Soft skills are a combination of social, emotional, and cognitive skills that enable you work collaboratively with team members. Here are five in-demand soft skills that you can focus on cultivating now to set you apart in your career:
Complex problem-solving & decision-making
Effective problem-solving is not only about devising solutions. This skill also includes the ability to see relationships between teams, departments, and even across industries, so that solutions benefit all stakeholders. A further extension of problem-solving is exercising good judgment when making decisions by considering the costs and risks associated with implementing solutions.
Critical thinking
Effective problem-solving goes hand-in-hand with strong critical thinking skills. Critical thinking involves examining an issue from all sides and logically evaluating solutions/methods based on a variety of factors. You can further develop this skill by researching and assessing applicable data. Being able to to draw insightful interpretations based on data is an increasingly crucial skill to develop.
Creativity
The unique ability to build something out of an idea is an invaluable skill. Sometimes this can look like creating a new program or redesigning processes to more effectively meet business objectives. Other times, it can be as simple as using an already established tool in new ways.
Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence can be understood as a larger umbrella term that cover a variety of inter-related skills. Essentially, this skill involves understanding and managing your own emotions and the emotions of others. Bringing self-awareness, empathy and curiosity into your work helps you build better working relationships. Emotional intelligence is a highly valued skill that will serve you well in both your personal and professional life, and is considered a must-have for those in leadership and management roles.
Communication & collaboration
Across industries, effective communication and cross-collaboration is crucial to the success of a team and overall business. No one, regardless of their position, operates completely autonomously within an organization. The ability to communicate with different audiences and come up with a win-win solution for all parties is part of building solid working relationships. Additionally, being able to offer value and assistance to both internal and external stakeholders demonstrates effective teamwork.
Speak to us to see how you can develop your soft skills and your career.