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What are soft skills?

Here at Bongo, we are all about soft skills. Our video technology is purpose-built to help assess and improve soft skills and communication skills. Now, you may be asking what exactly are soft skills? What do they entail? How important are these skills? It’s time to answer these questions.

To define soft skills the old-fashioned way—according to Dictionary.com—they are “desirable qualities for certain forms of employment that do not depend on acquired knowledge: they include common sense, the ability to deal with people, and a positive flexible attitude.” In other words, you may know all the facts, figures, and expertise there is to know in your field, but if you can’t effectively communicate them or collaborate with others, they’re more than likely rendered useless.

Soft skills are things that can’t be taught and immediately used but rather developed through practice. Some soft skills are:

• Problem-solving
• Accept and learn from criticism
• Interpersonal communication
• Time management skills
• Leadership
• Conflict resolution  
• Teamwork

These are just a few qualities that fall under the soft skills category. There are much more, but these are the usual few that are most mentioned. Each one of these qualities can make a large difference in people’s careers. Soft skills are highly sought after by employers, since those who have soft skills are better leaders, have better work ethic, and fit into the workplace without causing distractions and disruptions.

Now you may ask why are soft skills are important? Well, soft skills include qualities that lead to success in today’s job market. In a study conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder, 77% of employers surveyed said soft skills are just as important as hard skills. 16% went on to say that soft skills were more important than hard skills. From this study, we can see that employers want more versatile employees. Employees that show leadership, and can resolve conflicts on their own—not just an employee to simply get the job done.

Soft skills might sound like a new term, but it’s not. Studies on soft skills date back over a hundred years. In a study done by Harvard University, the Carnegie Foundation and Stanford Research Center, studies concluded that 85% of job success comes from having well developed soft skills. The other 15% comes from hard skill and technical knowledge. This means that a degree alone might not cut it for career advancement. Rather, the skills within will set you apart from the rest when being considered for promotions.

In the end, soft skills are extremely important. Employers agree as well. It is time to prepare the workforce and make each candidate as competitive as can be. Soft skills are not some type of knowledge that can be acquired, rather they are a set of skills that must be developed and fine-tuned through practice. Learn how Bongo enables this practice and improvement with video technology in your field.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]