Thursday, October 20, 2011

10 Top Soft Skills for Career Success

Soft skills


According to Wikipedia Soft skills is a sociological term relating to a person's ”EQ” (Emotional Intelligence Quotient), the cluster of personality traits, social graces, communication, language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that characterize relationships with other people. Soft skills complement hard skills (part of a person's IQ), which are the occupational requirements of a job and many other activities.

Your technical skills will not guarantee success in the workplace. The most important things are your attitude, how you interact with others, the way you get things done, and how you react to events. What are the most important soft skills? Check out the following:

1.       Positive mindset: Your thinking is decisive in whatever you tell your mind and eventually do it like the way your thoughts dictate. A positive mindset is more likely to get things done and achieve success because you think you can and you will. You are also more inclined to look at things optimistically.

2.       Work with your heart: Do you enjoy what you do? Are you enthusiastic about your job? Do you take responsibility for your work and proud of it? Do you care about your reputation?  Can you make and keep promises? Do you possess a learning attitude so that you will be more competent and knowledgeable?

3.       Communicate effectively: Write often so that you can write clearly, precisely, and fully.  To talk less and listen more is the way to understand others better. Develop the ability to read unspoken words as shown by their body language.  

4.       Personal effectiveness: Do you plan ahead and get organized in advance so that you can manage your time effectively? Do you continue to develop yourself and upgrade your skills? Are you working efficiently so that you can be more productive? Do you dress smartly and project a clear and clean image? Do you always wear a smile and acknowledge people you meet?

5.       Be confident: Do you like yourself and feel good about yourself? Do you sit upright, walk straight and look ahead of you? Be composed, calm, and alert when you are with people. Look at people in the eyes. Speak clearly and loud enough to be heard.

6.       Willingness to learn: Do you accept criticism with an open mind? Are you adaptable and able to accept changes? Don’t be adamant but flexible.

7.       A sense of urgency: Do you possess the drive and self-initiation to take immediate action? Do you produce timely reports and go to work and meetings on time? Are you committed to meeting deadlines without fail?

8.       Manage your emotions: Are you able to keep your personal problems to yourself and avoid the outburst of anger and rage when you are working under stress? Are you not easily provoked and able to keep your cool? 

9.       Persistence, perseverance, patience, and resilience: Success is measured in the long term. Meeting challenges, overcoming obstacles, and rising from failures are crucial to ensure success.

10.    Creative: It is about your resourcefulness in solving problems and getting solutions to get things done. It is also about seeking improvement constantly and avoiding standing still.

The rules are simple. Take your work, but never yourself, seriously. Pour in the love and whatever skill you have, and it will come out. ~Chuck Jones

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