How To Improve Your Soft Skills (Plus Their Importance)

Managers hire individuals for their teams based on their experience and how they present themselves during the interview process quoted from prentisscountyvotech.com. They may strive to build a well-rounded team of people who will support the success of their department and the entire company. Both hard and soft skills are important to consider when making hiring determinations and deciding who earns leadership roles and promotions.

In this article, we discuss what soft skills are, provide steps for how you can improve yours and describe their importance.

What are soft skills?

Soft skills are the skills you possess that go beyond your technical, measurable abilities. Soft skills focus more on your social, leadership, communication and problem-solving skills, among others. While hard skills are the training and knowledge you’ve grown during your career, soft skills are how you work with others and on your own. Although soft skills are more personality-based, you can still improve them.

1. Be open to feedback

A large part of improving your soft skills is being open to feedback you may receive from supervisors, managers and even colleagues. When you’re open to feedback, you can be better able to receive constructive criticism and use that information to improve in your workplace role, including your soft skills. You may receive feedback on your communication skills, ability to work in a group, time management, leadership potential and more. As you’re receiving feedback, consider thanking the individual who’s providing it and developing a plan, either with yourself or through speaking with a manager, to improve and learn.

2. Communicate often

Effective communication is a soft skill that benefits everyone in the workplace. Although you may have tasks and responsibilities that don’t require the help of anyone else in your office, take the opportunities you have for forming relationships with those around you. Communicate often to develop this soft skill. This includes communication face-to-face, through email and in presentations to a group. Since nearly every method of communication differs from another, it’s important to communicate through various means so your communication soft skills are more well-rounded.

When you communicate, think about how you’re addressing others, how clear your message is and your tone of voice. You may also notice how others communicate and take tips and techniques from them to find a communication style that works for you.