How To Detect Soft Skills In Yourself

While hard skills are demanded differently depending on features of vacancies and can be learned by time, soft skills are personal attributes that can be stretched in different dimensions and environments, which facilitate your working process as well as its outcomes.

Although soft skills seem hard to showcase on documents (for instance, your curriculum vitae, portfolios or application letter) and in recruitment process, detecting what soft skills are your strengths and how you have shown them in work- and real-life situations can make your showcase further easier.

Soft Skills Are Essential

Hire character. Train skill.

- Peter Schutz, Porsche

92% of talent professionals and hiring managers say that soft skills are as important as hard skills. It is because most things can be taught with time, but none of career training can offer characters whilst positions always need corporate perspectives, attitudes and behaviours. That explains why candidates should get aware of their soft skills and know how to apply them in working place.

I think it’s time we stop calling them soft skills, because there’s nothing soft about getting fired from your job, or never getting hired in the first place.

- Trevor Muir

Especially with young graduates who are looking for working opportunities, as hard as you develop your hard skills, you should get aware of your soft skills and strengthen them, respectively. Thus, if you are still concerned of how to detect soft skills in yourself, this article is for you.

3 Simple Ways To Detect Soft Skills In Yourself

Here are top 5 soft skills employers seek, let examine if you can find them in yourself:

• Curiosity
• Problem solving
• Teamwork
• Interpersonal Skills
• Resilience

Step 1: Paper, pen and a clear mind

Now, as you may think this process is time-consuming, you need to commit to the process of assessing your soft skills before entering any further.

1. Prepare paper, pen and maybe a drink that could serve you during this process in order to minimise break time.

2. Find your own space and sit down where you are the most comfortable without distractions.

3. Read article Top 5 Soft Skills Employers Seek. Ensure that you get acquaintance of skill definition and its descriptions.

4. With a clear mind, pick firstly one soft skill that appear immediately in your mind from the list of soft skills above.

5. List situations that you have shown it in your study, hobby, habit or any activity. Remember to use What - Where - When - Why - How questions.

To add more positive effect of this method, you are encouraged to use contrast method in addition.

6. Think of listed situations. What had been their outcomes if you would not have used this skill?

7. Note every detail down on paper. Repeat the process with other skills.

Do not get upset if you feel lack of all of them, which may bring you bad experience. You are in your developing progress and you are able to change how to approach life and work more efficiently.

Step 2: Ask your family, friends and others to join you

Since you may have no idea of what skills you are having and have gained yourself, do not hesitate to ask your family, friends, teammates, colleagues or anyone who you can trust and had joined you in some activities. Remember to listen actively to others and note them down for further development.

1. Prepare paper, pen, and a comfortable atmosphere for a talking.

2. From the given list of soft skills, ask others What - Where - When - Why - How you showcased those skills.

3. From the experience of interacting with you, ask others what characteristics that pop up in their mind immediately when they think of you.

4. Ask others what weaknesses they think you should improve.

5. Note all them down.

Step 3: Get assistance from life coach or psychologist

If you feel like you are unable to do it all by yourself, get some assistance from life coach or psychologist. A coach can help you develop certain soft skills quickly and effectively because they tailor the learning and practicing process toward you. You just need to make sure you commit to the process and are comfortable to be honest with your trainer about your learning process.

Seeking for job is a time-consuming and tiring process at some point. Yet, within your effort to improve yourself, there is always opportunity for you.