The notion of “soft skills” has been in the news a lot lately. For instance, a recent Wall Street Journal article explained how liberal arts majors may trail their more career-oriented peers in earnings at first, but not over the long haul — thanks in part to the broader education and related soft skills that the liberal arts experience offers.
But what are soft skills? And why are they so important?
[See: 10 Things Your Mom Didn’t Teach You About Job Searching.]
Let’s clarify how we discern between hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are learned in order to perform a specific job function. They’re more easily identifiable and even quantifiable. These are the skills that are more about “what you know” or “what you can do.”
Soft skills are less tangible. They’re more associated with your traits or personality. They determine how you interact with others and the approach you take to your job — your professionalism and personal values . If hard skills are more about what you know or can do, soft skills are more about how you act.
What are some of the soft skills that help make employees truly successful? They range from work ethic and compassion to critical thinking and the ability to give and receive feedback. They include attributes like the ability to focus, capability to network and factors like tenacity, patience and empathy, as well as creativity, negotiation skills, accountability and many more. Each of these skills, in the right setting, and coupled with the right hard skills necessary for their job function, can dramatically impact an employee’s ability to perform within an organization.
The data proves that employers take soft skills seriously.
A CareerBuilder study shows that 77 percent of employers believe they’re just as important as “hard skills” … and 16 percent believe they’re more important!
Another study, conducted by Millennial Branding and Beyond, finds that cultural fit is the single most important factor when making a new hire, and this is for both the job seeker and the hiring organization.
[See: 8 Ways Millennials Can Build Leadership Skills.]
And a recent article in the Harvard Business Review talks about hiring for emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is a person’s capacity to recognize their own and other people’s emotions. It’s another type of soft skill. Research tells us that people with emotional intelligence make better employees. They’re able to deal with stress, overcome obstacles, inspire others, manage conflict and they are generally happier at work.
Here’s the bottom line: for teams to perform at the highest level, having people with soft skills is an absolute must. And employers know it.
That’s why as a job candidate, it’s more important than ever for you to be able to make it clear to employers that you have the soft skills they’re looking for. Here are some tips for getting the soft skills part of the job-hunting process right.
Don’t devalue soft skills. Yes, hard skills are critical — and you need to have them to get the job you want. But don’t make the mistake of completely downplaying or ignoring your soft skills. First of all, that means doing more to practice and hone your soft skills. Students can focus on getting more involved in group work and contributing in constructive ways. Professionals can concentrate on teamwork as well. They can also think critically about key soft skills like how they handle stress — and seek out additional coaching or advice if they need help. (In the same way you might take a course to learn a new hard skill like programming.)
Be willing to talk about your soft skills. Many interviewees make the mistake of talking far too much about their specific job qualifications — and fail to paint the broader picture of what will make them a good employee. Much of the color in the palette of a well-rounded employee is related to soft skills. So don’t be afraid to discuss how you got your teams to work together more effectively, or how you were gritty when overcoming an obstacle at work. These kinds of anecdotes can be incredibly revealing. Not only will they help potential employers remember you — they will give employers a good sense of the soft skills you can bring to the table to help their teams.
[See: 10 Ways Social Media Can Help You Land a Job.]
Make sure others can fairly represent your soft skills, too. Even if you do a good job communicating your soft skills directly, the best endorsements in this area will come from others you’ve worked with. Your job references can provide a candid window into the kind of person you are at work. So make sure that they’ve seen you at your best. Select references that you’re confident have a clear understanding not only of your hard skills, but of your work ethic, dedication, problem-solving capabilities and more. These are the people who can offer the most compelling case for why you can be a great addition to an organization.
Remember — the term “soft skills” can be a bit misleading. These aren’t just “nice to haves” on the job. They are an increasingly essential piece of the 21st century workplace — and the attention you give to them will pay off in the long run.
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Why There’s Nothing “Soft” About Soft Skills originally appeared on usnews.com
