Soft skill is the ability required to a person for finding a suitable job, its maintenance and promotion. Soft skill enables one to interact with others and perform well. It’s often referred to as “people skills” or “ personal skill”.

94% out of hundreds of recruiting professionals think that an employee with stronger soft skills has a better chance of being promoted than an employee with more experience. According to a 2016 research by  Harvard University, Carnegie Foundation and Stanford University, 85% of success at jobs comes from great soft skills.

According to Linkedin, 92% of talent professionals and hiring managers agree that candidates with well-developed soft skills are highly important as 89% feel that “bad hires” typically have poor soft skills.

A recent Yale University Study shows that employees with well-developed soft skills were more innovative, creative, and happier. On the other hand, 70% of people with poor soft skills felt negative towards their work.

Here Are The 10 Most Important Soft Skills In The Workplace

1. Professionalism 

Professionalism is the conduct, behaviour and attitude of someone in a work or business environment. A person doesn’t have to work in a specific profession to demonstrate the important qualities and characteristics of a professional. Professionalism leads to workplace success, a strong professional reputation and a high level of work ethic and excellence.

In a recent study on Career Readiness conducted by NACE, employers who hire college graduates were asked which professional competencies were essential to workplace success. Professionalism and work ethics topped the list with 97.5% of respondents identifying it as either “absolutely essential” or “essential” for a new college hire’s success.

When we hear the word professionalism, we often think about some person in some navy blue suit with specific body language. Infact, many people believe being professional is exactly the opposite of demonstrating empathy and emotional intelligence. However, professionalism is a key soft skill and it doesn’t require you to be an authentic fake or detached.

Professionalism is simply the ability to conduct yourself with-

• Responsibility
• Integrity
• Accountability
• Excellence

Acting with professionalism also means seeking to communicate effectively with others and funding a way to be productive professionalism involves what may seem to be small acts such as-

• Punctual 

Always reporting to work on time and returning promptly from breaks.

• Neat & Well Dresses

Being neat and clean and dressing appropriately.

• Polite 

Speaking clearly and politely to colleagues, customers and clients.

• Hold High Standards

Striving to meet high standards for one’s own work.

2.Work Ethic

Commitment, dedication, effort and loyalty are some of the qualities that a good work ethic consists of. Having a good work ethic is about being committed to a role, taking pleasure from the success, being inspired by challenge and change, and being a great advocate for an organisation, both internally and externally.

While you may have a manager to oversee your work, many companies don’t like to spend time micromanaging employees. They expect you to be responsible and do your job which means arriving at work on time, meeting the required deadlines and minimising mistakes in your work.

They also expect you to go the extra mile which shows how committed you are and the lengths you are willing to go to produce the best results. People who are seen to have a good work ethic are often great candidates who are eligible for new opportunities and positions throughout your career.

3. Problem Solving

Problem solving skills are soft skills that you can apply in tough, unexpected or complicated situations that surface in the workplace. The ability to use your knowledge to find answers to pressing issues and come up with workable solutions shows that you can indeed handle your job well and even excel at it.

When faced with a problem you can either dwell on it or take action. Initiative and action are what will get you noticed in a positive way. You need to know how to adapt and think on your feet as it will make you stand out.

Companies rely on their top employees to course through unexpected problems and find the best solutions. Another useful tip would be to approach employers with solutions rather than problems. When an issue comes up, make sure you think of how you can address it first before bringing it to your boss.

Regardless of your position in a company, problem-solving skills will serve as an attractive asset to an employer. 

4. Communication 

Communication skills are important in almost every industry out there. You will probably have to communicate and interact with various people on the job including clients, customers, colleagues, vendors and employers.

Therefore, you need to be able to speak clearly and politely with people whether in person, over the phone, or in the form of writing. Verbal and written communication skills are important at your place of work because they set the basis on which your co-workers and supervisors see you.

These skills help you build a good relationship with the people you work with. Part of possessing strong communication skills is being a good listener. Employers are looking for employers who are able to not only relay their own ideas, but listen to others too.

Whether you are working in the field of business and need to be the voice for the department in meetings, in the healthcare sector where you need to listen to the concerns of your patients, or anywhere else to be honest, listening to others is a must. 

Also when you are new to the organisation you will need to listen actively when others speak. Take advantage of the opportunity to learn something. Turn away from your computer screen and phone for a minute and focus on what’s being said. The more you listen the more you will learn.

You also pick up bits and pieces of information that may be useful during your career. Having good communication skills are also important because they improve your performance. The takeaway from this point is that good communication ensures you are on the same page as everyone else.

5. Leadership 

Not every job opening is a leadership role, but most employers will want to know that you are able to make the right call when the need arises and you can manage the situation and the people involved. When looking for prospective employees, employers want someone who is able to step up to the plate, when there’s a matter of concern and help resolve it.

They want employees with leadership skills because they are interested in people who can rise in the ranks as time goes by. Your leadership skills will most likely make you more visible where you work which further leads to potential opportunities so whenever extra projects come, don’t be afraid to take them on. Create a team that will help you achieve your goal.

