Only until recently, recruiters were looking for candidates who had strong technical skills. Coding, programming, knowledge of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and machine learning, were the skills high on the list of recruiters, while soft skills took a backseat. Soon enough, tech employees were found to be lacking soft skills that would help them in the workplace. Employees suffered and the work suffered. Recruiters have realised their folly. Soft skills cannot be ignored.

But What are Soft skills?

Soft skills are a combination of communication, social, analytical skills, and other positive personality traits. They are skills that help an individual connect with other people, be a good colleague, be a good team player, and be a good leader. These skills are of utmost importance for an employee to not only be good at their job but also excel in their career. Recruiters are now looking for candidates who have both, tech skills and soft skills with more preference on soft skills. They are the power skills of 2020.

Just as the tastiest dish has all the flavours like sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and spicy, an employee needs to have a variety of soft skills and hard skills. Soft skills complement the hard skills. Lacking either of them will hamper the chances of an employee doing well in the workplace.

Reawakening to the Importance of Soft Skills

2020 is the year recruiters have focussed on the importance of soft skills because of some shocking figures that have come to the fore. Aspiring Minds' 2019 Annual Employability Survey found that 80% of engineers cannot be employed. A survey by Accenture found only 4.7% of the country’s workforce get skills training, and if India doesn't catch up, we can lose $11.5 trillion worth of growth. Scary figures like this have awoken companies, and recruiters are actively looking for employees with a combination of soft and technical skills.

Benefits of Soft Skills

For the Employee

Get Far in Career - Technical skills can get you only so far in your career. Soft skills will help you communicate well within your workplace, and with potential customers. It is going to make you a more likable person, and you are going to be a good team player. Once all these skills are noticed, you will be put in a leadership role.

Make You a Better Person - The workplace is a diverse place today. There are men and women of various ages and religious backgrounds. Soft skills let you appreciate the diversity and get along with everyone. You are going to get to know people, make friends, develop a unique outlook, and appreciate all that a modern workplace has to offer.

For the Company

Better for Business - Companies that have employees with soft skills tend to function better. Soft skills are the main reason why employees get along. This results in them working together more efficiently, no workplace conflicts, and higher performance. Their soft skills are going to have a direct impact on the company revenue and it will measurably increase.

Gain Repute of Being a Good Employer - Soft skills result in happy employees, and happy employees result in a low attrition rate, and the company gaining repute as a good employer. But for this, companies should hire employees with good soft skills, and also invest in programs for employees to develop their soft skills.

So, a good mix of soft skills and tech skills are what recruiters are going to be looking for from the year 2020. Candidates looking for jobs should highlight these skills in the resume and even display them during interviews. Soft skills are truly going to be the power skills in 2020, and employers and employees should take note.