After graduating in Computer Science, I applied for many jobs and more than 30 companies rejected me.
When I asked an HR of a big corporation, why did you reject me?
The answer came to me as a surprise. He said,” Akshay, You lack Soft Skills needed for this job, so we cannot hire you “.
So I gave a lot of attention to honing these skills because I understood that my professional success in my job depends on my domain knowledge along with Soft Skills. After spending a considerable amount of time learning and practicing specific soft skills I experienced greater success in my personal and professional life.
If you are just learning any trade or you are only focused on earning a degree then you can never have sustained success due to lack of Soft Skills.
In this blog, I will show you 10 ways I sharpened my soft skills.So let me first help you understand what soft skills are and why you must develop them.
What is Soft Skill?
- Soft Skills are certain attributes and abilities that can make any person highly effective in the workplace or even in their personal life with others.
- Personality traits, behaviours, and interpersonal skills that are needed to effectively interact with other people are also Soft Skills.
- It also represents your ability to work effectively and harmoniously with others in the workplace and for this reason, every employer looks for Soft Skills during the hiring process and even after you get employed.
Examples of Soft Skills
- When you decide to improve your soft skills I suggest considering five extremely essential soft skills that every student and working professional needs.
Communication Skill
- Communication skill is highly complex and it is also a vital part of every highly successful person in any field across the globe. Most people do not have the flair to clearly communicate his/her ideas, thoughts, feelings, or emotions to the right people at the right time in the right format. If you focus on developing strong communication skills, both verbally and in writing, you are inviting boundless opportunities to make money and grow in your career.
Interpersonal Skills
- Interpersonal skills are related to communication skills. This skill focuses on how well you relate to others, build better relationships, and build strong rapport which is needed to win any discussions.
- If it has ever happened that you were in a discussion and the other person convinced you to agree, that means you were dealing with someone with exceptional interpersonal skills.
- Some people may be naturally gifted with these skills. If you lack interpersonal skills you certainly can learn strategies to improve in this arena.
Emotional Intelligence
- It is your ability to manage your own emotions and your skill to feel and understand those emotions.
- People who have high emotional intelligence tend to identify when they are experiencing any form of negative emotions and they skilfully combat or alleviate themselves from those feelings.
- If a person cannot maintain composure in the workplace or in a classroom discussion it means he/she has low emotional intelligence.
- People with high Emotional Intelligence tend to achieve greater success in their lives and at their workplace.
Teamwork
- Your ability to work well in a group with people from diverse backgrounds in a very crucial soft skill in today’s business environment. You may face challenges working in a group if you are too shy, or timid or you easily get frustrated by other team member’s behavior.
- When you work on improving your communication skills and emotional intelligence you will experience your teamwork ability has improved while working in any team.
Why must you develop Soft Skills?
- If you are looking for a Job or You want to grow in your career you must have both Hard Skills and Soft Skills. I've come across many students and professionals who excel in their field but face challenges securing well-paying jobs or promotions within their companies. The stumbling block often lies in the fact that they lack the essential soft skills needed for the job.
- According to SHRM, 46% of new employees fail within 18 months, and 89% of those failures are due to a lack of soft skills.
- There are many such data available that prove a lack of soft skills in students and even in executives.
How I Improved My Soft Skills?
I genuinely believe that there's constant room for enhancing soft skills in everyone. If you're interested in discovering how I honed my soft skills, check out the following strategies that can assist you in developing yours.
- Prioritize the skill you want to develop: The first thing I figured out was that due to my poor communication skills I was getting rejected in interviews after I graduated. So I prioritized developing my Communication Skills. Similarly, you need to figure out what is it that you need to improve in order for you to get a job or get a promotion.
- Practice Soft Skills: To be really great in anything you need consistent practice. Any skill that I decided to learn, I devoted my time to regular practice with myself and in any given environment.
- Be Ready To Accept Feedback: Feedback helps us know where we are making mistakes. So I asked my trusted friends who were good at communication skills to share feedback about my strengths and weaknesses of my communication skill. It helped me figure out the blind spots in my self-perception. It helped me gain valuable insights into areas I otherwise wouldn’t have figured out.
When you're striving to enhance your skills, I believe seeking feedback from a trainer or coach is invaluable. Having someone who can provide training and offer constructive feedback on your performance can be instrumental in your improvement.
4. Leave your Comfort Zone
- It is true that all of us are more confident when we are around our close friends hence we exhibit stronger Soft Skills. This was the case with me also.
- I then decided to step outside my comfort zone where I was not naturally comfortable to improve my soft skills. I joined many group activities to put myself in a social situation that was not very comfortable. I was doing this to apply a little necessary pressure on myself to perform better.
5. Self-Reflection
- Most people never take time to self-reflect. Drawing from my own experiences, I've discovered that engaging in self-reflection proves to be exceptionally advantageous. I've incorporated the habit of scheduling short periods for self-reflection into my daily routine.
- I thought about the situations where I didn’t get the response I expected or where someone seemed to take me in the wrong way.
- I've consistently reflected on not just what I say, but how I convey it and even my body language during communication. These moments of self-awareness have provided me with eye-opening insights into my behavior, ultimately contributing to the gradual improvement of my soft skills over time.
6. Act Like a Leader
- You don't have to wait to attain a leadership position. Countless opportunities exist for anyone to seize and cultivate their leadership skills. I took on a leadership role in my community, in my organization, at my place of worship, in an online community and wherever I found opportunities. I encountered many opportunities to exercise soft skills and grow my interpersonal skills. Leadership position will challenge you to enhance your soft skills
- If you apply the above strategies, you will surely develop any skill you want to have.
