We’ve either experienced it or heard of it. Some will spend years completing their higher education and become highly skilled in their field of study, but then to their frustration, struggle for a year or more to find that job they’ve been studying for.
Being skilled technically is for sure a great advantage, and having the hard-skills to do the job is essential, but there are other things employers seek other than knowledge of the said-skill. Soft skills, although a buzzword to some, actually hold a lot of weight with potential employers; stating that 70% of bad hires lacked the soft skills needed to fit into their team or work productively with their superiors. Although these candidates had the hard skills required to do the job, they didn’t have the active soft skills needed to further those hard skills into meaningful, productive work. Here are a few examples of what employers look for in potential candidates:
Emotional intelligence.
Originally defined by the two researchers; Peter Salavoy and John D. Mayer in 1990, originally describing it as “a form of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and action.” EI or EQ, as abbreviated, can be divided up into four pillars:
- Self-awareness
- Self-management
- Relationship-management
- Social awareness
Some of the greatest, and most popular leaders of a generation have these traits, although it may seem like a broad term. Leaders like Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and Mother Theresa to name a few, all had a form of emotional intelligence. The ability to become catalysts of change, empathise with others, have a keen understanding of conflict management, and the ability to show resilience and adaptability when necessary.
What does this mean for the average person looking to get hired by potential employers?
As a potential employee, being able to work as part of a team, whether with other colleagues or superiors and not cause unnecessary stress among team mates is exceedingly important. One can agree that working with someone who instills trust and morale is better than working with someone who causes emotional distress or doesn’t actively participate at all, no matter how skilled the individual in their field. It does, however, go beyond this.
Self-awareness is critical.
Once we understand our strengths and weaknesses, and are willingly work on both, we become more efficient and productive. This not only means we can climb the ladder with our strengths but also delegate our work based on our weaknesses, strengthening morale among our colleagues who are welcomed to deliver valuable input, increasing trust.
Self-management is the key to being resilient.
Self-management goes beyond controlling our emotions, it is the ability to be goal-oriented, be self-motivated, take initiative, and the ability to adapt when circumstances call for change. People who efficiently self-manage are likely to be more transparent about their strengths and weaknesses and work with integrity. Within times where change needs to come about, whether working from home or change of company structuring, our ability to be resilient becomes a critical part in motivating others to do the same.
Relationship management is the core of team work.
We know at times, there will be conflict among colleagues and team members, nothing runs smoothly 100% of the time. The ability to settle disputes and conflicts among team members effectively, improve relationships and motivate colleagues all come in to play when we manage our relationships effectively. Being able to influence and make points assertively that stem from rationality and not a place of emotional turmoil proves useful in conflict disputes, where self-management comes back into the equation. Employees who display traits of motivation, not only in the interest of themselves, tend to be high-qualifying candidates to potential employers. It shows a measure of leadership and initiative.
Social awareness and empathy.
Empathy can be defined as “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.” Without it, be will not be able to effectively manage our working relationships with other people. Actively listening to team mates and colleagues, and validating their concerns helps to form connections. This aids in the level of service orientation we provide, not only among colleagues, but clients as well. It provides an interesting and useful way of being relatable or relating to others, whether to an audience or an individual.
The good news is that these traits can be learned.
Going on a soft skills course can surely provide the tools you need to implement these traits and more in your career. Sign up here if you want to learn more about our short courses and training on Emotional Intelligence and so much more. We also offer B-BBEE, EEA and SDA related services to South African businesses. Contact us here for a look at the comprehensive services we offer.
Mind The Gap Solutions 