Enhance your soft skills - Shine in a job you love
posted 18 Feb 25
Soft skills are a crucial and yet underrated aspect of your CV and have become the hidden gem that employers are looking for in this competitive market. You’d be surprised how valued soft skills are – and how glaring it is when they’re missing.
This is an easy way to stand out in a competitive market. Read on to see how you can use soft skills to your advantage when pursuing a new job.
Why are soft skills critical?
In a very competitive job market, where employers are often citing a skills shortage as a major problem in 2024, soft skills stand out as a big gap in many CVs.
Soft skills are the personal traits and interpersonal skills that shape how you work and interact with others.
For example:
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Adaptability
- Problem-solving
- Emotional intelligence
- Leadership skills
Unlike technical skills like programming or accounting, soft skills are more likely learned through experience and are less prone to measurements through tests and qualifications, though we at Search would say they can be learned.
These skills are essential for functioning well in a workplace environment and carrying out work that goes above and beyond. They affect workplace dynamics, project management, and efficiency.
Something you might notice is that one soft skill tends to feed into the other. Teamwork, for example, doesn’t happen without good communication. Problem-solving tends to go hand in hand with adaptability. This, paired with the fact that experience tends to naturally offer you the chance to expand on these skills, means that you might already have them. If you can spot or strengthen these traits in your personality, it can go a long way to advancing your career.
The employer perspective
According to Wonderlic’s report 'Hard Facts About Soft Skills', 97% of UK employers say that soft skills are key to business growth or success. Many employers have been reported to rate soft skills as equally or more important than technical skills.
Why is this? Well, while technical skills can be taught, soft skills tend to be in our nature and are considered harder to develop but vital for long-term success.
Candidates with strong soft skills, build better client relationships, are better under pressure and create more productive workplace environments. All of these positive effects filter into the business itself, creating a better environment for other employees and a more productive and profitable business.
If you’re a manager or business owner, you might want to invest in some training for your team to improve these soft skills so that your business can benefit. Additionally, there is some merit in hiring for the soft skills of a candidate and filling technical gaps with training and experience down the line.
Develop and showcase your soft skills
If you find yourself, as an employee, stuck in a role or unable to progress, you might want to consider your soft skills.
With 47.85% of UK adults considering leadership skills the most important skills for a manager, as well as verbal communication (35.4%) and teamwork skills (35.01%), according to Ciphr’s 2022 report, candidates really can’t afford to neglect soft skills.
How to develop soft skills
Take part in workshops or any available training to strengthen your soft skills. Communication and leadership training is particularly popular and important to a lot of roles. Ask around in your network to find workshops tailored to your industry.
While on the job, look out for projects that push you to adapt, lead, and collaborate. Additionally, you can track improvements in soft skills to help you see development. We offer a 30-Day Planner to help you track progress at work.
Remember to ask for feedback from peers and leaders so that you know what to work on or what your strengths are.
Showcasing in the workplace
To get spotted in your workplace as someone with good soft skills, you’ll want to use them as much as possible. Actively communicate your ideas during team meetings, volunteer for roles that challenge your adaptability, and build trust and rapport you’re your colleagues and supervisors by being dependable and approachable.
Showcase your soft skills in interviews
Soft skills can be difficult to put across in interviews, since they’re not something that you can prove with a certificate, however, the point of an interview is to see beyond the paper and “get a vibe” and is your opportunity to prove that you can communicate and adapt.
Be aware of your body language. Maintain eye contact, practice active listening, and speak clearly during interviews. Have some anecdotes ready about how you adapted, communicated, collaborated, etc. to prove your experience in soft skills.
When the opportunity arises, use the STAR method to effectively communicate your anecdote.
STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result
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Situation: Describe the context or background of the anecdote.
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Task: Explain a specific task or challenge that was part of the situation you had to deal with.
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Action: What steps did you take to solve the problem? What soft skills did you use? Problem solving, communication, adaptation, etc.?
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Result: What was the outcome of situation?
Mastering soft skills is about more than landing a job; it's about thriving in it. No matter your role or industry, your ability to communicate effectively and adapt to challenges will set you apart in a competitive market.
