While the business world and more broadly has been going through profound changes in recent years, work and recruitment methods are evolving in parallel. Today, it is no longer just about having external skills and technical know-how, but also about having so-called soft skills. We then speak of soft skills.
Understand what soft skills in business include
Soft skills now appear as essential assets to adapt to the changes that the company is going through. Knowing how to manage stress, having the ability to transmit knowledge, having a critical mind, being enthusiastic, these are all skills that are both opposed and complementary to so-called technical skills.
Highly sought after, these emotional and social qualities make it possible to meet a significant challenge, namely that of the accelerated evolution of professions. Indeed, in business, digitalization and the arrival of artificial intelligence are shaking up the business world. Now, many routine tasks are automated, employees then focus on more complex tasks that require concentration to solve a specific problem. Technical skills are no longer enough, so the ability to innovate, create and work in a group are all tools that can make the difference.
Other soft skills also appear to be necessary to understand and move forward at the same time as the evolution of jobs and business needs: autonomy, rigour, communication, commitment, dynamism, team spirit, self-confidence, decision-making are all positive points that will become assets for the employees (in their recruitment) and for the company (which will gain in productivity).
Investing in soft skills in business
Investing in soft skills will become an essential step for companies if they want to develop their productivity, gain notoriety and succeed in all the challenges that will come their way. Concretely, the choice of soft skills will make it possible to deal with several essential points.
Adapt to robotization
With the automation of tasks and the sensational arrival of robotization, the place of the human being is called into question within the company. It is estimated that nearly 42% of current occupations will disappear by 2040.
To facilitate this transition, soft skills provide an interesting alternative since the human being will put his emotional intelligence at the service of the company and bet on skills that robots lack (anticipation, decision-making, intuition).
Unlike robotization, soft skills do not experience obsolescence. Where technical skills must constantly be corrected as needed, soft skills remain useful and lasting skills that are always essential to the smooth running of a project.
Dealing with Cultural Barriers
Professional markets are becoming more and more international, and as a result, the business world is changing culturally. Knowing how to work with people who speak another language and think differently enriches both the individual and the business project. With soft skills, the company overcomes cultural obstacles and promotes international collaboration. By showing themselves to be optimistic, enthusiastic, empathetic, communicative, the various actors of the company will work together towards a common objective.
Thanks to soft skills, the company will be able to meet the expectations of all current consumers. She will be able to demonstrate a responsible and responsive aspect that is highly appreciated by customers. In the current context, there is a real awareness of human action on our environment. Customers and consumers therefore expect the business world to respond to this urgency and offer sustainable solutions. Soft skills such as empathy, a sense of ethics and having positive values help to establish a climate of trust that will rebound on the relationship with customers.
A more refined recruitment
It would seem that nearly 52% of managers and HR managers now attach more importance to soft skills than to hard skills.
With a very competitive job market, it is not always easy to make a difference when applying for a job. For the company, the question of recruitment is at the heart of concerns: with equal technical skills, how to choose the "right" employee? This is where soft skills make it stand out.
An employer will have everything to gain by hiring someone who is a good listener, who knows how to be pleasant and empathetic, and who knows how to manage a conflict situation in order to provide a service that is differentiated by its quality. A candidate trained in the implementation of soft skills in business will help to reflect a positive image of the company and thus guarantee better competitiveness.
The most in-demand soft skills in business
According to a recent report from Monster.fr, nearly 29% of recruiters are looking for profiles that show a certain agility and great adaptability. Team spirit is also highly appreciated by nearly 15% of them, followed by a sense of rigor and organization (for 13%).
Other soft skills are also interesting for companies. We think in particular of:
The sense of creativity: knowing how to get out of the box, showing ingenuity and innovation makes it possible to find original solutions which are all differentiating factors in the organization of the company in the face of competition.
Critical thinking: faced with an accumulation of diverse and continuous data, knowing how to group information, sort and then organize it in order to produce coherent reasoning proves to be a decisive asset.
The ability to collaborate: a competitive company needs to take advantage of collective intelligence. Today, no company worthy of the name can carry out a project alone, especially when the question of " transversality of projects " is mentioned. Knowing how to find your place in the company and thus create added value makes it possible to enrich the experience and achieve a goal more serenely.
The ability to communicate: to face all the problems of a company - problems of various nature - it is crucial to know how to ask questions and know how to receive opinions.
A curious mind: finally, a last very appreciated soft skill is this ability to be curious, and especially to want to learn. This predisposition brings a positive and dynamic aspect to any project and pushes the company to always move forward.
As we can see, in a constantly changing fashion, it is essential to differentiate oneself, to have an atypical profile, at least unique. Working methods are changing, it is up to everyone - company and employees - to keep human value at the center.
