CHS Portfolio

Soft Skills: Setting Personal Goals

What are soft skills?
Soft skills are a combination of interpersonal people skills, social skills, and communication
skills. In the workplace and school environment, soft skills are considered a complement to hard
skills, which refer to a person's knowledge and technical expertise.

Your task:
From the list below, choose ​two soft skills​ that you would like to work on over the course of the
school year. Do NOT choose the same skills you have chosen previously.

​Common soft skills for college/career readiness:

● Self advocacy​ – Identify your needs and be able to explain them to others; ask for help when
you need it.
● Responsibility​ – You are held accountable for their actions in academic, personal and social
contexts.
● Self management​ – Self management includes all aspects of taking control of your life
including monitoring your own health, eating habits, self care, laundry, finances, etc.
● Communication​ – Listen and express yourself so you may communicate effectively with other
people both orally and in writing.
● Teamwork and collaboration​ – Work effectively with others to successfully complete
projects as part of a group.
● Critical thinking and problem solving​ – Think critically and analytically, both in the
classroom and in other aspects of her life, in order to make decisions, solve problems, etc.
● Study skills​ – Work independently, organize work, read carefully, prepare for tests, plan
ahead, use different strategies to practice and memorize, be comfortable writing in many forms.
● Comfort with technology​ – Be comfortable and proficient with online research, e-mail
communication, and various software programs like Google Slides, Sheets, etc.
● Tolerate ambiguity​ – Know that life isn’t always black and white; understand and work in a
“gray” area to be more comfortable and to understand subtleties better.
● Comfort with diversity​ – Be open to new people, different cultures, different lifestyles, and
different ways of thinking and behaving.
● Innovation and creative thinking​ – Be willing and able to “think outside the box” and apply
new approaches.
● Ability to work independently​ – Do large blocks of work on your own and keep track of your
work and responsibilities.
● Ability to follow directions​ – You need to be able to follow both simple and more complex
directions.
 ● Have personal goals​ – Have strong personal goals -- even if they change over time -- to help
yourself be engaged and stay on track.
● Be engaged​ – Participate actively in your own education, expect to work hard, and stay
involved.

What would you like to work on this year? Select two and write your thoughts below.

Skill #1​:
Why did you select this skill? Consider why it is important to you and why you think you need
to work on this skill.
I want to work on self advocacy. I think this is important because a lot of times you need to
advocate for yourself. I think I need to work on this skill because sometimes I need to do things
on my own.

Name three ways you can work on developing this skill. Consider what you can do both inside
and outside of school.
One way I can develop this skill is by in school. If I have a question or I need help with
something I didn’t get I can advocate for myself and ask them to help me. Also another thing that
can help me have self advocacy is if I have any questions with work or I can’t find something I
can ask someone.

Skill #2​:
Why did you select this skill? Consider why it is important to you and why you think you need
to work on this skill.
I also want to work on study skills. I think this is important because you need to do well in your
test and tests are also a big part of your grade. I think I need to work on this skill because
sometimes I don’t do well on my tests and I think my studying I can do better.
Name three ways you can work on developing this skill. Consider what you can do both inside
and outside of school.
A way I can develop this skill is that if I have a test I can prepare for it by studying different
forms. Also if I have to memorize something I can practice using different strategies. Outside of
school if I want to learn or know how to do something I can work on working independently.

At the end of the year, you will reflect on your soft skills progress in your final presentation.