Why are soft skills important

Soft, or social skills define your individuality and are interpersonal skills. They help other people to determine your character. Many of us don’t recognise that we have these skills but we all possess them. They are how we interact with each other; how we deal with problems; organise and motivate others; develop and communicate ideas based on clear and well-balanced decisions. All soft skills can be transferable to the work place. Giving employers an understand wether you can fit into a particular structure.

In my personal experience these skills can be broken into four sections:

1. Interaction

• In order to work effectively with other people it is vital that you maintain a positive attitude and co-operate with them to ensure you reach a positive solution, otherwise it can be an unproductive wallowing occasion.

• The ability to communicate clearly and openly with the ability to listen and respond empathetically.

• The ability to collaborate with others and influence situations through lateral and creative thinking.

• Handling conflict and seeing things from everyone's perspective.

• Willingness to work within a team and understand the limits of other team members.

• Flexible to adapt to the changing needs of an organisation.

2. Self-Management

• Prioritising what is important and scheduling a priority list.

• Willingness to learn new techniques and share these experiences with others.

• Managing time effectively both at work and at home, thus creating an health work/life balance.

3. Communication

• Delegating the correct job to the strengths of the individual.

• Ensuring written work, including email are representative of professional practice and possessing the understanding these communications are as vital as face-to-face communication.

• Promoting yourself and design presentation skills.

• Listening to feedback from clients.

4. Organising

• Trouble shooting solutions to problems before they occur.

• Organising time effectively to ensure projects can be delivered in the required time.

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