Soft Skills

Soft skills is a sociological term for a person's "EQ" (Emotional Intelligence Quotient), which refers to the cluster of personality traits, social graces, communication, ability with language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that mark people to varying degrees. Soft skills complement hard skills (part of a person's IQ), which are the technical requirements of a job.

A person's soft skill EQ can also be an important part of the success of an organization. Organizations, particularly those frequently dealing with customers face-to-face, are generally more prosperous if they train their staff to use these skills. Screening or training for personal habits or traits such as dependability and conscientiouness can yield significant return on investment for an organization. [1] For this reason, soft skills are increasingly sought out by employers in addition to standard qualifications.



It has been suggested that in a number of professions soft skills are more important over the long term than technical skills, for example in the legal profession where the ability to deal with people effectively and politely can determine the professional success of a lawyer more than his or her mere technical skills.

Subjects like financial management, marketing management, HR management can be taught in the classroom and can be studied at home. But not soft skills. Soft skills are acquired and experienced on the spot and cannot be developed by merely reading textbooks. The soft skills you gain will equip you to excel in your professional life and in your personal life. It is a continuous learning process.