Soft skills are those things that make you a good worker and include people skills, manners, emotional intelligence, and your ability to communicate and interact with others effectively. These skills are often self-taught and self-developed. Unlike hard skills, they are not specific to an industry or job.
Hard skills refer to employees' job-related knowledge and abilities to perform their duties effectively.
Research shows that a good work ethic is the number one soft skill sought by employers. This soft skill is linked to improved performance and a greater likelihood of career advancement, which are essential to your job satisfaction level.
Maybe you thought just being in the race was enough? Well, you can be in the race, but unless you finish, one might say the race wasn't in you. Finishing the race is how it is remembered. Work Ethics is finishing what you start.
LinkedIn's Global Talent Trends report found that 92 percent of hiring professionals say soft skills matter more than hard skills. Employers seek out employees they can trust to represent the company in a professional and friendly way.
You will not likely get good feedback on how effective you are using or not using your soft skills in your employment reviews. Even when these measures are in place, soft skills are still considered intangibles and seldom discussed. Most people don’t know how to talk about them and aren’t comfortable doing so. People with gaps in their soft skills are often blindsided the first time they hear that there’s a problem. They’re given vague feedback like “you’re just not a people person” or “we need someone who shows more leadership.” Then they’re left to their own devices to try and figure out what that means and how to fix it. They’re mostly confused because something that’s never been quantified feels arbitrary, personal, and optional.