What are soft skills? Why employers look for them when hiring
Are you a graduate or final year student gearing up for the next stage in your career? Whether venturing into a new industry, aiming for a specific job, or simply looking to enhance your interpersonal skills, we will cover everything you need to know about soft skills.
But first of all - what exactly is a soft skill? Soft or transferrable skills are general, non-technical, and practical qualities essential for all jobs. They focus on interpersonal skills and character traits that make working with others more effective.
In this article, we’ll cover examples of soft skills, why they benefit everyone, why employers look for them, and what you can do to improve them.
What's the difference between soft skills and hard skills?
Regarding the difference between soft and hard skills, the critical differentiator comes down to general and role-specific knowledge.
At a closer look, hard skills are essential, specific abilities that can be taught and often measured. They are usually easy to quantify and knowledge-based. Soft skills tend to focus, although not exclusively, on your ability to interact and work with others.
Examples of soft skills
Here’s a list of some of the most common ones you’ll come across:
- Good communication skills and the ability to adapt communication styles to different people and teams
- Teamwork skills
- Time management and organisation
- Ability to adapt to new and different situations
- Resourcefulness and problem-solving
- Ability to accept and give out constructive criticism
- Attitude! Think having a good work ethic
- Emotional intelligence
Why are soft skills valuable?
These skills are valuable in the workplace for both employees and employers. Pretty much everyone benefits from them. This is because they focus on key things like the ability to work effectively as part of a team, complete tasks proficiently, and adapt to changes when business goals shift. These types of skills make working toward a common goal much more straightforward. Although they don't necessarily make tasks easier, they do simplify the process of getting things done, which we can all agree is a win for everyone.
What soft skills do employers look for?
When it comes to the ones employers are looking for, here’s a run down of what they’ll be keeping an eye out for when assessing job applications and interviews:
- Anything that indicates a candidate can work as part of a team, be adaptable, and take ownership of their work
- Anything that indicates whether a candidate will fit in within a company’s culture, especially with their specific values
- Anything that indicates a candidate's potential, even if they don’t meet all of the hard skills listed in a job description
A heads up - recruiters and hiring managers might ask you questions about these skills in an interview and mention them in a job description. This can be direct questions or presenting you with hypothetical situations.
How do you develop soft skills?
Some might say that soft skills are innate, but just like anything, if it doesn’t come naturally, all you need is practice. Think of it as working a muscle.
A great way to start is to understand what you’re already confident at and the skills you would like to develop. Online courses, coaching, and mentoring can help boost these, as well as
volunteering and being a part of a club.
To sum up
Soft skills are just as valuable as hard skills, and employers are keenly looking for them. If two candidates have the same level of experience and one demonstrates more vital soft skills, they are more likely to be offered the job. They indicate how well you can work within a team and adapt - all precious traits in the workplace. You can continually develop your soft skills, even if they don’t feel like something that comes naturally to you. All it takes is practice!
Get more advice on kickstarting your graduate career on our News & Events section and get in touch with the team to find out about our current graduate opportunities.
This article was written by Lois Neville.