Technical skills vs soft skills. What are hiring managers really looking for? Are they only concerned about the technical skills you have gained through work or education, or do they also care what personality traits you bring to the organization?
Of course, technical skills are always important. An employer wants to know that you are going to be able to perform the core duties of the position. However, more and more employers are recognizing that those technical skills can often be learned while on the job. Sometimes, they are more concerned about those “soft skills” that are not as easily learned.
So, what are soft skills? They are the non-tangible assets, or attributes, that an employee has that will add value to the organization. These attributes are things such as initiative, judgment, decision making, etc. But they also include different personality characteristics, like attitude, optimism/pessimism, effective interpersonal skills, etc. Having the right soft skills may make the difference between getting the job or not.
But how do hiring managers assess these skills? Well, that goes back to my earlier posts about behavioural interviews. There is a belief that past behaviour is an indication of future behaviour, so, during the interview, hiring managers will ask you to provide examples of previous experience that will help them assess these attributes.
Hiring managers will also contact references to provide them with information around these traits. They will ask your references questions about your ability to make a decision, about your reliability, your attitude, etc. And because people that have knowledge about your behaviour will be contacted, it is important that you always remain professional and demonstrate positive personable traits to ensure that the feedback that is provided will be favourable.
If you’re not sure how you are measuring up, reach out to your current supervisors and/or co-workers and ask them to give you constructive, honest feedback about your behaviours in the office. You might be surprised at the responses you get.
But should this professional behaviour be saved just for work? No. As you get closer to entering the work force to begin your career, you should be practicing these positive traits all the time. Don’t forget, time at school can also be factored in when it comes to references.
So, remember to stay positive, productive and professional at all times, and those traits will automatically come out during the interview and when references are contacted, which may be the factor that gets you the job.
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