The Subtle Art of Caring & Giving in the Workplace: The Soft Skills Can Help Toughen You Up for Success
The job market is a tough world filled with intense competitors and aspiring applicants. And to stand out in that fierce and saturated market, you need to flaunt more than your degree or hard skills.
Now more than ever, employers focus on soft skills when looking for prospective candidates. Soft skills are not the ones taught in courses like data analytics or programming. Instead, they are non-technical skills that describe how you work, communicate, or interact with others. This particular skill set is one of the keys to workplace success, mainly when working with others and effectively engaging in the workplace with colleagues and in customer-facing roles.
Below, we discuss some of the best soft skills that will toughen up your job applications.
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to emotionally understand what other people are feeling, to see things from their perspective, and to put yourself in their shoes. Arguably, it’s the most important soft skill you need in the office, as all other soft skills co-exist with empathy. Empathetic employees can use open-mindedness and understanding to resolve conflicts. They can give and receive meaningful feedback without blaming or being defensive. Besides, we have all been through a lot since the pandemic, so the least we can do is be empathetic towards our colleagues.
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking shows you analyze situations, address unforeseen problems, and evaluate information as need be in the workplace. It highlights your efficiency, and mastering this skill puts you at the forefront of any situation so you can adapt to change quickly.
Flexibility
Of course, we must highlight this, especially now that remote work set-ups are commonplace. Flexibility does not necessarily mean going above and beyond your boundaries. It’s about pivoting and embracing unexpected changes as positive learning opportunities. It teaches you to be patient and open-minded when facing problems, such as a missed deadline or a colleague who unexpectedly requires guidance or assistance.
Communication
Communication is at the core of every human relationship, and everyone needs it to survive. Listening, speaking, observing, and empathizing (we told you they co-exist!) are all part of this skill set. It is also beneficial to understand the differences in communication styles between face-to-face interactions, phone conversations, and digital communications such as email and social media.
Confidence
If empathy is the most important soft skill, then confidence is the cherry on top of it all. Confidence is not just about knowing you are the best but knowing that you can do anything even if you are not the best. You can slowly build your confidence by practicing mantras before work, motivating yourself, or praising yourself for every little achievement. It will help set you up on the road to mastering all the other soft skills!
