What are soft skills?
Soft skills are capacities linked to emotional intelligence. They go beyond the technical knowledge required in each sector and have to do with the way we perform at work: they are personality traits that we put into practice when we carry out our tasks and when we interact with our environment.
By enhancing these competencies, we can improve our own performance and the relationships we build on a daily basis, offering us more possibilities for future professional growth.
Recruitment processes increasingly focused on soft skills
For every 100 people hired, 13 fail or drop out during the probationary period, and a third leave before the end of the year. To change this reality, the way candidates are assessed will be radically modified: there will be a greater focus on emotional intelligence to understand their potential behavioural aspects.
Furthermore, according to a study by Spring Professional, in Spain a higher value is being placed on profiles that combine soft skills with technological knowledge. That is why, below, we mention several skills that cannot be missing in order to be more competitive in today’s workplace and in the future.
1. Work as a team
In addition to fulfilling our tasks, it is essential that we have good communication with the environment. Especially if we are in a leadership position, which requires us to interact with each member of the team and generate an optimal climate for the group to achieve maximum performance.
2. Being flexible and adapting to change
The pandemic has made clear the relevance of this competence, as the landscape is constantly changing. At the end of last year, the massive home office returned due to the increase in infections caused by the Omicron variant in Spain. In this situation, it is essential that we, as employees or employers, have the ability to change in time and adapt to different contexts as they arise.
3. Creativity and problem-solving skills
No matter what position we are in, we know that there will be obstacles to overcome. Creativity serves as an ally to achieve this, but it is also important that we carry out an analysis of each situation in order to make the best possible decision. In this respect, working as a team can help us to overcome adversity, since “two heads are better than one”, as the popular saying goes.
4. Appropriately managing your time.
Defining objectives allows companies to know where they are heading. However, they must have certain characteristics to be effective. One of them is time, which we have to know how to manage in order to carry out our duties to perfection.
5. Having a sustainable focus
All organisations, regardless of whether they are for-profit or not-for-profit, need to generate good financial results in order to continue to function. However, today we do not have to focus on that alone. The 80% of people emphasise the value of sustainability therefore, we must look at how, from our workplace, we can contribute to the wellbeing of the planet and the communities we inhabit.
