Soft Skills at Work: Stand Out and Make More Money

Think of the best boss you’ve ever had. What made them great? They were probably really good at their job, or what we would call hard skills. However, it’s likely they also excelled at people skills, also known as soft skills. 

Soft skills are about HOW you impact others as you do your work.  

Every day at work, you interact with many people in many roles: 

  • co-workers and teammates
  • managers and future managers 
  • those who work for you
  • customers and clients

Soft skills can help you stand out, leading to greater responsibility, connections, promotions, and increased compensation for the good work you do.

Indeed.com notes, “Soft skills are personality traits and behaviors that will help candidates get hired and succeed in their work. Unlike technical skills or “hard” skills, soft skills are interpersonal and behavioral skills that help you work well with other people and develop your career.”  

Here are four key soft skill areas that employers value and some actions/attitudes that demonstrate these skills, according to the United States Department of Labor.

  • Professionalism or work ethic: Dress appropriately for the workplace, arrive on time, and stay on task during work hours. Avoid being on a cell phone or computer for personal (non-business) items while you’re working.
  • Communication Skills: Keep emails and written communication professional but personable. When you raise a problem or criticism, suggest a solution and keep a positive attitude. Listening is also an important communication skill that most of us need to practice. 
  • Teamwork and collaboration skills: Understand the team’s goal and your role on the team. Recognize and respect the roles of various members of the team. One way to work together is to realize the strengths you and the other team members bring to the team and encourage each other. Conflict in teams is often inevitable, but do your best to avoid starting or adding to an unnecessary conflict. 
  • Critical thinking or problem-solving skills: Employers value employees who use their experience, knowledge, and data to improve workplace processes and the customer’s experience. Put the soft skills of communication and professionalism to use in sharing your ideas with leadership.  

One final tip when working with others is to practice perspective-taking.

Perspective-taking is very similar to the sage advice to “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.” When a workplace concern or challenge comes up, try to take the perspective of the other members of the team. This will help you to approach the problem from multiple angles, with some sensitivity to another person’s perspective. It could reveal a solution or a compromise to benefit those involved.   

Soft skills are about being the kind of person that others can rely on, problem-solve with, and enjoy being around. In addition to work-based hard skills, develop soft skills, and one day you’ll be someone’s best boss ever.