I walk into a client’s office and ask for the person I want to meet. The person at the reception, glumly, asks me to take a seat. A peon comes to me with a glass of water on a tray and offers it to me with a smile. And more than the water, it’s the smile that puts me at ease, made me feel welcome. Something that the person at the reception should have done.
Soft Skills don’t matter just for job interviews but also while you are on a job. That is why employers look for certain soft skills while hiring since it can mean make or break for the organisation and the way it is perceived. As under graduates, students are trained in employability to prepare them for the real world outside. Post graduates in management are given placement training so that they can confidently project themselves during interviews. Job interviews are as much a test of technical knowledge as they are about how you present yourself – the quintessential soft skills game.
Even in my personal experience, I have seen that many people own the technical expertise int heir domain. But unless they are able to get along with people and communicate well, their career graphs don’t show many highs.
Soft skills, or people skills, are critical to almost any job. Here are the top soft skills to have for both interviewing and in the workplace.
Source: What are the Soft Skills that Employers Seek?
The top three on my list are:
- Communication skills – which also include effective listening skills
- Confidence – being able to speak up and make your presence felt is an important trait to have. From your body language to the way you dress – everything matters.
- Feedback – both, accepting and giving feedback, if you ask me. It is an art that needs honing so that you do it right.
Soft skills need to be developed over a period of time. Whether it is communication skills like speaking and writing or leadership skills like projecting yourself and leading a team. Sometimes, academic education in a classroom is not what you are looking for. But something that is customised and addresses areas you personally need to work on. Soft Skills Studio has programs to help you develop these skills – in a classroom and a customised format. You could choose to learn the basics, if required, and then get coached in one-to-one coaching sessions for specific needs. Sounds interesting? Write to sumankher@sumankher.com and I can do a free needs analysis for you over a phone call.