Summary:
Workplace dynamics are constantly changing. Unlike some years back when employers emphasized technical skills and downplayed soft skills, the latter almost overtook the former.
Organizations want you to possess soft skills to know whether you can add more value to their businesses.
Find some soft skills to give you an edge at your current or prospective workplace.
In this article, our team at CVJury will highlight the essential soft skills everyone needs to succeed at work or as a job seeker.
1. Integrity Skills
You must have heard people throw the term integrity around in the context of the workplace.
While there are so many ways through which you can demonstrate integrity, it all goes back to placing values above personal gain, even when no one is watching.
For example, you are at the office, and the manager leaves.
While picking up your video game where you left off can be tempting, you demonstrate integrity by continuing your assignment.
The following soft skills are also skills that can be classified as integrity skills:
- Attentiveness
- Being Ethical
- Displaying Personal Values
- Doing What’s Right
- Focusing
- Having High Moral Standards
- Having Principles
- Honesty
- Kindness
- Trustworthiness
2. Courtesy Skills
In written and in-person communication, courtesy is crucial to business success. Rudeness is not welcome in workplaces.
It means showing interest in what the other person is saying and considering their opinions.
For instance, if you talk to a potential client in person, give them your undivided attention and make eye contact.
For written communication, respond promptly to avoid leaving people waiting for information for too long.
Other skills that can be classified under courtesy skills include:
- Apologising
- Being Polite
- Business Etiquette
- Decency
- Good Manners
- Graciousness
- Gratefulness
- Patience
- Phone Etiquette
- Respectfulness
3. Social Skills
Also commonly referred to as interpersonal skills, social skills are valuable when interacting and communicating with others.
You express your social skills through the way you speak to people and your body language as you do so.
Social skills are essential regardless of your position at work.
Even if you take a rather ‘behind the scenes’ role, you will still need social skills since you most likely work with a team.
If you are in the field, you must interact with clients regularly.
One of the most vital social skills you can possess is empathy.
That means you understand how a person feels.
For instance, if your teammate struggles with a project, you must understand their frustration.
From an understanding point of view, you can help them come up with a solution.
Consequently, empathy, among other social skills, makes building strong workplace relationships easy.
Other soft skills often classified under social skills include:
- Consideration
- Empathy
- Friendliness
- Humor
- Nurturing
- Open Body Language
- Personability
- Persuasion
- Relational Ability
- Relationship Building
- Self-Control
- Showing Warmth
- Sociability
4. Communication Skills
Communication is effective if the message is sent and received accurately.
It is essential in the workplace since that’s the only way you and the rest of the team can stay on the same page.
One of the basic principles of effective communication is brevity.
It’s important to note that time is an asset.
Therefore, when you drag out discussions, you dilute a vital message and save people’s time.
Besides, it would be best never to assume that people automatically understand what you’re saying, especially in a meeting or a presentation.
To communicate better, always invite people to ask for clarification.
Ask for clarification if you miss something.
Most importantly, keep an open mind in such situations.
It’s also vital to refine and be consistent with your communication style.
If you follow up on your clients through a phone call, you must keep up.
We will leave you with the following to consider as parts of communication skills to demonstrate at the workplace.
- Choosing a Communication Medium
- Clarity of Speech and Writing
- Describing feelings
- Editing
- Empathy
- Expressing Ideas
- Facilitating Group Discussion
- Giving and Receiving Feedback
- Interviewing
- Knowing When to Communicate
- Listening Attentively
- Negotiating
- Non-Verbal Communication
- Open-Mindedness
- Perceiving Nonverbal Messages
- Persuading Others
- Persuasion
- Presentation Skills
- Providing Appropriate Feedback, Either Independently or When Asked
- Public Speaking
- Reporting Information
- Speaking Effectively
- Writing Concisely
5. Flexibility Skills
The business world is constantly changing, with unusual situations always arising.
A good example would be the COVID-19 pandemic, which took the world by storm and altered business dynamics.
Rapid changes followed, from people transitioning to working from home and some positions being reviewed.
These skills are essential to employees of all levels, especially in leadership positions.
When you are flexible, you can quickly adapt to changes in the prevailing business world, giving you a competitive advantage.
Don’t get it twisted – while we acknowledge the importance of flexibility at the workplace, we recognize that it’s not always easy.
