Research conducted by Harvard University, the Carnegie Foundation and Stanford Research Center has concluded that 85% of job success comes from having well-developed soft and people skills, and only 15% of job success comes from technical skills and knowledge (hard skills). This research finds its beginning with the work of Charles Riborg Mann from a Study of Engineering Education in 1918. There is a span of almost 100 years since Mann published his findings. But, what have we done with this information learned so long ago?

Download the Research

The short answer: Not enough.

The long answer: While soft skills are increasingly becoming the hard skills of today’s workforce, many people continue to come to organizations without them. As we learned 100 years ago, it’s just not enough to be highly trained in technical skills without developing soft skills.

These softer, interpersonal and relationship-building skills help people to communicate and collaborate effectively. These people skills are more critical than ever as organizations struggle to find meaningful ways to remain competitive and be productive. Teamwork, leadership and communication are underpinned by soft skills development. Since each is an essential element for organizational and personal success, developing these skills is crucial.

Since soft skills are so important for your personal and professional success, you may wonder what can be done to increase your set of soft skills. The first step is to take some time to reflect on the soft skills you have right now. Consider skills in the following areas:

• Personal accountability
• Teamwork
• Negotiation skills
• Conflict resolution
• Flexibility
• Communication
• Problem solving
• Interpersonal relations (mentoring, coaching, etc.)

How would you score yourself on these skills? Chances are, like most of us, you could use some improvement. Improving your soft skills will make you a better employee, and when you improve as an employee, you improve as a team member. When team members improve themselves, they strengthen entire teams and organizations. Now you must ask yourself some important questions: Do I solely focus on learning hard skills? Do I lack the soft skills necessary for job success? Do I have a soft-skills gap? If you answer yes to any of these questions, it’s time to put into practice what we learned almost 100 years ago and develop your soft skills. How can you do it? A good place to start is with our previous post, “Practice Makes Perfect”.

Learn more at: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCDV_34.htm

It’s no secret that soft skills are essential for success in the workplace. Cultivating such skills will make all the difference for those seeking more out of their professional lives, whether it be a career change, a promotion or simply for professional development. All too often we hear about employees who don’t make the cut due to their lack of soft skills. Although technical skills and knowledge are important, an employee must offer more than these hard skills to experience career success. The National Careers Service of the UK recognizes the great necessity of soft skills. They’ve compile d a list of some common, transferable skills that can be used in many types of jobs. Here are some of the skills employers seek:

Communication

Skilled communicators get along well with colleagues, listen and understand instructions and put their point across without being aggressive. They can change their style of communication to suit the task at hand – this can be invaluable in many different situations, from handling conflict to trying to persuade a customer of the benefits of buying a product.

Making decisions

Gathering all the important facts, seeking advice, looking at the big picture, considering alternatives, being aware of repercussions – these are all things that go into making a good decision. Employers seek those who can do these things and are thoughtful and decisive.

Showing commitment

Employers want people who are dependable, reliable, enthusiastic and enjoy hard work. Employees that are committed need very little supervision or motivation to do their best and get the job done.

Flexibility

We live in rapidly changing times, so those who are adaptable and flexible will be able to change with the times. It’s a great asset to be able to step outside your comfort zone and try something new. Employers like people who are positive, upbeat and have a ‘can-do’ attitude.

Time management

When deadlines are looming, good time management is about prioritizing the most important tasks, and then deciding which actions will produce the maximum output with the minimum effort. Are you a good juggler? Can you work on several different projects at once?

Leadership skills

Even if you’re not managing staff yet, leadership qualities are valued by employers. They look for people who lead by example, constantly look to improve and motivate themselves. They also want team players who are positive and know when to follow instructions.

Creativity and problem-solving skills

The ability to apply both logic and creativity to solve problems is highly valued by employers. If you are the kind of person who tries to see the solution as well as the problem, you’ll stand out.

Accepting responsibility

Employers are on the lookout for people who take pride in their work, and are confident enough to put their name to it. They also respect people who can hold their hands up when things go wrong and don’t play the “blame game”.

Soft skills take time and effort to be learned, but consider how valuable they are to employers, organizations and your own development–both professionally and personally. Is it worth the time and effort involved to cultivate these skills? We think so.

Resource: https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/aboutus/newsarticles/Pages/Spotlight-SoftSkills.aspx

The key to developing your soft skills is to practice them. Practicing soft skills may seem daunting at first since it may be more difficult to practice them than academic or technical work. But, the more you practice, the better you’ll get. And the better you get, the easier it will be for you to build your self-esteem, relate to others or achieve a goal you’ve always worked toward. Like many things in life, it’s up to you whether you acquire these skills or not. You can help yourself build the foundation for success in your career and personal development.

But, how exactly can you find opportunities for this type of development? With focus and direction, it can be done. Here are some ideas you can use to work on your soft skills:

1. Take a class. If you enjoy the community a classroom has to offer, taking a class might be the right move for you to practice your soft skills. You can sign up to take a class in your community, like at a local college. Classwork often requires you to communicate with others. It also requires you to motivate yourself and work until you achieve success. You can also take a number of professional development courses that offer you formal guidance while developing your soft skills.

2. Volunteer in the community. Not only does volunteering help the community, it requires you to work on skills like leadership, teamwork and communication. Think about the talents you have and how they can help others. If you like taking care of other people, you may want to look into volunteering your time at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter.

3. Become a mentor. Becoming a mentor will give you real world experience helping someone else work through problems. You can join an organization to be a mentor, or you can simply help out someone that you know who is in need of extra support. Acting as a mentor to someone will help you become dependable and reliable. It will also show you the difference that commitment can make in a person’s life.

4. Get involved in an organization. Organizations will give you a place to practice many soft skills, especially leadership skills. You may have the possibility to chair a committee, plan an event or become the head of a certain department within the organization. There are plenty of organizations that are in need of volunteers, so look into organizations in your community to find one that interests you.

Practicing and demonstrating your soft skills is important for both your career and personal development. The more practice you get, the better you’ll become. That’s why it’s important to seek out opportunities to develop soft skills whenever possible in your daily life. To help you do this, use the four ideas we’ve just given you. If you do, you’ll experience for yourself how soft skills lead to success in everyday life.

Reference: https://grad.uc.edu/student-life/news/soft-skills.html