5 Good Things: Prioritizing Soft Skills
According to hiring recruiters, soft skills are what they’re looking for.
EMPATHY
We are finally living in an age where technology becomes us. Everything that we’ve learned up until now is carbon copied, fed into an algorithm that artificial intelligence has no qualms of stealing from you. But as it’s been said time and again, the one thing that AI can never achieve is the emotional intelligence needed in a crisis or that in a conceptual and ultimately memorable creative campaign. The one thing they don’t teach in any university course is that you can still climb the ladder of success while being kind. Being culturally aware of your work environment, the people you work with from all levels and recognizing emotions coming from another person whether it’s joyous, frustration or sadness. Having empathy in the workplace makes resolving conflict more productive and allows you to be more proficient with your work and relationships. In times of chaos, people usually gravitate to the most empathetic person in the group for the answers
CURIOSITY
Discovery is what happens when you’re so close to the pay off. When you’re willing to learn about new ideas however big or small, it’s taking you a step closer to the end goals. The critical theory of believing that there’s always more out there. The former work generations (rhymes with rumor) lived during an era where rules were made to be followed, a hierarchy was set in place strictly for that purpose. But now, curiosity is no longer a discouragement, it’s part of the process, it’s celebrated. It’s an integral asset to the building blocks of entrepreneurship, leadership and other facets that only leads to innovation.
TEAMWORK
You don’t necessarily have to be the leader to still influence and encourage collaboration. You just have to be open to it. You give your full support and you take feedback graciously. And if you even try to lie about this important skill, remember this - reference checks.
CREATIVITY
This is the most obvious of the soft skills. Imagine not having the capacity to create an original thought. Or not being able to place one item to another item, not being able to problem solve. All projects require creativity, one that is born from an original idea or inspiration, personal tastes and a vast knowledge in a “little bit of everything.” You take what you’ve learned from past projects and experiences into the next project. Similar to empathy and teamwork, you’re either creative or not and it shows in how you work and in the results. Because of that, you can never stop learning new things and developing new interests and tastes.
PRESENTATION
“Confidence is the biggest tell,” a recruiter friend told me. Not the kind of confidence that commands a room, that which you can easily fake. We’ve seen that play out in films many times when the protagonist has to put on her big girl pants and face an intimidating room of higher-up’s. No, it’s the brand of confidence that is most times silent (true confidence always is though), engaging with good listening and communication, thoughtful eye contact, and approachable body language are some of the tell signs my friend prefers over other candidates. If you’re confident in all those ways, it reflects positively to whatever agenda you’re presenting to a room of people. By the way, a lot of your emotional intelligence (again, empathy) can be seen in your presentation.
Soft skills are the core parts of how people see you and what you have to offer them. It’s the non-technical side, it’s everything that is not included in your cover letter or resume, because it’s exactly who you are in person.
Tomorrow is the first real day back at work for majority of the world, whether you’re at a job that you love, or looking for the dream one, keep going.
You’ve got this,
DNAMAG
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