Soft skills

Soft skills are a combination of interpersonal people skills, social skills, communication skills, character traits, attitudes, career attributes and emotional intelligence quotient (EQ) among others. Technical knowledge of any subject is considered hard skill. Soft skills are also called corporate skills. Soft skills can be more useful and practical (than?/to whom?). A definition based on review literature explains soft skills as a cluster of productive personality traits that characterize one's relationships in a social milieu with other people and the key three abilities/elements are people skills, social skills and personal career attributes, in other words social skills is an umbrella term for skills under this functional elements.

Effective communication skill can be the most sought after skill by employers. Soft skills are related with insights, emotions, feelings, gut-instinct and (some would say) an inner knowing. Because of this they are not taught passively as in the way of "hard skills". Hence soft skills are associated with EQ (Emotional Quotient) and EI (Emotional Intelligence) rather than with IQ.

Soft skills differ from field to field, mostly due to different career attributes requirement though the basic people and social skills remain the same. Soft skills are the basic requirement for today's employability.

Following is a list of most common soft-skills.

Manners/Politeness/Friendliness

Politeness

Maintaining a calm and friendly composure is as important as to making a worthwhile impression on others

Greetings

Starting a conversation by a greeting, complement, social gesture and a simple comment about societal - relative topic like the weather and work your way up to other topics

Respect for others

Even though you are exposed to someone who you do not know well enough to give them respect it is necessary that you give them the respect they would expect irrespective to whether or not they deserve that. Sensitive and idealistic men are hard to impress if you don't restrain your political and religious views (or any other as a matter of fact) to your selves

Positive Attitude

Attitude is like an ice berg, the tip which is visible is the part that you show but actually the real attitude is within you.

Friendly nature

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Empathy and E.Q.

To be aware of one's own (short term) emotions and (long term) feelings and to be willing to examine those that get in the way of our relationships. The ability to tune into another's emotional state and to empathise with them, even if you don't share their views.

Patience

Patience definition, the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation.

Sense of humour

Humour can be a disaster if you are not exceptionally good at it.

Teamwork

Teamwork is demonstrated when one works cooperatively with others and contributes to a group with ideas, suggestions, and effort, and completes tasks necessary to reach a goal or make a decision. Effective team members build on individual team members' strengths and resolve differences for the benefit of the team.

Conflict Management

Conflict management is seen as a process of resolving conflict or lessening it between two or more people or groups. To be well conversant with conflict resolution we need to have in depth understanding of human behavior, good interpersonal skills, persuasive communication skill, patience, and control over our own mood.

Ability to lead others

The Ability to Lead Others Starts With The Ability to Know Yourself Great leadership is a skill rooted in authenticity and there are as many ways to be a great leader as there are people in the world. But before you can lead others, you must first be able to know, embrace and embody your true self. More vital than charisma and intelligence, the ability to empathize and willingness to serve have been shown to be required traits to build leadership acumen. In fact, research finds that oftentimes, charismatic leaders lack essential listening skills and therefore attract followers who are less willing to speak up. According to leadership expert and scholar Peter Drucker, the most common characteristic amongst great leaders is integrity. Integrity is the natural result of being authentic and fully yourself. Meaning, the best way to become an effective leader is to find congruence between what you think, say and do. That said, in order to become an effective leader you have to know who you are: your values, your strengths, what you stand for, why you stand for it, and what your ethics are. Then act on them.

Oral Competence

Effective Communication

Those who communicate effectively will organize ideas and communicate clear oral messages appropriate to listeners and situations. Other cues such as body language are adapted to the style, tone, and complexity of the audience and the occasion. A good communicator listens and responds to feedback.

Art of presentation

Mastering the Art of Presentation – Strategies for Presentation Effectiveness. Being a great and dynamic presenter is a much-needed skill in any workplace. It may seem as if some people are born with the knack to captivate and move audiences to act while others may struggle to get a simple point across.

Independence

Time Management

Displayed when one develops and follows an effective, workable schedule based on accurate estimates of: task importance, time to complete tasks, time available for completion, and deadlines.

Ability to Learn and Update One's Knowledge

This ability is demonstrated by applying and adapting new knowledge and skills in both familiar and changing situations. One determines when new information must be created or located, and takes responsibility for learning.

Sense of Responsibility

Personal responsibility is shown when one demonstrates high standards for attendance, punctuality, enthusiasm, and vitality in approaching and completing tasks--even when assigned unpleasant ones.

See Also

• Wikipedia: Soft skills