In our competitive marketplace, it has become more important than ever for young professionals to stand out. You must demonstrate to employers that you have the malleability to understand new complexities, perspectives and opportunities as they arise. As a result, “soft skills” have become imperative to workplace success.
Soft skills are traits and behaviors employers look for because they indicate an applicant has a forward-thinking mindset equipped to tackle all situations and personality types. Unlike technical skills or hard skills, soft skills are interpersonal and behavioral skills that help you work well with other people and further your career.
Possessing strong soft skills shows your employers and peers that you’re flexible and easy to work with, which is something they will find valuable when collaborating. The ever-evolving world inevitably comes with new problems to tackle, and the ability to quickly find effective solutions has become essential.
The most important soft skills relevant to today’s job market are adaptability, cross-cultural competency, emotional intelligence, collaboration, critical thinking skills and digital literacy.
Mastery of these skills will significantly help you achieve your workplace goals and set you up for future success.
Be Adaptable
The modern workplace is constantly changing, and no one can say with certainty what industries will look like in the decades to come. In order for young professionals to be successful, they need to be able to easily adapt to changes. Many companies are constantly changing the way they do things, and they need employees who can adjust to those changes.
Young professionals need to also have cognitive flexibility, or the ability to change their thinking as quickly as new problems and situations emerge. They should be able to look at a situation from many angles and effectively formulate the best plan of action.
Develop Cross-Cultural Competency
Rather than solely working with people in their region, young professionals will likely find themselves working with people all over the world. They need to have an appreciation and understanding of other cultures.
While knowing more than one language is a great asset, just being able to communicate and bond with people from other cultures can make a young person valuable in any industry. You can develop your skills in this area through traveling and connecting with people from a variety of customs and traditions.
Become Fluent in Digital Literacy
In today’s digitally advanced world, nearly every career involves using technology of some kind. The more a person knows about technology, the more appealing they will be to an interviewer.
Digital literacy involves getting young people familiar with a variety of technologies, so that they can easily learn to use any program or device. As a young professional preparing for the workforce, you should continuously increase their knowledge of emerging technologies as this will help future employers see you as informed and easily trainable.
Possess Emotional Intelligence
Making strong connections is essential in any industry, and young professionals need to be able to understand others through emotional intelligence. You’ll resonate more with co-workers, superiors and anyone who is associated with your company when you work on your emotional intelligence.
One way to improve your emotional intelligence is to honestly evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses. This will help you better understand yourself, and can help you make adjustments where they’re necessary in order to ultimately perform at your best in the office.
Foster Your Collaboration Skills
No matter how great a person’s intentions or ideas, if he or she cannot communicate effectively, all their other skills become irrelevant. Young professionals need to be effective at getting their ideas across, and should practice writing and speaking until they feel comfortable communicating in the workplace.
As a young professional, you must be able to collaborate well with peers, take on leadership roles when necessary, and professionally deliver and accept feedback. Become comfortable with working in teams and evaluating why they’re either functioning successfully or in need of improvement.
Use Critical Thinking Skills
Critical thinking skills are a must and one of the top assets employers are looking for in new hires. As education systems continue to place emphasis on rote learning, young professionals need ample practice in being given open-ended, authentic experiences in solving a wide range of problems.
Critical thinking is self-directed and self-disciplined, so you will need to be able to think for yourself in a realistic and meaningful way. Developing this ability early on will only stand to benefit today’s students and tomorrow’s leaders.
At 1893 Brand Studio, we prepare young professionals to be successful in their careers through helping them develop soft skills necessary for the role or industry they want to pursue. To find out how 1893 Brand Studio can help your company flourish, check out our website.
Article written by Morgan Topol with graphic designed by Kiara Garcia
