What Is Skills Training? The Term ‘Skills’ Is Very Broad And Really Covers All Manners Of Soft And Hard Skills We Need In Order To Be Successful In Our Professional And Personal Lives. So What Do We Mean When We Talk About Skills Training? In Order To Be Truly Successful, We Believe You Need A Good Balance Of Both ‘Hard’ And ‘Soft’ Skills, Allowing You To Perform Tasks Successfully Whilst Being Confident, Communicating Clearly And Being Able To Relate To Others Appropriately. Once You Find The Balance Of Knowledge, Expertise And Emotional Intelligence, You Can Truly Do Your Best. The Skills Training We Provide For People At Brightstone Covers The Whole Skills Spectrum, From Time Management, Presentation Skills And Performance Management, To Leveraging Numbers, Project Management And Communication Skills. We Look At Everyone Individually And Are Able To Provide Skills Training In Areas Most Applicable To Them, In Ways That Will Benefit More Than Just The Professional Aspect Of Their Lives.
Hard skills refer to specific technical knowledge and training, whereas soft skills are personality traits, such as leadership, communication, or time management. People who possess strong soft skills generally possess a stronger sense of situational awareness and emotional intelligence, which allows them to navigate challenging work environments, yet produce positive results. Soft skills refers both to personality traits and to interpersonal skills, which will affect the way in which an individual is able to function in a job or to communicate with others. As such, soft skills cover the character traits that determine how well someone will interact with others, and are generally a defined part of a persons identity. [Sources: 2, 3, 6, 11]
Soft skills are generally classified as the combination of character traits, behaviors, and social attitudes that enable individuals to communicate effectively, cooperate, and manage conflicts successfully. Often, these broader soft skills cover smaller skills, so many smaller skills help set up the learner for success in larger categories, like teamwork or communication. Developing each soft skill has its benefits, such as improving communication helps your employees communicate more efficiently, while improving time management increases productivity. [Sources: 2, 6, 10]
If you have identified an employee with a developmental need in a particular soft skill, such as leadership, you may want to consider bringing on a mentor or coach, and tailoring a training approach that is specific and targeted. Not every employee is going to need the same soft skills training, depending on their natural abilities and previous experiences. [Sources: 1, 9]
There are even programs and activities designed specifically to help students develop the soft skills that will serve them best in their careers. As just one example, a curriculum on communications skills has multiple activities students can engage in that will help to enhance their communication skills. For example, the engineering department at Pennsylvania State University offers an "Advanced Career Development" course to juniors and seniors that includes skills for building teams, communicating, and leading strategies. Other resources that the school keeps include lists of a wide variety of soft skills students may find helpful in the workplace, videos demonstrating why specific soft skills are important in the workplace, and links to discussions of how soft skills are applied after an individual has accepted employment. [Sources: 2, 10]
Soft skills are considered so critical for workplace success that the U.S. Department of Labor has developed its own program, Soft Skills Pay the Bills, a curriculum designed to teach these skills to youth. These skills differ somewhat from the ones listed on its own program, so teachers may wish to think about the differences between these two lists of skills and what they think they might teach better in their own classrooms. You will typically find a list of relevant soft skills clearly listed in the job description of the position you are looking for. [Sources: 7, 10]
You can read more about different job requirements and what skills employers are looking for at Career Paths. Compare that list with what skills are the most needed in your specific career path. Our research shows employers are looking for certain skills in the modern marketplace, meaning that these are also skills that you will want to stress. [Sources: 7, 11, 12]
Some skills are more in-demand than others, and employers may have to engage the services of recruitment agencies or headhunters to fill jobs requiring higher-level skills. For that reason, employers frequently look for individuals with proven soft skills as well as hard skills. If you have references that can testify to the effectiveness of your soft skills, such as empathy, open-mindedness, and communication, the employer might prefer you to another applicant who has stronger hard skills, but who does not possess as high of a soft skillset. [Sources: 3, 11]
The most effective way to demonstrate both your hard skills and your soft skills is by sharing concrete stories from your past experiences that relate directly to the requirements for the job for which you are interviewing. [Sources: 11]
While people acquire and develop both hard skills and soft skills in different ways, it is possible to acquire and develop both soft and hard skills before applying for jobs. If you are a working professional, you know how difficult it is to work with teammates or supervisors that also lack good soft skills. People often specifically focus on technical skills or competencies when planning for development, but overlooking soft skills could make it harder to be successful in a future role that requires high levels of emotional intelligence and social interactions (in other words, almost all management positions). [Sources: 2, 11, 12]
This is particularly important in leadership positions, since good leadership is much more about managing people and channeling their efforts towards the desired outcome, than bringing in any particular technical skills. Human skills, the ability to work with others, are critical for effective administration at all levels. Call it whatever you like, but an excellent work ethic and the willingness to do what needs to be done (and not to take shortcuts) is key when providing the type of services people will (positively) speak about. Even if you do not feel like you have to be liked at the workplace, you definitely will have to become adept at building great relationships in order to be an effective leader. [Sources: 0, 2, 4, 5]
Organizations seem to expect that people will know how to conduct themselves in their work, and how important skills like taking initiatives, communicating effectively, and listening are, and that is not usually the case. Skills like active listening, collaboration, pitching ideas, and communicating with colleagues are highly valued in todays workplace. An employee might possess some highly developed traits, such as being able and willing to collaborate, but may be lacking in others, such as organizational skills and time management. [Sources: 1, 6]
Examples of soft skills include being able to talk with potential clients, mentor coworkers, manage a team, negotiate contracts, follow instructions, and do a job on time. Soft skills are more about interpersonal relationships, and involve things such as conflict resolution, communication, listening, and problem solving. For executives, desired soft skills include things like business etiquette, public speaking, presentation skills, adaptability, self-control, optimism, socialization, responsibility, integrity, self-motivation, collaborative skills, patience, passion, trust, and overall professionalism. [Sources: 3, 7, 9]
Soft skills are needed in all industries, i.e. Strong communication skills are essential if you are working as a nurse, a barber, a mechanic, etc. While trends come and go, and economies and cultures may shift, there are certain skills every individual is going to have to be successful. [Sources: 6, 8]
