“I am pursuing my higher studies from a legendary university, and when I complete my course, I will be career-ready.” If this is what you think, you need to think again because softs skills are gaining massive mainstream attention.

According to recent research by iCIMS, 94% of the recruiters believe that soft skills play a more significant role in one’s career advancement than the length of employment. Hence, it is necessary to learn soft skills apart from your academics. So, let’s understand why and how soft skills will help you during and after your academic journey.

Why softs skills are essential

You need to be well-equipped with soft skills because you will use them in several areas of your student life, right from your campus, from presentations to placement interviews. Besides, these soft skills will help you beyond your college life as you advance in your career.

The new normal

Virtual recruitment is going to be the new way of hiring talent. The process is managed remotely without the need to be physically present. Interacting on-screen can be challenging, and there is the scope of body language and hand movements to be misjudged.

Things to keep in mind to crack the virtual interview

Listen carefully without interrupting the interviewer/interviewers before responding to the question. If you face technical issues, it is best to ask the question again. When responding, take a moment, think and then reply, as this will allow you to be more articulate. If you lose your train of thought, there is no harm in taking a brief pause instead of using fillers like “um”, “you know”, etc.

Here is a list of the top 5 soft skills

1. Effective communication

Imagine you are doing a group project where all your peers have shared their thoughts. You have a fantastic idea, far better than the ones already shared, but you just can’t put it across.  This is just one area where effective communication skills, including listening skills, non-verbal communication, verbal communication, will come in handy.

2. Interpersonal skills

Let’s say your college friends Heena, Rishikesh, and you are having a friendly conversation about political figures that suddenly changes a track and turns into a massive debate. You have no clue what to do in such a scenario. Well, soft skills can save the day by resolving the conflict. Empathy for others, social skills, and conflict management can add meaning to relationships with those around you.

3. Teamwork

As a young learner, you will have many opportunities to work with a team, for instance – group projects. In a team, everyone has to participate, do their bit, and even go out of the way to achieve success. In a team, it is never “my way or highway”; instead, it is “let’s collaborate”. Soft skills like collaboration skills, team building, and team management skills will translate into higher productivity.

4. Leadership skills

In your student life, you are encouraged to take initiatives by your institutions like organizing & managing events, sending invites to the VIPs, to name a few. Many institutions are taking constructive steps to help students to be effective leaders. Participating in classroom presentations, attending seminars & webinars, alumni meet etc., are some of the great ways to develop leadership skills. This develops your public-speaking skills, creativity, people management skills, etc.

5. Critical Thinking

As a student and future manager, you will experience many events which challenge you to analyze the situation before arriving at a conclusion. Your critical thinking ability will play a major role in making well-informed choices, whether you have a huge team to manage or deal with complex data. Identifying the problem, drawing inferences, conducting thorough research before taking decisions are critical.

If you plan for a higher study in India or aspire to study abroad, soft skills will surely transform you. We at Avanse will be glad to partner with you on your academic journey. If you need any assistance or you have any doubts, please feel free to contact us.