7 soft skills you need to thrive in your career
What’s up, learners!
Today, we are going to talk about soft skills!
Some might think that soft skills are not nearly as important as technical or hard skills…
But I am not exaggerating when I say that soft skills can really make or break your career!
Sure, you might have an impressive resume with tons of experiences and a degree from the best university in the country…
But without the right soft skills, you might find yourself struggling to advance your career and get promoted…
Or even just passing the interview round!
You might be wondering, what exactly are soft skills?
Well, soft skills include things like communication, adaptability, teamwork, and critical thinking ability – you know, all the stuff that can’t be quantified on papers!
So, today, let’s talk about 7 of the most important soft skills you need to thrive in your career.
Grab a cup of coffee (or tea, or perhaps a boba drink?), get comfortable, and let’s get started!
1. Communication
Communication skills are crucial for success in just about every profession!
Effective communication skills are essential for teamwork. Being able to express your idea with clarity as well as being able to listen to other people’s perspectives is the perfect recipe for achieving shared goals!
Good communication skills also help foster a positive working environment by preventing misunderstandings, which can lead to conflict. When you are able to communicate clearly, you minimize the chances of misinterpretations or miscommunication. This in turn leads to enhanced productivity!
Last but definitely not least, good communication skills can also help your career prospects!
I’d argue that good communication skills is an unwritten prerequisite to advancing your career. Employers value individuals who can communicate effectively with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders.
By demonstrating that you have good communication skills, you can gain your employer’s recognition and advance your career!
2. Adaptability
Think of it like this: being adaptable means you can roll with the punches and handle whatever comes your way.
Suppose you’re a fish…
Perhaps you’ve lived in a particular river your whole life. Then, one day, you wake up only to realize that you’re in a completely different river!
You might feel disoriented at first. Maybe the current is a bit slower, or a bit faster. Maybe you’ve encountered new kinds of animals and plants…
But, if you’re adaptable, you’ll learn to adjust to your new surroundings, and you’ll swim just as well as you did before!
Similarly, in the workplace, things are always changing!
You’ll encounter new technologies, new processes, new coworkers…
Of course, anyone would feel overwhelmed at times with the constant changes that seem to be the hallmark of the modern workplace. And that’s okay! That’s completely normal!
However, adaptability would allow you to roll with the punches and adjust to whatever changes that come your way.
Being adaptable means being open to new ideas and approaches, having the willingness to learn new skills, and being able to pivot when necessary.
It also means that you are able to communicate and collaborate effectively with a wide range of people and being able to adjust to different working styles.
So, there is no overstating how important adaptability is in the workplace! Don’t be a fish out of water – be a fish that can swim in any river!
3. Active listening
Essentially, active listening means listening with intention.
Have you ever talked to someone, only to realize that they were paying attention to their phone the whole time?
It doesn’t feel great, does it?
That’s why active listening is so important!
It’s not just about hearing the words, but also trying to understand their perspective, feelings, and intentions behind what they are saying.
When you actively listen to your colleague, you demonstrate that you value their input and respect their ideas and show that you are fully engaged in the conversation.
Plus, when you actively listen, you are far less likely to miss important details or misunderstand what someone is saying. This can save you a lot of time and effort in the long run!
4. Critical thinking
To put it simply, critical thinking allows you to work smarter, not harder!
People who have developed their critical thinking skills are able to look at information objectively, which helps them solve problems and make sound decisions.
Critical thinking skills also allow you to weigh in the pros and cons of taking certain actions
In today’s fast paced work environment, the ability to think critically is more important than ever! With this skill, you can handle difficult situations and make decisions that are in the best interest of the company.
Critical thinking skills are also highly valued in the workplace because they help you spot and evaluate growth opportunities, anticipate potential problems, and come up with creative solutions.
So, no matter what field you work in, it’s definitely important to have critical thinking skills in your arsenal!
5. Time management
Surely we all know why time management is important…
For starters, effective time management helps us meet deadlines…
And I am sure your boss and colleagues would appreciate the fact that you can work efficiently and get things done on time!
But more than that, getting the hang of managing your time and workload effectively can also help reduce stress, because we would be less likely to feel overwhelmed!
Bottomline is, let’s put effort into improving our time management skills! Good reputation amongst your coworkers and less stress? Sounds like a win win to me!
6. Self-awareness
What do you think is the meaning of “self-awareness”?
For me, it’s the ability to understand my own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, as well as my strengths and weaknesses and how these impact my work performance.
When we know ourselves well, we can identify areas where we need improvement. So, we can map out what we need to do to get closer to our professional goals!
For instance, a self-aware person might recognize that they have the tendency to dominate the conversation during meetings, which keeps other coworkers from sharing their thoughts and ideas. This might cause resentment amongst their team members. That’s definitely not good!
With this awareness, they can work to adjust how they approach meetings and be more intentional about giving others room to speak, thus avoiding resentment from their coworkers.
Which brings me to my next point… self-awareness can help you communicate better, especially in high-stress situations! When you know what sets you off, you can approach conversations more objectively and keep your emotions in check, thus helping you avoid disagreements and conflicts!
Suffice to say that self-awareness is extremely important for personal and professional growth!
7. Digital literacy
I am sure you don’t need an explanation as to why digital literacy is important nowadays!
But let’s break it down, shall we?
Digital literacy enables you to work more efficiently by leveraging technology to automate repetitive tasks, communicate with colleagues in real time and access information quickly.
If you’re digitally literate, you are better equipped to collaborate with colleagues and clients across different locations.
Another thing to consider is that the modern workplace generate a vast amount of data and with digital literacy, you are better equipped to analyze and interpret these data to make informed decisions and plan effective strategies.
And of course, we all know that employers greatly value digitally literate employees, so with digital literacy, you have a wider range of job opportunities!
So, if you want to succeed in this digital age, you better be digitally literate!
Summary
Those are 7 of the most important soft skills you have to develop in order to thrive in the modern workplace! How many have you mastered? Do you think there are other soft skills that we should include here?
Next steps
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