Soft skills are attributes and personality traits that help a person interact with others and succeed in the workplace. Hard skills are the quantifiable skills that one needs to have in order to successfully perform a specific job or task. Hard skills can get you into college, but to survive the exhilarating yet excruciating college life, and then land and keep a job, you need soft skills. Here are some soft skills that you should definitely learn while you’re still in middle or high school:
1 Communication:
Perhaps the most important skill you can learn in life is the art of communicating. To communicate right is to be able to understand what others are saying and get your point across the right way. It has written, verbal, non verbal and visual components.
2 Time Management:
It’s how you organise and plan how to divide your time between different activities. Effective time management abilities will take you a long way when it comes to meeting deadlines, maintaining a work-life balance and a lot more.
3 Problem Solving:
These skills are meant to help you grasp what the problem is , why it is arising and how to resolve it without losing your mental balance.
4 Work Ethic:
Work ethic is a set of standards of behaviour and beliefs about what is and isn’t acceptable to do at work. Like one’s attitude towards work and other people. A solid work ethic will take you a long way when it comes to your internships, work, and maintaining your professional relationships.
5 Creativity:
Coming up with new ideas, creating new solutions, or thinking of a problem in a different way or having a different approach to issues, etc. is what may comprise creativity.
6 Team Work:
Being able to work in groups/teams with other people to complete tasks in an efficient manner.
7 Leadership:
This skill has a whole range of skills under its umbrella, including people skills and strategic thinking and management.
8 Adaptability:
Adaptability skills are qualities that allow you to adjust to changes in your environment smoothly. Being adaptable also entails being able to pick up new skills and constantly improve on your skillset.
9 Interpersonal skills:
Interpersonal skills are the skills we use every day when we communicate and interact with other people, both individually and in groups. It is essential to grow your personal and professional network.
10 Open Mindedness:
It is the receptiveness to new ideas and information. It is a necessary ability in order to think critically and rationally.
Unlike hard skills, soft skills are much harder to acquire. They can take a lifetime to develop, and constantly need to evolve with the times. Unfortunately, there’s no crash course in soft skills, you have got to learn them by doing. But no need to stress, the earlier you start the better. Everyone around you is also constantly working on themselves.
How Can Rostrum Help?
Rostrum has always emphasised the importance of holistic learning and growth. Our team of experienced mentors and teachers work with you and help you practive some of the more tangible iterations of this skill. We prepare you rigorously for your interviews and help you hone your existing skillset. Book your free consultation with us today and get started.
