Soft Skills Will Make or Break You: So Find Out What They Are

The polished apple gets picked, and management seems always to have the most polish or, better put, soft skills. You can hire someone with specific hard skills for the job needing to be done, but it isn’t easy to find people engaged with enough soft skills to fit into the organization.

We pick our friends, for the most part, based on their soft skills. But, of course, if something is broken in our house, we like the neighbor with the right hard skills and hope they have enough soft skills (caring, empathy, and concern) not to be offended. So, of course, a lack of soft skills is a bigger problem, but it should be mentioned in the job posting.

Hard skills vs. soft skills

The key differences between hard and soft skills are how they are gained and used in everyday life and the workplace. Hard skills are often achieved through education or specific training. They include competencies like how to use a particular machine, software, or another tool.

Soft skills are often seen as personality traits you may have spent your whole life developing. They are called upon when you manage your time, communicate with others, or talk about a problematic situation for the first time.

Soft Skills are People Skills.

Ability to work in a team

Ability to make decisions and solve problems

Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize

Ability to communicate verbally with people

Ability to obtain & process information

Ability to get along with others

Adaptability

Assertiveness

Attitude

Awareness

Body Language

Caring

Completing tasks on time

Communication

Communication Verbal

Communication Non-Verbal

Communication Visual

Communication Written

Critical Thinking

Collaboration

Cooperation

Competitiveness

Conflict Resolution

Creative Thinking

Courtesy

Dispute Resolution

Decision Making

Dependability

Dealing with Difficult People

Emotional Intelligence

Empathy

Etiquette

Ethics

Focused & Organize

Friendliness

Giving Feedback

Honesty

Helpfulness

Interpersonal Skills

Kindness

Listening

Leadership Skill

Loyalty

Likeability

Manners

Public Speaking

Punctuality

Perseverance

Persistence

Problem-solving

Positive Attitude

People Skills

Politeness

Resilience

Self Awareness

Self Confidence

Self-Motivation

Teamwork

Tolerance

Time Management

Trustworthy

Work Ethic

(And More)

I wrote a list of skills like this to address the statement and challenge in the title: Soft Skills Will Make or Break You - So Find Out What They Are.

It would be best to consider this: It is no coincidence that management and leaders today have the most soft organizational skills. But, as you ponder, think that this is why they tell you they value hard skills more in their job search skill requirements.

Soft Skills are often more important than hard skills: See list of 35 Soft Skills

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Employers look for soft skills when they interview, and their questions will reveal what they consider essential to the job. They will ask job-specific questions and ask about how you went about completing some of your assigned tasks. Please list your soft skills and review them before a job interview. Some of those skills will stand out more than others as being essential to the job you’re looking at. Listen for opportunities to show those skills in the questions you’re asked.

Some employers state that soft skills are just as critical as hard skills; many say they are 70 to 80% important, but it is hard to understand how they can not be more urgent.

Thirty-five soft skills examples that good employees may have many which could be considered “must-have skills.”

• Communication

• Listening

• Teamwork

• Problem-solving

• Time management

• Critical thinking

• Posture

• Decision-making

• Work well with others

• Stress management

• Adaptability

• Conflict resolution

• Leadership

• Creativity

• Resourcefulness

• Persuasion

• Attention to detail

• Curiosity

• Openness to criticism

• Self Motivation

• Ability to work under pressure

• Positive attitude

• Integrity

• Patient

• Negotiation

• Work Ethic

• Adaptability

• Empathy

• Social skills

• Punctual

• loyal

• happy

• confident

• Emotional intelligence

• Resilience

What are Soft Skills and Why are they Important? →

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Soft skills are often thought of as productive personality traits that empower individuals to influence one’s relationships in social, emotional, and even spiritual ways. Soft skills is an umbrella term for three vital functional elements: people skills, social skills, and personal career attributes. These skills are best understood as different aspects of a person’s effectiveness and influence.

“People Skills” are patterns of behavior and interactions. It is an umbrella term for skills under three related abilities: personal effectiveness, interaction, and intercession skills.

Social skills are interaction skills, including social graces, communication abilities, language skills, personal habits, cognitive or emotional empathy, time management, teamwork, and leadership traits.

“Soft Skills” is another umbrella term for three vital functional elements: people skills, social skills, and personal effectiveness.

Intercession skills are like interaction skills, but they specifically apply to situations where the people involved have interests or perspectives at odds with each other. Resolving these differences requires empathy, patience, and the ability to negotiate a solution that all parties can accept.

By working on personal effectiveness, employees get a better understanding of their talents. They learn to use these optimally. They also see which skills they lack and need to develop to achieve their goals.

Soft skills are essential because they are not restricted to a specific field and can be used in every aspect of people’s lives. Soft skills make people flexible in a world that keeps changing.

In today’s world, soft skills are a significant differentiator for employability and success in life. Still, a 2019 Society for Human Resource Management survey found that three-quarters of employers have difficulty finding graduates with the soft skills their companies need.

7 top soft skills →

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Communication

Organization

Teamwork

Being on Time

Critical Thinking

Social Skills

Creativity

Communicating effectively is one of the essential life skills because it is needed to make all the other skills work.

Communication is an essential Soft Skill that is vital for a successful Career.

Some Technology might be consider so basic that their use might be thought of as a Soft Skill →

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Soft skills are interpersonal or people skills that can be used in any job. These skills relate to how you work and interact with others, including communication, teamwork, and adaptability. IT soft skills may include interpersonal, problem-solving, organization, and teamwork skills.

Most of the technology we encounter at work is essential. The more accessible technology is and the more a person is expected to be able to use the technology, the more it might be labeled a soft skill. For example, using Social Media, office email, and even a virtual software platform is considered technology and soft skills.

Learning the basics in these cases is often considered necessary for anyone working at a particular business. These activities sometimes require a little extra work to learn, but you don’t want to be the only one in the room who doesn’t know how to use the technology because if you don’t have the skill, you immediately stand out as expendable. The least qualified person is not who you want to be.

Taking the time to learn puts you in a much stronger position. You may be able to help others, and then you become one of the most needed people in the room. You may stand out as someone who did a little extra preparation.

Soft Skills are the traits, characteristics, habits, and skills needed to survive and thrive in the modern work world.