The Importance of Soft Skills in the workplace

March 22, 2015 - PRLog -- What do you think are the most important skills and knowledge someone should have going into any job? Is it their credit average at university? Or is it their overall personal character traits that come first when choosing a future employee? When you really think hard about it and put yourself in the shoes of an employer – would you really pick the guy that on paper ticked all the boxes but when meeting him in person he was too shy that he could hardly string a sentence together? This is where the importance of Soft Skills comes into play and should be seriously thought about before entering into the workforce.

So what are soft skills?
Soft skills refer to the personal character traits or qualities a person may posses. Everyone has there own unique personality traits that makes them stand out among the crowd - these personality traits are a mix of genetic makeup and real life experiences that we experience over our lifetime.

Example of Soft Skills
Communication Skills
Interpersonal Skills
Problem Solving and Critical thinking Skills
Active Listening Skills
Active Learning Skills
Time Management Skills
Team Player
Professionalism
Reading Comprehension Skills
Flexibility and Adaptability

How can I improve on my soft skills today?
Socialise with your work mates
Be PUNCTUAL at all times
Smile
Don’t get distracted by Social media at work – Get off Facebook!!
Always have good manners (THANKYOU & PLEASE) – even if you’re having a bad day
Eye Contact - Always

So there you have it, it’s not always the hard skills you learn at school and University that will help you excel in the work force. As the urban studies theorist Richard Florida put it in his book The Rise of the Creative Class, “What powers economic growth? It’s not technology – technology is a raw material. What makes human beings unique is one thing – creativity. All else up subsets.”