Have you got the skills you need to impress? Soft skills are in high demand these days. Check out these 15 top soft skills employers are looking for in 2022.
Both soft skills and hard skills matter when you’re looking for a job. This is important. Do you know the difference between the two?
Hard skills are the measurable skills you learn through education and training that are applicable to specific jobs. These can be anything from writing and researching to mathematics, welding, teaching, coding, bookkeeping, or operating a backhoe excavator.
Soft skills are the more esoteric skills connected to your personality and behaviour. Soft skills include interpersonal skills, communication skills, and self-governing skills. They can be learned but are also often innate. You can learn to be a good communicator and a people person, but it’s easier if these things come naturally. (Similarly, a lot of people are naturally good at their hard skills too. You can learn to be a programmer, engineer, or artist. But it’s easier if you have natural talent.) Soft skills can be difficult to quantify. We know them when we see them.
Soft skills are extremely important to the best employers. A good employer will often hire for soft skills over hard skills. They know that someone with all the right hard skills who isn’t willing to learn (willingness to learn is a soft skill) will always be unwilling to learn, while someone lacking some hard skills who is willing to learn will soon have all the right skills and still be willing to learn, meaning they probably will eventually outperform the other candidate. Soft skills will help you get ahead in your career and also in every aspect of your life.
A lot has changed in the employment and business landscape since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Many businesses shifted to remote workforces, and even as we (hopefully) navigate our way out of it, it looks like this model, or a hybrid model, will continue into the future.
This means that the skills employers want in job candidates have also changed.
Here are 14 soft skills employers are looking for in 2022
- Willingness to learn
- Adaptability
- Time management
- Dependability/reliability
- Communication skills
- Problem-solving
- Ability to take initiative/work independently
- Decision making
- Creativity
- Work ethic
- Listening
- Multitasking
- Collaboration
- Organizing
Let's look at each of these top soft skills independently.
Willingness to learn
If you are willing and eager to learn, you can expect to continue growing throughout your career and life. No matter how skilled or experienced you are, you can always learn something new. An unteachable employee will ultimately wear out their worth, particularly in these times when business operations are rapidly changing and people need to adapt quickly to new technologies and situations.
Adaptability
Adaptability is a cousin of willingness to learn. It’s always been a key requirement for employers but, now more than ever, the ability to adapt oneself to new and changing situations is imperative. We never know what the next disruption will be, and we have to be ready for anything. A resistance to change will not serve anyone well.
Time management
Time management means being as productive as possible in the time you have available to you. Now that many employers are making the shift towards remote or hybrid workforces, time management is more critical than ever. Because it's challenging to enforce the 40-hour workweek remotely, employers want to know that you can be productive, get your work done, optimize your own schedule, and use your time effectively.
Dependability/reliability
Dependability/reliability is high on every hiring manager's list of required soft skills in 2022. A manager needs to know that they can count on you to do what you say you’re going to do when you say you’re going to do it. They don’t want to have to micromanage (well, most don’t. Some love micromanaging, but these are not the best managers) or check in 10 times on each deliverable.
Communication skills
Communication skills have also moved up even higher from an already high place on the needs lists of hiring managers. As we are communicating less in person and more in writing – through emails, Slack, chat, text, social media, etc. - and on phone and video calls, our communication skills need to be better than ever. The ability to get your message across and understand what others are trying to communicate through multiple mediums is worth working on.
Problem solving
The ability to handle challenges and work your way through complex situations without crumbling or having to run to a manager is a valuable skill. When a manager knows that an employee can find solutions to problems on their own, they can breathe a sigh of relief and allow themselves to focus on solving their own problems.
Ability to take initiative/work independently
A team member’s abilities to take initiative and work independently make an employer’s life a lot easier. You’ll notice that many of the skills on this list are related to these specific skills. As previously noted, (most) managers don’t want to micromanage and have to hold your hand. They want workers that are autonomous, reliable, and trustworthy.
Decision making
Solving problems and working independently require decision making skills. Decision making skills require good judgment. Making good decisions means weighing the options and using the information available to you to choose one and go with it.
Creativity
Creativity is the ability to see things from different angles, use your imagination, generate ideas and solutions, and make them a reality. Innovation requires creativity and business success requires innovation. Creative skills are in demand as they contribute to increased success, economic or otherwise, for businesses.
Work ethic
The drive to do one's job -- and to go above and beyond to do even more than one's job -- is a rare and attractive quality. Employers value people who are willing to put in something extra to take things up a notch. It’s especially valuable these days to know that an employee cares about doing a good job because it’s part of who they are as a person and isn’t just doing a job because they have to if they want a paycheque.
Listening
Dale Carnegie, author of the famous book “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” once wrote that “A person's name is to that person, the sweetest, most important sound in any language.” And it’s often said of well-loved and famous people that they always remembered people’s names. Remembering people’s names demonstrates this incredibly valuable soft skill. They remember names because they listen. The ability to listen (a subskill of communication) is an excellent soft skill that will take you far.
Multitasking
There’s a trend towards pooh-poohing multitasking lately and claiming it’s not a valuable skill, but these people are just talking for the sake of talking. While multitasking may not always be the best way to approach things, the ability to do it is essential. A desirable job candidate can be in a Zoom meeting, answer emails, and complete another task all at the same time if they have to. Bonus points if nobody knows you’re doing it.
Collaboration
The quality of being a team player is a must-have in an employee for most jobs. The most successful companies and employees are collaborative, not only within teams but across departments. An employee who has a hard time working with others, can’t take feedback, and/or is a control freak will be a hindrance rather than an asset. Hiring managers know this and will be on the lookout for it.
Organizing
An employee who is good at prioritizing tasks, keeping track of projects and deadlines, maintaining contacts, and knowing who is responsible for what, is gold. Good organizational skills will help with any job at any level.
Again, many of these soft skills are innate, but they can also be learned. We would all do well to keep them sharp to stay desirable on the job market and to advance our careers.
