How Important are Soft Skills to Employers?

Friday, April 18, 2014

 

According to the results of a WorldatWork survey released on April 14, 2014, soft skills play a significant role in selecting candidates for vacant positions.

 

Typical “soft skills” include: work ethic, dependability, attitude, motivation, team orientation, interpersonal communication, flexibility, and confidence.  What employer would want an employee who lacked these skills?  Image a manager requesting HR recruit employees who had no work ethic, were undependability, had bad attitudes, were not motivated, had no team orientation, lack interpersonal communication skills, had no flexibility, and showed no self-confidence.

 

CarmineGallo, communications coach and a contributor for Forbes recalled a remark by Warren Buffett to a group of business students.  “He said communication skills would increase their value by 50 percent.”  No matter how good an employee’s technical skills are if they are unable to communicate with their superiors, peers, and subordinates, how will they pitch their projects, needs, or results to others?

 

Writing for accountingToday, Danielle Lee relates comments from Tom Hood, CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs and the Business Learning Institute, in which he states, “… Big Four firms have historically recognized this correlation, valuing soft skills training along with technical learning."  Clearly, if Deloitte, ‎KPMG, ‎PricewaterhouseCoopers, and ‎Ernst & Young value soft skills integrated with hard skills training, other organizations and individuals may want to sit up and take a closer look.  If technical skills are capable of supporting an employee just so far, what does an employer do when those skills have been exhausted?

 

Amanda Alix commented recently on the Motley Fool website that, in spite of being exceptionally knowledgeable, many young U.S. employees must deal with elevated joblessness, in part because many lack "soft skills".  Employers expect new college and technical school grads to be able to perform the entry level basics of their job.  In addition, employers expect new hires to demonstrate even the most simple of soft skills such as showing up for work on time every day, having a positive “can do” attitude, able to work well with others, having flexibility to adapt to changes in the workplace.  Unfortunately, most schools do not offer a class in “Soft Skills 101”.

 

As concern mounts over the lack of soft skills in young workers, some schools are beginning to rethink the role of such skills in their educational compendium.  In February 2014, the Providence Journal reported the Providence school system won a $3-million grant to teach soft skills.  Sonoma County California schools offer a “Career Readiness Course” for the 2013-14 school year to provide a new semester-long class for high school students.  The University of Chicago Law School has introduced, “The Keystone Professionalism and Leadership Program” which is beginning a third year of programming to highlight the significance of soft skills.  The Colorado Technical University now includes soft skill within its General Education curriculum in an effort to fill gaps between a student’s technical skills and the employer’s expectations.