So, an excellent place to start is to develop a growth mindset.
You can focus on what you could gain from flexibility rather than the intricacies of embracing change.
You also need to understand that it can be a tough learning curve.
Thus, you can only navigate if you’re willing to try new strategies and ask for feedback.
You also need to be patient since you can’t see success overnight.
Other soft skills that can help you practice flexibility include:
- Acceptance
- Adaptability
- Adjustability
- Calmness
- Focusing on Solutions
- Improvization
- Lifelong Learning
- Teachability
- Versatility
- Willingness to Change
6. Teamwork Skills
Teamwork skills consist of a wide range of interrelated abilities.
They help you work effectively with members of an organized group.
These soft skills are fundamental to employers since they need to coordinate teams.
Although teamwork involves everybody’s input, everyone has to do their best individually.
Conflict resolution is essential when working with a group.
Remember, every team member can have a different opinion.
Decision-making is also essential to teamwork since all decisions must align with the company’s goals.
Teamwork is also the backbone of effective communication in an organization.
Some of the soft skills that go into boosting teamwork include:
- Agreeability
- Collaboration
- Conflict Resolution
- Cooperation
- Facilitation
- Helpfulness
- Influence
- Likeability
- Persuasiveness
- Supportiveness
7. Responsibility Skills
When an employer hires you, they have a list of duties and responsibilities they expect from you.
When you have responsibility skills, you fulfill all your responsibilities as outlined in the agreement on time.
That means other people can count on you to deliver.
You must also ensure that your general behavior aligns with the company values.
For instance, a responsible worker reports working on time.
You become an asset to the organization when you demonstrate responsibility skills at work, such as punctuality.
That goes into increasing your chances of retention.
One way to start demonstrating responsibility skills is first to understand your role.
When working on a project, you must understand its specific objectives.
Otherwise, you can’t execute a vague idea of the project.
You also have to be driven in your line of work.
To advance your responsibility skill set, you need other traits like:
- Accountability
- Aspiration
- Common Sense
- Conscientiousness
- Dependability
- Follow-Through
- Maturity
- Resourcefulness
- Self-Discipline
- Virtuousness
8. Work Ethic Skills
Your actions at the workplace affect not only you but those around you.
That’s why most professions have a code of ethics that all employees should comply with.
You might also find codes of ethics specific to your organization.
You will need to follow them to uphold the organization’s culture.
By demonstrating a solid work ethic, you convey a message that you value your work.
While a solid work ethic is essential across all professions, it is especially vital to professions like teaching and healthcare.
It reflects your feelings about your job; your attitude and behavior are a yardstick.
It also shows in how you interact with co-workers and clients.
One significant benefit of a strong work ethic is that your bosses and co-workers will notice you.
Consequently, your chances of going up the career ladder increase.
The organization also benefits when you have a strong work ethic since you do your job more efficiently.
Soft skills that go hand in hand with work ethic include:
- Decisiveness
- Delegation
- Dependability
- Determination
- Discipline
- Emotional Intelligence
- Entrepreneurial Mindset
- Forward-looking Work Approach
- Great Capacity for Work
- Passion
- Professionalism
- Teamwork
- Time Management
- Value for Feedback
9. Professionalism Skills
Most people associate professionalism with how one dresses up for work.
But it goes beyond your general work ethic.
When you have professional skills, it means you are committed to achieving your goals.
It also means you are responsible for your words, performance, and actions at work.
Another important aspect of professionalism is your language when talking to co-workers and clients.
Keep in mind that you can never take back your words.
That’s why professionalism calls for practices like refraining from swearing and politics.
Other soft skills to uphold in pursuit of professionalism include:
- Client-facing Skills
- Commercial Acumen
- Compliance
- Friendliness
- Phone Etiquette
- Professional Awareness
- Self-control
- Sharing Credit with Colleagues
10. Problem-Solving Skills
No matter where you land a job, you will always face problems.
That’s why problem-solving skills are a must-have for employees at all levels.
Ideally, when you possess problem-solving skills, you can find solutions even to the most complex situations.
You will have no problem with deciding and standing by it.
You will also be able to find out the problem’s root cause to prevent future recurrence.
