Being a fresher, creating a Resume that stands apart from the rest can be a tedious task. When creating a resume, most students focus on technical skills and their experience, paying very little attention to the mention of soft skills in their resume. While it is universally acknowledged that hiring managers look at your skill set and area of expertise, they also look for your soft skills. Your soft skills may comprise of teamwork, effective communication, adaptability, analytical thinking, etc.
Now, you must be wondering what exactly are soft skills that we are speaking so much about.
Soft skills are personality traits, social graces, and relationship skills that allow people to interact effectively and harmoniously in their personal and professional lives. Soft skills are often called “people skills”, as they involve the ability to communicate, manage, and work effectively with your colleagues.
It is crucial to note that soft skills are necessary not only from a career perspective but from all areas of life. In the ever-evolving and competitive job market, everyone possesses plenty of technical skills. What sets you and your application apart are your soft skills.
Knowing the right soft skills to master is very crucial. In this article, we have mentioned a list of the most important soft skills every fresher should include in their resume.
- Communication skills
Soft skills, particularly communication skills, are fundamental in conveying ideas, instructions, and information clearly and concisely. To foster a positive work environment, an individual needs to be able to express his ideas with clarity. Communication skills are the foremost skill an employer looks out for in candidates.
A good working environment stresses the need for healthy and clear communication. Communication sets the base for people to understand you at your workplace & create a perception about you. Good communication skills ensure that you are able to proficiently convey complex ideas during team meetings, ensuring all members understand the project’s objectives and tasks. These skills can be verbal communication, written communication, active listening, public speaking and presentation skills,.
- Problem-Solving Skills
Every organization looks for individuals who can decode a problem and find an apt solution for it in need of an hour. One can never foresee what problems may arise in the organization, at times like that, problem solvers are valued more.
Companies look for individuals with critical thinking abilities. Such individuals can work and perform effectively even in times of panic. These skills are essential to overcome challenges and find innovative approaches to the problems that arise due to the dynamic nature of the business environment. An individual with critical thinking, problem solving and analytical skills is the need of the hour for organisations.
- Emotional Intelligence
In the modern world, organizations look for individuals with higher emotional quotients to foster a healthy work environment. Understanding and managing one’s own emotions, as well as being empathetic and aware of others’ emotions, is important in building positive relationships in the workplace.
Emotional intelligence as a skill has been gaining importance around workplaces due to the focus on mental health of employees. When an employee knows how to handle emotions, whether his own or his colleague’s, he can support and foster a positive environment at the organisation.
- Critical Thinking
Individuals who can reason coherently and see concepts at a deeper level to understand their interconnection are known to have critical thinking. An individual uses their logic to reason with situations and create a solution tailored to solve the issue.
Hiring managers are always on the look out for people with critical thinking. These individuals do not jump off to a conclusion right away but instead take decisions measuring every pro and con to meet the organisation needs. Such individuals are the key members that drive an organisation towards success and are appreciated by the organisations.
- Teamwork
Corporate culture is all about teamwork. Managers understand how important it is for individuals to collaborate and work together as a team. An individual who can put aside their ego and work with the team to provide results will always be given preference over someone who wants to be their boss.
For any individual to be able to work and grow in a team, soft skills such as collaboration and teamwork are very important. A cohesive team that communicates well and collaborates effectively can perform better as compared to a team that has communication barriers.
- Time Management
Time management is one skill every candidate should have regardless of whether they applying for a job or not. Time management allows you to accommodate different tasks in shorter time frames. An individual with good time management skills is bound to be more productive as compared to someone with no time management skills.
Managers want to hire candidates who are good at switching between different tasks and providing efficient output. A candidate who can organise, prioritize and multitask effectively has more scope of growth as it allows them to invest in upskilling as well.
- Positive Attitude
One should always be optimistic and try to look at the brighter side of things instead of reflecting on the negatives only. Organizations appreciate individuals who learn from failures and keep a positive attitude for their next venture.
No organisation wants to hire an individual that spends more time worrying about the negatives rather than working to improve the positives. This is why it is encouraged for students to have a positive attitude from early on in life as it also shapes the way their mindset develops as they grow up.
- Adaptability and flexibility:
When we speak about flexibility, it can also be said that it is more immediate and situational, typically includes the needs accommodate others, whereas adaptability frequently entails anticipating and preparing ahead for the future. Flexibility can be demanded from a candidate, be it in terms of adjusting to new work methods or accommodating a last minute task in your schedule.
The business landscape is dynamic, and change is constant. Soft skills like adaptability and flexibility enable individuals to adjust to new circumstances, technologies, and work methodologies. Employees who embrace change with a positive and growth mindset are the ones who can align their self-goals with organizational goals.
While we have given you a small list of soft skills, there is a large pool of qualities an employer may look for in you, depending on your job profile. It is always advised to understand the roles and responsibilities and mention your skill set accordingly. Whatever your profile may be, working on your soft skills will never be a non-fruitful exercise!
