Importance of Soft Skills at Work

Personality counts. That’s the long and short of a new CareerBuilder survey which says contrary to popular belief, employers value so-called soft skills in almost the same light as proverbial hard skills. As for the numbers, 77% of employers claim qualities like attitude, motivation and work ethic are just as important as technical expertise. CareerBuilder’s Jennifer Grasz says employers are looking for the complete package. “16% of employers said soft skills are more important than hard skills when evaluating candidates for a job.” Grasz says job hunters have to prove they can walk the walk, not just talk the talk. “You can’t just say ‘I’m a team player’ that is not going to be meaningful to an employer, you’ve got to show an example of how you’ve been a team player, so provide an example of how you work on a team to accomplish a particular goal.” Job hunters have to show their skills, be it on a resume or through stories during an interview, adds Grasz. “You try to make the intangible tangible for the employer.” Grasz describes some of the qualities employers are actively seeking. “Somebody who has got a strong work ethic, someone who is dependable, has a positive attitude, self motivated, team oriented someone who works well under pressure and is an effective communicator.” To read the complete survey visit www.CareerBuilder.com.