Problem-solving entails a wide range of soft skills, such as:
- Ability to Conduct Information Search
- Analytical Thinking Skills
- Creativity
- Innovative Approach
- Listening Skills
- Uncertainty Management
11. Creativity Skills
The business world is becoming increasingly competitive, and creativity is the only way to stand out.
You can develop a new product or service or find a new way to do things with creative skills.
It also breaks the monotony of routine, making work more tolerable.
Besides, creativity fosters teamwork since input from various people leads to a refined masterpiece.
Some of the other soft skills you need to sharpen to explore creativity include:
- Entrepreneurial Spirit
- Imagining Alternatives
- Innovation
- Perseverance
- Product and Market Knowledge
- Teamwork
- Uncertainty Management
12. Time Management Skills
Whether a new hire or a veteran, you could always use an extra hour to complete more things.
Although it’s almost impossible to account for your time to the second, you can always take strides toward spending your time wisely.
Exercising conscious control of your time is known as time management.
It means you can balance various tasks.
Most importantly, find time for a life outside the workplace.
When you manage your time wisely, you are more likely to achieve your goals seamlessly.
You can avoid unnecessary stress.
You also produce high-quality work since you won’t be caught in the last-minute rush.
Besides, effective time management fosters career growth.
For instance, you will have some extra time when you finish your work on time.
You can then use that time to advance your skills.
Your bosses will also notice you sooner or later, increasing your chances of a promotion.
Soft skills that go hand in hand with time management include:
- Delegation
- Effective Stress Management
- Focus
- Organization
- Planning
- Speed
13. Leadership Skills
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be in a management position to need leadership skills.
These skills help you at all career levels, including job applications.
You will need strong leadership skills to coordinate people toward achieving a common goal at the workplace.
Since time immemorial, there has always been a debate about whether leadership is a natural skill or something you develop.
We say it’s a hint of both. For example, if you are a natural leader, you must work to improve.
Also, you need to practice discipline at work, even in the slightest way, like ending the meeting on time.
Other soft skills that make you a strong leader include:
- Ability to Mentor
- Active Listening
- Conflict Resolution
- Empathy
- Positive Attitude
- Risk-taking
- Valuing Feedback
14. Attention to Detail
Attention to detail refers to your ability to be thorough and accurate in accomplishing a task.
When you pay attention to detail, you produce meticulous work and do it efficiently.
Some professions in which attention to detail is vital include accounting, pharmacology, and medicine.
That doesn’t, however, discredit the skill in other domains.
This is a skill that can take time to build.
You can start practicing and implementing some critical soft skills, such as:
- Active Listening Skills
- Analytical Skills
- Observational Skills
- Organizational Skills
- Time Management Skills
15. Critical Thinking
Critical thinking refers to the ability to sift through information logically to make a reasoned judgment.
You have to analyze various data sources and facts and determine the connection.
You need to do your research and think critically to identify long-lasting solutions to problems at the workplace.
For instance, you are faced with an ethical dilemma at the workplace.
You need to think critically and analyze all aspects before making your decision.
The good thing is critical thinking is a skill you can acquire. It’s like a muscle – the more you train, the more robust it gets.
To build your critical thinking skills, you need to take up habits like reading relevant books and researching on the internet.
You can even take a critical thinking class.
Some of the desirable traits that critical thinkers possess include:
- Asking Thought-provoking Questions
- Being Imaginative
- Conceptualising Situations
- Confidence
- Creativity
- Curiosity
- Demonstrating Cognitive Flexibility
- Making Abstract Connections
- Making Inferences
- Open-mindedness
- Predicting and Anticipating Shortfalls
- Self-reflection
- Showing Curiosity
- Showing Foresight
- Synthesizing Ideas
- Thinking Outside the Box
16. Networking Skills
Even if your job doesn’t entail direct customer involvement, meeting other people in your industry is still essential.
Notably, forming these professional relationships with people is not as easy as it sounds.
You need to possess strong networking skills.
That way, you can spot networking opportunities even when others can’t.
You realize that you don’t need to attend a fancy corporate event to form relationships when you have strong networking skills.
Do you have an elevator speech?
This short description of your actions is more like a quick commercial about you.
Or even the organization you work for.
It’s dubbed an elevator speech because you should be done within the amount o time it takes to ride an elevator.
Besides memorizing your elevator speech, another important networking skill is remembering names.
