The intangible ‘soft skills’ that companies crave

• Alaina
• . October 13, 2022
• . Update: November 11, 2022 12:55 am
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You require complex skills, or technical know-how and subject-specific expertise, to carry out your duties efficiently. Lesser-touted “soft skills” may be just as critical, if not more so, in a workplace that is constantly changing.

Consider the personal traits and behaviours that make an effective leader or a competent team member. These talents are more subtle, even low-profile. Companies are starting to recognise the value of these intangibles when assembling diverse, effective teams, particularly in the normalisation of remote work, where cooperation and the means of innovation have altered.

As a result, experts say, companies are increasingly taking into account a candidate’s soft skills in addition to their expertise and clear technical specialities.

Some soft skills, such as the ability to communicate effectively and think analytically, are innate for some employees. However, for certain people, acquiring and polishing soft talents can be more difficult. However, every employee has the capacity to acquire these qualities, polish them, and learn how to exhibit them. According to experts, we should all be doing that.

Soft skills

Although there is no comprehensive list of soft talents, the word basically describes aptitudes that go beyond the technical. For example, having confidence with specific software is a hard skill; but, critical thinking, which is necessary to analyse many software packages and determine which one a company should use, is a soft skill.

Communication is a key component of soft skills. Dexterity and emotional intelligence are needed to communicate with coworkers, clients, and management in an effective manner. Compassion, cooperation, and teamwork are further attributes that fall under this category.

According to Eric Frazer, author of The Psychology of Top Talent and assistant professor of psychology at Yale University School of Medicine, the term “soft talents” itself is merely jargon. From a behavioural science perspective, it really relates to a number of mindsets and behaviours. Someone who is constantly learning or someone who is very resilient are two examples of people with soft-skill attitudes. Numerous behaviours, like critical thinking, active listening, and creative problem-solving, are also considered soft talents.

A significant shift

As more and more highly technical aspects of employment are automated or replaced by technology tools, employers are turning to job candidates with problem-solving skills, the ability to manage many tasks, and strong interpersonal skills. Organizations are putting more emphasis on longevity as a result of the ongoing labour scarcity since long-term workers are more valuable and have the interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence to advance into leadership roles.

Additionally, in the post-pandemic, primarily remote work environment, soft skills have grown even more crucial. For instance, when employees don’t see their coworkers face to face, communication can become considerably more subtle and sophisticated. Another soft skill that has been in high demand over the past two years is adaptability.

Employers are actively seeking applicants who possess these intangibles as a result. The education non-profit America Succeeds discovered that over two-thirds of positions cited soft skills as one of their requirements in a 2021 analysis of more than 80 million job advertisements from 22 different economic sectors. Additionally, seven of the top 10 most in-demand abilities across all job postings—including communication, problem-solving, and planning—were categorised as “soft skills.”

Soft skills were the most desirable qualities for 91% of management professions, 86% of business-operations roles, and 81% of engineering jobs, according to the same survey. This may come as a surprise given that engineering is typically thought of as a very technically focused field.

According to Monster’s The Future of Work 2021: Global Hiring Outlook, employers prize soft skills like teamwork, reliability, and flexibility the highest among job candidates. However, CEOs have long complained about having trouble finding applicants with a strong set of soft skills.

According to Frazer, part of the problem is that qualities like creativity and adaptability are challenging to measure. The author claims that “inventory and surveys don’t truly capture these traits with any great precision.” And although they may need to, candidates aren’t always emphasising those skills on their resumes or LinkedIn accounts, he adds.

Expressing the ‘moon-shot mindset’

Some employees may feel uneasy about the growing emphasis on soft skills, especially those who aren’t “born leaders” or strong communicators, according to Frazer. Although some people might need to work a little harder, he adds that these are skills that can be learned. “People who wish to improve their work performance, their work ethic, or their work-life balance recognise and respect the need of continually honing these mindsets and behaviours.”

Even though we frequently are aware of our strengths, developing interpersonal skills begins with asking for criticism to determine your flaws and blind spots. It could need pushing yourself beyond of your comfort zone to improve them. Try participating in brainstorming sessions with the company’s creatives if you want to develop your creative thinking or problem-solving skills, for example.

Additionally, you can raise your emotional intelligence by becoming more socially aware, mastering the control of your own emotions, and practising empathy. Additionally, that has advantages because research demonstrates that those with strong emotional intelligence are less likely to experience stress and worry.

Hiring managers may modify their interview questions in an effort to learn more about a candidate’s soft competence as they look for these intangibles in candidates more frequently. You’re asking someone to demonstrate those mindsets when you ask them to “give me an example of a time you were exceptionally resilient in your work life” or “tell me a tale that demonstrates your moon-shot mentality,” according to him.

He says, “let’s imagine you’re asked, ‘What’s your attitude toward continual learning?'” as it relates to the interviewee. This is your chance to convince the interviewer that you have the aptitude for learning and are eager and willing to do so. Saying things like, “Well, I attended this conference last year; I attend this webinar once a month; I just completed reading this book; I subscribe to this industry periodical” is the perfect response.

Candidates should identify their strongest soft talents in advance and be prepared to demonstrate them, he advises, in order to be best prepared for situations like this. Although the technical knowledge and experience on your CV will always be significant, they are insufficient in the modern workplace.