In many industry sectors, it is often the so-called ‘soft’ skills that employers prize. Experience, qualifications and training are all important, but personal skills and character attributes are what make you more likely to excel in the role. Research has shown that over half of senior leaders value soft skills over ‘hard’ skills (i.e. familiarity with certain software).
Like hard skills which you can learn through training, these important soft skills can be taught. However, some people will be more skilled at some of these soft skills naturally though.
LinkedIn has recently published its list of the most in-demand skills that employers are looking for in 2019. Lo and behold, at the top of the list are soft skills. After analysing thousands of job adverts, researchers were able to pick out the skills that employers most value, but which can prove the hardest to find. These were time management, adaptability, collaboration, persuasion and at the very top of the list – creativity.
Why in-demand soft skills are prized by industry?
When looking at the top five most in-demand soft skills as compiled by LinkedIn, there’s a clear correlation between these attributes and those needed to excel in most industry sectors. If you’re looking for a new challenge in 2019, here’s how your valuable soft skills could help you land an exciting role this year.
Time management
Time management is an essential personal skill for a wide range of different industries. If you can manage your time and tasks effectively, you can get much more done in far less time. There are many guides on time management and you're sure to find one that will be applicable to you and your job situation.
Adaptability
In our everyday working life, no two situations are alike. Whilst it is likely that you’ll receive some measure of training for your role which will help you prepare for as many different scenarios as possible. However you’ll still need to be adaptable and rely on your wits and experience. If you can demonstrate adaptability and the ability to employ a flexible approach to daily work, you’ll go far in your career.
Collaboration
In many organisations especially the larger ones, teams and departments often work in silos. However, collaboration is a valuable skill and one that can help a business actively achieve its' goals. If you work well within a team ethos, then you're likely to find success in a lot of industries.
Persuasion
This is a key requirement for many different roles especially if you're dealing with people all the time in your role. This might mean working on a one to one basis with a colleague on a project or task through to influencing a large group of stakeholders in a leadership position.
Creativity
It might surprise you to learn that there is a real need for creativity in pretty much every industry sector. This doesn't mean necessarily how good you are at drawing though. You’ll often face new challenges and problems from your customers as well as colleagues, most of which you’ll never have encountered before. You’ll need to draw on all of your creativity and problem-solving skills to find solutions for your customers, some of which will need to be ‘outside of the box’.
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