9 essential soft skills for the workplace (and how to highlight them)

When we talk about skills, we often categorize them as either hard or soft skills. Hard skills are the technical abilities required to perform specific jobs. For example, to be a data analyst, you need to know how to visualize data, clean data, and use programming languages such as Python and SQL. You can develop such skills through education and training, and your proficiency with them is measurable. 

Soft skills are more abstract and don't lend themselves to quantifiable measurement, but they're equally as important (if not more so) in the workplace. These qualities allow you to use your technical abilities more effectively in a professional setting, enabling you to work amicably and harmoniously with those around you. They're also transferable skills, meaning they're applicable to most jobs and work environments. In the past, soft skills may have been considered secondary competencies, but hiring professionals now see them as crucial for success, so much so that some are calling them "power skills."

Wherever you are in your career, developing your soft skills can drive you toward success. Let's look at nine of the top soft skills that can help you get there.

What are soft skills?

Soft skills are characteristics and personal qualities that enable you to interact effectively with others. They're essential in the workplace because productivity often hinges on healthy interpersonal relationships. In a customer- or client-facing role, for example, you must appeal positively to others' sensibilities and emotions to yield a desired response. Even among internal-facing employees, positive interactions foster office cultures that promote engagement and high morale, both of which are essential for consistently producing good work.

9 essential soft skills for any workplace

Here are the nine most important soft skills for fostering success in just about any work environment:

Accountability

Accountability is the quality of accepting responsibility for your actions. It's a valuable soft skill because it inspires trust. Accountable employees not only refuse to shift blame to others but also demonstrate the emotional maturity needed to inspire accountability in others. 

Communication

Skilled communication is an essential ingredient in any effective workplace interaction because it prevents misunderstandings and provides others with the information they need to thrive. Verbal communication is not the only type that you need, as writing and active listening are also communication skills that facilitate desirable professional outcomes.

"Soft skills are characteristics and personal qualities that enable you to interact effectively with others. They're essential in the workplace because productivity often hinges on healthy interpersonal relationships."

Conflict resolution

De-escalating workplace tensions is a vital skill because it fosters optimism and positive interactions. If the conflict involves you, the ability to resolve it shows both maturity and professional focus.

Creativity

A creative individual can approach tasks in new and imaginative ways. With creative members on the team, an organization benefits from fresh perspectives that can identify issues or patterns that escape others' attention, as well as novel solutions that may expedite problem-solving.

Decision-making 

A good decision-maker can analyze the available information, weigh the risks and benefits, and make a choice that leads to a positive outcome. It's deeply tied to problem-solving, as many of the decisions you make in the workplace relate to obstacles and setbacks. Increasingly, employers expect even those in non-leadership positions to have sound decision-making skills so that all employees can take ownership of their work.

Flexibility

Flexibility means you can adapt to situations as they arise without holding rigidly to the usual way of doing things. Employers appreciate flexibility because it expands the ways they can use your talents. Say, for example, that your manager needs you to pitch in on a project that doesn't normally fall under your responsibility. As a flexible member of the team, you can adjust to the demands of unfamiliar circumstances and help move the organization toward its goals.

Leadership

Not every team member needs to be a leader, but employees who can step up in a leadership vacuum help keep a workplace effective. A great leader acts with the team and the team's mission in mind, remaining vocal enough to guide the group but also knowing when to let others take control. 

Teamwork

As a personal quality, teamwork is the ability to engage with others to facilitate group objectives. A good team member works in coordination with others, puts the collective before the self, and knows when to step up to fill in the gaps. This skill is fundamental because it supports the smooth operation of a system that consists of many individual parts.

Time management

On a personal level, you can get more done in each workday when you make good use of your time through planning, motivation, and time-saving techniques. In terms of group work, effective time management is imperative for ensuring that projects are completed on time. 

How to highlight your soft skills to employers

Having the right soft skills is one thing but promoting them to employers is another. Here are some areas of your resume where you can highlight your soft skills when you apply for jobs:

• Resume objective: The resume objective is the introductory portion of a resume where you summarize your qualifications. Highlighting your skills here tells employers whether you have what it takes to succeed in their organization.
• Work experience section: Under each of your listed employments, use strong action words to detail the accomplishments you've realized by applying your soft skills. To describe teamwork, for example, you may say you "coordinated" group tasks or "facilitated" project completion.
• Skills section: In a dedicated skills section, list all your principal soft skills. Refer to the employer's job listing to identify other skills to include.

You can also broaden your reach as an applicant by using online resources to your advantage. Include your soft skills in a searchable resume uploaded to CareerBuilder so that potential employers can identify you as the candidate they want.

More tips on highlighting your skills to employers

Employers often value some skills more than others. Make sure to include high-value skills on your resume so that you don't get overlooked.

The job interview is another opportunity to highlight your soft skills. Some interview questions are tough, so make sure you're prepared to give strong answers.

Remember that you should ask questions during your interview. Doing so actually demonstrates key soft skills such as communication.