What role do soft skills play in the workplace?

So why do soft skills matter so much?

Soft Skills are personal attributes or ‘people skills that help them interact amicably with peers. With workplaces becoming modern and interpersonal, it is more important than ever to have people who can have a positive influence on others. They are no more just the keywords to add to your CV. Though soft skills are not as tangible as technical competencies, companies are still making an effort to measure your soft skills throughout the hiring process.

Let’s look at some of these soft skills.

Confidence.

It is not just an important soft skill, it is also a key life skill. Your confidence helps you exhibit your belief in yourself and let you present a positive image. It surely is an asset that can lead you to success and help you attain your career objectives. Your self-confidence allows you to learn faster, as it gives you enough trust required to take risks without thinking much about success or failure. You will always be ready to learn from your experience. Plus, it offers an edge over others and leads to better success prospects.

Communication Skills.

No, these are not just limited to speaking or writing well. Good communication skills go beyond that and also include interpersonal skills as well as active listening. You should pay undivided attention to the speaker and acknowledge the message. Effective communication skills have played a critical role throughout the pandemic and helped organizations remain connected.

Being a thoughtful listener, asking questions, seeking clarification, and encouraging others to share their perspective shows your interest in a conversation.

Creativity.

Creativity is the next important soft skill which is required to develop innovative solutions to problems at work. It is an individual’s ability to think about a task differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective. It is more about using imagination to generate new ideas. As a soft skill, creativity is not something that only a few are born with; every single individual has his/her creative spark.

Empathy.

Empathy helps you build bonds with peers. It is important to get along well with co-workers and maintain healthy workplace relationships. If you are empathetic, you can go a long way and contribute to team building, while developing a bond of understanding between yourself and others.

Resilience

Resilience is the person’s ability to recover quickly from difficulties or adverse situations. It is how you adapt to adversity, and stress and still create a positive impact. It has come out to be a very crucial soft skill in times of change. Employees who are more resilient are more likely to cope better with unprecedented situations than others. HRs look out for candidates who are ready to take up challenges and see them as opportunities to grow further.

Employees must ensure to arm themselves with the right set of soft skills necessary for their job role. However, there is no right or wrong when it comes to soft skills. There is always room to learn, unlearn and learn.

So, prepare yourself the best to achieve success in your next role. Remember, the sky is the limit.