When applying for that dream job where you have all the required experience and qualifications, do you consider if you have the ‘soft’ business skills necessary to succeed at the role?
No? Well don’t worry too much as although your ability to demonstrate an abundance of these highly prized group of subtle, intangible but vital traits and behaviours is necessary, the good news is that it’s highly likely that you may already possess many in-demand ‘soft’ business skills and not even be aware.
So, what are ‘soft’ business skills?
Soft business skills are personal and hard to define and measure. Often self-developed they aren’t learnt at a job or in education.
Put simply they are the people skills that are transferable to any role or industry and most importantly they should be included in any job application to make you stand out.
So, which ‘soft’ business skills are most in demand?
Creative thinking - creative thinking is about problem solving, finding solutions and being innovative with often limited time, resources and constraints
Listening - people judge themselves on being great communicators but fail to consider if they are active listeners. Great listeners are not thinking about what they want to say next; they pay attention to the other person which builds trust and rapport
Communication - great communication is often described as excellent presentation and written skills. The ability to communicate information in a manner that makes it easy for others to understand is a highly sought after and often undervalued skill
Empathy - people want to work with people they feel ‘get them’ and who they feel at ease with and who are able to see the viewpoints and perspectives of others clearly
Accountability - taking full responsibility when something goes wrong is what accountability is all about, it demonstrates a high level of integrity, a very valuable attribute
Emotional awareness - we all have good and bad days, although what is important is how we allow our emotions to impact the decisions and actions we make. Emotional awareness allows you to consider your choices and actions deeper