Here’s How Soft Skills Can Put You On A Career Fast Track

Forging a career for yourself takes more than just technical skills. While such skills may allow you to perform your tasks to perfection, there are other aspects of a job that require a different approach. 

Soft skills that can be applied across different occupations and industries are always essential, and help boost your chances of rising through the ranks. A Pew Research Centre survey saw a majority of workers listing human behaviours, attributes, and competencies as desirable work skills, and such skills are not always at the forefront of everyone’s thinking.

It is time to take a look beyond what the job requires, and more towards what makes you a more valuable employee, colleague, and supervisor. These invisible qualifications will serve you well no matter where you are, are invaluable in getting you noticed, and provide a foundation for even more learning. Here are just a few key soft skills that will enhance your career prospects.

Communication
 

Clear and concise communication can go a long way in the workplace. Understanding others, knowing when and how to say something, and how you present yourself can be the difference between a disastrous and a smooth working relationship.

This is even more important when facing clients. It is never a good thing to start things off on the wrong foot, or have misunderstandings muddle your plans and proposals. Be it internally or outward-facing corporate communications, good communication is an invaluable skill to have.

Teamwork
 

It is almost impossible nowadays to work in a silo. Even remotely, employees are often expected to work together with their colleagues to achieve success. While good interpersonal skills may be vital, being able to collaborate, influence, and even compromise will ensure a working group’s longevity.

This can also mean recognising both your strengths and weaknesses. Teamwork means complementing each other, making up for shortcomings and enhancing strengths. Being able to put one’s ego aside for the greater good and having the emotional intelligence to understand others are key elements of an excellent team player. 

Leadership
 

Being a leader does not necessarily need a title or position, but rather displayed through words and actions in rallying your colleagues towards a common goal. Displaying decisiveness, having the ability to delegate, motivating others, and smart problem-solving are just some of the traits of great leadership.

Picking up the slack is a great way of showing that you have leadership potential, and taking on extra duties may be a way to get a taste of managerial responsibilities. While that may not always net you a promotion, the experience will only enrich your working life and help you see things differently. Embrace your potential, and you may discover a budding leader within. 

Organisation
 

With the fast-paced nature of work, it can be difficult to keep track of everything that is going on. The ability to organise your workload, prioritising your time, and knowing what you can accomplish in a day will ensure you are never too overwhelmed or rushing a job. Helping others in your team to optimise time spent on projects will give everyone an easier time.

Juggling several things at once will be a normal occurrence, but it is how you balance them out that is the true reflection of your organisational skills. Learning to say no when you are stretched to the limit is often overlooked. We all want to do as much as we can, but as long as you can achieve what you need to while not being burned out, you are on the right track.

Of course, this list is by no means a comprehensive list of soft skills, you will still need to figure out what is applicable to your job role as well as the organisation. However, it does not hurt to see where there is room for improvement when it comes to such soft skills. 

Having a clear overview may help to direct your efforts in the right direction. Once you have a better understanding of what you possess and is missing, you can then take the next steps to fill in those gaps. Consider courses that may help you become a better employee, or sign up for one-to-one Skills & Advisory Training Services for more tailored advice. 

With subsidies and the more recent additional one-off SkillsFuture Credit top-up, you will be better positioned to enhance the skills that you can take with you to any job.