You have heard it, read it, and even looked it up. What are these “soft” skills that all these employers and career counselors are talking about? If you are confused, you are in great company. A soft skill is defined differently by just about every resource you look up; however, there is are certain characteristics that differentiate them from hard skills (or technical skills).
• First, soft skills are relational in manner. You don’t study a text book, take a technical class, or review a “how to fix it” video to develop a soft skill. You can read about them or listen to a person who talks about them, but ultimately you develop soft skills as you relate to people in everyday circumstances. For example, you can be the most knowledgeable person on a staff about a certain technology, but if you do not know how to communicate that knowledge to another person or group, it is almost fruitless to have this technical knowledge.
• Second, soft skills are developed throughout life; they are not learned and then you “know it.” Like any professional skill, soft skills are perfected with practice, and it depends on your emotional intelligence, also known as Emotional Quotient (EQ), which is the ability to recognize one’s own emotions and those of others, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately in order to guide one’s thinking and behavior. This does not mean to wear your emotions on your sleeve, but it does mean you can relate to a variety of human interactions that will be profitable on both sides (yours that theirs). This also means that soft skills are never “mastered,” which means that you are constantly developing and learning better ways to use them throughout your life.
• Lastly, soft skills are different with each position that are available to people. One does not need to develop every soft skill known to the world (although this would be a good goal to achieve), but you do need to develop soft skills that are associated with a particular occupation – so you need to know what they are. Here is where research and networking comes in to play. Research will help you know what employee characteristics will help a person be very successful in a particular role, and it is different for every role. For example, a customer service person will definitely need to develop communication skills (listening, being inquisitive, able to share about a product or service, etc.), but an executive’s communication skills will be at a totally different level, such as being motivational in nature, and being able to speak to large crowds through various media. Networking, on the other hand, will enable one to find people within occupations and observe and inquire about their soft skills. Talk to people and ask them, “What soft skills have you developed to make you successful at this position?” People love to talk about their success.
This said, soft skills become very valuable to employers as people move from job to job. Recruiters and executives always have their radar on when they see someone with solid soft skills. So, do you know what soft skills are required for you to be successful? Here are few that may cross occupational lines.
• Problem Solving: the ability to look at an issue, identify the cause, develop a plan of action, implement that plan, and then evaluate the success (or failure). Some in the industry call this “Critical Thinking,” but it is more than just thinking, it is also planning, acting, and evaluating. When you can show a positive result of an action that you implemented, then you have shown true problem solving skills, and when you can show that success because of a team effort, then that is just icing on the cake. Problems that potential employees may face in our society today may be, “Why are people not voting in elections?” “How can water be brought into arid territories?” “How do we bring home astronauts who make the trip to Mars?” These all require problem solving skills.
I heard of one employer ask a candidate, “What would you do if you found an elephant in your back yard?” Now that is a random question! Please know that the interviewer is not looking for a solution because they have the animal in their backyard; they are wanting to see you think on your feet. How did you address the issue? What immediate concerns did you address? What were some ideas that come to mind, and their pros and cons? How would you implement an idea and how would measure a successful outcome? These are what the interviewer wants to hear. Please do not answer, “I would shoot it and eat it one spoonful at a time.” You will be shown the door!
Remember the characteristics of soft skills, you want to show in problem solving that you know that this skill something that you work on every day, and that you will enjoy learning new ways to solve problems all of your life.
• Communication Skills: this includes listening, body language, written and oral communication, personal one-on-one, groups, and public speaking, all in a way that makes the person receiving the communication feel as if they are the most important person to you at that time. This can be easier when talking to one person, but the true talent comes out when an audience of any size feels that way. For example, in an interview you may have a panel of people interviewing you. If during that interview you make a connection with every person there, then you know you have communicated well. All it takes is one person on the panel to not connect and the offer is given to someone else. Sounds brutal, but it is fact. This happens during major proposal presentations as well. I’ve seen multi-million dollar deals fall through because of not connecting with the panel of judges.
Some people call this “bringing your A Game.” That may be true, but a true professional practices communication skills, asks for feedback from mentors, supervisors and colleagues, and learns new means to communicate effectively. This most certainly falls into the characteristics of soft skills.
