The Benefits of Soft Skills

Hiring new staff presents a whole host of challenges for a business these days. Deciding what sort of person to take on requires a great deal of thought and consideration especially when advertising for jobs that receive a large number of applications.

An article in the Huffington Post earlier this year stated that, in one part of the country, 1,700 people applied for just 8 jobs at a new branch of Costa Coffee and around 5,000 people applied for 350 jobs at a new Asda store.

When sifting through this number of applications, you need to have a very clear idea of what you are looking for. Obviously, the first thing employers look at is if the candidate has the relevant skills, qualifications and experience required for the job but what other factors can employers look for to make these decisions?

Increasingly, employers are focusing on 'soft skills' when choosing perspective employees rather than looking solely at their 'hard skills'.

The term 'hard skills' refers to the practical skills required to complete a job, such as computer programming, plumbing, dentistry, etc. When people talk about 'soft skills', they mean the less obvious qualities such as interpersonal skills, attitude to work and time management.

A survey conducted by Harris Polls, on behalf of Careerbuilder, during April 2014 in the USA, asked employers if they valued 'soft skills' and which ones they valued the most. 77% of the employers they surveyed stated that they believed that 'soft skills' were as valuable as 'hard skills'. They also compiled a list of the 'soft skills' that employers value the most. These were (in this order):

• Strong work ethic
• Dependability 
• Positive attitude
• Self motivation
• Being team oriented
• Well organised
• Ability to work under pressure
• Effective communication
• Flexibility
• Confidence

Time Magazine published an article recently that emphasised how important these skills were to an employer and stated how important it was, when considering hiring a candidate, to get them to demonstrate that they really have them.

So, why are these skills so important?

An article by the Metropolitan New York Library Council illustrates the importance of these skills by suggesting how an employee might behave if they were lacking in them. They give examples such as, an employee who is not self-motivated would be constantly waiting for instructions and, thus, not maximising their productivity. It also suggests that someone who is not flexible might be resistant to change which could hinder their work and that someone who is not well organised may be habitually late to work and fail to complete tasks given to them within a reasonable time frame.

Therefore, it is important to consider a candidate's 'soft skills' when looking to a fill a position as it can make a big difference to the quality and quantity of their work.