Last month we discussed how students can succeed and graduate from school. But does getting a degree guarantee success after school? In addition to a college degree from potential candidates, employers are looking for students who also possess soft skills. Now colleges and increasingly primary and secondary schools are starting to consider how to incorporate soft skills into their education programs.
Soft skills don’t provide hard knowledge for job, such as how to code or what the right accounting practice may be. They empower an employee to function in the workplace with peers and superiors, and adapt to change over time.
More thought leaders and studies challenge the notion that a college degree is enough to pave the way for a successful career. College students who want to succeed in professional venues have to go beyond book smarts to pick up soft skills that will allow them to perform well in the workplace.
In addition, teachers and parents who are working with younger students in high school, middle school, and even elementary school can help children by imparting soft skills at an early age. In some ways, gaining soft skills early in life makes one more capable in career situations.
Three Soft Skills that Make a Difference
What the right soft skills are and how they impact a career can depend as much on the industry and the employer as they do the individual student. Further, some argue that research on soft skills needs to increase before it becomes a definitive need.
That being said, there are three soft skills that can be applied to just about any situation:
1) Adapting to Change: One thing is certain: Everything will change, and probably sooner rather than later. Technology constantly changes the workplace and the way we interact with each other.
This constant state of change can challenge one’s technical skills and some soft skills at any moment. Consider how the advent of Uber and Lyft has completely changed the pay-per-ride transportation industry, once completely dominated by taxi drivers. Today’s worker needs to adapt to situations, and in doing so pick up new technical skills that will maintain their value.
2) Constant Learning: Part of adapting to new situations is learning the skills necessary to stay relevant. Change means migrating from old techniques to new ones. This may require training, a willingness to learn from other teammates (yes, even those with less experience), and experimentation with new or evolving techniques.
3) Social Interactions: Learning to work well with others cannot be underestimated. In a world of cooperative projects, meetings, and company-wide initiatives, every individual needs to rely on others. Performance is measured as much by the company’s entire efforts as it is by the individual’s personal work.
Sociability ranges from base interactions, to mentoring, to the ability to lead effective meetings. Fortunately, learning better social skill interactions can begin at an early age with sharing and continue through primary and secondary school.
What do you think about teaching soft skills?
background-image: a building with the American flag in front of it