The skill gap is visible in freshers. Business leaders, startup founders, and corporate managers, all are looking for candidates who are best at their core technical skills as well as soft skills. They're concerned that freshers don't have all of the necessary soft skills to succeed in today's workplace.

Before we discuss it any further, let’s understand what are soft skills.

Soft skills are intangible (or you might want to call them non-technical) skills that aren’t easy to measure. For example, unlike showing how many Calculus classes you took in college, you can’t quantify what makes you a good leader. They can be learned with patience and practice, and with a good feedback mechanism in place.

And that means they need proof that you, the future employees of fields, have the skills necessary to do so. That means they are going to analyze that during the interview as well.

While hiring, companies are looking for the “best of both worlds”. Regardless of the field, the future employees of the field, you, will be interviewed for people-oriented soft skills.

But are you on the right track to developing the soft skills that will help you land a job? If not, then let’s get started.

Critical soft skills to build your dream career

Dependability -

Being dependable means that your words match your actions - when you say and what you say match. You can be trusted to complete a project without micro-management or supervision.

If you are working from home and either get burnt out or get distracted frequently, then you have to learn to set boundaries.

Knowing How to Connect -

You know how to connect with co-workers during your work hours and, if needed, after that. You know how to build connections in an organization with your teammates. This can include having written and verbal communication skills. Being able to empathize with co-workers, managers, or clients.

Initiative -

You come up with solutions to the problems in the project that might not be directly related to your work. You take the initiative to find ways to improve your work, and hence an overall improvement of your organization.

Communication -

Common and most needed. You should be able to communicate clearly what your project requires to the team, to the manager, to the client, etc. The communication gap becomes a hurdle in the growth of an organization.

Listening is an art that you need to practice more often to be successful in any field.

Commitment -

Your employer wants to know that you are committed to the work you do. Not for one time but every time, you work, you work for the best result possible.

Creativity -

It is what is making every employee a unique addition to the team. Can you think of a problem with a creative and interesting twist? Show it to your employer/hiring manager.

Problem Solving -

Every hiring manager wants to know how you work when a problem arises. Do you go into panic mode? Or do you go into a problem-solving mode? Are you a “let’s fix this” person or a “damn, I don’t know what should I do” person? This takes us to the next important skill.

Accountability -

Taking responsibility for good work is easy but what about mistakes? Yes, it sounds scary however, admitting to mistakes and allowing yourself to learn will take you much farther in the working world than avoiding constructive criticism. It will show that you are honest, and reliable as well.

Flexibility -

No job is a plain road. Some days will feel like a rollercoaster. Projects won’t always go smoothly, you won’t always have the best co-workers, and you won’t always leave the office at 5 pm. So, are you suitable for that? Show your hiring managers/employers that you can survive on a rollercoaster, meaning you have that job/promotion.

Teamwork -

Not only college projects but work projects also need good teamwork to make them successful. When you work with a big team, it becomes the most important skill. You will need to adjust a little, and change a bit of your working style but contribute the best of your knowledge.

Time Management -

You should be able to balance your workload. Prioritizing what needed to get done should be your first task. Not only balancing but working efficiently for those hours also required to manage time.

Leadership -

Can you step up and guide your team whenever needed? Can you take responsibility for the project regardless of ‘who made the mistake’ or ‘who should have taken the blame’? Leadership is about listening to what everyone is saying and taking the most unbiased decision needed for the situation.

Authenticity -

In the world of pleasing managers to get their work done, this is the skill that is usually overlooked. Being authentic will make you enjoy your work more, meaning you’ll likely put forth a better effort and be more respected by co-workers and managers.

Accept and deliver feedback -

Feedback is required to be at best what you do. Not only accepting feedback but also delivering them is a skill. Choosing the right time to give feedback to taking feedback in the most positive sense makes you a member of every team appreciates.