Don’t Forget Your Soft Skills

by Deborah Barnes on March 23rd, 2010

What do I mean by soft skills? Well, they are the skills that involve our personal traits. We can sometime loss sight of them because they can be somewhat elusive. We perform them naturally and sometimes with little effort. For instance something as natural as being friendly, believe it or not, is considered a soft skill. Perhaps another reason we overlook these important skills are because of those ever so present technical or hard skills. Technical (hard) skills show our ability to read, write, type letters or use software programs. They are not only marketable, but are teachable and measurable. But along with our hard skills, we should also consider our soft skills. We should look at the value of our soft skills because they are important and are seen as an asset to employers. Soft skills offer insight into how we communicate with and manage people, develop work relationships and handle problems. If you are ever on a job interview and you are asked:

Describe a situation when one of your decisions was challenged. What did you do and how did you react?

How would you answer? If you find yourself struggling with the answer, then consider a soft skills inventory. Do a little research. The internet is a good place to start. You can start there to find out what soft skills are. Also, there are some sites that provide soft skills evaluations. What’s more, most employment offices offer aptitude tests, which can help identify your skills. Last but not least, tap into your social source. Discuss this with individuals who know you, both personally and professionally. Ask them to help you examine your personal trait. If you find skills that can be further developed, for instance public speaking/communication, then look for avenues, such an organization...Toastmasters, which can help situation.

So, show off your soft skills. I’m sure you’ve got some great stories to tell about your work life experiences in leadership, as a team participant and/or as the creative/analytical guru behind the scenes.

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