Most people have already developed a lot of soft skills authentically, without even noticing. However, there are some that you need to be consciously aware of and make active efforts to improve them and implement them in our day to day working lives. No matter which field of work you work in, or wish to work in, you will need sophisticated soft skills in order to thrive there.
What Are Soft Skills?
Soft skills, otherwise known as people skills or emotional intelligence, relate to your ability to interact with others and complete jobs while also considering situational awareness.
In laments terms, they are the people skills that most people develop as children, just levelled up for the workplace. Most people overestimate their own ability and competence in these skills, making room for a stall in career progression.
Examples Of Soft Skills
As stated, lots of people develop soft skills as they grow up. However, we are continuously growing and learning and as such, these skills can always be improved upon.
Some examples of typical soft skills are:
- Creativity
- Questioning
- Friendliness
- Adaptability
- Empathetic listening
- Manners
- Honesty
- Public speaking
Almost all of these skills are needed when operating at a place of work. However, there are some that take precedence over others in the minds of employers. This should be noted when writing up a CV for a certain employer, as you can then tailor your CV to include your best soft skills.
Some of the most sought-after soft skills by employers are:
- Problem-solving
- Working under pressure
- Teamwork
- Conflict resolution
- Effective communication
- Networking
- Negotiation
Regarding putting these on your CV, it is best to litter these words around the page, in relevant accounts rather than to simply list them.
How To Develop These Skills
The first step to making progress in your soft skill ability is to become aware of the areas in which you need to improve. Lots of people write them off as something they have already mastered, and thus they never progress. However, if you can pinpoint your problem areas, then you are already one step ahead of them.
You then need to create a plan of how you can develop these skills. This can include anything from making a conscious effort to use this skill more at work all the way up to getting a coach who can help you professionally.
There are also several courses you can join that will help you develop individual skills such as public speaking, team building and conflict resolution.
- Read Next: How Students Can Improve Leadership Skills