#Scenario 1
Today Hari attended the 7th interview…..despite getting excellent academic score, he failed the first 6 times…the questions were all the same…BUT unfortunately his answers were also the same…He is waiting with fingers crossed to be shortlisted this time ….but the truth is, he is not going to make it.
#Scenario 2
Ravi is a hardworking, try-not-to-lose, every employer’s dream kind of a guy. He can outperform all his colleagues any given day…..BUT put him in a team and he shrinks and takes a backseat.
#Scenario 3
Aarti is named the cry baby of the office….Why so? Well, all’s well with Aarti until she is called for a team meeting. The minute her name is called aloud, she turns nervous and if a slight correction is hinted…it gets her tears rolling.
Hari, Ravi and Aarti represent most of us and these are all situations which either we go through ourselves or we witness around us. If such people are willing to help themselves a little, they can certainly achieve any target they set for themselves and thus attain vertical mobility in all spheres of life.
Eventually Soft Skills can come to their succor to improve their professional quality. So what are soft skills? Unlike hard skills, soft skills are not confined to certain jobs or roles but are an essential prerequisite for any professional. An interviewer, if nothing else, expects the candidate to possess them and so does every employer. Soft skills can add the Midas touch to our other domain related prowess. Hence there’s no point in shying away from them. To name a few:
Effective Communication- The communication trajectory is very essential in an organization for seamless exchange of information within the hierarchy as well as with stakeholders and clients. However much we are in sync with the targets and goals of the organization, if one is unable to put across a simple idea effectively and convincingly, then it’s a lost battle.
Conflict resolution- When people with versatile capacities, accomplishments, experience and demographics come under the same roof, it’s only natural for arguments and indifferences to arise. Conflicts have never been the problem but how we tackle them never fails to go unnoticed. Conflicts have to be intercepted and resolved in a timely manner before blowing it out of proportion. It demands patient hearing and donning the hat of a problem solver.
Relationship building- Apart from individual competencies, the collective effort and efficiency of the entire team is what is required to set the ball rolling on the path of success. It is only if we nurture an empathetic mindset and express a willingness to acknowledge and accept the other’s perspective, can we foster healthy, happy and winning teams.
Adaptability- Working on a set path which over a period of time becomes our comfort zone, may seem a little difficult to undo with. Yet the charm is to learn things on- the- go and turn out to be a hands-on person who is willing to incorporate the best practices in town. After all, every project will require to implement different work styles keeping the deadlines in mind.
Emotional Intelligence- To have a sound knowledge of our emotions and to keep it at check is not always easy and one needs to master the art. Moreover, to be emotionally intelligent one should also be able to handle others’ emotions effectively so that it does not cause any impediments in our day-today functioning, ensuring that we don’t lose the human touch down the line.
Leadership- Can anybody be a leader…….Nope and Yes. After all who doesn’t like to be in the forefront, enjoying all the limelight. They say that trying times are a test for leadership and we have all been leaders at some point in life…be it in classrooms, sports ground, during group tours, in our communities or personal circle. It’s only someone who can shoulder the responsibility consistently, emerge as a leader daily. Nevertheless, these skills can be cultivated and with determined footsteps one can emerge as a frontrunner.
Self-confidence- To transform into a confident person one must first have awareness of the self. Along with our strengths only when we become aware of our Achilles heel and vulnerabilities, can we metamorphose ourselves into our confident best version failing which one jolt in our life or professional space, can send us to the dumps. This is one area which keeps changing even without our conscious self, working on it. To a certain extent, even age and experience contributes a long way to make us self-assured individuals.
Time management- This skill is very essential to fulfill our tasks within the deadline. When time is managed efficiently, unnecessary stress can be reduced leading to better quality of work and job satisfaction. Apart from good planning and breaking down our goals we can also manage our time better by blocking our distractions.
Hence it can be rightly believed that soft skills are a pressing priority and cannot be ignored or done away with. In fact they can never go out of vogue, at least not until Robots start ruling the world.
P.S. These skills can be brushed by becoming further aware about them and following steps and guidelines which can be achieved by taking up an effective soft skill training program.
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