Soft Skill Development Guide: What are Soft Skills & Why are They Important?
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We’re in a period of skills disruption. There is a gap emerging between the most in-demand skills that employers seek, and the existing skill sets of most jobseekers and working professionals.
The rise of generative AI is having a significant effect in every industry, yet according to the World Economic Forum’s recent Future of Jobs report, the top five core skills for employers today aren’t technical skills at all, but rather soft skills.
Currently, analytical thinking tops the list of the most fundamental workplace skills, as seven out of 10 companies consider it an essential skill in their workforce. Other top core skills professionals should demonstrate at work include resilience, flexibility and agility, plus leadership and social influence, creative thinking, motivation, and self-awareness.
Particularly if you’re looking to make a career change, enter a new industry, earn a promotion, or secure a new job, having strong soft skills is essential. So, just what are soft skills exactly? Why are they so important in the workplace? And how do you develop soft skills?An Introduction to Soft Skills
Soft skills are varied, learned, and essential to navigating the working world. They are also referred to as smart skills, human skills, or interpersonal skills, which are often considered more inclusive terms which better describe the value of these skill sets.
“The term soft skills usually refers to interpersonal skills, including leadership, teamwork, and communication,” says Chris Garnett, head of postgraduate careers at Alliance Manchester Business School. “They can also include elements based on hard skills, like critical thinking, decision making, and problem solving,” he adds.
Think of soft skills as the more human abilities you need to work well with your colleagues, manage difficult situations, and build influence with your organization’s leadership.
“Soft skills are interpersonal behaviors that shape how individuals interact with others and navigate their environment,” explains Zoe McLoughlin, executive director of the career center at London Business School.
“Unlike hard skills, which are often job-specific and measurable, soft skills are more subjective and support how you communicate, collaborate, and solve problems,” she says.
Ultimately, soft skills describe the transferable skills that you need to do your job well, regardless of your role, industry, or level of seniority. Teamwork, organization, time management, adaptability and even work ethic are important soft skills, especially in the workplace.
The Importance of Soft Skills for Success in the Workplace
No matter your industry, specialism, or technical expertise, it’s crucial that you build soft skills in order to make a good impression in an interview, successfully manage others, and build rapport and influence at work. In other words, soft skills can have a direct impact on your professional success.
“Soft skills allow individuals to interact effectively with other people, manage their time, and
bring enthusiasm to work,” says Dr Hayley Dawson, founder of workplace training platform, Let’s Talk Human Skills. “We’re seeing employers give more importance to soft skills during the recruitment process. They’re becoming more frequent in job adverts, and they’re being given more weight during interviews.”
Research shows that employees who can communicate well and problem solve together have higher levels of job satisfaction. Plus, a report by the Skills Builder Partnership found that professionals with
higher levels of soft skills such as communication, problem solving, and collaboration, earn £4,600 ($,5800) more per year on average.
“There’s often a myth that hard skills can be taught and soft skills are innate, but this isn’t true,” adds Zoe McLoughlin. “It is vital for future business leaders to have a blend of both. Employers increasingly tell us that resilience and comfort with ambiguity are skills that they want to see more of in the people they hire.”
A LinkedIn study found that a staggering 92% of talent professionals say soft skills matter as much or even more than hard, technical skills. A further 80% consider soft skills as increasingly important to company success, it revealed.
“Professionals need to be able to work in diverse teams, often across multiple locations which means the ability to work effectively with others, build relationships, and establish consensus is really important,” says Garnett.
“This becomes even more crucial for leaders, particularly when their teams might be inter-generational, and the working environment is uncertain.”
How to Develop Soft Skills
So, now that you know how important soft skills are for your professional success, how can you build and develop them?
Here are five top tips.
- Build a Plan
Similar to how you’d build an exercise regime to become physically stronger, build a soft skills routine to identify which particular soft skills you want to strengthen, and then put actions towards them. Consider seeking advice from a mentor or coach to help you identify your goals and track your progress towards them.
- Seek Honest Feedback
Ask your colleagues, manager, mentor, and peers to share feedback about the way you work and how you interact with them. With an external perspective, you’ll likely spot patterns and gaps in your skill set, providing a good opportunity to fill in these missing areas and better prepare you for a promotion or a new role.
Self-reflection is also essential to understand how to implement constructive feedback and build awareness of how effectively your soft skills develop over time. - Be Curious and Listen to Learn
Your own experiences, thoughts, perspectives, and values shape how you think and interact with others. Recognize how your unique mindset and approach differs from others and ask questions to learn and understand the perspectives of those you work with.
When you listen to learn, you ask valuable questions based on what a colleague or manager says, instead of thinking about what you want to say next or worrying about how you want to come across.
- Use Learning Tools to Your Advantage
Experiment with online learning tools and resources to test and build your soft skill set. If you’re considering a career change or a more significant next step, think about enrolling in a business master’s program or another form of higher education to learn and practice your soft skills with your classmates, professors, and industry experts.
Business school also offers you the opportunity to build a strong and effective network, which naturally provides opportunities to develop soft skills such as communication, building influence, and collaboration.
- Find Opportunities to Flex Your Soft Skills
Put yourself forward for group projects, presentations, or other similar activities at work to give you opportunities to practice your soft skills. Through this you’ll enhance your ability to influence others and resolve conflicts. Attend networking events to build your human and people skills, and develop relationships that can support you along your professional journey.
Considering making a career change? Take our quick quiz to find out if now is the right moment to make your next move.
