Soft skills are just as necessary in your career and job search as hard skills, sometimes even more so.
What are soft skills?
Investopedia defines soft skills as "character traits and interpersonal skills that characterize a person's relationships with other people." In a workplace, these skills are a complement to hard skills, which refer to someone's knowledge and occupational skills. "Soft skills have more to do with who people are, rather than what they know. As such, they encompass the character traits that decide how well one interacts with others and usually are a definite part of an individual's personality."
Examples of soft skills include interpersonal skills, listening, critical thinking, and problem-solving, while hard skills include coding, spreadsheeting, Photoshop, welding, and heavy machine operation.
Employers are always looking for a combination of hard and soft skills. In a competitive labour market, soft skills become even more important. When there is a shortage of great candidates, savvy hiring managers know that you can always hire for attitude and train for skills. A candidate who is missing essential skills to do the job but who has a great attitude and a willingness to learn will soon have both hard skills and a great attitude, while a candidate with hard skills and a bad attitude will always have a bad attitude.
A recent survey reportedly found that 77% of Canadian employers see value in hiring a candidate based on their soft interpersonal skills and outlook toward learning rather than on job-related knowledge and hard skills. This is not news. All good employers see the value in this.
That doesn't mean hiring someone for a project management position when they've only ever worked as a barista and have no project management experience. But it does mean seeing the bigger picture beyond some qualification gaps. It also means that, as a job candidate, if you're applying for a position for which you lack some qualifications, highlighting your soft skills and eagerness to learn is key.
The most in-demand soft skills
The most in-demand soft skills include:
Communication skills/interpersonal skills
If you can get along with others and communicate well, you'll go farther than if you can't. While some communication skills, like writing, are considered hard skills, others, like being personable and likable, are soft.
Willingness to learn
As we stated above, a willingness to learn is key to success in any environment. Particularly now, in a post-COVID world where companies often have to pivot, they are looking for candidates who are eager to learn new skills to keep up. Technological developments are constantly changing how we do things and are another reason these soft skills matter to employers.
Adaptability/flexibility
If the COVID pandemic has taught us anything, it's that disruption can happen at any time, and you can't predict it. That's what makes it disruptive. The ability to adapt to new ways of doing things and new situations will serve anyone and everyone well.
Integrity
Integrity is a very attractive quality to employers. Keeping your promises, upholding your moral principles, and generally being a good person – what's not to love? People with integrity want to do their best because they know where they fit into the success of an organization and being a part of that success matters to them.
Listening
People who can listen make good employees. People who struggle with this skill do not. It's that simple. Listening makes you likable because people feel heard and feel like you are paying attention. Listening also makes it exponentially easier than not listening to learn and do your job well.
Time management
Time management skills allow you to be as productive as possible in the time you have available to you. Now that many employers have made a long-term shift towards remote or hybrid workforces, this soft skill is more critical than ever. It's difficult to enforce the 40-hour workweek remotely, so leaders want to know that their teams will be productive and optimize their schedules to use their time effectively and get things done.
Problem-solving
We're all going to face problems at work, and good leaders value employees who can solve them on their own. You need to be able to work through issues, research, and find solutions. Managers value employees with this skill because they can then focus on what they need to do, including solving their own problems, without having to hold your hand. They also enjoy having employees they can turn to for help, rather than the other way around.
Decision making
Doing good work (and problem-solving) requires decision making skills. Good decision making skills mean you have good judgment and are able to weigh the options in front of you. Good judgement and the ability to make decisions – again, without having to run to a manager every time you need to decide on something -- makes you easy to work with.
Creativity
Being creative means you can look at things from different angles and use your imagination, decision making skills, and problem-solving skills to generate ideas and solutions and make them a reality. Business success requires creativity because business success requires innovation, and innovation is, first and foremost, a creative pursuit. Creative skills contribute to business success on a grand scale.
Organizational skills
Someone who is good at tracking projects and deadlines, maintaining contacts, and prioritizing tasks is highly valued. Good organizational skills are actually not that common, and people who have them will do better at any job at any level.
How to demonstrate your soft skills
You can list your soft skills in a resume, but it's much more effective to show them with examples. Demonstrate listening skills by listening and interpersonal skills by being good with people. If you say you have good interpersonal skills and then are rude to the receptionist, they will know you're lying. Show that you're creative by pointing to creative projects you've worked on or innovative solutions you've come up with for problems. Demonstrate your willingness to learn by pointing to new skills and knowledge you've recently acquired.
Soft skills can be learned
There's a common misconception that soft skills can't be learned, and you have to be born with them. That's not true. Many of these soft skills are innate, but they can also be learned. You can learn to be better organized, to listen, to use your creativity effectively, and to manage time. It won't be as easy as it is for those to whom it comes naturally, but it can be done. And it's worth it to do so.
