The importance of technical skills, the so-called hard skills, in a job is undisputed. Job descriptions focus on these types of skills. However, companies should not forget about the soft skills as well when putting together job descriptions.
Why Are Soft Skills a Key To Success?
The soft skills are just as important. In fact, in today’s work environment, they are more and more transforming into hard skills themselves. The skills involved in building relationships, communicating and collaborating are essential today for companies to stay productive and competitive. They are necessary for the success of any business – and for the productivity and success of any employee.
What Are Some Soft Skills That Drive Successful People?
In general, business experts consider skills such as communication, problem solving and analysis, flexibility, leadership, interpersonal relations, and work ethic to be among the most important soft skills. Communication skills cover both written and verbal proficiency, as well as the ability to listen well. Problem solving is the ability to look at a problem and use your knowledge and experience to develop practical solutions. Flexibility is the ability to think creatively and adapt to different environments. Interpersonal skills are those necessary to develop and maintain good relations with others. Work ethic includes the qualities of grit, perseverance and resilience, necessary for success in any kind of job.
Why Does This Matter?
Soft skills are connected to what is known as emotional intelligence, which describes a person’s ability to work with others and develop good relationships and social networks. Studies have shown that emotional intelligence plays a big role in job performance.
People with this kind of ability are good at reading the emotions of others, at picking up on emotions and interpreting them. This in turn enables the emotionally intelligent to work well with others and forge closer ties with coworkers. Moreover, those with good emotional intelligence are more in touch with their own feelings, better able to recognize them and control them, to put them to use in performing their job. Emotionally intelligent people are better at communicating with others, at persuading others. They are more open to helping others, more flexible and more capable at dealing with unforeseen events.
For all these reasons, companies should not neglect the soft skills when putting together job descriptions, but give them the same prominence as other types of skills because they are just as important.
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