Just because you don’t have a title that implies you are a leader, it doesn’t mean that you are not. Having confidence in what you do is important in the workplace. Have a clear vision and use your great skills of communication to influence your colleagues in a positive way to get them on board with your ideas.

Being a leader, however, is more than simply a positive way to get them on board with your ideas. Being a leader, however, is more than simply getting people to do what you want. You could be the person people go to in the case of an issue, getting people to do what you want.

You could be the person people go to in the case of an issue, be it work related or otherwise. Whenever you can, inspire others and help them reach their potential. Why not take another employee under your wing and be their mentor. You will be of great help to them and you will also learn how to instruct, manage and motivate.

6.Teamwork 

Are you capable of working well with others? Being able to work effectively with those around you, be it in a team project or while attending a few departmental meetings, is vital to a company’s success. Collaboration can be referred to as the combination of working with others on a project or working with others to find solutions to a problem.

Part of working in a team includes being able to negotiate with others and recognize and appreciate diversity in a team. You will also need to accept and apply feedback from others as well. Even if you don’t always agree with someone, you will need to learn to work with them.

Someone hiring will look to people who can collaborate to be productive and efficient while enjoying what they do at the same time. A friendly work environment is one where everyone enjoys working and it also helps to attract other creative and talented people to the company. It also most certainly improves the quality of work.

You will be required to work alongside others in every industry at every level in your career. Doing so in an efficient and responsible manner can help you accom[lish career goals, broaden your resume and contribute positively to your organisation. It also helps you build rapport with others which can lead to deeper working relationships, new connections and if possible new opportunities.

No matter your industry or job title, teamwork skills are essential to your success at work. Working well with colleagues, clients, managers and other people at work places helps you complete tasks efficiently while creating enjoyable working space for both you and others.

One key thing to remember is that a company’s success doesn’t stream from one person’s efforts. It is achieved when finding employees who are willing to work together to reach a shared goal.

7. Critical Observation

Critical observation is one of the most essential soft skills especially in the corporate sector. It allows you as an employee to see a problem before it arises and interpret data so as to meet the ever evolving needs of your company. Information doesn’t mean much if you aren’t able to analyse it.

You have to look at your data or facts and try and see if any pattern emerges. Being a critical observer can help your overall performance at work. From your observations you can make informed decisions on the options you have and which would likely produce the best outcome.

Companies need people who can see beyond what’s in front of them. They want people who can bring fresh, new ideas to the table and be on top of the competition and improve the company too. While a lot of organisations focus mainly on teamwork and communication, critical observation should be present as well.

Without critical observation, all the stats, graphs and trend won’t mean a thing, because there won’t be anymore to convert the raw data into actionable goals.

8. Positive Attitude

Lets not forget how important it is to have a positive attitude. Employers want people who will bring a positive attitude to the office. Somehow who will be friendly to others, eager to work and generally a nice person to be around. If you work in a fast-paced, high-stress environment, you are going to keep things positive.

It’s the only way you can push through and accomplish your goals even when faced with obstacles.a positive attitude is a mental outlook of optimism and of expecting good things to happen. People who possess this attitude are easier to get along with, are happy, and they spread joy around them.

A person with a positive state of mind does not dwell on the problems and difficulties of the past and does not let them dictate his or her life. Such a person would rather learn from past mistakes and move on.

A positive attitude can affect your career in every possible way. People with a positive outlook, view challenges and the situations they go through with confidence and are sure they can deal with them. These people would not be stuck in a negative attitude of fear, lack of self-esteem and passivity.

People with a positive attitude will not let failure or obstacles stand in their way and will always try to find ways to overcome them.

9. Empathy 

Empathy is perhaps the most important soft skill you can develop for better interpersonal interactions. Empathy is the ability to relate to another person’s experience by putting yourself in their shoes. It helps us to respond to others and even to vicariously experience other’s feelings of emotions.

When we demonstrate empathy we forge stronger interpersonal connections between each other. This helps team members and colleagues to collectively handle shared goals and achieve targets. Empathy is one component of what is known as Emotional Intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence is the ability to recognize and manage our feelings so that they are expressed appropriately. Exercising emotional intelligence helps to create harmonious, productive relationships. There are four key components to emotional intelligence-

• Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to recognize our own feelings and motivations.

• Social Awareness

Social awareness is the ability to recognize the feelings and needs of others and the norms of a given situation.

• Self-Management

Self-management is the ability to appropriately express or not express feelings.

• Relationship Management

Relationship management is the ability to relate efficiently to others.

Taken together these skills make up our emotional intelligence quotient. EQU is a measure of your ability to exercise soft skills such as empathy.

10. Adaptability 

New technologies, new kinds of competition, new business models, all require you to think on your feet and have the courage to propose new, yet-to-be-tested solutions and to move away from old inefficient methods.

This is why companies look for people who can quickly adjust and evolve towards the ever-shifting business landscape. It should not come as a surprise that adaptability ranks high among top employability skills.

Adaptability also means your willingness to learn, unlearn and relearn. If you are open-minded to learn, you can draw knowledge from past mistakes to invent new, more efficient ways of performing tasks. This is exactly the attitude the market embraces.

Set new challenges for yourself, start a new hobby, learn new skills and ask for new responsibilities at work to continue adapting your skills and experiences.