Education & Career Trends: June 17, 2023
Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS
- Excerpts are taken from an article published on economictimes.indiatimes.com.
Soft skills have the power to grow your career in the same way hard skills and talent can. But what exactly are soft skills? And why are they so important to growing your career?
Soft skills are the combination of people skills, social skills, communication skills, emotional intelligence, and personality traits that make it easy to get along and work harmoniously with other people.
Soft skills can be taught, but they’re not as straightforward as hard skills which are the specific qualities that can be clearly defined, measured and taught for success in a job.
With hard skills, you can learn advanced techniques and methods that yield measurable results. They can even be tied directly to the business’s bottom line.
But when it comes to soft skills — things like small talk, empathy, and flexibility — they’re not an exact science, but they’re just as impactful. You need hard skills to land a job, but you need soft skills to progress in your career. So we’ve rounded up a list of the soft skills most critical to building a successful career.
1. Collaboration is key
Being a team player is necessary for success in the corporate environment. A powerful team is formed when different people, with their strengths and weaknesses, come together to achieve a common goal.
2. Decisiveness is highly valued
Employers are eager to hire candidates who can make quick decisions in adverse situations. Critical thinking and intuition play a role in taking decisions.
3. Creativity is not just for artists
Creativity is not limited to the field of art. A data analyst can be just as creative as a graphic designer in the corporate sector. Unleashing natural creativity and using emerging tools can help harness it further.
4. Strong communication is essential
Communication has an indispensable role to play in every process that runs in an organisation. The way you express your messages, concerns and queries makes all the difference. Communication is a two-way road, so you should also remain open to receiving feedback and show a willingness to adapt.
5. Adaptability is key to growth
Being adaptable and flexible will help you embrace the changes in your surroundings. A company’s management, structure, business needs, policies and working patterns change over time. Having this skill provides an excellent opportunity to grow with the company.
6. Emotional intelligence is highly beneficial
Emotional intelligence allows you to be aware of, control and manage your own emotions, and understand and empathise with the emotions of others. This skill can be highly beneficial in building strong relationships with others by analysing various nonverbal cues.
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Have you checked out yesterday’s blog yet?
10 Ways to Declutter Your Mind
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)
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