Communicating, critical thinking, meeting deadlines, being well-organized, collaborating, the ability to analyze and innovate. These are all just some of the personal attributes that indicate a high level of emotional and personal intelligence, also known as soft skills. 

 

Employers are seeking these skills more than ever as they are broadly applicable across job titles, industries and changing times. Here are some of the soft skills that encompass a variety of the abilities that organizations are looking for.  

 

Interpersonal skills 

When things are going smoothly in an organization, no one feels the need to discuss communication and interpersonal skills. But the moment something goes wrong, the culprit is usually a miscommunication, a failure to connect, or a lack of collaboration. The glue that keeps an organization running is interpersonal skills. Success depends on relationships with all kinds of people, and your personal relationships demonstrate your brand and what you can do for an organization. 

 

Presence 

Beyond interpersonal skills, a sense of “presence” includes the gravitas of how you behave or act, how you speak and how you present yourself. These are skills that can be learned and developed. Seeking coaching and solid skill building in personal career management can guide and support leaders in building executive presence in a way that compels people to follow them. 

 

Leadership 

Leadership skills play a big part in influencing your career development and career path. Technical skills will only take you so far. The ability to lead and motivate others will help you to get noticed on the job. To improve in this area, seek out a mentor to find where you are lacking and how you can develop strategies to improve your leadership skills.

 

Personal branding 

Finally, how can you signal that you have all the variety of technical and soft skills together in one package? This is known as personal branding. Communicating your personal brand is how potential employers and colleagues learn the value that you bring to the job. This requires that you can self-describe and provide examples that illustrate accomplishments. Personal branding soft skills are in demand, and the demand is growing.  

 

It’s a popular misconception that either you have soft skills or you don’t. Like technical skills, all soft skills can be learned and refined over time. If you glance through this list and find yourself lacking in an area, that’s OK. Start working on your deficiencies and honing your strengths. The good thing about soft skills is they never go out of style. 

 

Learn more about the value of soft skills in today’s digital age.