7 Most In Demand Soft Skills for Career Development

For collage graduates, once you earn your degree, the next important step you will most probably take is look for a job. But even with a degree, a lot of people still find it difficult to get a job.

In fact, according to a survey by the University of Washington, about 53% of new graduates are unemployed or underemployed. There are many reasons behind this huge unemployment rate.

If you don’t want to be among those in the sorry unemployment statistics, you'll want to boost your hireability by developing not just your industry-related knowledge, but also your soft skills.

Soft Skills to Develop for Career Progression

HR managers and employers are now finding it necessary to hire people who have developed soft skills, because soft skills are more nuanced than technical skills and they enable employees to adapt fast to different environments.

While knowledge about a certain business or industry can always be learned, soft skills tend to be more challenging to develop, but are critical for youth career progression, workplace promotion, and development. 

So, if you are a fresh graduate or a professional looking for employment or career progression and development to succeed in life and business, there are certain in-demand soft skills you absolutely should focus on cultivating:

1. Teamwork

Not all people have the ability to work efficiently with a team. And if you want to work in a company where teams are present, then this skill is a necessity.

It’s important that you know how to deal with other people in your team, no matter how tough the situation is. You should  understand what it takes to be an active player in your team.

Knowing about team dynamics can help you prepare better on how to deal with your team and work with them to achieve your goals at work.

2. Negotiation

Your ability to communicate your terms and handle negotiations is also an important soft skill to have during employment and youth development. It can help you win in situations where you think you have a deal that you would like to make.

Negotiation skill will help you win clients, negotiate important matters during business meetings and accomplish contracts wherein your terms are considered. This skill can also help you earn the respect of the people you deal with.

3. Communication

Almost everything that you do in the workplace will require good communication skills.

Good communication skills mean you should have the ability to read, write, speak, and listen well in order to help your team complete tasks and accomplish goals.

Cultivating good communication skills will also help you to improve your team’s camaraderie and limit any conflicts that may arise in the workplace due to miscommunications and misunderstandings.

4. Conflict resolution

In the workplace, you will be dealing with different types of people, with different backgrounds, beliefs, personalities, and points of view. Conflicts are almost inevitable in this setting.

To help you maintain a harmonious relationship with your workmates, you will need to hone your conflict resolution skills. Your ability to resolve conflicts is essential in the workplace.

Resolving conflicts effectively strengthens bonds and helps to maintain healthy team dynamics in the workplace

5. Problem solving

Work involves a lot of problem solving. No matter what industry you are in, there will be times when you will be called upon to think things through and resolve emerging issues at work.

Your resourcefulness will come in handy to solving problems in the workplace, making this a highly in demand skill to have.

6. Ability to work under pressure

Similarly, your ability to work under pressure is another highly in demand soft skill.

Because of the unpredictable nature of the business landscape today, and the uncontrollable variables that can cause stress in the workplace, your ability to hold it together regardless and still perform your job duties well is highly valued.

Not many people have this essential soft skills, so cultivating it will give you an edge and help you thrive in today's highly competitive job market.

7. Public speaking/Presentation

Another valuable soft skill that you will surely want to have is the ability to speak in front of an audience and present ideas clearly. This skill can help you better deal with clients and complete sales and team goals.

Aside from looking presentable in front of people, you should know how to express yourself well and be able to present or deliver critical work concepts and messages effectively.

Conclusion

No matter what line of work you pursue, these soft skills will help you improve your hireability and help you work your way up the corporate ladder. With the soft skills, your chances of getting noticed, landing jobs, and getting promotions will increase.