What soft skills have you obtained that you suggest everyone obtain

25 Comments

1. Barb HansenDecember 17,2021 at 12:31AM UTC

   1) (not really a soft skill but super valuable) Have basic project management skills. You don't need to be able to run a huge project but taking a basic PM class will help you through-out your career no matter what your job is because.

   2) Learn how to write an effective email (effective = short, sweet and easy to digest)

   3) Build your negotiating skills (this wont just help you make more money but also help you negotiate lots of other things in your career).

   4) Learn to delegate.

   5) Learn how to ask for help.

   6) Learn how to admit your mistakes without taking on shame for making the mistake.

   7) Learn how to work with others.

   8) Take some basic management classes - even if you don't want to be a manager, learning how to lead will help you be a better coworker.

   9) Develop a "continuous learner" mindset.

   10) Learn to listen (to really really listen)

2. Tasha L. SimmonsDecember 17,2021 at 2:53AM UTC

   I agree with all of those suggestions

3. AlexisDecember 17,2021 at 1:02PM UTC

   Listening! Being an intently listener helps in learning about key concepts and helps you to take time to slow down and understand your colleagues, your responsibilities/ projects and more!

4. Tasha L. SimmonsDecember 17,2021 at 2:52PM UTC

   Yes listening is a great skills personally and professionally

5. Julie WozniakDecember 17,2021 at 2:07PM UTC

   ALWAYS keep your word to people - even the smallest thing. Keep. Your. Word.

6. Tasha L. SimmonsDecember 17,2021 at 2:53PM UTC

   True broken promises as adult to adult with reason can ruin a relationship

7. Lesa Edwards, Career Coach & Master Resume WriterDecember 17,2021 at 2:36PM UTC

   The ability to network. So many people think of their network as something they put on a shelf until it is time to dust it off and look for a job, but great networkers are connecting with people day in and day out. When you do it as the great networkers do, you are helping others and developing a reputation as someone who truly cares about people.

8. Tasha L. SimmonsDecember 17,2021 at 2:56PM UTC

   I agree with you

   any suggestions on who and how to network

   I prefer to network with managers and directors, professors

9. Lesa Edwards, Career Coach & Master Resume WriterDecember 20,2021 at 3:09PM UTC

   Tasha,

   Networking is one of the things I teach my clients. Here's a podcast episode where I talk about this:

   This is my approach to networking:

   https://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2019-05-15-how-most-people-network-and-my-approach

   This episode covers some specific places to network:

   https://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2019-05-22-080-places-to-network-and-how-to-maximize-them

   Hope this helps!

10. Barbara HoustonDecember 17,2021 at 2:38PM UTC

    Integrity and accountability.

11. Tasha L. SimmonsDecember 17,2021 at 2:57PM UTC

    Yes some people lack both personally and professionally

12. Jennifer KaufmanDecember 17,2021 at 2:41PM UTC

    Empathy and creativity.

13. Tasha L. SimmonsDecember 17,2021 at 2:58PM UTC

    Empathy is a character trait some people lack and empathy can not be taught.

    Creativity is a skill most people have.

14. TroyDecember 18,2021 at 5:19AM UTC

    Actively listening.

15. Lynn WilliamsDecember 18,2021 at 1:21PM UTC

    Logical thinking and seeing the big picture. People lose sight of how one change can affect different areas - stop, listen and think it through!

16. Judy SchoenbergDecember 18,2021 at 1:42PM UTC

    Communication skills, negotiating skills and self management skills are key for women to advance in the workplace today. I lead a company Evolveme.work for women in midlife transition and they use these transferable skills to market themselves for new roles - soft skills can only be learned from years on the job and can help you stand out!

17. Linda Grace SolisDecember 18,2021 at 4:08PM UTC

    Cultural humility. Empathy. The ability to receive feedback well without feeling like you are being attacked. Graciousness.

18. AnonymousDecember 19,2021 at 2:25AM UTC

    Could you expand on what you mean by cultural humility please?

19. Linda Grace SolisDecember 19,2021 at 10:33PM UTC

    Of course! It’s basically just acknowledging that your way of doing things isn’t the only way of doing things and that people of different backgrounds will have different perceptions of life and different worldviews.

    For instance, a physician who is lacking cultural humility will roll their eyes at the herbal remedies a patient who is of Mexican descent might use. A physician with cultural humility would ask if that remedy was helping them and then would acknowledge the patient’s answer. The culturally humble physician will then ask the patient if they would be open to trying something different. All without passing judgment on the patient or the remedies they’ve tried.

20. Sarah LarsonDecember 18,2021 at 5:46PM UTC

    Self-awareness and communication

21. Linda Grace SolisDecember 18,2021 at 10:08PM UTC

    Ditto both, especially self-awareness - both internal and external (social self-awareness - “read the room!”).

    I think self-awareness is the basis for a lot of other soft skills.

22. AnonymousDecember 18,2021 at 10:38PM UTC

    Patience. It has gotten me through some challenging situations and some difficult interactions.

    I also can remove myself emotionally from interactions or situations and have a clearer head about how to proceed than people who are just reactive.

    Actually, I'm sure that I could NOT have remained for 15 years in my former job if I didn't have these skills. The pandemic eliminated that position, but I find myself in a position where I think I am more respected and where I truly love the work I am doing. I watched other employees be let go because of an ever-tightening budget over those 15 years.

    Strangely, a devastating job loss was a real blessing and my patience and non-reactive nature make me an ideal fit for work I care deeply about.

23. Hilary OborghayujieDecember 19,2021 at 11:07AM UTC

    Openness and true communicate the fact

24. Candy RenDecember 20,2021 at 7:44AM UTC

    Give credit when credit is due!

25. Liz MilneJanuary 2,2022 at 1:21AM UTC

    I wish people would learn to see the big picture. All too often, you see people worrying about minor issues, and one-upping a colleague, or wondering why others seem to get on better with execs. Some examples:

    If you want to do well at work, add value to the company, don't raise problems unless you have already thought of a couple of workable solutions that can be implemented immediately.

    If your family needs more of your time or if you aren't that into your job (anything that means your work is not your main focus), be honest with yourself. Obviously, don't tell your boss, 'Hey, I'm only here for a paycheck, any chance you could pay me the same money for even fewer hours of work?' but *do* understand that your commitment level will almost certainly be noticed and promotions awarded accordingly. And I'm not saying companies are wrong to do this: if someone only needs a set number of hours and wants to leave on time, instantly putting work out of their head until they next come in, that's fine. It's just that those people won't rise as high as those who do the overtime, put themselves forward and express an interest in doing more.

    And, finally, my most controversial one: if 'everyone' hates you, and people 'always' bully you, and you feel like everyone is out to get you - have you ever considered that maybe you're the problem, not them? Yes, you get bullies in workplaces, and people absolutely can be dicks. Just be 100% sure that you aren't worsening problems for yourself. (This one was a hard lesson for me: as a teen/ young adult, I was awful. Very snobby, thought a bit too much of myself, wasn't terribly fun company - I hated being teased, for example, even in fun. One day, I was moaning to an older lady about how I didn't have any friends and she said, 'What do you do to be a good friend?' When I pulled back to see the big picture (how others saw me) rather than the little picture (my feelings, my point of view, my wants) I didn't especially like myself very much and I began to work on changing.)

    So yeah. Big picture/ empathy, whatever you want to call it. Invaluable!