10 skills you can't build a career without

What are soft skills?

Soft skills are supra-professional skills necessary to join a team and do work efficiently. For example, be able to resolve conflicts, position yourself and make a personal schedule.

Soft skills are not required to get the job done, but they are needed to successfully pass any interview, join the team, and get promoted. By the way, research suggests that for most employers, these skills are more important than your professional qualities.

1. Self-confidence

If you promote your ideas with confidence and clear understanding, your colleagues will reach out for you. And leaders stand out favorably from others: they are more likely to receive a raise and a raise in salary.

This skill is also important because an employee who knows his own worth has a positive effect on the overall image of the company.

How to learn

Start with imitation: act as a confident person until you become one. For example, keep a diary and write down all your successes and victories for the day in it.

Another effective way to gain confidence is to take over the trainee: while you are helping the newcomer to join the team and understand the tasks, tighten up the management skill.

2. Sociability

Literate and understandable speech is needed both in conversation and in correspondence. She helps colleagues and clients to make the right impression of you.

In communication, the attitude is also important: if you are friendly and smiling, it is good and to the place to joke - quickly establish relations with colleagues. And understanding in the office is the key to successful and productive work.

How to learn

Listen carefully to the interlocutors and express your thoughts clearly. Pay attention to facial expressions, gestures, and body language. And most importantly, do not be aggressive, do not provoke conflicts or gossip.

3. Ability to work in a team

Sometimes it’s easier to do someone else’s work than explaining to a colleague for a long time what you want to achieve from him. But you don't need to do that. HR managers are looking for employees who can delegate responsibilities and work in a team.

How to learn

It is important to understand what skills and strengths you have and what you can effectively accomplish on your own, and for what you will need outside help.

Praise your colleagues for a great job, and if you notice any roughness or a jamb, talk about them without collisions and complaints. If you see that your partner is completely sewn up, offer your help. And if you yourself are drowning in deadlines, do not be afraid to delegate tasks.

4. Public speaking skill

About 25% of people are afraid of public speech. But this soft skill is very important: according to one of the richest people in the world, Warren Buffett, workers who can speak to an audience are 50% more valuable than others.

Mastering this skill is important, even if your profession does not involve going on stage and presenting at conferences. This soft skill will help you to effectively conduct meetings and deliver talks in meetings so that you will be heard.

How to learn

Start with a workout in front of a mirror: speak in front of your reflection. Then ask family or friends to play the role of your colleagues.

5. Ability to solve problems

Frames and linings are essential elements of any work, and they should not confuse you. On the contrary, to show yourself as a great employee, you need to pull yourself together, use all your knowledge and find the best way out of the situation.

How to learn

A simple algorithm can be used to solve any problem. Formulate the problem, brainstorm and write down all possible solutions, analyze the resulting list, choose the best option and act!

6. Ability to perceive context

When proposing a new idea or solution, you must understand how appropriate it is for your company and the circumstances in which you find yourself.

Learning to understand the context will make you more productive. For example, if you are a salesperson for a paper company and you know who your client is and why they need paper, you will be more efficient. After all, you do not have to waste time on people who will definitely not buy paper.

Soft skills: the ability to perceive the context

How to learn

Explore the industry in which you work and the principles of your company. Keep this knowledge in your head constantly and remember it when you need to make decisions.

7. Flexibility

Things don't always go as planned. And during force majeure, you should not bury your head in the sand or sit back. On the contrary, a good employee can come up with a way to solve a problem, make an effort, and come out of a difficult situation as a winner.

Flexibility is also needed if the company decides to master a new side of the business or expand its horizons. You must be ready to step out of your comfort zone and take on a non-standard task.

How to learn

Learn new things, follow the development of your professional field and do not be afraid of changes.

8. Creativity

The most requested soft skill according to the latest research from LinkedIn. If you are creative, then you will gush with ideas and be able to bring something new to the company. This is very important for the employer.

How to learn

Participate in all brainstorming sessions. Feel free to suggest your ideas, even when they seem silly or not interesting enough to you. Start all your sentences with the words "What if …": even if the team doesn't like the creativity, you show your willingness to participate in the process - which is a big plus.

9. Ability to meet deadlines

Time management is not about being able to come to the office on time, but about completing tasks on time. The ability to stay on top of deadlines, work at full strength, and not get distracted by trifles, good leaders really appreciate.

You should be able to distribute tasks in order of importance, be less distracted by conversations with colleagues and time-killers, and inform your boss in time if you do not have enough time to complete a task well.

Don't forget about taking breaks, too: working without rest can lead to burnout. Divide the day into intervals - for example, work with concentration for 25 minutes, and then step away from the computer for 5 minutes and relax.

How to learn

Try keeping a close eye on your schedule for a few days: write down everything you do at work in a notebook and note how long it takes you to complete each task. The main thing is to add to the list what distracts you and prevents you from focusing.

Then evaluate the resulting picture and make a smart schedule.

Soft skills: it is important to have a competent schedule

10. Ability to adequately respond to criticism and objectively criticize

All people make mistakes, and you are no exception. If your boss noticed a jamb in your work and asked to redo it, you do not need to boil and be offended. Listen to criticism, thank for the comment, and correct.

Remember: most likely, no one wants to offend you, you just work together for the same goal, and the boss dreams of the most awesome result.

By the way, for the same reason, you shouldn't be afraid to make comments to your colleagues. The main thing is to remember about objectivity, give specific examples and explain what the person did wrong. Do not stoop to insults - conflicts at work will not lead to anything good.

How to learn

If the remark makes you angry, calm down, take a deep breath, or count to 10. Then ask clarifying questions so that you can clearly understand what you did wrong and what needs to be done to fix it.