When you remember people’s names, they feel more valued, opening more opportunities for you.
Other essential networking skills include:
- Active Listening
- Confidence
- Cross-cultural Working Habits
- Cross-functional, Interdisciplinary Habits
- Empathy
- Interpersonal Skills
- Public Speaking
- Relational Ability
- Relationship Building
- Resilience
- Social Skills
17. Negotiation Skills
Almost every position you apply for will require you to have strong negotiation skills.
You can use these skills to negotiate with clients or settle differences with your co-workers by reaching a compromise.
To become a better negotiator, you need to understand all the stages of negotiation.
These are preparation, discussing information, clarifying goals, bargaining, agreement, and executing the contract.
You also need to possess other soft skills, such as:
- Ability to Convince, Argue and Negotiate
- Active Listening
- Communication Skills
- Cooperation
- Open-mindedness
- Questioning
18. Research & Planning Skills
Research skills refer to your ability to answer a question or a solution to a problem.
You need to gather enough information on the topic, analyze it and interpret the data correctly to find the correct answer.
Since almost every position at the workplace faces challenges, employers seek candidates with excellent research skills.
This skill is valuable, especially when your organization wants to launch a new product or service.
The good thing is you have been researching your whole life, knowingly or unknowingly.
Even the slightest things, such as looking for the best bargain, involve some research.
Nevertheless, you can still sharpen your research skills further.
One of the ways to do that is by outlining your research project.
Then, you allocate time for each segment of the research.
It would help if you also could discern credible sources from the vast pool of information available.
It would also help to start with smaller projects before advancing to complex ones.
Some of the soft skills that make you a good researcher include the following:
- Ability to Communicate Results
- Analysing Information
- Attention to Detail
- Capacity for Concentration
- Capacity for Self-assessment and Questioning
- Creating Ideas
- Defining Needs and Requirements
- Developing Evaluation Strategies
- Extracting Important Information
- Forecasting and Predicting
- Gathering Information
- High-level Scientific Expertise
- High-level Technical Expertise
- Identifying Appropriate Resources
- Identifying Problems
- Imagining Alternatives
- Independence
- Internationally Recognised Profiles
- Knowledge and Practice of Digital Tools
- Setting Goals
- Solving Problems
- Strong Capacity for Analysis and Synthesis
- Time Management
19. Work Survival Skills
Like it or not, we live in a highly competitive world, with more people joining the workforce than the job market can sustain.
Therefore, you need to learn how to survive by all means in such a fragile economy.
One of the ways to survive in the workplace is to fit into the organization you work for.
That means sharing the same dream and believing in the same core value.
If your workplace makes you feel out of place, something is wrong.
You also need to learn to avoid falling in love with the company.
Although it sounds harsh, the truth is that your company will never love you back, and they can always replace you.
Therefore, to stay in the game, you must keep your eyes open for better opportunities.
You need some of these soft skills to make it through:
- Accepting Responsibility
- Adaptability
- Attending to Detail
- Being Punctual
- Cooperating
- Cross-cultural Working Habits
- Cross-functional, Interdisciplinary Habits
- Current Industry Trends
- Editing Skills
- Enforcing Policies or Established Rules
- Enlisting the Help of Others When You Need It
- Making and Implementing Decisions
- Managing Time Wisely
- Meeting Goals, Both Short-term and Long-term
- Motivation
- Multiple and Important Responsibilities
- Networking
- Open-mindedness
- Organizing
- Research Skills
- Risk-taking
- Setting Deadlines and Meeting Them
- Speed
- Strategic Thinking
- Writing Concisely
20. Diversity Skills
You will meet people from all walks of life at the workplace.
The diversity could include religion, sexual orientation, color, and physical ability.
As a member of that organization, you must be ready to embrace this diversity and respect the differences.
Speaking openly about diversity with colleagues is essential to iron out misunderstandings.
To be more open to such varying backgrounds, it would help if you attended training programs on diversity if your organization offers any.
You must also evaluate your unconscious bias to become more consciously inclusive constantly.
Some of the skills you need to achieve diversity in the workplace include the following:
- Accurately Perceiving Feelings or Situations
- Collaboration Skills
- Communication Skills
- Empathy
- Leveraging Diversity
- Proficiency in Foreign Languages
21. Influencing Skills
No matter your position, your ability to influence will always be your power.
