Today, academic knowledge and technical skills are no longer sufficient to enter and evolve in the labor market. Globalization, the acceleration of technological changes, and the permanent emergence of innovative activities and models imply the mastery of new skills, essentially relational, the “Soft Skills”. Analysis by Alexis Desouches
How can we define “Soft Skills”?
These are personal qualities oriented towards human interactions, corresponding more to a way of being (savoir-être) rather than know-how (savoir-faire). Complementary to traditional academic training (“Hard Skills”), “Soft Skills” operate at different levels: cognitive (concentration, resilience, perception and control of thoughts and emotions, stress management, self-confidence, curiosity, capacity for innovation and creativity), relational (leadership, team spirit, collaboration, benevolence, active listening, non-violent communication, collective emotional intelligence), operational (organization, time management, perspective, decision-making, public speaking, adaptability, knowing how to convince and undertake), and transversal (being able to work in multidisciplinary, multicultural teams).
These are skills linked to our personality, which we are often not even aware of, and which, once identified, can be stimulated, cultivated, and developed in remarkable proportions.
How is mastering these skills useful professionally?
“Soft Skills” are now key skills in the labor market, and more specifically in the digital universe, where companies expect their employees to be immediately operational and able to work in a team, in an efficient and agile manner. “Soft Skills” promote integration, professional evolution, and international mobility of employees. Recent studies (*) also confirm that the number one selection criterion for companies lies in the soft skills and personality of candidates, before their professional experience. This way of being also influences the salary level of young graduates according to these studies.
In what way can one develop and enhance their “Soft Skills”?
This first supposes that one is in a state of concentration, presence, attention, and sufficient openness to connect to the mental and physical resources that lie dormant in each of us, and which only ask to be trained, like a muscle. From this point of view, practices such as Mindfulness (Attentive Presence) or Positive Visualization (which consists of using one’s imagination to achieve goals) are particularly effective for identifying and developing “Soft Skills”. Undertaking, thinking differently, being curious, getting involved in community projects, defending causes close to our heart, by combining forces with others, by overcoming linguistic, cultural, and geographical barriers, are all opportunities to develop this type of skills. Regarding the enhancement of “Soft Skills”, I recommend getting into the habit, on your CV, of highlighting extra-professional activities or those parallel to studies, by making the link with the specific relational skills they have allowed the candidate to cultivate or discover. The idea is to decompartmentalize approaches in order to complete and give credibility to the educational and professional path of those involved.
In my opinion, the next revolution, which is already underway, will be neither industrial nor technological, but cognitive and behavioral. This makes learning Soft Skills particularly timely. It is urgent that these skills be systematically taught, starting from a very young age.
Alexis Desouches is a lawyer, mediator, and founder of the consulting firm KAMILEX, specialized in the development of innovative companies and their human capital, the teaching of Mindfulness (Attentive Presence) and “Soft-Skills”.
Studies cited:
http://www.cereq.fr/publications/Net.Doc/L-effet-des-soft-skills-sur-la-remuneration-des-diplomes
Interview conducted by BusinessOFéminin: http://bit.ly/29yiuSJ
