Soft skills – A vital aspect in career growth

Soft skills is a sociological term relating to a person’s “EQ” ( Emotional Intelligent Quotient), the cluster of personality traits, social graces, language, communication, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that characterize relationship with other people.

It is often said, hard skills are required to receive an interview call but soft skills are needed to get or retain the job or for further career growth. Hence, soft skills complement hard skills. Hard skills are specific to certain type of task or activity, where as soft skills are broadly applicable.

Whether you are a businessman, a corporate executive, a student looking for a job, a young lady in the front desk, everyone wants to make it big and successful in his / her activity. There is no questioning the fact that Indians are very competent with technical skills but the critical question is will this suffice for them to be globally competent? The wide rivers of culture, language, and environment can only be crossed with being proficient in soft skills.

Soft skills focuses on those elements that require change in behavior and thinking organizations today recognize the strong relationship between soft skills of their employees and effective customer relationship. There are thousands of talented people who can not get a foot in the door of a great Corporation because they don’t know how. Every day in this world, people are fighting not just war of survival of the fittest – it is a war of survival of the prettiest. Perhaps, it is unfair, but people are highly visual – they judge by the way you look on the outside. When you go to a job interview, your appearance and your social grace and not your talent or dedication to the job, is the first to get noticed. Most HR managers are good trainers, not plastic surgeons. Therefore, they hire trainable people with basic good grooming/ personality. Between equally qualified job applicants, the better groomed gets an edge. “It is better to be looked at than be overlooked.”

Another vital aspect is the social grace and the etiquettes. How you enter the interview room, greet the panel members or the interviewer and wait for the signal to sit down. Even the way you sit and look. Always have a smile on your face till interviewer start the interaction with you. Your smile would give a pleasant feeling not only with you but also with the interviewer.

                                         

When you communicate, look eye to eye with the interviewer with positive body language. Interviewers have a tendency to unsettle you by asking funny questions. Try to add little humor answering. The panel would enjoy that and you will have an edge over others.

The most vital is your communication skill. How you present your points are crucial. Answer in brief and be specific. More you tell them, the more mistakes you make. Be honest and polite in your submission.

To be precise, soft skills, generally known as “people skill” are personal attributes that enhance an individual’s interaction, job performance and career prospect.

There is a lot of discussion in the corporate world as to whether it is possible to enhance and improve soft skills in a few hours/days of training, especially when considering the fact that a person has lived with all those traits all his life. Soft skill training is essential because we do not have it in our curricula other than business schools and professional studies. One can start practicing the soft skills at home. Use it with the milk vendor, news paper vendor, domestic help, driver, waste cleaner and all those who come to your home every day. Interact with the elders and parents at home on different subjects. Even your siblings and younger ones are your internal customers. Try to fulfill their needs by being friendly and compassionate. You will notice a great change in your overall behavior and attitude. Even when you answer a telephone call, bring a little smile and greet the caller by informing your name first instead of a blunt hallo. The caller will have a great feeling and the subsequent interaction will have a positive outcome. Even the parents can play a major role in helping the children sharpening their soft skills by being modest. Treat the children as adults when they grow up and be friends. Please do not treat them as students. The parents have to help their children nurture their soft skills at home by being courteous and friendly. Invite them for discussion on all subjects and they will certainly open up and be a perfect human being.

 

Please practice the following skills for enhancing your soft skills:

·        Interpersonal Skills

·        Team spirit/bonding

·        Social grace

·        Business etiquette

·        Negotiation skill

·        Behavioral traits such as attitude, motivation and time management.

With economy ailing, stock market fluctuating, and job cuts the order of the day, it is natural to feel gloomy particularly if you are looking for employment. And even then, people are still working, consumers are still purchasing and factories are still producing their finish products. Even companies are still hiring although they lay off employees in some areas from time to time. There may be fewer jobs but have not disappeared fully. So, how do you find a job when times are hard? It is no point to complain the recession, down turn of economy, job loss in US and UK.

When the competition is fierce, you have to focus on improving your strengths. You must pay attention to your soft skills that can be an advantage to your presentations. Particularly, special endeavor must be made to up-skill your communication skill, presentation skill, team work and leadership practices. Specially those who are not at all comfortable in spoken English must devote sufficient time and take guidance in that subject from a specialist.

When the job market is going through a rough patch, don’t be rigid about your dream job. The job on offer may not suit your profile but grab it. That will keep you busy with the market and keep your option open. As a new recruit, you may have to cut down on your expectation and accept entry level position with a lower salary. It is wiser to put your dream on hold a little longer.