When a company is hiring a new employee, they do a number of things to evaluate the candidates’ suitability. They review resumes, they interview, they test. Almost all of these are designed to evaluate hard skills. The person’s technical ability to do the job. As a candidate for a new job, that’s almost always what gets you in the door: how well you can do the work you do.
Those technical skills, however, aren’t usually the skills that allow you to advance and progress in your career. The skills that will do that are soft skills – the less technical attributes that lead employees to be valued highly by their employers, and rewarded accordingly with opportunities to move ahead.
One clarification off the top: advancement doesn’t necessarily mean ‘ladder climbing’. Not all forms of progression are measured by more senior titles and greater numbers of direct reports. It can mean management, of course. But it can also mean more complex and interesting projects, and opportunities to take on new kinds of work.
Whatever advancement means to you, there are three types of soft skills that can be the most important in determining how far an individual will progress in their career. They’re words that are almost ubiquitous on resumes, but let’s take a closer look to see what each of them really means, and why they’re factors in one’s career progression.
● Teamwork
Leadership is a highly-touted intangible skill, but leadership can take many forms, and many of them aren’t positional in nature. On a truly effective team, everyone has an important role to play. And in many instances, the most important tasks aren’t performed by the person holding the most senior title. If ‘teamwork’ is – arguably – a more universally applicable and valuable skill set that can help you advance in your career, here’s why.
What it looks like
There are two fundamental aspects to being a good teammate. The first hearkens back to childhood: plays well with others. A good teammate is an individual who has good working relationships with the people around them, who is collegial and friendly, and whom people trust and enjoy being around. The other aspect of being a good teammate is taking an equal share of the work. Being willing to pitch in when you’re needed.
Why it matters
Quite simply, people enjoy working with good teammates, so they look for opportunities to do more of that. People who show themselves to be good team players are remembered. They get selected for projects and initiatives. They’re also the ones more likely to be promoted, since the same attributes that make for a good teammate also make for a good team leader.
● Creativity and Innovation
Not everyone is cut out to be the next Steve Jobs or Thomas Edison, true. But everyone has the potential for creative thought if they choose to foster it. Innovations don’t have to be the next ‘big thing’, either – it’s often the cumulative effect of small improvements that makes the biggest difference.
What it looks like
Creativity and innovation are really more of a mindset than a capability. They flow from thinking beyond how things are today, and asking what could be better. Looking for opportunities to improve the world – in the largest sense, or just the world immediately around you. Improvements can be found anywhere: products and services, and the processes a company has in place to make and deliver them.
Why it matters
Good ideas get noticed, and they (often) get implemented. The people who had those ideas are remembered as contributors, as people who went above and beyond, people who did more than just what was required. Those are the people who come to mind when company leaders are thinking about people to put on exciting new projects … and to promote into more senior or challenging roles.
● Communication
Most people don’t relish the thought of public speaking (in fact, some people are terrified of doing it). And that’s fine; you don’t need to be a master orator to succeed. But to move ahead in your career, the ability to communicate your ideas is critical.
What it looks like
First, let’s get one thing clear: good communication skills are not about being the ‘loudest voice in the room’. On the contrary, some of the most respected voices are those that are only heard when they have a truly valuable contribution to make. Good communication in business is having clarity of thought, and the ability to help others understand those thoughts with reasoning and rationale. When done well, communication is the ability to influence the ideas and thoughts of other people with your own.
Why it matters
There are two reasons. First, a person might have the best ideas in the world, but unless they’re able to articulate them, they’re just stuck there in their head with no way to get out. To realise your creativity and your ideas, you must first be able to communicate in such a way that others understand them. Secondly, communication is a fundamental prerequisite to building relationships, and relationships are the way things get done in business. The people selected to be at the forefront – whether that means leading teams or leading projects – are the ones who can articulate clear ideas, build strong working relationships with others, and influence those around them in a constructive way.
Getting Ahead …
You’ve likely spent a great deal of time and effort honing and refining your technical skills. Whatever work you do, you’ve invested in raising your skill level. And it’s paid off; it’s gotten you where you are. Teamwork, creativity, and communication are three critical soft skills that – with similar investment – will help take you where you want to go.