3 minute read
HR - Soft Skills Matter
HUMAN RESOURCES
Transition to Business
By Paul Falcone
Why Soft Skills Matter (and Technical Abilities May Not Be Enough)
In last month’s issue (January 2022), I wrote about the importance of longevity, career progression, and technical skills when transitioning into the private sector and conducting your job search. To this third point, though, there’s a healthy caveat worth noting: technical skills—no matter how wellhoned or developed—will likely not be enough to make your career transition a full success.
Yes, technical skills can help you stand apart from your competition, no doubt, and there are lots of training and certification programs (think LinkedIn Learning) that you can access on your own in the months preceding your military-to-private sector transition. But the workplace demands a commitment to both performance and conduct, to high levels of productivity and behaviors that support teamwork and camaraderie. In short, it demands a heightened sense of leadership and a willingness and ability to create and sustain a friendly and inclusive work environment. “Soft skills” are the drivers behind performance that define your character and reputation. For example, good listening skills are more than just the ability to hear others communicate. They’re about listening with your eyes and heart in addition to your ears. They’re about showing empathy and creating a sense of having someone’s back. When you’re described as a “great listener”—a very important soft skill—people sense that you care about them and have their interests in mind.
Further, a lack of soft skills, such as reliability, time management, or critical thinking can derail an employee with solid technical skills. According to LinkedIn, more than 80 percent of recruiters say when a new hire doesn’t work out, it usually comes down to a lack of soft skills. And that makes sense—you wouldn’t have made the final hiring cut without the technical skills and certifications needed for the position you were hired into, but if a new hire doesn’t work out, it’s typically due to
incompatible styles where the individual’s personality does not mesh with the culture. For example, an unwillingness to accept constructive criticism, to partner and support peers, or to hold oneself accountable for errors can be deal breakers in terms of building longevity at any particular organization.
Perhaps realizing this, many employers are prioritizing soft skills during hiring. Monster’s The Future of Work 2021: Global Hiring Outlook
reported that when employers were asked to name the top skills they want in employees, they cited soft skills such as dependability, teamwork/ collaboration, flexibility, and a healthy approach toward problem-solving.
In other words, while technical skills open doors of opportunity, soft skills provide career durability when it comes to forming interpersonal relationships and connections with peers and superiors and acquiring the skills, knowledge, and abilities to adapt and grow into your new role.
Becoming an engaged member of the team and contributor to team success comes primarily from making yourself a resource, a go-to person, to those around you so they can seek out your help.
The key people drivers of organizational success remain resiliency, accountability, innovation/ creativity, and the ability to reinvent oneself in light of an organization’s changing needs.
Look to develop and hone your reputation as a leader who cares, as someone engaged in strengthening and building your company and your coworkers, and as someone simply willing to help. Practice selfless leadership. Make of your life a gift, both at work and at home. You may just find that workplace karma can be a beautiful thing as others return the favor in following your example.
You can connect with Paul on LinkedIn at
www.linkedin.com/in/paulfalcone1
Paul Falcone (www.PaulFalconeHR.com) is a human resources executive and bestselling author on hiring, performance management, and leadership development.
