Skills for Work
Why your soft skills matter
When you apply for a job, you know you’ll need to have the right qualifications and technical skills before you can hopefully secure an interview. But they’re not the only thing you need – what about your soft skills? How do they factor into the recruitment process, and ultimately your success at work? Let’s find out why your soft skills matter and how you can improve yours to boost your chances of finding work.
What are soft skills?
Soft skills aren’t specific to any particular job – hence why they’re also known as transferrable skills, because you carry them with you throughout your career. They go beyond what you learn at school or university – they aren’t generally taught but are really important in creating a well-rounded employee. They’re the skills you use to work effectively in teams, solve all kinds of problems, and thrive in changing environments.
Soft skills include things like:
- Communication
- Problem solving
- Collaboration
- Adaptability
- Critical thinking
- Decision making
- Creativity
- Time management
- And more
Along with your technical skills, they’re the key to your success in the workplace.
Who really needs soft skills?
The short answer: everyone.
It doesn’t matter what kind of job you’re applying for or what career you’re chasing – the more soft skills you possess, the higher your chances of landing a job and becoming a valued employee. Whether you’re academically gifted or more of a hands-on type of person, working on your soft skills is something that you should put on the top of your priority list.
Why do employers like candidates with soft skills?
“If you can’t work in a team effectively, utilising other soft skills like creativity and innovation with your technical skills, then the organisation you work for is either not going to be competitive, or it’s not going to be effective.”
Dr Marion Steel, Course Director for the Bachelor of Commerce at Deakin University
Imagine you’re an employer – you have two candidates for a job opening with the exact same qualifications and technical skills. One of them is more positive, adaptable, a great team player, and always receives good feedback from customers and colleagues. There’s nothing wrong with the the second person’s skills and ability to get the job done, but they never go the extra mile. You can only choose one for the job…who would you choose?
If you don’t have soft skills, let’s face it, you might as well be replaced by a robot. But there are some jobs and tasks that just can’t be replicated by AI. People still need human interaction, so the more soft skills you have, the more likely you are to be a valuable team member.
A team of workers who all have great soft skills are more likely to create a better working environment, positive customer experiences, a good business reputation or image, and increased productivity.
How to improve your soft skills
Now that you’re aware of soft skills and what they are, you can determine what your strengths and weaknesses are, then work on improving them.
For example, if you’re shy and need to work on your communication, then focus on maintaining eye contact, speaking clearly, and feeling confident. Put yourself in situations where you need to meet people and speak up, like joining a debate team.
Like any other skills, soft skills are learnt, so practise, practise, practise. If you’re not sure what you need to work on, you could ask your parents, friends, or teachers for their input (seeking and accepting feedback from others demonstrates good leadership and collaboration skills, by the way).
Here are a few other ideas to help you work on your soft skills:
- Watch and observe – see how other people communicate, manage their time, show leadership, and work in teams. You’ll find ideas about what to do, as well as what not to do.
- Join clubs, take on extra projects, volunteer, find a part-time job, or help out at school with mentoring and coaching. Not only will your existing skills improve, you’ll learn new ones too.
- There are even personal and professional development courses available if you’re really keen. Have a look at these ones from Udemy to get an idea of what’s available.
Remember to highlight soft skills on your resume
Soft skills are notoriously tricky to teach, so by showing prospective employers that you are already aware of what they are and that you possess them, you could really stand out from the crowd.
Remember to list your soft skills on your resume and, if applicable, mention then in your cover letter too. If you get to the interview stage, you’ll probably be asked to provide examples of when you used these skills, so don’t make a list you can’t back up.
Find out more
If you’re interested to learn more, you can read heaps of other blogs on the world of work on our website here.