When looking for a job, it can be a determining factor to know some soft skills.
However, do you know what it means and how to develop these skills? In this article, you will get a real guide on the subject.
What are Soft Skills?
Soft skills are a set of abilities and competencies related to human behavior. The soft skills expected from a certain person are linked to the activity area and, mainly, their job position.
Emotional intelligence can be the best example of a soft skill. It is the “ability to perceive, interpret, demonstrate, control, evaluate, and use emotions to communicate with and relate to others effectively and constructively”. Every professional, regardless their job position, needs emotional intelligence to achieve their career goals.
Other examples of soft skills are empathy, ethics, leadership, conflict resolution, flexibility, and team management.
Also, it is important to have the right behavior and attitude. Your diplomas attached to your CV and technical skills may not be enough. As such, here are some suggestions concerning the main soft skills and how you can acquire them to evolve as a person and become a more successful professional.
Most important Soft Skills
There are so many soft skills that it can be difficult to define which are the most important. However, here are the 10 most probably requested characteristics in a worker:
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Communication
The ability to dialogue with colleagues, in order to avoid conflicts, resolve disagreements and find solutions to accomplish tasks.
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Leadership
The capacity to inspire employees and motivate teams to deliver results. Know how to delegate tasks and how to charge performance without stressing the team.
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Flexibility and Resilience
These characteristics are related to the ability to adapt and continuously produce, despite changes or difficult periods of work.
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Teamwork
The ability to cooperate with colleagues from various fields, contributing to the collective interest.
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Creativity
It consists of the ability to innovate, think outside the box and come up with different solutions to previous problems, rather than following the standard patterns.
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Proactivity
Ability to independently judge situations and find ways to resolve issues, improving team’s productivity.
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Empathy
It is the capability to understand other person’s perspectives. Connect with people from different backgrounds and understand their approach to various topics and work practices.
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Ethics
Commitment to company rules and a common sense of respect and morality in the work environment.
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Critical Thought
It is the faculty to question methods, identify problems, seek new solutions, and review processes.
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Positive attitude
Stay motivated, optimistic and focused on the real possibilities and opportunities. This posture can influence the other team elements.
How to Develop Soft Skills?
Since soft skills are behavioural characteristics, developing them is very much up to the individual. You need to recognize your attributes and take the time to learn about yourself, continuously improving and reflecting about your attitudes.
Besides individual reflection, participating in a Mentoring process is a solution to stimulate self-knowledge and generate a behavioural change. This methodology helps professionals recognize their potential and develop it.
Another personalized approach to enhancing soft skills is by embracing them. Interested in improving your teamwork skills? Try to get involved when needed. Would you like to practice your flexibility? Communicate with people who have totally different points of view from yours. In summary, the objective is to truly absorb yourself in the circumstances you want to be skilled in.
Teleperformance opportunities
If you consider yourself a communicative and empathetic person and working as a team is what you love, why not join our multicultural team? Consult the various offers that Teleperformance has available at jobs.teleperformance.pt.
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