When you gain influence on a team, you can work more effectively.
On the other hand, if you are in a leadership position, influence helps you earn more respect from your subordinates.
Like any other skill, it might take you some time to master the art of influencing others.
An excellent place to start would be cultivating trust with your co-workers.
You also need to be consistent to send a message of reliability to your team.
Otherwise, you might come off as an unpredictable person that co-workers might hesitate to work with.
Other skills that go hand in hand with influence include:
- Assertiveness
- Emotional intelligence
- Excellent communication
- Negotiation skills
22. Resilience Skills
The Covid-19 crisis went a long way in testing people’s resilience.
With teleworking becoming the norm and kids at home, only the resilient survived.
In a nutshell, resilience refers to the ability to withstand difficult situations–and the workplace is full of those.
When you are resilient, you can rebuild yourself and forge forward even after a trying situation.
For instance, in an economic crisis at your workplace, the management might make massive salary cuts.
It is worth noting that you can gradually build your resilience through coaching and practising other skills, such as:
- Calmness
- Enthusiasm
- Growth Mindset
- Optimism
- Perseverance
- Tenacity
- Willingness to Change
23. Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance might not sound like something your boss cares about, but they will appreciate it more than you know.
This concept describes your ability to divide your energy between your job and other aspects of your life.
Other aspects could be family, community participation, personal growth, and more.
When you put your life outside work together, you will notice a significant increase in productivity.
The reason is your stress levels go down, and your motivation goes up.
Achieving a work-life balance can be particularly hard if you are a parent, as you might be tempted to direct all your time outside work to your kids.
However, try hard to avoid falling into that cycle.
Some of the skills that can help you achieve work-life balance include:
- Courage
- Creativity
- Delegation
- Excellent Communication
- Information Management
- People Management
- Planning
- Professional Awareness
24. Organization & Management Skills
What are organization skills, you ask?
These skills include prioritizing tasks, organization and order, productivity, and prioritizing.
Prioritizing the tasks that must get done right away versus those that could be delayed, delegated, or eliminated later are the others.
Solid organizational skills will decrease the chances of poor work habits such as procrastination, clutter, miscommunication, and inefficiency.
Managers seek employees who can manage their work and adapt quickly within the corporate structure.
When you apply for jobs, send cover letters, or interview, these skills should be highlighted.
Demonstrating the required skills will help you get promoted and hired.
Competencies for Internal and External Organisations
The ability to organize can help you whether:
Internally: Organisational skills are more than tidying your desk and organizing your computer.
It is essential to have a workplace.
However, organization skills are more than keeping your desk tidy.
Organization skills are essential for employees who can plan and schedule effectively and calmly.
Externally: Projects often have a time limit.
You can break down your job into smaller tasks and projects.
Employers look for employees who can delegate smaller tasks while still meeting deadlines.
This allows them to maintain a healthy work-life mix.
On the other hand, management skills are the ability to manage people and perform specific tasks within an organization.
They include the ability to handle executive duties within an organization while avoiding crises and quickly solving problems.
It is hard to be a manager, but it is much more challenging to be a great one.
You can only imagine the variety of skills required to handle various people, tasks, or business needs.
Management experience and learning are two ways to develop your management skills.
Managers can use these skills to build relationships with coworkers and communicate well with subordinates.
This facilitates the flow of business activities.
Soft skills we can add to our organizational & management skills include:
- Change Management
- Coaching
- Coordinating and Planning Tasks
- Counselling
- Decision Making with Others
- Delegating Responsibility to Others
- Demonstrating Effective Time Management
- External Awareness
- Following Through on Tasks
- Handling Details
- Initiating New Ideas
- Legal and Regulatory Awareness
- Management of Complex Issues
- Managing Conflict
- Managing Groups
- Multitasking
- Organisational Awareness
- Project Management Mastery
- Promoting Change
- Selling Ideas or Products
- Teaching
- Technological Monitoring
- Uncertainty Management
Wrapping Up
Possessing these skills is one thing, but highlighting them correctly on your resume is another.
You can list your set of soft skills in the skills section of your resume.
However, it would be even better if you highlighted them in the experience section.
You need to use examples for demonstration, which might not auger well in the skills section.
