If you previously follow our articles, you will find that the focus of our agency is on personal brand growth. In previous articles, we explained what principles and basics a personal brand needs to grow. One of these principles was to focus on the soft skills, which we have briefly described and now we’ll explain more about it.
For defining soft skills, it’s better to start by defining hard skills and then contrast soft skills with hard skills. Hard skills are related to one’s expertise. They need to study, practice and strive in that field to acquire those skills. For example, the programming skill of a particular platform is a hard skill because the person has already started learning that skill to achieve proficiency and has been able to acquire that skill through effort and practice.
In contrast to hard skills, there are soft skills. Skills that consist of a person’s inner spirit and social personality. These skills are generally not acquired by studying in universities and other educational centers. People find these skills in themselves according to their level of emotional intelligence. Reaching this skill in people is dependent on the way of their parents’ training.
The importance of soft skills, especially in jobs, is much more prominent than hard skills. Hard skills are much easier to achieve than soft skills, and because soft skills are highly dependent on a person’s personality type, acquiring them may also require a change in personality dimensions.
Consider that in a business there is a job position as a backend developer and two applicants for this position have been introduced to recruiter of the business. Suppose the first person is a professional and highly expertise developer but is not able to communicate with the rest of the team. The second person is a programmer who is very friendly and social, and may be behind the first person in terms of expertise, but he is so eager to learn that we know that by spending a few months, he can be properly placed in the desired job position.
If you were in charge of hiring the company, which person would you choose?
Yes, the second person may be score less on hard skills than the first person. But due to having more soft skills and better communication with other team members, this weakness can be covered in a few months, and we can have a more suitable member for our team by buying a few months on the person.
Statistics released by the National Association of Colleges abs Employers (NACE) in the same field also show that hard skills have a lower priority than soft skills for diverse business employers.
According to the study, published in January 2020 and had about 3100 participants from different employers, the most important factor in hiring an employee was questioned by employers, the results of which are very interesting and thought-provoking. The following is a list of the most important skills of an applicant from the perspective of an employer:
Problem-solving skills | 91.2% |
Ability to work in a team | 86.3% |
Strong work ethic | 80.4% |
Analytical/quantitative skills | 79.4% |
Communication skills (written) | 77.5% |
Leadership | 72.5% |
Communication skills (verbal) | 69.6% |
Initiative | 69.6% |
Detail-oriented | 67.6% |
Technical skills | 65.7% |
Flexibility/adaptability | 62.7% |
Interpersonal skills (relates well to others) | 62.7% |
Computer skills | 54.9% |
Organizational ability | 47.1% |
Strategic planning skills | 45.1% |
Friendly/outgoing personality | 29.4% |
Entrepreneurial skills/risk-taker | 24.5% |
Tactfulness | 24.5% |
Creativity | 23.5% |
Fluency in a foreign language | 2.9% |
As it can be seen from the skills classification, soft skills are far more important than technical and hard skills for employers in hiring and promoting employees.
What exactly are soft skills?
The fact is that the number of skills that fall under the category of soft skills is very large, and they will vary depending on your needs and position in the job and community. But some soft skills will be common in all situations, which we will describe in the following top ten skills.
1- Problem-solving
As the results of the previous section show, problem-solving skills are one of the most important soft skills. This skill requires a spirit beyond the fighting spirit, critical thinking, and creativity. The way of thinking of people who have problem-solving skills, in the face of technical or non-technical problems at work, makes them more stubborn and more persistent in the face of various problems.
2- Teamwork
Collaboration and empathy at work will multiply your strength and power in progress. This skill, if not properly formed in a team or group, can disrupt the process of group development. You may be in a position to work alone, as long as you do not ignore the efforts of others in the group, it could indicate that you have reached an acceptable level of teamwork skills.
3- Communication
Because of its great importance, this skill is usually divided into two categories: written communication skills and verbal communication skills, both of which are of the same degree of importance. Communication skills can give you a better understanding of the business situation. Connecting a person with other teammates creates a better work ethic and increases productivity at work. This skill can be in writing (via email or office correspondence) or limited to listening to a colleague.
4- Leadership
Leadership skills mean that you can convey motivation and encouragement to those around you in the group you are in. In the job position, as much as you are responsible, you should be able to guide colleagues to the job goal. This skill can have a huge impact on your ultimate success. It can be said that most soft skills are prerequisites for leadership skills, so leadership is one of the key skills.
5- Creativity
Being creative means that wherever you are, you have new solutions to solve the problems ahead and you are always challenged to reach a more optimal solution. This skill can have a huge impact on the outcome of your activities, both at the standard of living and in the job.
6- Personal management
This is one of the most important and basic soft skills in my opinion. Personal management enables you to be trustworthy and responsible in the community you are in and to make yourself more consistent in the community
7- Motivation
Having a positive attitude and self-motivating ability is one of the skills that are essential for any organization. If you can motivate yourself to keep going and have less need to motivate others, you will need less energy and money to progress and achieve your goal.
8- Responsibility
This is one of the most valuable soft skills. Responsibility in the organization and life makes your productivity at work and life closer to the maximum. Taking on responsibilities and looking reliable in any position will increase other people’s confidence in you and the outcome of your activities.
9- Flexibility
The world is changing rapidly. These rapid changes also require rapid adaptation. Technologies, methods, procedures, and whatever you may be accustomed to today may not work tomorrow. So to adapt to the pace of growth and development, you will need the skill of flexibility.
10- Determination
Decision-making skills and correct recognition skills in various life and work situations are significant skills. Wherever we are, we must examine all possible situations and be prepared to face them. The decisions we make should make our living conditions more optimal in each case.
In short, soft skills are one of the principles of building a personal brand, and building a personal brand without soft skills seems almost impossible. Given that there is no learning ground for these skills, we must achieve an acceptable level of these skills in the long run by focusing on our personality dimensions.
These skills that seem simple can make building a credible personal brand unattainable for many.
