We often focus on hard skills, specific job skills that we execute on a daily basis. They’re easy to talk about. Hard skills, such as bookkeeping, are measurable and concrete. You can understand them, but there is far more to your professional skill set than these. Soft skills, the skills that have more to do with interpersonal interactions and character traits, are just as valuable. The problem is that there are so many, it’s hard to determine which ones to develop. So here is our list of the five best soft skills to develop.

The List

1. Communication

Whether verbal or written, communication is vital in almost every single aspect of life. This is the primary skill of sales professionals, but everyone in any department should also cultivate it. Managers need these skills to effectively convey expectations and requirements, for example. No matter who you are, or where you are now, developing your communication skills is the single best soft skill investment you can make.

2. Adaptability

How do you handle change? Do you embrace it and roll with it? Or do you find your world and your work upended? The reality of things is that the world is constantly changing, whether we’re talking business, culture, or any other aspect of our lives. Developing your adaptability will help you better weather any storm and, in fact, grow from change rather than be hindered and destroyed by it.

3. Teamwork

Very few of us will ever work truly alone. Even the solo business owner will find themselves engaged in projects with others from time to time. We all need to be experts at interacting with and operating within, groups. Our ability to come together with a team and make things move is one of the ways in which we either succeed or fail in our work. This is a vital skill in the modern workplace.

4. Problem-Solving

Law enforcement, Information Technology, Medical, in fact almost every career field you can think of involves solving problems through both creative and analytical means. Your progress in these fields, from starting out to transitioning to management and leadership, often hinges on your capabilities as an effective problem-solver. If you want to work in the dynamic environments of today, you need to learn to solve problems.

5. Time Management

How much can you get done in a single day? It’s probably a whole lot more than you think. For most people, time management is the single biggest problem they deal with. For all of us, it’s a lifelong process of developing and improving. Learning how to manage and control your schedule and your time will make you more effective. It will also help you achieve everything you wanted to when the timing is right.

How Charles Foster Can Help YOU

If you are an employer looking to fill positions in your company, an employee looking to switch jobs, or someone looking for a brand-new role, please feel free to reach out to us. Our highly skilled team has placed thousands of qualified candidates with excellent jobs over the last 50 years. From finding the right one to being the right one – Charles Foster is here to help.