Soft Skills in the Workplace to Give You a Competitive Edge

People across a range of jobs, industries and career levels might benefit from developing and showcasing their soft skills.
Soft skills can help employees improve their interactions with colleagues, better adapt to change and proactively respond
to various situations. Knowing more about the strategies you can use to hone or highlight your soft skills may help you
achieve an array of tasks or accomplishments in your career, whether that's becoming a more dependable colleague or
advancing your career.

In this article, we explain why soft skills in the workplace matter, including some examples of these abilities and tips on
ways you can develop or showcase your soft skills.

What are soft skills?

Soft skills are proficiencies related to communication, personality traits, social cues and behavioral habits. Soft skills
indicate how a person relates and works with others. While a person can learn hard skills like HTML code, soft skills are
more innate. Much like emotions or a keen perception, soft skills are qualities a person already has, and the more fine-
tuned these skills are, the better the person holding these traits might be at understanding people. Hard skills are
important to do your job well, but with excellent soft skills, you're bringing positive traits to your work environment .

Why do soft skills in the workplace matter?

Employers typically prioritize soft skills as much as hard skills in their employees. The more soft skills that are present, the
easier it can be to create a harmonious work environment. For example, you may be a great engineer, but communication
skills can help you more effectively collaborate with others. Employers also favor soft skills because they're transferable
skills. This means that, as an employee, you may be better at adapting to change. For example, a cashier with excellent
people skills might adapt far more quickly when given the role of floor manager .

10 examples of soft skills

While they may not be as evident as hard skills, soft skills are important and come in a variety of forms. The following are
common soft skills employers look for:

1. Communication skills
Communication is a key skill for employees, as it can ensure effective teamwork, create a more positive environment and
help to solve issues. By being an effective communicator, you can come to resolutions quickly and encourage
collaboration among teammates. In some jobs, communication plays a huge role, such as in human resources,
management and sales. Examples of communication skills include:

Listening

Writing

Empathy

Giving constructive feedback

Self-confidence

Respect

Nonverbal communication , such as tone of voice, gestures, body language and facial expressions

Nonverbal communication is one of many tools that can help you make a good impression in interviews and in your
professional life. However, candidate assessments should be based on skills and qualifications, and workplaces should
strive to be inclusive and understanding of individual differences in communication styles.

2. Adaptability skills
Being flexible is an important soft skill . Employers typically want to see their team being open-minded and embracing
change. This is especially important in a busy work environment where things change quickly. Examples of adaptability
skills include:

Self-organization

Self-motivation

Self-management

Curiosity

Positivity

Calmness in stressful situations

Quick decision-making

Open-mindedness

3. Team player skills

Employers want to see their employees excel at teamwork because it creates a better operating work environment. There
are jobs where teamwork is vital to success, such as brand management, marketing, catering and architecture. Examples
of team player skills include:

Delegation

Negotiation

Mediation

Listening

Coordination

Conflict management

Cooperation

Collaboration

4. Detail-oriented skills
Being accurate and striving for perfection in your work is also key for employers. While these skills are always important,
some roles may benefit from these skills more, such as roles in finance, medicine and architecture. Examples of detail-
oriented skills include:

Introspection

Critical thinking and observation

Memory

Self-organization

Perception

5. Problem-solving skills
Finding effective solutions for work-related problems is a huge asset. Employers want to see you solving issues, which can
keep the organization moving forward. Some roles require problem-solving skills more than others, such as those related
to law, medicine and engineering. Examples of problem-solving skills include:
 Perception

Persistence

Decision-making

Lateral thinking

Initiative

Negotiation

Brainstorming

6. Work ethic skills

Work ethic skills refer to your ability to demonstrate dedication, reliability, responsibility and a commitment to achieving
your work-related goals. Roles that thrive on a good work ethic include entrepreneurs and teachers. Examples of work
ethic skills include:

Discipline

Integrity

Dependability

Commitment

Critical thinking

Professionalism

Initiative

Time-management

Self-motivation

7. Creativity skills
Creativity comes in different forms, but it's usually evident in a work environment when employees come up with
innovative solutions for the organization. Roles that require a great deal of creativity include writers, designers and stylists.
Examples of creativity skills include:

Inspiration

Innovative ideas

Reframing ideas

Divergent thinking

Questioning

Insightfulness

Mind mapping

8. Time-management skills
This soft skill might show employers your ability to be productive as you balance multiple priorities. Some roles rely on this
skill, such as writing jobs and legal jobs, because the work usually involves managing several deadlines. Examples of time-
management skills include:
 Prioritization

Organization

Setting goals

Stress management

Delegation

Decision making

Self-starting

Coping

9. Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills are the skills you use to interact with the people around you, including your colleagues and
employers. These skills are important in all roles, but especially in jobs where you work closely with other people, such as in
sales or customer service. Examples of interpersonal skills include:

