What are "Power Skills" or "Soft Skills?"
Skills for School, Family and Career Success
Power skills are the personal attributes you need to succeed in the workplace. Regardless of the job you're applying for, you need at least some power skills. The other type of skill set employers seek are hard skills directly relevant to the job they are hiring for. There is a difference between each type of skill, and how they prepare you for employment.
Hard skills often get more attention in job search advice, because they’re easier to acquire. That might sound strange, given that hard skills can include things like data analysis, project management, and very specific and highly technical coding and programming skills. How can something be “easy,” if it takes years to learn?
Top 7 Soft Skills Employers Want
Here are the top seven most important soft skills to have for both interviewing and in the workplace, from Indeed's Director of Recruiting, Mike Steinerd:
1. Acting as a team player – this means not only being cooperative, but also displaying strong leadership skills when necessary.
2. Flexibility – this is an extremely valuable asset to employees. Those who can adapt to any situation are dependable no matter what's thrown at them.
3. Effective communication – this is paramount to almost any job.
Communication involves articulating oneself well, being a good listener and using appropriate body language.
4. Problem-solving and resourcefulness – no matter what your profession, these skills are critical when unexpected issues inevitably arise.
5. Accepting feedback – not only accepting feedback gracefully, but also applying that feedback, fosters professional growth.
6. Confidence is key – that being said, it's also important to always have the knowledge and skills to support self-assurance. By being confident and capable, your supervisors, employees, and clients will believe in what you are saying.
7. Creative thinking – being able to come up with unique solutions or alternatives is invaluable; it drives innovation and increases efficiency.
Top Skills Employers Want
Review these lists of the most in-demand skills employers seek.
Why do we need Power Skills?