3 Essential Soft Skills—And How to Build Them

Soft skills are essential to any job. In fact, 89% of recruiters say that when a hire doesn’t work out, it usually comes down to a lack of soft skills.

Marlo Lyons, a career, executive, and team coach, believes practicing and learning soft skills can help set you up for success when it comes time to land a job. In her Harvard Business Review article, Lyons highlights essential soft skills to hone and how to position them on your resume.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

At its core, effective communication is taking complex problems and simplifying them for all audiences. The ability to cater your communication to a specific audience, Lyons says, is key.

“For example, some people like direction and some people like to be empowered,” Lyons explains. “For those who like direction, provide guidance in your communication, and for those who like to be empowered, be curious and coach to allow them to come up with their own resonant solutions. Delivering communication to each audience in the way they like to receive it is crucial for success in nearly every business.”

TEAMWORK

Working effectively within a team is essential both to B-school and your career. Lyons says there are multiple opportunities to elevate your teamwork skills, whether in B-school or in a job.

“For example, can you learn and practice new ways to resolve conflicts? Can you advance your ability to align stakeholders? Working with new people who have different personalities and perspectives will always provide opportunities to increase these interpersonal skills,” Lyons says.

PROBLEM-SOLVING

Effective problem solving means not only understanding the problem and root cause, but also coming up with solutions and alternatives. Lyons recommends practicing structured thinking with logic-based reasoning to improve your day-to-day problem solving. 

“Look for challenges in the new job and actively work to solve problems in creative and constructive ways,” Lyons says. “Once you’ve implemented the best solution, determine if adjustments need to be made to ensure long-term success.”

Sources: Harvard Business Review, LinkedIn

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