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SOFT SKILLS

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS & PERSONAL QUALITIES FOR CAREER SUCCESS

When we think about the skills that are needed a strong work ethic is another important personal
for a career, we often focus on the hard skills—the quality that people demonstrate by showing up on
technical skills needed to use tools, equipment, and time, working hard, managing their time well, and
technology; the physical abilities that are required; taking initiative.
and the skills to manage the resources and systems You can think about other soft skills as belonging
of a work setting. However, there is now a growing to the “Six Cs”:
emphasis on soft skills—commonly called people skills—
the social skills, communication skills, and personal Conscientious—being responsible and reliable,
qualities that enable us to work well with others and be someone people can count on;
successful in the 21st-century workplace. Courteous—being polite and respectful of others;

Employers often consider soft skills to be more Collaborative and Cooperative—working well as
important than hard skills when they are hiring or part of a team, and supporting and helping others;
promoting people, and many research studies indicate Creative—being able to think of innovative
that a person’s success in a job and long-term success solutions to problems and ways to improve things,
in a career depend more on soft skills than technical and using one’s imagination to brainstorm new
skills. At a time when many workplaces are becoming ideas;
more automated and more technical tasks are being Committed—identifying with the mission of
done by computers and robots, the abilities to work the workplace or job, and wanting to make the
well on a team, to have good social skills, and to offer best effort possible for co-workers, clients, and
a positive and enthusiastic attitude are increasing in customers;
importance. Communicative—being a good listener, an effective
speaker, and a skilled writer.
Many of these soft skills relate to the personal
qualities and work styles you explored on pages 8 A final soft skill that combines many of the
and 9. They are about the person you are as much as others is leadership. Personal qualities of a leader
the things you do. Good interpersonal skills include include having a positive attitude, self-confidence,
being friendly, patient, understanding, and honest. and flexibility. Some of the defining skills of a strong
Having a positive attitude is also important and leader include being able to communicate effectively,
includes being enthusiastic, being confident about motivate people to do their best work, organize and
yourself, and encouraging others. Being flexible and support teams, think creatively, solve problems, and
adaptable to changing situations is essential. Having make decisions.

Writing And Sharing
Write about one or both of these topics Then share with the class
1. Think about people you know and the “Six Cs”. Who is the most conscientious person you know?
the most courteous? the most collaborative? the most creative? the most committed? the most
communicative? Write an essay about these people and give examples to describe how they
demonstrate these soft skills.
2. In your opinion, who is a strong leader? Write about a person you know, a person in the news, or
someone else who demonstrates strong leadership skills.

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