All (222)
Communication (60)
Social Skills (33)
Mindset (26)
Character Traits (60)
Work Skills (26)
Creative Skills (18)
Accountability | Achieving Buy-in |
Adaptability | Adapting Communication Style |
Addressing Counterarguments | Agent of Change |
Ambitious | Analytical |
Articulation | Assertiveness |
Attention to Detail | Avoiding Assumptions |
Body Language | Brand Building |
Building Agreements | Building Consensus |
Building Customer Relationships | Building Rapport |
Business Acumen | Calm Under Pressure |
Candid | Capable |
Challenging Assumptions | Change Management |
Charismatic | Coaching |
Collaborative Mindset | Commercial Art |
Commercial Awareness | Communication Clarity |
Compassion | Competent |
Concept Development | Concise Writing |
Confident | Conflict Resolution |
Conscientious | Consensus Building |
Consistency | Constructive |
Constructive Feedback | Cooperation |
Copywriting | Corporate Communications |
Courageous | Crafting Messages |
Crafting Narratives | Craftsmanship |
Creative Intuition | Creative Risk-Taking |
Creative Thinking | Creative Vision |
Critical Thinking | Cross-functional Collaboration |
Curious | Customer Advocacy |
Customer Service Orientation | Data Interpretation |
Decision Making | Decisive |
Demonstrating Courtesy | Dependable |
Design Sense | Design Thinking |
Diligence | Diplomacy |
Direct | Discerning |
Disciplined | Divergent Thinking |
Editing & Proofreading | Email Etiquette |
Empathy | Empathy Toward Customer Concerns |
Encouraging Feedback | Energetic |
Engaging An Audience | Enthusiastic |
Entrepreneurial Mindset | Establishing Common Ground |
Establishing Credibility | Ethical Judgment |
Executive Communication | Explaining Complex Concepts |
Eye Contact | Facilitation |
Fine Art Talents | Flexible |
Focused | Following Up With Customers |
Framing Arguments | Friendly |
Gestures | Giving Presentations |
Goal-oriented | Grammar & Punctuation |
Growth Mindset | Handling Complaints |
Handling Criticism | Handling Objections |
Handling Questions | Handling Sensitive Topics |
Hardworking | Helpful |
Humility | Identifying Win-Win Solutions |
Illustration | Imaginative |
Improvisation | Independent |
Influential | Insightful |
Inspiring Action | Integrity |
Intuitive | Issue Clearing |
Iterative Thinking | Knowledgeable |
Language Proficiency | Leading By Example |
Leading Teams | Learning Agility |
Learning From Failure | Lifelong Learning |
Listening | Logical |
Maintaining Confidentiality | Managing Commitments |
Managing Stress | Marketing Communications |
Media Skills | Meeting Deadlines |
Meeting Management | Meeting Minutes |
Mentorship | Motivated |
Multitasking | Navigating Ambiguity |
Navigating Language Barriers | Negotiation |
Networking | Non-Verbal Communication |
Objective | Open |
Organizational Awareness | Organizing |
Outgoing | Ownership Mindset |
Passionate | Patient |
Perceptive | Personal Presence |
Personal Resilience | Personalizing Service |
Persuasion | Phone Skills |
Pitching Creative Ideas | Planning |
Polished | Polite |
Positive Attitude | Posture |
Practical | Prioritizing |
Proactive | Problem-solving |
Professional | Providing Guidance and Direction |
Public Speaking | Punctual |
Receptive | Recognizing Emotional Cues |
Reflective | Relationship Management |
Reliable | Report Writing |
Resilient | Resourceful |
Respectful Communication | Respecting Different Viewpoints |
Respecting Others People's Time | Sales Communications |
Scheduling | Second Languages |
Seeking Clarification | Self-awareness |
Service Mindset | Sharing Knowledge |
Sharing Responsibilities | Simplifying Complex Information |
Sincere | Small Talk |
Sociable | Stage Presence |
Stakeholder Management | Storytelling Techniques |
Strong Work-Ethic | Summarizing Key Points |
Supporting Colleagues | Tactful |
Tailoring Messages | Taking Initiative |
Taking Responsiblity | Team Collaboration |
Team-oriented | Technical Writing |
Time Management | Timely Communication |
Tone | Trend Awareness |
Troubleshooting | Understanding Audience Needs |
Understanding Cultural Nuances | Using Emotion |
Using Humor | Using Visual Aids |
Versatile | Visual Communication |
Visual Thinking | Willingness to Learn |
Writing Proposals | Writing Specifications |
Soft Skills vs Hard Skills
As a rule of thumb, anything that you can learn directly from a book is a hard skill. This is a misnomer as these skills are actually not as hard to acquire as a soft skill. For example, you could learn about a cloud technology from a book and pass a certification exam for that technology without having much work experience with the technology whatsoever.A soft skill is something that can't be completely learned from a book. Books may help a great deal but the skill is primarily learned with direct experience. For example, playing basketball, leading teams or public speaking. Soft skills are difficult to evaluate on a standard test. For example, you might pass a paper drivers test but still be a terrible driver.More extensive tests such as a video game type simulation may be able to evaluate some types of soft skill. However, the theme here is that soft skills run very deep and can involve elusive things such as charisma or design sense.The Problem With Soft Skills
Soft skills are super valuable but are difficult to prove. This presents a problem for both employers and job seekers. Let's say you're the most creative designer ever and you put this on your resume, this is easy to do and your competition has probably done the same. Employers have no easy way to confirm who is actually the most creative candidate. The solution here is deep engagement whereby candidates are asked to solve problems or express themselves in an interview.The Problem With Hard Skills
Hard skills allow you to prove that you know something. Employers love this and this is the reason that degrees, diplomas and certifications are so important to many jobs. The problem with hard skills is that employers begin to view employees as interchangeable because they view them as having a standard skillset. This leads to the commodification of labor where it is difficult to demand a higher salary or better working conditions because employers begin to view employees as replaceable. In this context, soft skills are the primary way that employees establish their unique value to an organization. Firms know that product designers with a knack for creating billion dollar products can't be found with a standardized test and that if you do hire such a person it is important to retain them. Likewise, everyday skills such as customer service abilities differ greatly from person to person such that this is a true talent that is quite valuable to the right employer.Summary
Soft skills are abilities that are acquired with direct experience such that they are difficult to master.
