Soft Skills

Jessica Burns Mike Baker John Klinger

Definition
Soft Skills- refer to the cluster of personality traits, social graces, facility with language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that mark people to varying degrees

Definition
Hard Skills- the technical requirements of a job (assembly, labor, etc)

American Businesses
Beginning to adopt soft skills as a major component of required skills for a job Blue collar jobs are moving overseas due to lower costs America moving more towards service industry

Customer Service and Orientation

Focusing more on people than processes
Todays service economy and ascendance of work teams in large organizations puts a new premium on people skills and relationship-building Lori Kocon- human resources expert

Soft skills = People skills=Street Smarts

Soft
Comes from European Social Fund project Soft outcomes-outcomes from training, support or guidance which are unlike traditional outcomes, for instance, qualifications and jobs which can not be measured directly or tangibly
Balanced Scorecard (virtually impossible to attain numbers)

Soft continued
Soft indicators- means by which we can measure whether the outcomes have been achieved
Indicate acquisition of progress towards an outcome, how we can put a number on measurement of accomplished goals

Common Soft Skills

Strong work ethic Positive attitude Good communication skills Time management abilities Problem-solving skills Acting as a team player Self-confidence Ability to accept and learn from criticism Flexibility/adaptability Working well under pressure

 Strong work ethic-Are you motivated and dedicated to getting the job done, now matter what? Will you be conscientious and do your best work? Positive attitude-Are you optimistic and upbeat? Will you generate good energy and good will

 Good communication skills- Are you both verbally articulate and a good listener? Can you make your case and express needs in a way that builds bridges with colleagues, customers and vendors Time management abilities- Do you know how to prioritize tasks and work on a number of different projects at once? Will you use your time on the job wisely?

 Problem-solving skills-are you resourceful and able to creatively solve problems that will inevitably arise? Will you take ownership of problems or leave them for someone else? Acting as a team player- Will you work well in groups and teams? Will you be cooperative and take a leadership role when appropriate?

 Self-confidence-Do yo truly believe you can do the job? Will you project a sense of calm and inspire confidence in others? Ability to accept and learn from criticismWill you be able to handle criticism? Are you coachable and open to learning and growing as a person and a professional?

 Flexibility/Adaptability- Are you able to adapt to new situations and challenges? Will you embrace change and be open to new idea? Working well under pressure- Can you handle the stress that accompanies deadlines and crises? Will you be able to do your best work and come through in a pinch?

Conclusions
More and more businesses are considering soft skills as an important job criteria An increase in service industry emphasizes the need for soft skills Soft skills are used in personal and professional life

 Questions