Sharpening Soft Skills

Increasing Interpersonal Skills for Employment Opportunities

May 6, 2009 Sharon Chapman

Soft skills are as important if not more so than technical skills and should be improved upon in the event a job or career change were to occur.

Soft skills are referred to quite often in the business and employment world without really being explained. There are people who don’t understand what soft skills are and so when told to sharpen them begin to wonder what to do.

Soft skills are interpersonal skills that typically include social graces, communication, leadership ability, decision making skills, problem solving skills and more. Soft skills are a necessary addition to having technical skills in order to be a complete package for potential employees.

During an economic down turn many people are faced with job loss or the possibility of a job loss and wonder what to do and how to start a new career possibly even a new career path. This is a good time to freshen up the resume and work skills as well as work on those soft skills that all employers are looking for.

Soft Skills Inherent or Learned

Soft skills aren’t taught in colleges, sure, there are motivational speakers who can point out what soft skills are but to put them into action takes a conscious effort and personal motivation. Many soft skills could be considered personality traits, such as a good attitude or positive work ethic. Others may need to be practiced in order to become second nature, such as working with as a team. Some people are not good team workers; however, they can learn to be.

Many employers state that an employee with soft skills can be trained for a technical position whereas someone with the technical skills can’t always be taught soft skills. There are career coaches who work with people to develop soft skills; however, for these skills to become routine and part of the person’s overall being, they must be practiced.

Top Soft Skills

There are certain soft skills that mean more to employers than others. These are the ones that should be focused on when starting to work on improving one’s employability. According to the Workforce Profile, these are some of the most sought after soft skills employers are looking for, in addition to technical skills:

• Safety- Being conscientious about safety practices.
• Courtesy- Common courtesy to other workers and clients
• Honesty
• Reliability- Does what they say they will do.
• Flexibility- Ability to grow and change as needed by the company.
• Team Skills- The ability to work with others toward a common goal.
• Eye Contact- Eye contact signifies confidence and truth, shifting eyes lead to distrust.
• Communication- Public communication and speaking skills

There are many other soft skills that employers look for, however these are at the top of the list. They are not hard to incorporate into one’s overall personality. For instance, public speaking can be practiced until it is comfortable, as can maintaining eye contact when talking to someone.

Be Prepared for Change

Being prepared for change in the work place or even change to a career is important. Not only does preparation keep the mental stress of change from being so dramatic, it also makes it easier to transition to a new path in life. Sharpening resumes and soft skills before they are needed is the first step in being prepared for whatever does or does not happen. Should they be needed, the skills are there for the next career. If they aren’t needed for a job change, they could be just the right tool for advancing in a current job.

The copyright of the article Sharpening Soft Skills in Workplace Culture is owned by Sharon Chapman. Permission to republish Sharpening Soft Skills in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Knowing When to Shake Hands is a Soft Skill.