Just like you assume a high school graduate can read and write, most employers assume a college graduate can perform job-specific tasks, or “hard skills.” For example, an engineering career requires hard skills such as computer modeling and advanced mathematics.
But are hard career skills all it takes to succeed in your career? Not at all! Here’s what employers look for beyond technical competencies and why soft skills are important in the workplace.
Soft Career Skills
Anybody who has held a job knows that you also need “soft skills,” or people skills, to work excellently. These are abilities such as prioritizing assignments, resolving conflicts in a team setting, listening effectively, and, of course, thinking outside the proverbial box.
Google put this idea to the test in 2009. Using data pulled from performance reviews and employee surveys, they created the following list of necessary qualities for successful management.
A good manager:
- Is a good coach
- Empowers the team and does not micromanage
- Expresses interest in and concern for team members’ success and personal well-being
- Is productive and results-oriented
- Communicates well, listening and sharing information
- Helps with career development
- Has a clear vision and strategy for the team
- Has key technical skills that help him or her advise the team
If you look at this ranked list carefully, you’ll notice that soft skills comprise seven of the eight attributes, and the one hard skill comes last.
Don’t misunderstand. Technical skills are still necessary for most jobs. But jobs exist within a community. You’ll have to collaborate with other departments and work through disagreements with your colleagues. If you’re a manager, it’s up to you to advocate for your employees. Examples like these are why soft skills are important in the workplace.
