What are Soft Skills? definition, importance, and examples

Summary


The ways we work evolve fast, and new technologies too. Any technical skill for any job can be learned - and artificial intelligence is learning better and better. However, interpersonal skills, as their names indicate, cannot be learned by a robot, no matter how sophisticated it is. These non-professional skills allow you to stand out. Read more on these soft skills, the personal abilities that will make you the best applicant possible!

1. What are soft skills?


You are a developer and you master more than three programming languages? Very well! But, when you face an urgent delivery, or distribute the missions with your team, or communicate with your colleagues, how do you behave? Your reaction entirely relies on your soft skills, skills related to your personality, that can evolve and help you progress on your personal and career paths.

These skills are purely personal qualities: they cannot be learned in school nor by robots. Soft skillsare linked to your behaviour. With them, not only are you an expert in your speciality, but, most importantly, you work effectively and make people want to work with you. As such, do not rely entirely on your CV: demonstrate your soft skills in your covering letter or during your job interview!

2. Why are soft skills so important for interviewers?


Let's take a rugby team: a player with perfect technique that succeeds in all his actions is indeed a good player. However, a player with perfect technique who not only succeeds in his actions but also unites the team around his game, or is able to adapt himself to the game built by his teammates, now that is great player!

You got it; soft skills are part of who you are as a person: these interpersonal skills will allow you to stand out from the other applicants.

When you compare the profiles applying for a same position, most of them are more or less the same: similar educational background or training, similar professional experience, similar ambitions... Interviewers hence rely on soft skills to assess what the applicant has that the others don't, what will make the applicant a good fit for the spirit of the company. That’s why talking about your soft skills is essential when introducing yourself during a job interview.

3. Hard vs. soft skills: what differences?


Hard skills are the skills you acquired during your education. They are typically technical skills certified by a diploma:you learned to code on engineering courses, for example, and you can prove that you master several programming languages by concrete evidence (websites you developed, entry tests you may have passed...) However, these technical skills are not enough to make you the ideal employee.

That is why you need soft skills. Soft skills are typically interpersonal skills associated with your personality. You display them in the way you work and behave in the professional environment.

4. Top 10 of Soft Skills Employers Look For


Here is a list of soft skills valued by hiring managers.

1.Adaptability


You know how to adapt to change. You are not afraid of unplanned events. You are good at managing your own stress and are not influenced by that of people around you.


2. Confidence


You are confident in your abilities, but also in those of your colleagues. You know how to make the best of a situation.


3.Emotional intelligence


You know how to take a step back and display empathy. As such, you can take into account the different opinions of the stakeholders, and you can communicate better.


4.Communication


You have no problem conveying the message you want to communicate. You are all about precision, clarity, and concision.


5.Time management


You are well organised. Be it to plan your day or prioritise your missions, you are effective, available, and on time.


6.Motivation


You know what is good for you, even when it is not the most pleasant solution. If you can motivate yourself, you can also be a source of motivation for your team!


7.Creativity


You display great imagination and audacity: you have many ideas to implement and you give yourself the means turn your projects into concrete achievements.


8.Leadership


You are not afraid to assert yourself within a team and to take your responsibilities.


9.Teamwork


Your motto is: "Alone, I go fast; together, we go further." You know how to fit in a team and work together to carry out the mission successfully.


10.Problem-solving


You are great at critical thinking and you have an analytical mind. As such, you can find solutions in complex situations.

5. Key Takeaways


Here’s everything you need to know about soft skills! Did you see yourself in some of these skills? That's good! These transferable and interpersonal skills are real assets in professional life. Using your soft skills will not only make your application stand out, but will also help your career path!