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Work on your soft skills from Day 1 of college- 2-Aug-2010
Recently, a research firm conducted a survey on soft skills for training company Indian School of Integrated Learning (ISIL). College students pursuing graduation as well as non-degree programmes at technical institutes (ITI) and computer training institutes in the three metros Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai, were quizzed.
According to the results, about 15% of the students had joined additional courses outside of their college programme. Among this, a sizeable number was learning computer basics (39%), programming (27%) and accounting packages (13%).
Not many opted for soft skills training (21%) (just 3% of the total sample size). However, students from all cities felt that soft skills such as communication, presentation, decision-making, motivation and a good attitude could enhance their chances of bagging a good job.
Melissa, a corporate trainer with ISIL, describes these skills as behavioural skills, because they do not require you to alter your personality but the manner in which you act and react in challenging situations at the workplace, such as a job interview, a meeting, an appraisal, an official get-together and other work-related scenarios.
For instance, job interviews can prove to be overwhelming experiences. Being confident doesn't mean to be hostile and arrogant. Polite yet not submissive. You have 45 minutes to demonstrate your domain knowledge/skills in your field and make a good impression. She says, "You never get a second chance to make a good first impression."
Say you make it to the shortlist and the only barrier standing between you and this job is another candidate who is as proficient as you in your chosen domain. The company must make a choice, and one factor that could give the winning candidate an edge is his or her soft skills - deceptively simple things such as being able to handle international clients with ease, being receptive to negative feedback and having a pleasant disposition.
These attributes play an important role in making you more appealing to employers. In a competitive scenario they can even tilt the odds in your favour doing hiring, and throughout your career.
Effective communication: Choosing the right medium to communicate with clients, bosses and colleagues (verbal or written; e-mail or chat; telephone or a personal meeting); having effective conversations; understanding how to build a rapport with bosses, colleagues and clients for results with more impact.
Presentation skills: We often limit the scope of this one to understanding how to use a PPT. Far from it! Its about presenting yourself before selling your product, using your personality at every meeting or conversation, says Dsouza.
Attitude/ Personality: Not giving up, determination, being positive, learning from mistakes, being open to diverse ideas, being responsible, being accountable these traits contribute towards a "good" attitude.
Decision-making: This one is a core skill for anyone who aspires to be a manager (or even the CEO!) someday. It encompasses things such as time-management, being able to prioritise, making decisions based on facts and intuition.
Motivation skills: Where do you get your motivation from? Are you a self-starter or do you need someone to set targets and deadlines for you constantly?
Courtesy: careers360
