Soft skills can separate you from the pack …

There are lots of articles, talking heads, and formal studies out there bemoaning the fact that new graduates and, more generally, younger generations of job seekers simply don’t have the skills they need to make them “employable”. A kick in the ass, isn’t it?   You’ve got to be thinking ….  I’ve put in 4 (or likely more) years busting my ass to earn this degree … what the hell do you mean I’m “not employable”? 

So, just what are these mysterious missing skills that your insanely expensive education that you’ll be paying for years to come failed to give you?   In general, they are talking about soft skills, those things outside your degree or domain of expertise that you need to thrive in the modern workplace.

Ouch … the truth hurts!  

Now, if you’re overly sensitive and prone to fits of crying at the slightest critique, just stop reading now because, in my experience, all those harsh articles, bloviating talking heads, and critical studies are mostly right … you likely don’t have these skills and they really are damned important.  Never fear though … with a little effort you can get enough to clearly stand out in the crowd … an EDGE. 

What exactly are we talking about here … what are these mysterious soft skills?  

There are many, but here are 5 that I think are difference makers and I strongly encourage you to take the time to at least learn some concepts and buzz words for each.  And don’t panic – you don’t have to be an expert in any of them …just know the basics and be able to talk about them with some intelligence. 

• Emotional Intelligence – the ability to understand your own and others’ emotions and how they drive behavior, and then using that knowledge to motivate and collaborate with others
• Critical thinking and problem solving – the ability to use knowledge, facts, and data to effectively solve problems. Key elements –  using reason rather than emotion, considering a broad range of viewpoints and perspectives, ability to put aside personal prejudices and biases, avoid hasty judgements, etc
• Teamwork and collaboration – mix of interpersonal, problem solving, and communication skills needs to collaborate effectively with others towards a common objective.
• Leadership – tons of fluff and overly complex academic stuff out there on this one, but basically the ability to see the “big picture”, develop a plan to get from point A to point B, and motivate others to follow you and work towards a specific goal(s).
• Executive presence – you may think it’s too early for this one – it is not – start working on it now.  Similar to Leadership above,  but this one is all about inspiring confidence –  inspiring confidence that you’re the leader others want to follow, inspiring confidence among peers that you’re capable and reliable and, most importantly, inspiring confidence among senior leaders that you have the potential for great achievements.

These things are not fluff and really are critical in the modern workplace.  They are especially important if you’re targeting large corporations because most place great value on these things.  Plus, there is a better than even chance that you’ll  interview with that guy – that guy that lives for his job … he’s a climber … eats, drinks, and sleeps the company … does a TED Talk every day, and he reads every new book on these topics that comes out.   He is Mr. Corporate.   Pepper some crumbs into your resume and online profiles, tactfully weave them in to interview discussions, and you’re 100% guaranteed to differentiate yourself – and differentiating yourself is the key to standing out and winning. 

Remember the E in our EDGE process?  How I said that it never ends, that it’s always ongoing?   Well, here we are.  Your time spent learning and getting a foundation in these and other soft skills will give you an EDGE in the marketplace … guaranteed.   Study and learn. Trust me … invest the time and you’ll be ahead of 90% of your competition. 

Next, I’m going to give you 4 secret weapon skills that aren’t always talked about, but that I believe can put you head and shoulders above your competition, not only in the job search, but also in the workplace once you actually land that gig.