Lecture 3

LEARNING THE
SOFT SKILLS
DO YOU KNOW WHAT SETS YOU APART
AS AN EMPLOYEE OR A JOB SEEKER?

IT IS YOUR SET OF SOFT SKILLS!

More attention has been given to hard skills and

overlooked the importance of soft skills.
What exactly are Soft Skills?

Skills, abilities and traits that pertains

to personality, attitude and behavior.
Soft skills are not formal knowledge
or technical knowledge.
 SOFT SKILLS EXAMPLE: HOW DO SOFT
SKILLS MAKES A BETTER EMPLOYEE?
KEISHA SARAH
walks through the office doors at 8:50 a.m., says “Hi” to rushes in at 9:03 a.m., narrowly missing a collision
a few coworkers and is in her seat at 9 a.m. between her boss and the coffee in her hand. She opens
her email, gets distracted and spends the first 45 minutes
browsing a competing company’s summer clothing line
– she tells herself it’s to gain a “competitive advantage”.
Both encounter angry customers on a regular basis.
Notices that the customer didn’t complain about the Marks the order for a refund, according to company
clothes but still calls the buyer, resolves a minor policy.
shipping issue and wins back her loyalty.
In paper, Keisha and Sarah are equally qualified. They have the same hard skills, same work experience, same job
title and work about the same number of hours.
Keisha is a far better employee.
THE 7 SOFT SKILLS YOU NEED
IN TODAY’S WORKFORCE
1) LEADERSHIP SKILLS
Companies want employees who can supervise and direct
other workers. They want employees who can cultivate
relationships up, down, and across the organizational chain.
Leaders must assess, motivate, encourage, and discipline
workers and build teams, resolve conflicts, and cultivate the
organization’s desired culture.
Understanding how to influence people and accommodate
their needs is an essential element of leadership. Soft skills
development is often a key component of leadership training.
Employers desperately need quality leaders. In fact, a recent survey showed that 
leadership is the single most urgent talent gap managers face. And don’t think leadership skills
only apply if you’re in a management position. Managers need leaders in all roles.

Soft skills in this category include:

• Trustworthiness – being truthful and following through with promises
• Motivation – inspiring others to reach their potential
• Commitment – dedicating yourself to stick with a project
• Goal-setting – developing ambitious, but achievable, long-term goals
IMPORTANT DISCUSSIONS IN
LEADERSHIP
Elements of Leadership
The Relationship of Leadership and Power
Understanding Influence
Leadership Qualities and Traits
2) TEAMWORK
Most employees are part of a
team/department/division, and even those who are not on
an official team need to collaborate with other employees.
You may prefer to work alone, but it’s important to
demonstrate that you understand and appreciate the
value of joining forces and working in partnership with
others to accomplish the company’s goals. This shows that
you possess the soft skills necessary to engage in
productive collaboration.
Collaboration
 All businesses are made up of individuals. Being able to form bonds
with others in the company is an important skill in building a strong
team. Besides, research has shown that 
teams that work well together get more done.

Soft skills in this category include:

• Teamwork – working productively with peers and coworkers
• Personality – encouraging others with a positive attitude
• Social skills – handling yourself well in all types of business situations
• Conflict resolution – de-escalating disagreements between others
3) COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Successful communication involves five components. (1) Verbal
communication refers to your ability to speak clearly and concisely.
(2) Nonverbal communication includes the capacity to project
positive body language and facial expressions.  (3) Written
communication refers to your skillfulness in composing text
messages, reports, and other types of documents. (4) Visual
communication involves your ability to relay information using
pictures and other visual aids. (5) Active listening should also be
considered a key communication soft skill because it helps you listen
to and actually hear what others say. You need to be able to listen to
understand how to best communicate with someone. Without strong
listening skills, any communication efforts will be one-way and
probably ineffective.
No matter what a job entails, it’s essential to have excellent
communication skills. If you can present ideas in a logical manner
and are well-received, you have a serious advantage over others.
soft skills in this category include:
• Speaking – delivering impactful speeches in small or large
groups
• Listening – understanding and empathizing with others’ points-
of-view
• Selling – presenting compelling reasons for taking all kinds of
action (not just buying!)
• Persuading – convincing someone to adopt a new viewpoint
4) PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS
Many applicants try to minimize problems because
they don’t understand that companies hire employees
to solve problems. Glitches, bumps in the road, and
stumbling blocks are all part of the job and represent
learning opportunities. The ability to use your
knowledge to find answers to pressing problems and
formulate workable solutions will demonstrate that you
can handle – and excel in your job. Discussing mistakes
and what you learned from them is an important part
of building a soft skills resume.
 if you excel at thinking outside the box, you probably have excellent
critical thinking skills. These qualities are important in today’s
information economy, where machines and software 
are quickly replacing humans for rote tasks. Being able to solve
problems will prove useful in any sector.
Soft Skills in this category include:
• Creativity – imagining new approaches to a problem
• Critical thinking – developing and using a systematized method to
handle tasks
• Analysis – interpreting deeper meaning from surface-level data
• Innovation – developing new and original products, services and
systems
5) WORK ETHICS
While you may have a manager, companies don’t like
to spend time micromanaging employees. They expect
you to be responsible and do the job you’re getting
paid to do, which includes being punctual when you
arrive at work, meeting deadlines, and making sure that
your work is error-free. And going the extra mile shows
that you’re committed to performing your work with
excellence. 
6. FLEXIBILITY /
ADAPTABILITY
In the 21st century, companies need to make rapid
(and sometimes drastic) changes to remain
competitive. So they want workers who can also shift
gears or change direction as needed. As organizations
have become less hierarchical and agile over the last
decade, it’s more important than ever for employees to
be able to handle many different tasks and
demonstrate a willingness to take on responsibilities
that might lay outside their area of expertise. 
7) INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
This is a broad category of “people skills” and
includes building and maintaining relationships,
developing rapport, and using diplomacy. It also
includes giving and receiving constructive criticism,
being tolerant and respectful regarding others'
opinions, empathizing with them.
This is among the most important of all the soft skills
examples because it is central to building teams with a
strong foundation of trust and accountability.
 TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
 Cultivate a positive outlook
 Control your emotions
 Acknowledge others’ expertise
 Show a real interest in your colleagues
 Find one good trait in every co-worker
 Practice active listening
 Be assertive
 Practice empathy
 Maintain your relationships
 SUCCESSFUL SOFT SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT
 Observing other people within a company who excel in these seven
areas. Also, offering to take on more responsibilities at work
(serving on committees, planning events, etc.) can help you gain
valuable experience.
 Consider taking online soft-skills courses. Developing emotional
intelligence will make you a more valuable employee and increase
your chances of career success.
 Employee assessments can also reveal areas 
where improvements could be made, making it easier to put
together a development plan to address those needs. People often
focus specifically on technical skills or competencies when planning
their development, but neglecting soft skills.
END OF PRESENTATION