Boosting your soft skills not only gives you a competitive edge on a new job or a promotion, it also has positive implications in all areas of your personal and professional life.
The general perception tends to be that companies want technical skills first. In reality, you need a combination of both. As summarized by the American Management Association, soft skills are a combination of the “four Cs”: creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking. And while technical prowess may land you an interview, the right set of soft skills will get you the job.
Here are five reasons to continuously fine-tune and sell your best soft skills:
To be a winning job candidate, you must be a strong communicator.
Research by Forbes and other leading sources has shown that everything from your cover letter and resume to how you present yourself in an interview should highlight your communication strengths.
Leading employers seek out candidates with strong written and verbal communication skills. They want people who can effectively build relationships and get along with others. Communication is key to making this happen.
You don’t have to be a brilliant writer or orator. You do have to be able to express yourself well, persuade others with the right presentation, and explain what you need to team members.
Soft skills are transferable.
Specific technical and other hard skills can be learned via on-the-job training. It is true that to be a leading contender for a position, you need to offer the required education and experience. However, not developing and highlighting your soft skills can prevent you from advancing, either in your present role or with a prospective new employer.
The ability to deal with adversity is critical to your success.
There is a difference between being talented and being employable. You can have sterling technical skills and command over project details, but if you lack the ability to deal with tough situations or difficult people, your job responsibilities will be an uphill battle.
Interpersonal skills mean everything. Well-honed interactive strengths result in smoother collaboration with customers, supervisors and co-workers. This leads to better business results and an improved workplace environment.
Companies want team players.
Today’s business world is all about interacting with others. If you have effective soft skills, the sky is the limit. To stand out in the market, flex those skills and make a constant effort to improve them.
If you can adapt, you can advance.
To succeed in an interview or a job, you must consistently demonstrate the ability to grow, stretch and adapt to changing needs.
- It starts with your resume. Describe and provide examples of how you’ve continued to learn and change throughout your career. Employers want professionals who can effectively work as a team. This means sometimes being a good leader and sometimes, a good follower. It all comes down to working with other stakeholders across the organization to achieve common goals.
How can you perfect the total package you offer to an employer with just the right balance of technical excellence and interpersonal finesse? A recruitment expert from Employment Professionals Canada can partner with you to make it happen before your next interview. Read our related posts or contact us today to learn more.