Are you going to visit that restaurant again that had rude staff and delayed service?
If your answer is no, you are all set to understand the role of soft skills in your career journey.
Your resume lined up with technical skills could land you to the interview but what’s going to give you the offer letter are your soft skills. Your communication, attitude, emotional intelligence, time management, decision making, creativity, leadership skills, etc are going to take you ahead in your career.
An intern with impressive soft skills along with technical skills will be considered by an employer over an intern, who is proficient with technical and hard skills but miserable soft skills.
Let’s try to understand the role of soft skills and why it is important in your career with some examples.
1. Recruiters are Looking for Soft Skills
Multiple research reports from across the globe suggest that the top skills that employers are looking for are problem-solving, teamwork, flexibility, and communication.
According to a survey conducted by LinkedIn, some of the most in-demand skills are:
- Communication
- Organization
- Teamwork
- Punctuality
- Critical thinking
- Social skills
- Creativity
- Interpersonal skills
- Adaptability
These are some skills that are needed in every industry and every level.
2. Soft Skills are Essential for Growth and Development
People with certain soft skills tend to be more productive and hence can move towards success at a faster rate. Skills like adaptability make it easy for you to fit into new situations. It gives you an edge over other people. It is one such skill that hiring managers look for in a job interview.
People who are open to both positive and negative changes can handle failures in a better way which makes them good leaders. One needs to be able to take risks and challenges in order to move ahead in one’s career. A person who has strong stress tolerance and motivation can push through any challenge and come out victorious. This attitude also helps the entire team as it encourages them.
Anyone who wants to be a part of the top management needs to have these soft skills. This is what makes them different and worthy of a particular stature.
Time management is one such skill that improves your performance and productivity. Proper utilization of time is significant for one’s growth. All of us have 24 hours a day but what makes the difference is how we use this time to get the best.
3. Learn New Things
Good communication and interpersonal skills are two of the most important soft skills that you must have or try to develop. It is only through these skills that you will be able to create a long-lasting impact and relationship. You need to have good communication skills to be able to express your ideas, thoughts, and problems. When you do that in a good way, you are able to leave a positive impression.
In order to learn new things, you need to build connections with people who can solve your problems. This can only be done with good interpersonal skills. The ability to talk, ask questions, and ask for help plays a crucial role in the development of an individual.
Both written and spoken communication are very essential. In this digital world, when most of the operations are happening virtually, you need to be good at written communication as well. This is because you will need to communicate with your colleagues and team members through written modes like emails, messages, etc.
4. Soft Skills Complement Hard Skills
Technical or hard skills are not enough to reach the top or become successful in your career. Your soft skills need to shine along with all the technical knowledge that you have. For example, if a person has all the qualifications to get into the business development sector but has very poor communication skills, they would not be able to succeed in this domain.
All the best future careers need you to have both soft and hard skills to excel. Your CV must highlight the soft skills like communication, leadership, creativity, interpersonal skills that are needed for a particular job or role.
5. Boosts Your Confidence
When you have strong soft skills like communication, presentation, etc, you can present yourself in a more confident way. During an interview, the panel looks for people who can answer with determination and are self-confident.
Your confidence can also be a major motivator for the team which makes you a good leader and a valuable team member. You can muster up your confidence by developing your soft skills and you will see a difference in yourself.
6. Helps You Innovate and Initiate
With skills like problem-solving, attention to detail, and a positive attitude, you can take up new projects. This only adds to your overall performance, be it in school or at the workplace. Your ability to detect problems and come up with possible solutions gives you an edge over others.
These soft skills empower you to take charge and solve problems single-handedly making you an inspiration for others. All of this helps in accelerating your career and taking it at great levels.
Conclusion
Anyone can take a course, get certified, and attain a hard skill. It is the soft skills that make you a real winner and take you ahead in your career. In order to be different from the others, you need to make the right decisions with the help of someone who could guide and assist you.
Mindler can help you with that through career counselling online. Get in touch with the Mindler Experts, know the best-fit career for yourself, make a roadmap to success, and give your career the acceleration that it needs.