex requiring adaptability.

The ability to negotiate is often looked for by employers amongst potential leaders. To be an expert negotiator one has to know how to exert influence and be persuasive while sensitively seeking a solution which will benefit all parties. Similarly, conflict resolution which is a part of negotiation depends on strong interpersonal skills and the ability to establish a rapport with colleagues and clients alike to achieve a satisfactory solution for all parties to any conflict of interest.

Showcase Soft Skills

During an interview, a candidate may be able to exhibit some soft skills naturally like communication, creative thinking, listening, flexibility and decisiveness but, it will require ingenuity to prove other soft skills in such short a time. Therefore, it is best to always prepare in advance for any meeting or interview visualising various scenarios giving examples where one’s soft skills have been exhibited and put into action.

It is best not to tell the interviewer directly the keywords of various soft skills but to look for opportunities during the interview to discuss moments in one’s life during which one has displayed those traits. This will prove that one not only possesses these soft skills but also shows that one is able to apply them in the workplace.