Soft Skills Training: Here’s what you need to know

The modern workplace environment has changed. Hard skills like technical knowledge, educational qualifications, or computational power are no longer the sole criteria for success. Companies have started giving more attention to a candidate’s interpersonal skills like emotional intelligence, the ability to adapt to the company’s work culture, leadership qualities, communication, etc. All these qualities are attributed to soft skills or largely known as people skills. Students are no exception. They are the future employees and to mark themselves as potential assets for the company they need to hone these soft skills too. 

Why is Soft Skills Training Important?

Times are changing. Companies have gradually understood the importance of soft-skills training which is highly imperative to improve employee productivity, work ethics, and customer satisfaction which will eventually result in the overall growth of the business. Not only in the work front, but many colleges and universities are also implementing soft-skills programs in their curriculum that will help students in their professional careers.

Soft skills have become the need of the hour. Due to the pandemic, while most of the students are studying online and a majority of the workforce are adapting to remote working from home, soft-skills training has become all the more relevant. Communication has become more sophisticated and is mostly virtual through e-meetings and online classes. 

Companies are short-staffed and yet they have to meet the deadlines. Flexibility at the workplace, leadership, and ability to motivate the team, and crisis management skills have become more important than before. 

Soft skills are also important for educators and students for meaningful interaction and to build a positive environment in this ongoing global crisis. 

Want to be successful in life? Have a look into the top 5 soft skills specially handpicked for you. 

Top 5 Must-Have Soft Skills 

• Adaptability and Flexibility

Are you a quick learner? Do you adapt to changes? Adaptability is one of the most crucial qualities that every employer is looking for in their employees. 

Companies hire individuals who are emotionally intelligent, self-dependent, and flexible enough to adjust to a challenging environment. In today’s competitive world, companies need workers who are highly motivated and quick to adjust to technological innovations and changing situations. 

Life is full of challenges. For a young student adapting to these changes is crucial for success. You should be flexible enough to work in a team, willing to learn new things, and do not get discouraged by temporary failures or setbacks. 

• Leadership

Want to be a role model in college? Why not sharpen your leadership qualities? Leadership qualities help you to connect and build lasting relationships with other students. It helps you to take charge of your life, handle conflict situations, and move ahead in your life. 

Companies need thoughtful leaders. A good leader is also a good mentor who is not only confident but can lead his team members and identify their potential and encourage them to perform better in the organisation. 

Proactive leaders are company assets. They can make decisions for the team, build team spirit, take risks, ensure discipline, and contribute to the development of the organisation.

• Conflict Resolution

Conflict is inevitable and occurs with differences in opinion, ideology, values, and perceptions. It is completely normal to be in conflict but it is important to handle such conflicts in a healthy manner. We should understand that conflict is always not negative and can result in positive outcomes. This is where the role of conflict resolution quality comes in.

Unresolved conflicts can be damaging at the workplace as well as in our personal lives. This is why companies look for people who are emotionally mature enough to handle conflicts, understand and resolve them, and help in establishing a positive and friendly work culture in the office.

• Communication

Communication barriers can be detrimental for interpersonal growth both for a student or a working professional. Being a good speaker is not enough. You must be a good listener too. To be an effective communicator, you must closely listen and pay attention to the person who is talking to you.

A friendly body language, gestures, and eye contact demonstrate your willingness to participate in the conversation and encourages the other person to confide in you. Keep your conversations open and free from judgements. Respect people’s opinions and ideas and clarify doubts. 

Feedbacks are also important for effective communication. Give timely feedback through emails, text messages, or phone calls and also follow up to know whether your feedback has been helpful or not.

• Teamwork

Whether you are a student or an employee, it is vital to work as a team to successfully complete a task. Teamwork is not as easy as it seems. To work together, a person must keep aside his personal ego and grudges and focus more on accomplishing collective goals that will benefit the whole team or the organisation.

To work in a team, you must be willing to listen and consider ideas of the other teammates, appreciate their efforts, and collaborate to make a uniform decision.

Online Learning Platforms offering Soft Skills Training

Here is a list of best online education portals that are offering different courses on soft skills training.

• NCS (National Career Service).

• Udemy.

• Coursera.

• FutureLearn.

• LinkedIn.

• edX.

• Swayam.

• GoSkills.

• Alison.