You might be the craftiest handyman or smartest Excel member on your team, but to be successful in business you need to know more than just a job’s technical skills. This is where soft skills come in. Read more to learn more about soft skills and the ones that are currently in high demand.
So, what are soft skills exactly? In simple terms, think of them as personal skills that make a great employee outside of their technical expertise. This includes communication, creative thinking, handling adversity, etc. For example, Excel efficiency with data is a technical skill whereas communicating a recommendation based on that data to clients is a soft skill. Then when that client gives pushback to your data recommendation, soft skills are required again to use teamwork to find a compromise. Now with virtual & hybrid work models, soft skills are in more demand than ever. Here are a few that stand out
Time Management
While virtual work options have given employees more flexibility & freedom to set their own schedules, it has also made time management more important than ever. Instead of a structured office, employees now have added distractions at home & more “15-minute touch bases” that can slowly eat away a 9-5 workday. As a result, employers are looking for candidates that can effectively manage their time. Showcase this in an interview by highlighting how you prioritize your daily & weekly to-dos and give examples of limiting your virtual work distractions. For more virtual time management tips read one of our previous blogs.
Communication
Another soft skill that has become even more essential during Covid-19 is effective communication. This skill used to only include “office” communication such as talking through challenges with your manager or highlighting key points in an email. However, now there is a newly added virtual aspect as well that includes knowing how to hold Zoom calls and sending IM messages. Whether you are currently interviewing for a role or just started a new one, ask a close contact what the established virtual rules at the company are.
Emotion Intelligence
Many people are technically intelligent when it comes to software or handyman work, but the strongest leaders also have high emotional intelligence. This skill is the ability to detect, evaluate, and respond to personal emotions as well as those of others. This allows you to know personal boundaries and the desires of others when in conversation. Emotional Intelligence is now in more demand than ever with 71% of employers valuing candidates with emotional intelligence over IQ.
Do you want to better understand your personal soft skills and how to communicate them on a resume? Let Em & A Pen help take your soft skills to the next level. Reach out to us today.