Increasingly, employers are seeking individuals who hold something a little more than the ability to complete a set of given tasks. As the economic climate remains uncertain, businesses want to ensure they attract the best talent and, more importantly than ever, to ensure that that talent is retained. They seek candidates with a diverse and flexible set of attributes, they want people who form the team not just join it, people who can work flexibly and people who are masters of networking who can present themselves publicly and represent the business with pride. Consequently, employers are not only critiquing your technical skills but are ever assessing your ‘soft skills’ and in an ever crowded graduate marketplace competition for work experience, internships or placements has never been greater. There is no set definition for soft skills, but this isn’t just about being a ‘good team worker who communicates effectively’ or simply being a ‘reliable hardworking undergraduate’, employers want to see you present your optimum skills and shine through the crowd:

·         Self-management – Do you know what angers, motivates and inspires you? Are you able to control your emotions and present yourself with a clear working mind?

·         People skills – Are you a fantastic listener but also able to articulate your ideas? When giving a presentation do you keep peoples’ attention? Can you facilitate discussions and feedback effectively? Can you be interesting at the same time as being interested? Do you offer a thoughtful and creative vision?

Generally, employers select candidates relying on their gut instincts but by developing your soft skills you can increase your employment chances. You need to be able to get ahead of the game and demonstrate how you are unique from all the other hard working graduates who are fighting to get that dream job. You should work at:

·         Diplomacy, negotiating and teamwork – Make sure you are in control of your emotions. Obviously, not every decision you make will be welcomed with open arms and inevitably people will get hurt, upset and frustrated at some things that you do. You need to be able to stand on your own two feet but able to deal with these difficult situations effectively and appropriately. Don’t be a pushover but take a proactive approach when working in a team, don’t be afraid to exercise your leadership qualities.

·         Reliability, flexibility and time management – Employers want someone who can multi-task. You won’t only be doing tasks outlined in your contract, but don’t moan about it, instead, embrace the challenges set showing how flexible and reliable you are. Obviously, time management is a given, but make sure that you meet your objectives in your timetable; setting time aside to plan will help you become more reliable.

·         Networking, communication and presentation – Don’t be afraid to speak out at conferences or networking events. Try and be articulate, thoughtful and interesting but remember who your audience is and adapt your presentation to suit them, avoid acronyms and jargon, but be precise and leave time for questions. Communication is a two way interaction and people like to be listened to so ensure your networking skills are tuned in to their comments and it will earn you trust, respect and useful business leads.

Ultimately, we recommend that your time should be equally devoted to both developing your soft skills and your technical skills since there is always room for improvement in both and a chance to learn something new. When we assess candidates for interviews, we put a great deal of time into assessing your character and your aptitude which we then pass onto the client. These soft skills are hard to quantify in your CV but prove to be invaluable during the interview. Most of us have the basic foundations of soft skills, but by identifying what they are and why we need them we can hone our practice and really be successful in applying for that work experience, internship or placement.