We've all heard the term "soft skills" thrown around at work. But what exactly are they? Soft skills are the personal qualities that give us an edge in the workplace, that help us get along with our colleagues and co-workers, and ultimately make us more successful.
The term "soft skills" is widely used by professionals in a variety of industries, including but not limited to business, sales, marketing and management.
These aren't just helpful when done right; they're necessary. If you've ever worked with someone who had great technical skill but lacked soft skills (or vice versa), then you know how frustrating it can be when people don't communicate effectively about what they need or what's going on in their world.
They are the ineffable qualities that make us who we are as individuals: personality traits, ways of thinking and behaving that make us unique. Some of the most important soft skill attributes include communication, teamwork, time management and leadership.
All of these things impact both how we perform in our everyday roles and how our managers perceive us.
Soft skills can be learned and developed over time - which is good news if you're not sure where to start working on them!
But here's a tip: focus on one or two at a time and don't try to tackle every single one at once. You'll get better results by starting small and moving forward from there.
In other areas - like customer service - the need for soft skills has grown significantly as companies now rely on their workers to build relationships with customers using their individual strengths and talents. This shift from hard skills to soft skills has also impacted how businesses conduct their hiring processes.
