Soft Skills Again? Or Still? Really?

If you've been in the workforce for more than a few days, you've probably heard all about the need for soft skills. I can hardly open up LinkedIn without finding a post or an article on the importance of soft skills in business.

Are they really that important? Isn't it more important to have skills? And certifications? And education?

Well, yes and no.

Skills and a pedigree are valuable and oftentimes necessary; however, skills can be taught, and an education can be attained. But soft skills are fundamental, and most employers are not able or willing to spend time and money to help employees develop them.

In the previous post, I indicated that I hired photographers for many years, and I always valued the soft skills, like artistry and customer service, over the hard photography skills. Our studio could teach the skills, and, in fact, we often wanted to teach skills that aligned with our style and habits. On the other hand, we couldn't teach creativity and an artistic eye. Those talents take years to develop, and they are intensely personal. Additionally, we didn't want to teach customer service because we believed that people either knew how to treat others with kindness or respect or they didn't. If they didn't, we were not interested in bringing them on board to represent our studio.

For us, soft skills were not just important; they were non-negotiable.

While the list of soft skills traits can vary from person to person, in general, they include the following qualities:

1. Solid Communication
2. Critical thinking or problem-solving
3. Teamwork
4. Flexibility
5. Time management
6. Dependability
7. Decision-making
8. Leadership
9. Self-motivation
10. Humor

These are just a few. I've seen lists with many more qualities, but, in general, soft skills are inherent qualities that people have that will make them likely to be successful employees.

Communication and critical thinking are fundamental for soft skills as well as hard skills, so I plan to spend time discussing both in depth. Ultimately, though, improving any or all of these qualities in ourselves will not only make us valued employees, but it will help us grow personally as well. That's a bonus that is too good to pass up, right?