The importance of soft skills in your career

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Turn your phone, digital media and Internet connectivity into allies that help you become an effective communicator.

Communication is undoubtedly a vital skill for every student to learn and be competent in. Over the last decade, there has been better awareness and appreciation of the inherent value of ‘soft skills’ in both academia and the workplace. This means there’s never a better time to sharpen the ways we communicate our ideas.

Innovations in online media, how education is delivered, and the ways in which people collaborate in the workplace present an opportunity to be media savvy. Due to the rise of digital media platforms, everyone is now a marketer of their own ideas and of their career.

Also, steep competition in the global/connected economy makes sharp communication skills a must-have in our toolboxes.

Writing

The main benefit of using digital platforms for processing written ideas is the improvement of your learning. For example, starting a blog site can be a helpful tool in sharpening your writing skills, literacy, and thinking/idea creation. Creating your own platform will be beneficial in building an online portfolio that will allow you to keep track of your progress and build self-awareness at the back of that.

The benefits of blogging / writing regularly:

• It encourages independent learning and the development of different thinking habits.
• It helps you take greater control of your thought process around the information and ideas you consume.
• It inspires you to be a better reader, thinker and writer.
• It supports the use of the Internet to further learn, collaborate with the world and test out information and hypotheses.
• And due to the format being similar to that of a personal diary, blogs encourage informal expression and creativity.

Verbal communication

The necessity of increased video calls in your professional life presents an opportunity to learn the art of talking to people effectively. Throughout your education and career, the level of your presentation skills will often be the difference between getting your ideas to go further, create impact or not. Because of this, it might be helpful to make it a daily or weekly habit to record yourself with your phone or laptop presenting your ideas.

Over a period of a month, you will have footage that will offer a clearer indication of practical ways to improve.

The benefits of presenting information regularly:

• The development of communication skills that will help in acing job interviews.
• Effective public speaking skills help with career progression. A strong ability to present ideas shows confidence, creativity, critical thinking, and reasoning.
• Learning to speak up in class or meetings, and promoting your ideas, whilst presenting yourself as a valuable professional.
• Delivering presentations around your work is a good opportunity to meet new people and attract growth opportunities.

Another thing to consider: the university or college’s responsibility to equip alumnae to successfully work in different industries doesn’t only translate through academic success. It’s equally important to hone the personal attributes that will enable you to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people and work in a global job market.