Empathy

Diplomacy

Sensitivity

Public speaking

Tolerance

Mentoring

Sense of humor

Networking

Patience

10. Leadership skills

Leadership skills give you the ability to guide others well to reach the goals of the organization. Some roles where this skill
is of greater importance are those in management, business and teaching. Examples of leadership skills include:

Humility

Empathy

Versatility

Trust

Discipline

Active listening

Authenticity

How to improve soft skills

Soft skills are innate qualities that you develop over time, but you can improve your soft skills to become both a better
colleague and employee. Follow these steps to improve your soft skills:
1. Identify them
First, identify your strengths and weaknesses related to soft skills. To do this, you can use a few strategies, including:

Understand your strengths. Become self-aware so you can detect the area or areas you can improve.

Review a list of soft skills. Go through the former soft skills examples and make a list of the ones you practice and the
ones you could use more.

Get another opinion. Ask a trusted friend, family member or former employer to tell you about the soft skills they see in
you.

2. Ask for feedback

Once you have a list of soft skills you want to improve on, you can start practicing them in your day-to-day life. Consider
asking for feedback from colleagues or your manager. If they do share feedback, listen without being defensive, and be
open to their suggestions.

3. Hire a coach or therapist

A great life coach or therapist can help you work on your soft skills for effective results. A life coach can guide you in
introspection to understand how you act and what you want. Searching for the following qualities in a coach may help you
find one that suits you:

Emotional connection: Coaching relationships are typically better when you and your coach can relate to each other.

Qualifications: A good coach typically possesses relevant experiences or certifications. They also behave professionally.
Your coach may also have a coach, as it's important coaches continue working on themselves.

Skills: Coaches usually have an understanding of all varieties of soft skills and how different individuals can develop
them.

After this self-evaluation, consider seeking out someone you trust to help you improve your soft skills by practicing them.
Ask your coach to give you constructive feedback so you can improve with time and practice.

4. Pursue developmental opportunities

Search for opportunities in your local area or online that relate to the soft skills you want to develop. For example, you
might look for a workshop about leadership or a convention related to creativity skills. These types of additional resources
can give you a chance to practice your soft skills in unique environments or think about new ways to hone these soft skills.
Developmental opportunities that might help you develop soft skills include:

Enrolling in a class or workshop

Teaching yourself, such as through books, podcasts or videos

Attending a conference

Joining a professional association

Going to networking events, whether at the company you work for or within your wider community or industry

Soft skills in the workplace

Other soft skills found in the workplace include:

Conflict resolution: The ability to resolve issues with others in a respectful and effective manner

Emotional intelligence: The ability to manage and control your emotions to express them in the right way

Talent management: The ability to hire, retain and develop the best team possible for the job
 Dependability: The ability to get people to rely on you when you respect deadlines

Being results-oriented: The ability to identify the results you want to achieve and make plans to achieve them

Task tracking: The ability to keep track of your tasks and of those you're managing

How to highlight soft skills

Soft skills can be more difficult to see than hard skills, so it's important to tell an employer the soft skills you can bring to
the job when writing your cover letter, composing your resume and attending the job interview. First, make a list of your
soft skills. Then, see which of these soft skills the job description also mentions. Make sure you emphasize any of your skill
qualifications to the employer, along with a few more skills you think might help you excel in the position.

The following are ways you can highlight your list of soft skills:

Soft skills for your resume

It's great to detail soft skills on your resume when describing previous roles and by including them in a list with other
technical skills. You can list your soft skills in either your summary paragraph or in the achievements section of your
resume. Use numbers to describe your soft skills achievements, just as you would for hard skills.

Example: “Created an innovative mentorship program to support 17 new mothers in the workplace. Enhanced the
company culture and lowered turnover by 25%.”

Soft skills for your cover letter

Listing soft skills in a cover letter can help show you're a candidate who can perform well on many types of teams and
during difficult situations or challenges. For your cover letter, pick your three strongest soft skills and use one to two
stories from previous positions to highlight your skills.

Example: “As the lead writer for the marketing department, I not only came up with creative and compelling text for the
brand but also managed a team of five junior writers to develop copy for the organization. I conducted brainstorming
sessions, encouraging imagination and creating a safe environment for the writers to experiment in their work.”

Soft skills for the job interview

In the case of a job interview, mention soft skills whenever you have the opportunity. Although an interviewer may not ask
you directly about soft skills, you can mention them when responding to other questions. For instance, referring to your
previous leadership and conflict resolution experience may help hiring managers and recruiters understand your
qualifications for managerial roles.

Example: “My day-to-day tasks at East Key Inc. involved managing a team of technicians who were responsible for
keeping the factory line moving and helping production stay on schedule. I would also schedule shifts for the technicians
and create maintenance schedules for weekly, biweekly and monthly tasks."