It’s no secret that COVID-19 has led to an increase in job losses and retrenchment worldwide. As a recruitment agency in Singapore that aims to cater to a range of people such as fresh graduates and mid-level employees in industries such as the IT and tech industry. We believe that there is still light at the end of the tunnel.
In fact, here are 5 soft skills that will help you expand your job prospects post-COVID-19:
A. Tech Savviness
Learning a new skill is a great way to stay relevant in today’s current workplace. In fact, we encourage upskilling so much, we’ve written a number of articles on the topic. Despite not being a soft skill, we encourage employees in all industries to pick up a digital skill. It lets your employers know Some examples of digital skills include:
Data Analytics: This refers to the process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and even the modeling of data. If you’re a fresh graduate looking to break into the tech and IT industry in Singapore — data analytics might be a skill to look into.
Digital Marketing: If you’re a Millennial, Gen Z employee, or a fresh graduate, the terms SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) might not be alien to you. Jobseekers with digital marketing skills under their belt might appear more attractive to potential employers.
Programming: Programming or coding is a skill that just about anyone should pick up. Learning to program allows the jobseeker to learn a range of soft skills (i.e. problem solving and logic skills). Additionally, a skilled programmer helps improve interpersonal skills as well as confidence.
Learn more about the benefits of learning programming and why everyone should learn coding here.Tech Savviness: When the circuit breaker first took place, both organizations and employees worldwide had to adapt to life online. In-person and collaboration meetings are now held online. This requires some amount of tech-savviness, which is essentially an employee’s ability to be smart with technology.
Recommended Readings:
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B. Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
Surprisingly not every job seeker out there has a sense of emotional intelligence. For those unaware, emotional intelligence refers to an individual’s ability to recognize, understand, and empathize with other people’s emotions. There are many reasons why employers value emotional intelligence. Firstly, studies show that high emotional intelligence results in better job satisfaction and performance. Secondly, emotional intelligence gives employees a better grip on some soft skills — employees with emotional intelligence are often better at empathizing. Thirdly, individuals with emotional intelligence often make better leaders.
In fact, having emotional intelligence is often linked to possessing other useful soft skills. They include:
Employees with emotional intelligence often have strong social skills. These social skills might include better communication skills, active listening skills, and the ability to recognize emotional cues to name a few.
The ability to be more self-aware. An employee who has the ability to recognize other people’s emotions often needs to be in tune with their own.
As mentioned, individuals with emotional intelligence are more empathetic. Empathy is an important skill as it allows you to work well with your co-workers. In short, empathy allows you to understand other people better, which encourages better teamwork.
Learn more about the importance of emotional intelligence and its benefits here.
C. Communication Skills
Communication is a treasured skill especially during the current pandemic. Right now, the ability to communicate effectively is probably the most sought after skill. Effective communication skills allow you to disseminate information (good and bad) in a calm and timely manner. In addition, good communication skills are often accompanied by other skills such as listening skills. Which is what makes communication skills a prized skill during the current pandemic.
D. Creativity
According to LinkedIn, creativity is one of the most sought after soft skills in 2020. Creativity is not a skill limited to the arts or even the tech and it industry. In fact, an employee with creative thinking brings fresh and unusual solutions to problems in the workplace.
Additionally, possessing creative thinking skills can also lead to better:
Brainstorming sessions: The goal of a brainstorming session is to come up with as many solutions and ideas as possible.
Analytical skills: Creative thinking allows you to take in and digest information in a variety of ways. Thinking creatively allows you to read and interpret text and data in a variety of different ways.
Open-mindedness: Creative thinking and open-mindedness go hand in hand. In order to think creatively, you must first eliminate personal biases. Additionally, open-mindedness makes you a more flexible and adaptable employee.
Learn more about the benefits of open-mindedness as a soft skill here.
E. Leadership Skills
You don’t have to be a manager and/or supervisor in order to have great leadership skills. In fact, employees with great leadership skills will be able to work effectively in a team. Think about it, at any given workplace, you’ll always be given a team to work with. So building your leadership skills would make you a better employee and a team player.
Other benefits of leadership skills include:
The ability to plan strategically
Delivers KPI’s or business objectives on time
Provide more tailored report and feedback to businesses
The ability to lead team projects
Learn more about the importance of great leadership skills and its many benefits here.
What are some soft skills you’re looking to build this 2020? Share them with us in the comments section below!
Read More: Which is Better – Soft Skills or Hard Skills? The Eternal Debate