***Soft Skills ***
Most organisations require that those who work in them have certain abilities that allow them to do their jobs effectively . For example , photographers must understand how different camera settings and lighting affect the picture they are taking ,and
computer programmers need to know how to use Programming languages . These abilities are known as ” hard or technical skills”and to learn them one usually enrolls in some sort of educational programme, where they receive classroom instruction and often practical training as well .However , to work in any occupation, you also need what are referred to as ‘ soft skills ‘ ( often referred to as life skills ‘ ) . Soft skills as opposed to hard skills ( such as technical skills ) greatly impact the
personality development of
employees . Organisations today
recognize that the professional
development of their employees
plays an important part in maintaining relationships with their
customers , clients , suppliers , co
workers and developing a successful business . However , soft skills are not a replacement for
hard or technical skills . In fact , they
are complementary to them and
serve to unlock the potential of
people equipped with hard skills .
The sooner the relevant soft skills
are learned and developed the
better . The learning of these
stage skills must start at least at the
graduate school level – if not earlier . Today , companies , while interviewing job seekers , are not really worried about the candidates ‘ technical or domain depths . They know that they can teach them the most exotic technology
effortlessly ,but they also know that the soft skills are the hardest to drive in . Hence the right time to learn these, is the time when you are preparing for your graduate / post – graduate programmes .
★Why We Need Soft Skills?★Soft skills allow us to effectivelyand efficiently use our technicalskills and knowledge. They improvethe way we interact with our bosses, co-workers and customers,clientsThey permit us to get our work done on time. They influence how we feel about our jobs and how others perceive us.Consequently, the demand for and.reliance on soft skills is on the increase due to constant change in the work environment, customer- driven market, information-based technology and globalization.The development of soft skills inthis market is important as there isintense competition for manyavailable positions. The ability todevelop and use soft skills canmake the difference between theachiever and the non-achiever.Earlier the focus of managementwas on ‘hard’ skills. The emphasiswas on the technical skills necessary to perform effectively.These skills tended to be moreclosely related to the actual task being performed. But now every single occupation you can think of demands that you have specific character traits. Moreover, an important thing to note is that soft skills are transferable betweenOccupations. While you may haveto go back to school to learn newtechnical skills if you change careers, you can always take yoursoft skills with you since they arevalued in a variety of fields.Today, employers want people withefficient soft skills. These are keyskills to effective performanceacross all job categories. As theworld has changed, and the natureof work has changed, the skill setrequired of managers and otherexecutives has changed.Today’s business is all aboutpeople. It is about communication,relationships and about presentingyourself, your company and yourideas in the most positive and impactful way. Many business people like to think that success isbased on logical, rational thoughtsand acts, but it is also to be remembered that the human element is as important as the skills mentioned above. That is whya strong soft skills set is considered to be very important.
