SOFT SKILLS VS HARD SKILLS, WHY SOFT SKILLS ARE THE FUTURE OF YOUR BUSINESS

Lately we keep hearing the words Soft Skills… But why have they become so popular? How important are they for my company or my employees?

First we have to take into account that they are usually accompanied by Hard Skills, which are all those traditional skills that we have been studying and acquiring over the years: languages, programming, marketing, etc… On the other hand, Soft Skills are the social skills that allow us to relate to others correctly and to be able to express ourselves as we wish without misunderstandings.

Clearly, a company has always prioritized the Hard Skills when hiring the most qualified worker for the job. However, in recent years there has been a clear transformation in the guidelines to be taken into account when considering a candidate. This is due to the fact that it has been proven that, if the worker does not know how to work in a team or cannot communicate their ideas correctly, the work they can do is of no use, as they will not be able to develop in the company.

You have already seen that Soft Skills really are the key to transform 100% the companies of the future… Do you want to discover how to make the most of them? Keep reading our post and we will tell you all about it!

Soft Skills and Human Resources: how to promote them in your company?

Although most people are aware of the importance of Soft Skills in the business world, the Human Resources department is one of the departments that takes these skills into account the most. This is because they are in charge of both recruiting new staff and ensuring a good working environment. Therefore, they have to be 100% aware of the most relevant Soft Skills in your company and make sure that your employees put them into practice.

In order to determine the Soft Skills that are present in your company there are different techniques, for example: personality testing your employees, having conversations with them to see their communication skills, testing them with a new task… Only by getting to know each and every employee you can observe the dynamics of the company and the working environment.

Also, keep in mind that there are certain “red flags” to watch out for in an employee: never asking for help, inconsistencies, not doing the job, or values that are not in line with those of the company. If you detect any of these signs, you will have to work extra on this worker’s Soft Skills.

Key elements to understand Soft Skills and how to train your employees

One of the main things to take into account when training your employees in Soft Skills is to determine which are the soft skills of each of them and the social deficiencies they may have. It is understandable that this can sometimes be complicated, which is why at Classgap for Enterprise we have a totally free audit service where our training professionals determine your employees’ deficiencies and will design a tailor-made training for your company.

Likewise, the methodology in which an employee is trained is very important, as it depends on this that they internalize the concepts and can apply them to their job. That is why at Classgap for Enterprise we have developed a completely new learning methodology where, through the online format, student and teacher can communicate directly as if it were a face-to-face class. This is thanks to our Virtual Classroom, a space fully adapted to the training courses that are taught where all the necessary materials will be available both to teach and to attend class.

In addition, you have to take into account that in order to train your employees correctly in Soft Skills you have to choose a training that adapts 100% to the needs of both the company and the employee.

Can Soft Skills be trained? 3 tricks to stand out from your competition

Sometimes we can confuse Soft Skills with innate abilities that cannot be obtained in any other way… but let me tell you that this is totally false. It is true that Soft Skills are closely linked to the character and behavior of each individual, but in the same way as a language or an artistic skill, they can be worked on and trained without any problems. Can’t we be very bad at drawing but with practice we can make very good portraits? Well, the same goes for Soft Skills!

What are the soft skills most in demand for workers in 2021?

This year has a great advantage and an important difficulty: first, we have the experience of the previous year; on the other hand, many companies are suffering from a great attrition and we do not know when all the uncertainty will end. Due to these two factors, in 2021 very specific Soft Skills are required from employees in order to face the current situation in the best possible way.

Therefore, the most demanded Soft Skills of 2021 are:

• Resilience: This soft skill is more important than ever, as we are living in an environment of constant crisis in which we have to know how to keep calm and be strong against adversity.
• Leadership: Today more than ever our teams need a good leader to guide them through all the uncertainty that every company is experiencing.
• Oratory: With all the digital advances (or barriers), it is essential to be able to communicate correctly and express your ideas to your team.
• Coaching: Our employees can experience a lot of doubts and lack of confidence due to the current situation. Coaching is essential to keep your team together.

Essential Soft Skills to manage happy teams

Every company wants its employees to work efficiently but, above all, they want them to be happy and feel fulfilled in their job. You know what they say, a happy employee is a productive employee.

This year, due to the current situation, many companies have had problems with talent retention and employee morale. This is precisely where the Soft Skills come into play, as by working on them to the maximum and applying them correctly to our job, we will get each department, and the company, to work like a well-oiled machine. Also, as this training works on the human side of each one of us, our employees will appreciate the fact that we want to focus on making them feel more comfortable and confident in their jobs and that we do not treat them as just another element of the company. Therefore, Soft Skills training benefits both managers in terms of knowing how to manage this situation correctly and employees in terms of their mental and occupational well-being.

One of the fundamental Soft Skills that every employee should have and work on is assertiveness. This is fundamental, as we all know that misunderstandings often occur in every department, but if assertiveness is applied we can communicate our doubts and solve problems in the best possible way from the point of view of respect.

Likewise, this is an excellent quality for negotiations, as we can empathize more with the client and achieve benefits for both parties.

You have already seen that Soft Skills are the abilities of the future in every company and that they directly affect all departments as well as the correct business development. So what are you waiting for, contact us today and start training your employees in Soft Skills!