Soft Skills Overview

Soft Skills Overview

Time for Reviewing what it takes to get and keep a job in the career field of your choice.

Soft Skills Definition

Soft skills are abilities that relate to how you work and how you interact with other people. Popular soft skills include communication, teamwork and other interpersonal skills. Employers look for soft skills in candidates because these skills are hard to teach and are important for long-term success. Soft skills are different from hard skills, which are technical and job-specific.

Other names for soft skills:

personal skills, interpersonal skills, non-technical skills, essential skills, transferable skills.

Poll

How important are soft skills when trying to get and keep a job in your career field?

• Very Important

• Not Important

Open Ended

In your own words, write a definition of "Soft Skills." (at least one full sentence)

Communication

Communication skills allow you to give and receive information. Using, improving and showcasing your communication skills can help you both advance in your career and be competitive when searching for new jobs.

Multiple Choice

Effective communication can be broken down into 3 parts:

• Red fish, blue fish, green fish

• Listening, understanding and responding

• Listening, fighting, resolving

Open Ended

In your own words, define "Communication" as a soft skill (at least one full sentence).

Multiple Choice

Listening involves which of the following?

• Taking in body language

• Talking

• No eye contact

Multiple Choice

When we make errors in interpreting what someone meant, we are likely to have a bad response.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Sometimes thinking before misinterpreting, can help you be less defensive when responding to the other person.

• True

• False

Time Management

“Time management” is the process of organizing and planning how to divide your time between specific activities. Good time management enables you to work smarter – not harder – so that you get more done in less time, even when time is tight and pressures are high. Failing to manage your time damages your effectiveness and causes stress.

Multiple Choice

What helps you remember what you have to do?

• Writing things down helps you remember.

• Depend on others to remind you

Open Ended

In your own words, define "Time Management," (at least one full sentence).

Professionalism

Professionalism is skill or behavior that goes beyond what an ordinary person would have or behaving in a more formal or business-like manner. ... An example of professionalism is a business person who is dressed in a suit and tie, has good manners and shows good business sense.

Open Ended

List 3 things that would help you be more professional in the workplace.

Respect

Treat people how you'd like to be treated: with kindness, courtesy and politeness. A respectful environment reduces workplace stress, problems, and conflicts. It helps in improving communication and teamwork.

Poll

How important do you think that respect is in the workplace?

• Very Important

• Not Important

Open Ended

In your own words, write at least one sentence about why it is that respect is so important.

Leadership

A leader is simply someone whom other people will follow. A leader is someone who can inspire you or motivate you to meet a goal. Think about a group you have been in, such as a soccer team or a club. Usually, there is someone whom the others in the group will listen to and will follow.

Open Ended

In your own words, write at least one sentence about something you learned from the video that you just watched.

Problem Solving

Problem-solving skills are important in every career at every level. When employers talk about problem-solving skills, they are often referring to the ability to handle difficult or unexpected situations in the workplace. Problem-solving is simply the process or act of finding a solution to a problem.

Multiple Select

Another way to list the 4 steps to problem solving is by using the abbreviation "IDEA." Pick the four words that this abbreviation stands for below.

• Identify

• Develop

• Determine

• Execute

• Assess

Poll

Do you think that "problem solving" is something that you use every day?

• Yes

• No

Open Ended

Write at least 2 sentences about a time when you used your problem solving skills.