• Time Management: the art of managing one’s time in a way that brings value for every second of every minute. It is said that Ben Franklin coined the term, “Time is money.” For the sake of this article, we’ll give him the credit, but it is probable a phrase that is as old as time. I’ve talked about work/life balance in previous articles, and time management reflects on this too. Executives don’t usually want workaholics, but rather they want people who will put in a good day’s work and then put in the needed time with family, friends, and community. This is also good time management.
Interview questions that will come your way are: “How do you manage your time?” “Tell me about a time that you managed your team’s workload to make a deadline?” “How do you prioritize projects that have a lot of working parts?” “What would you do when the boss says that he/she needs something right now?” These are all time management questions, and everyone needs to be prepared to have an answer. Management wants to find people who are realistic with their time, and who have a good sense of how to prioritize based on urgent vs. important. Because situations are vastly different with each circumstance, time management skills are constantly challenged, which means that experience is the key to learning how to manage time well – a key characteristic of a soft skill.
• A Positive Attitude: the emotional state that looks at the bright side of any situation or encounter. Let’s admit that everyone will have both good and bad days, and how bad the day is can definitely affect one’s attitude. But a bad day is not the only situation that can change a person’s attitude. For example, you walk into a meeting with great hopes for it to be productive. You are prepared to share your information, which is great if you say so yourself, and the person that you meet with is aloof, uninterested, and just plain rude. Attitude changer – right? Most people that I have talked to over the years have experienced this at some time in their life, and most of them have reflected that they left the meeting in a huff, or at least a little rattled. I would ask them, “Do you think something happened to the person you were meeting with that caused the rudeness?” Maybe he/she had a disappointing family situation right before you got there that caused his attitude to change. My clients usually respond, “I didn’t think about that.”
I did have one client who shared with his appointment, “I see that something is amiss here, and that you may be a little distracted. How about we reschedule this meeting so that you can take care of your situation. We can meet at my office if that is convenient for you.” This is an observant person, and did not take the situation personally, which helped him keep a very positive attitude. The appointee agreed and a much better meeting was completed a few days later. The reason for the rudeness was never revealed; however, that is not the point – the appointment setter kept a positive attitude in the face of a bad situation. As you can see, this soft skill is something that has to be at the forefront of your mind all the time.
There are numerous other soft skills that have been identified, including strong work ethic, flexibility, team player, teachable or trainable, resilience, self-management and many, many more. What you need to do is make sure you identify the soft skills that will be valuable in the position that you are applying for within a company. List out these skills, and then do an inventory analysis of yourself to see what skills you have and what you definitely do not have. The great news is that all soft skills are learnable, they just are learned throughout your lifetime.
About RTG Enterprises
At RTG Enterprises, we specialize in assisting our clients in the full career search process – which includes career assessment, building a brand and resume, how to research occupations, employers, and geographies, networking, interview techniques, salary negotiations and onboarding. All professional people have mentors and coaches. Whether you are a new graduate, a seasoned professional, or an executive, RTG has a career coaching plan for you. Contact us to be your coach today for your success tomorrow. Find more information at rtg-enterprises.com.
About Richard Glass
Mr. Glass has been connecting talent with employers for over 20 years. For six years, he led the career center of the largest non-profit university in the United States, which had over 265,000 students and alumni and over 11,000 employers using its services. He has helped thousands of students, mid-career professionals, and executives learn what it takes to professionally brand themselves and stand out amongst their competitors. He has also trained dozens of recruiters, account managers, account executives, business development professionals, employer relations coordinators, and career counselors to fully provide solid professional development to job seekers, and solid staffing and solution expertise to employers. His expertise includes strategic relationship development, business development, entrepreneurship, career counseling and coaching, networking, resume and cover letter writing, personal and business branding, and philanthropic giving. He has worked with employers in both the public and private sectors, including higher education, public and private K-12 schools, federal, state and local governments and agencies, Fortune 1000, mid-size and small businesses, non-profits and ministries. RTG customers include executive management (C-Suite), information technology professionals, engineers, teachers, professors and administrators, accounting and finance professionals, human resource professionals, business development and sales professionals, marketing and communication professionals, law enforcement professionals, and transitioning military personnel.
Contact Mr. Glass at rglass@rtg-enterprises.com